But one has to wonder: What if the Golden Knights pulled the trigger? Vegas still made the Cup Final and came within three wins of winning the whole thing. As a result, the Golden Knights zeroed in on Tomas Tatar.Īt the end of the day, not getting Karlsson wasn’t the worst thing. Vegas just didn’t want to move on from Glass. Leading up to 11 a.m., the final offer from Ottawa: Glass, two firsts and a conditional pick for Karlsson and Ryan (unsure of salary retention). Instead, Vegas continued to counter for one of Suzuki or Brannstrom, but the Senators were dead-set on adding a center to its prospect pipeline, a source said at the time. The team’s first ever draft pick was deemed untouchable. The two percent was the one player Vegas was reluctant to give up - Glass. The Golden Knights were ‘98 percent’ close to a deal for Erik Karlsson leading up to the deadline. The kicker: a team willing to take on Bobby Ryan’s contract Vegas had the money to do that, especially if it could unload one more in a separate deal. The nucleus was a prospect, a couple of first-round picks and maybe another conditional pick. Vegas and Ottawa talked a wide-range of packages. Vegas checked all the boxes play for a contender, a chance to win in 2018, and a team to sign a long-term extension with when his contract ran up in 2019. The potential marriage between Karlsson and the Golden Knights was real. Photo by Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images Vegas would go into the deadline prepared to move on from one of the triplets - Cody Glass, Nick Suzuki or Erik Brannstrom. The Golden Knights had the capital and prospects to make such a move. For months, it was asking how were the Golden Knights going to unload David Perron and James Neal? Now, it was how Vegas would put the pieces together for a run at the Stanley Cup. The forward core was excellent the top line of William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith was one of the best. Such aspirations in Year 1 were expected, mind you, as Vegas needed to win because it benefitted so greatly from the expansion draft. 26, the Golden Knights were in that weird ‘they’re good but we’re still not sure’ phase. Why isn’t Erik Karlsson a Vegas Golden Knight?įirst, some background leading up to the trade deadline.īy Feb. Clearly all of this is real and I can predict what would’ve happened and you should believe me. There’s one big “What if?” that’s made me wonder for two years: What if the Golden Knights went for it in February 2018 and traded for defenseman Erik Karlsson from the Ottawa Senators?Ī lot would’ve happened. Year 1 has its share of memories for the Vegas Golden Knights. There shouldn’t be many of these moments for a 3-year-old franchise, but we’re here.
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