The over-arching task of a GM in the NHL is to give the coaching staff a roster capable of contending for a Stanley Cup. Once again, VGK GM Kelly McCrimmon has checked the largest box on the job description list.
McCrimmon, as of late in the day on July 1, has put together a roster for Head Coach Ryan Craig that has to viewed as one of the best in the Western Conference.
An elite set of top-six forwards, depth and high-end talent in goal, and a blueline which is arguably one of the best in the NHL.
As with any roster in the salary cap era, there are question marks. But McCrimmon has proven adept at adding on the fly and filling any holes that reveal themselves.
Vegas returns Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, Ivan Barbashev, Mitch Marner, William Karlsson, Brett Howden, Tomas Hertl and Nic Dowd from its core group of forwards from a team that was two wins shy of capturing the Stanley Cup.
McCrimmon mentioned on Wednesday afternoon that Braedon Bowman would be an NHL player next season after he broke through last season and saw action in 54 games, scoring eight goals and 26 points.
The club also signed Victor Olofsson and Marc Gatcomb in free agency on Wednesday.
Olofsson has scored 118 goals in the NHL and has a great shot. He tallied 15 goals and 29 points in 56 games with Vegas two seasons ago. He will provide utility and a power-play option.
Gatcomb is a well-defined fourth line player and will provide a physical presence in the bottom six.
"There's probably a few different ways that we can configure the rest of it. Those are things that we're going to find out," McCrimmon said. "We will see how they play at camp. It's a short preseason and we will be making those decisions as we go along. You talked a little bit about creating those opportunities for younger players. When (Jonathan Marchessault) left, you wondered where those goals would come from. And that allowed (Pavel Dorofeyev) to blossom. That's the nature of the business."
On the back end, Vegas was able to retain some key players and upgrade as well. Arguably, this is the best group the team has had since it won the Stanley Cup in 2022-23.
Shea Theodore, Brayden McNabb, Noah Hanifin, Rasmus Andersson, Jeremy Lauzon, Parker Wotherspoon and Dylan Coghlan make up a strong set of seven NHLers.
Wotherspoon came over in a trade that saw Kaedan Korczak move to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"Parker has turned into a really good NHL defenseman,” McCrimmon said. "He was a really good player in Pittsburgh last year. He was partnered with Erik Karlsson and played over 20 minutes a night. And then, the other piece of that is just from a salary cap standpoint, to be able to put a top-four defenseman onto your team for $500,000 because of the retention, you know that matters in a salary cap world."
In goal, Vegas boasts a Stanley Cup champion in Adin Hill and a goalie in Carter Hart that just went on a deep playoff run. With Carl Lindbom holding down the third netminder position in the organization, the Golden Knights are deep, accomplished, talented and hungry.
