As the calendar is all set to flip to August tomorrow that just leaves one more month away from September, which means NHL training camps aren’t too far away.
At this point in the off-season the remaining UFA’s on the free agent market are facing the prospect of having to settle for PTO’s or Professional Try-Out contracts to hopefully find their next homes to continue their NHL careers. While some of the free agents left on the market may find themselves a guaranteed contract in the next couple of weeks, the reality for most is with the majority of NHL teams having their rosters mostly in place or lacking much cap space, they will have to settle for a PTO in hopes to earn themselves a contract as training camps break heading into the season.
The Golden Knights are very limited in cap space; projected to have just roughly $1.3M available after goaltender Robin Lehner lands on LTIR. In the event GM Kelly McCrimmon wants to further add to his roster, here are three veterans who could agree to come to Vegas on a PTO on the cheap if no better opportunities arise between now and the opening of training camp come September.
James van Riemsdyk- The 35 year-old isn’t what he used to be but last year with the Boston Bruins he showed he could still be a productive middle-six winger. In 71 games last season with the Bruins, JVR scored 11 goals and 38 points. JVR could still be a useful option for the Golden Knights on the 2nd PP unit and play on the 3rd line. While the Knights will likely give young forward Brendan Brisson an increased role and newly acquired Alexander Holtz, if the Knights want a more veteran presence in a 3rd or even 4th line role, JVR could be a good fit.
Marco Scandella- The Knights lost many forwards this off-season in the form of. Jonathan Marchessault, Chandler Stephenson, Michael Amadio, Anthony Mantha and William Carrier but they also lost a key defenseman in Alec Martinez. After playing the last 5 seasons in sin city, Martinez signed with the Chicago Blackhawks. The Knights have not added a NHL defenseman to their roster this off-season and appear to be set on their backend with currently having 7 on their roster at the moment. However, if the Knights want to bring in another veteran on defense Scandella could be a solid addition. Scandella is a big 6’3′ defenseman who brings toughness to his game and the willingness to put his body in the way of pucks. The addition of Scandella would create competition for the 6/7th role on defense.
Dominik Kubalik- After being part of the trade last summer that sent Alex DeBrincat to the Detroit Red Wings, Kubalik finds himself on the free agent market after just one season in Ottawa. In 74 games last season Kubalik totaled just 11 goals, the lowest total in his 5 year career. Kubalik does have a prior history of being a proven goal scorer, which could make him attractive for a team like Vegas that is looking for more scoring. In his rookie year during the 19-20 season Kubalik scored 30 goals. Kubalik is also just 1 season removed from scoring 20 goals for the Red Wings in 22-23, his last season in Detroit before the trade to Ottawa. There have been some reports earlier in the off-season that Kubalik could return to Ambri-Protta in the Swiss-A league where he played before coming to the NHL but nothing has come to fruition yet. If he does remain in the NHL, he could provide some secondary scoring for the Golden Knights.
