The Washington Post’s Bailey Johnson is reporting that the Vegas Golden Knights have had at least one scout in attendance at five straight Capitals games. The span includes every game the Capitals have played since returning from their bye week and includes matchups against the Montreal Canadiens (2/6), Florida Panthers (2/8), Boston Bruins (2/10), and the Vancouver Canucks (2/11). Two of those games — the Florida and Boston matchups — were on the road.
In a recent article on The Athletic where team reporters identified what they believe the teams they follow will try and do at the deadline, Jesse Granger, Golden Knights reporter, picked out an interesting position of need.
“Without a glaring weakness, the most likely position to upgrade is probably on the wing,” Granger wrote. “Vegas is deep at center and on defense, and Adin Hill has been great in net. A middle-six winger with offensive upside would be ideal.”
Two of the Capitals’ current wingers who are on expiring deals fit that mold. One in particular, Max Pacioretty, is very familiar with Vegas after spending four seasons as a member of the Golden Knights from 2018-2022. Pacioretty holds a full no-move clause in the contract he signed with the Capitals this past offseason but there have been rumblings that he may be willing to waive it if dealt to the right team.
“Pacioretty [is] intriguing,” hockey insider Pierre LeBrun wrote last week. “For starters, Pacioretty has a 100 percent, full-no move clause, so he and agent Allan Walsh control that process. But my sense is, for the right fit and a chance to chase a Cup, he might waive.”
The Golden Knights currently sit tied for third in the Western Conference and have won seven of their last 10 games. They are definitely once again a Cup contender and represent perhaps the most comfortable situation for Pacioretty among trade deadline buyers.
Anthony Mantha is the other intriguing wing option that the Capitals likely have available in the coming weeks. Mantha has refound his scoring touch this season with 16 goals, the most he has scored in one season since potting 16 with the Detroit Red Wings during the 2019-20 campaign.
While Mantha’s $5.7 million cap hit could be determined to be far too rich for a cash-strapped team like Vegas, Washington could help them out by retaining half of his salary in any deal. The Capitals will also have an increased amount of cap flexibility this year due to the non-roster status of Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov. The extra room could allow them to take back contracts from other teams to make deals work.
This year’s NHL’s trade deadline will be held on March 8.
