Welcome to judgment day, y’all.
The 2018 NHL Trade Deadline is upon us, and at time of publishing, we are less than 12 hours away from it passing. The Vegas Golden Knights, heading into March with the best record in the Western Conference, have already made one move by acquiring forward Ryan Reaves and a 2018 fourth-round draft pick.
But is that all the Golden Knights are doing? That’s what we’re going to be relaying to you for the final hours leading up to the deadline.
Here’s everything you need to know up to this point.
Feb. 26, 10:20 a.m. PT — Brendan Leipsic traded to the Vancouver Canucks for Philip Holm.
The trade has been confirmed, the news of which first came via a report by TSN’s Bob McKenzie. Leipsic had 2-11—13 in 44 games with Vegas, while Holm had 11-18—29 with Vancouver’s AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets. The 26-year-old defenseman notched two points with the man advantage against the Knights in their first-ever preseason game.
Feb. 26, 6:40 a.m. PT — Ian Cole heading to Columbus
A potential Golden Knights target, and one who has been linked to Vegas for a bit, defenseman Ian Cole appears on his way to Columbus, per Elliotte Friedman. Cole was sent to Ottawa, from Pittsburgh, as part of the Derick Brassard deal on Friday.
Feb. 26, 5:14 a.m. PT — Karlsson unlikely moved?
Early indications from Darren Dreger of TSN say Karlsson is not moved today, and the summer is more likely. He adds Ian Cole is the likely name moved from Ottawa today, and Winnipeg is a team interested.
Feb. 25, 4:56 p.m. PT — Golden Knights in play for Erik Karlsson
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reports that the Golden Knights are at least one of four teams considered to be in play to acquire the two-time Norris Trophy winner from the Senators.
Tampa Bay, Nashville and San Jose are the other teams looking to grab Karlsson for a playoff run.
Feb. 25, 7:27 p.m. PT — Golden Knights going “all-in” on Karlsson
It is indeed true the Golden Knights plan to go for broke in acquiring Karlsson, according to sources.
Given its inexplicable position in the standings, Vegas is in a interesting situation with no desirable need to make any moves. The Golden Knights firmly believe they can make a deep playoff run with the players they have, but also understand adding a player like Karlsson shores up their defense and brings a superstar to the already-loaded roster.
However, if time ticks down and no progress toward getting Karlsson is imminent, don’t expect the Golden Knights to make a move for the sake of making a move. The Eastern Conference has dominated the headlines for the past 24 hours, and there’s no rush for Vegas to make a move if other Western Conference rivals aren’t trying to do the same.
In short, Vegas is either getting Erik Karlsson or hardly nothing at all.