In the 30th of a 32 part series leading up to the start of the 2025-26 National Hockey League regular season, we will look at the key off-season transactions made by all NHL organizations with an overall grade. Here are the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Golden Knights have a history of acquiring superstars. In the offseason that trend continued as they added forward Mitch Marner of Markham, Ontario to their roster. Let’s take a look at the three players who are on board in Vegas to start the season.
Mitch Marner
Marner was traded to the Golden Knights from the Toronto Maple Leafs on June 30. In return, the Maple Leafs acquired centre Nicolas Roy of Amos, Quebec. Marner then signed an eight year contract worth $96 million. He is expected to be on the Golden Knights’s first line alongside Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev.
Marner spent the last nine seasons with the Maple Leafs where he was an All-Star thrice. In 81 games in 2024-25, he had 27 goals and 75 assists for 102 points. Marner was a +18 with 14 penalty minutes, 33 power-play points, two shorthanded points, seven game-winning goals, 173 shots on goal, 10 faceoff wins, 40 blocked shots, 49 hits, 56 takeaways, and 106 giveaways. Marner’s two points a man down came against the Montreal Canadiens.
Colton Sissons & Jeremy Lauzon
Sissons, a center from North Vancouver, British Columbia, and Lauzon, a defenseman from Val D’or, Quebec, were traded from the Nashville Predators to the Golden Knights, on June 30. In return, the Predators received defenseman Nicolas Hague of Kitchener, Ontario and a conditional third round pick in the 2027 NHL Entry Draft. Sissons is projected to be on the Golden Knights’s fourth line alongside Brett Howden and Keegan Kolesar. Lauzon is projected to be on the Golden Knights’s third defensive pairing alongside Kaedan Korczak.
This transaction was made for one reason. So they could afford Marner. Hague’s contract with the Predators is four years and $22 million.
Sissons spent the last 11 seasons with the Nashville Predators. In 72 games in 2024-25, he had seven goals and 14 assists for 21 points. He was a -12 with 22 penalty minutes, one power-play point, 80 shots on goal, 342 faceoff wins, 67 blocked shots, 100 hits, 20 takeaways, and 32 giveaways. Lauzon had one assist in 28 games last season with the Predators. He also played for the Boston Bruins and Seattle Kraken.
Projected Offseason Grade
I have only given out one A so far and that went to the Dallas Stars. The Golden Knights get an A too because the best player who switched teams in the offseason is Vegas bound.
