Vegas Golden Knights making major splash in trade with Mark Stone on LTIR

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Liam McCormick
February 27, 2024 (2:30 PM)

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Every year since they've been in the NHL, the Vegas Golden Knights have found a way to be competitive. They're notoriously ruthless with roster decisions and trades, and recently, fans have accused them of cheating by putting Mark Stone on the Injured Reserve to gain salary space to add players before the deadline. This year, Stone will be out until the playoffs once again, and the Golden Knights are closing in on adding Jake Guentzel.

Now with Stone on LTIR until the playoffs, Vegas has the space to trade for Guentzel and go over the salary cap while in the playoffs once again. More than that, Vegas still has nearly all their draft picks and some decent prospects, and can offer the best package to the Penguins for Guentzel.

Prior to these developments, the Edmonton Oilers were considered one of the front runners to acquire Guentzel. However, with Vegas now looking like the primary suitor and Guentzel reportedly unwilling to sign an extension in Edmonton, the Oilers are going to have to shift their deadline plans.

It'll be extremely frustrating to lose out on Guentzel to the rival Golden Knights, a team the Oilers could run into in the playoffs. It's going to put more pressure on Ken Holland and the Oilers to nail the trade deadline, whether it's with a big acquisition for a forward or multiple moves to address multiple positions.