It has been reported that scouts from the Vegas Golden Knights have attended five consecutive Capitals games.
The Vegas Golden Knights have sent at least one scout to five consecutive Capitals games, according to Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post. The games against the Montreal Canadiens (2/6), Florida Panthers (2/8), Boston Bruins (2/10), and Vancouver Canucks (2/11) are among the games the Caps have played since coming back from their bye week. The Florida and Boston games were two of those away games.
Jesse Granger of The Athletic, a reporter covering the Golden Knights, highlighted an intriguing need in a recent piece where team reporters predicted what the teams they cover would attempt to accomplish by the deadline.
Granger stated, “The most likely position to upgrade is probably on the wing, barring a glaring weakness.” Adin Hill has excelled in goal, and Vegas has depth at center and on defense. The ideal player would be a middle-six winger with offensive upside.
That includes two of the Capitals’ current wingers, whose contracts are about to expire. Max Pacioretty, in particular, has extensive knowledge of Vegas having played for the Golden Knights for four seasons between 2018 and 2022. In the contract he signed with the Capitals this offseason, Pacioretty has a complete no-move clause, but there have been rumors that he might be willing to waive it if dealt to the right team.
The hockey insider Pierre LeBrun wrote last week that Pacioretty “is] intriguing.” “To begin with, Pacioretty and his agent Allan Walsh are in charge of that procedure because he has a complete, zero-move clause. But it seems like he might waive if it were the right fit and an opportunity to pursue a Cup.
The Golden Knights have won seven of their previous ten games and are currently tied for third place in the Western Conference. They are unquestionably a Cup contender once more, and among trade deadline buyers, they may offer Pacioretty the most comfortable circumstances.
The other intriguing wing option the Capitals will probably have in the upcoming weeks is Anthony Mantha. With 16 goals this season, Mantha has found his scoring form again. It’s the most in a single season since he scored 16 with the Detroit Red Wings in the 2019–20 campaign.
Although it may be determined that Mantha’s $5.7 million salary cap hit is too high for a financially strapped team like Vegas, Washington could still be able to assist them by keeping half of his salary in any trade. This year, the Capitals will also have more cap flexibility because Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov are not on the roster. They might be able to salvage contracts from other teams in order to close deals thanks to the additional space.
The NHL trade deadline for this year is set for March 8.
