NHL Rumors: Vegas Golden Knights to Make Major Changes

The Vegas Golden Knights missed out on the Stanley Cup playoffs this season for the first time since joining the NHL five years ago. It's been a remarkable start for the franchise but they aren't going to settle for missing out at a chance at the Stanley Cup. Expect to see some major changes to the look of their roster come the beginning of the 2022-23 campaign.

Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon is not satisfied with his team's performance this season and had this to say about heading home early:

I’m very disappointed we did not make the playoffs. I believe strongly that we could have and should have. As much as I’m being realistic about the impact injuries had on our season, I do think we had in our control to become a playoff team. We lost some games to teams that we shouldn’t lose to.

The salary cap is not the Golden Knights friend as they have plenty of expensive deals that eat into their cap space. It goes from bad to worse as the NHL's salary cap is expected to be $82.5 million next season and Vegas currently has 18 players under NHL contracts which totals $83 million against the cap. Expect to see some big trades this summer.

As for their free-agents-to-be, don't expect Reilly Smith or Mattias Janmark to sign new deals until McCrimmon and company can clear some cash off the books. One name that's been mentioned already is goaltender Robin Lehner, who has battled injuries a ton the past few seasons. It's no secret the team is likely to make a move in net, as McCrimmon confirmed both Lehner and Laurent Brossoit are going under the knife as surgeries are booked and the GM admitted he will figure out next steps once the surgeries are completed. Defensemen Alec Martinez and Shea Theodore are also two prime trade candidates. Both blueliners are signed for at least two more seasons making $5.2 million annually.