Golden Knights’ Top 5 Trade Deadline Targets

With a Stanley Cup title defense forthcoming and potential trade target battles emerging with division rivals, let’s make sense of some of the rumors and take a closer look at some of the forwards who could be in the crosshairs of the Golden Knights:

Jake Guentzel, PIT

It’s the Golden Knights we’re talking about here, so of course, we’ll start with the biggest name on the trade market. Jake Guentzel’s 22 goals in 50 games before suffering his recent upper-body injury actually represents something of a down year for him after potting 76 goals over the previous two seasons. Nevertheless, the offensively gifted 29-year-old is averaging more than a point per game and looks like the best player who could be moved in the coming days, especially since he should be back on the ice soon.

Why Vegas would want him is obvious. With Eichel progressing slowly and Stone questionable for even a postseason return, the club could use Guentzel’s top-of-the-lineup talent. And if both men are healthy and productive come playoff time, well, an embarrassment of riches isn’t exactly a bad thing.

Of course, a front-line player who still hasn’t hit 30 isn’t going to come cheap. Recent reports have suggested that the Pittsburgh Penguins are asking for a first-round pick, a top prospect, and an NHL player as the starting point in trade talks for the Omaha, Nebraska native. From a Vegas standpoint, that could mean something along the lines of this year’s first, Brendan Brisson, and a player like Paul Cotter, Nicolas Hague, or Dorofeyev – a rather steep cost for a rental. Furthermore, Guentzel is still working his way back from his own upper-body injury. And yes, there will be plenty of competition for his services.

Pavel Buchnevich

Vegas general manager (GM) Kelly McCrimmon and St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong, both hockey lifers in their own right, got to work a year ago in making the Ivan Barbashev deadline deal. The Golden Knights were so happy to land one-third of their dominant top playoff line that they re-signed Barbashev for five more years this past off-season. Could another deal involving a 28-year-old Blues forward from Russia be in the works?

Buchnevich already has 24 goals and 48 points this season, significantly better numbers than the 10 goals and 29 points that Barbashev held prior to last year’s trade. Like Guentzel, he would immediately slot into a top-six role. Also, like Guentzel, however, he could prove to be a costly addition. Because the Blues may well look to play a rival organization (such as the Edmonton Oilers) against Vegas in trade negotiations, the return cost on Buchnevich may be more than Vegas wants to spend.

Jordan Eberle

Quickly approaching the 1,000-game mark for his career, postseason success has largely eluded Jordan Eberle thus far. Sure, the 33-year-old has played in 76 career playoff games and even went to the Eastern Conference Final as a member of the 2019-20 New York Islanders, but the 33-year-old is now in his 14th season without a Cup Final appearance to show for it. A trade to Vegas may be able to change that.

Throughout those 14 seasons, Eberle has established himself as a consistent, reliable secondary scorer. A member of the Seattle Kraken dating back to the Expansion Draft, he has spent much of the season playing up alongside Matty Beniers and Jared McCann on the team’s top line. Though not the offensive dynamo that Guentzel or Buchnevich are (he has 14 goals and 35 points in 56 games this season), the Saskatchewan native would bring plenty of leadership (he is an alternate captain with the Kraken) and playmaking into the Vegas fold.

Vladimir Tarasenko

Any discussion related to acquiring Vladimir Tarasenko ultimately comes down to the question of how much the Russian sniper has left in the tank. This really shouldn’t be a question for a player who just turned 32 in December. Yet after enjoying four consecutive seasons of producing between 33 and 40 goals in his mid-twenties, Tarasenko has one 34-goal campaign and a mere 40 total goals in the four other seasons since.

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Of course, context is key. The pandemic- and injury-marred 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons produced just seven combined goals, but they came in only 34 games. Tarasenko’s 18-goal 2022-23 season was split between the struggling St. Louis Blues and the New York Rangers. Once the then-lifetime Blue hit Broadway, he recorded eight goals and 21 points in 31 games and three goals in seven postseason contests. Meanwhile, this season in Ottawa has been mired by underperformance from players and the team.

As always, value will surely dictate the Golden Knights’ appetite for risk. If the Senators can drum up enough trade interest across the league to spark a bidding war, the return cost may well be more than Vegas wishes to pony up. If the market on Tarasenko is cool, though, a proven scorer and past Cup champion (he would join Alex Pietrangelo and Barbashev as alumni of the Cup-winning 2019 Blues) looking for the right fit could be a worthwhile gamble.

Nic Dowd

One of these names is not like the others. While each of the aforementioned forwards have recorded at least 34 goals in a season, Washington Capitals center Nic Dowd has never scored more than 13. Dowd’s possible trade link to the Golden Knights has nothing to do with the organization’s need for scoring on the wing. Instead, the lockdown defender holds appeal for his defensive presence and potential fit as an upgrade in the middle of the fourth line.

With Vegas thin down the middle due to injury, Byron Froese has filled the role. Even if Eichel’s return bumps Nicolas Roy back to the No. 4 center slot and Froese out of the lineup, the club could always use another physical force to make life miserable for those they play. Still, while Dowd makes for an interesting fit, a move for the nine-year veteran would probably only come once the holes in the top six are filled.

The league’s trade board looks fairly thin on the defensive end, with Chris Tanev already Dallas-bound and few other notable names available. Up front, there could still be a number of difference-makers moved by Friday. Vegas will surely be involved in plenty of those discussions, but they won’t be alone. It’s going to be a busy week for McCrimmon and company.