Knights free agency preview: Latest on Marner, Samsonov, others

The eyes of the hockey world are glued to City National Arena right now.

The Golden Knights are at the center of the NHL’s rumor mill with free agency set to open at 9 a.m. Tuesday. The Knights continue to be linked with right wing Mitch Marner, the top player available on this year’s market.

The team has discussed a potential sign-and-trade involving Marner with the Toronto Maple Leafs, according to multiple reports Saturday.

The Knights executed a different deal Sunday, trading defenseman Nic Hague to the Nashville Predators for forward Colton Sissons and defenseman Jeremy Lauzon.

Hague, a restricted free agent, will sign a four-year, $22 million contract with the Predators, according to multiple reports.

It remains to be seen if the Knights can also finalize a deal involving Marner.

Acquiring his rights would give the team an exclusive window to negotiate with him before the free agent market opens. It would also give the Knights the ability to offer him an eight-year contract extension. Marner would only be eligible to sign a seven-year deal as a free agent.

Center Nicolas Roy is expected to be part of a Knights trade with the Maple Leafs if it comes to

fruition, according to multiple reports.

The team is juggling its pursuit of Marner with questions surrounding defenseman Alex Pietrangelo’s status for next season.

Pietrangelo, 35, missed 11 regular-season games last year due to various injuries and pulled out of the 4 Nations Face-Off in February because of an undisclosed ailment. The two-time Stanley Cup champion has an $8.8 million cap hit the next two seasons, so placing him on long-term injured reserve would give the Knights a lot of extra spending power to sign Marner.

General manager Kelly McCrimmon is expected to provide an update on Pietrangelo after the beginning of free agency Tuesday.

“Alex and I have had a number of discussions,” McCrimmon said Saturday. “There are some decisions that need to be made.”

Remaining business

The Knights have several things to sort out after Sunday’s trade.

They have $757,857 in cap space remaining with 12 forwards, eight defensemen and two goaltenders under contract. It remains to be seen if the Knights have Sissons or Lauzon in their plans for next season, or if this just the start of the team’s wheeling and dealing.

Sissons, 31, has one year remaining on his contract with a $2.857 million cap hit. He had 21 points in 72 games with the Predators last season. Lauzon, 28, has one year left on his deal with a $2 million cap hit. He had one assist in 28 games with Nashville last season.

The Knights would have a hard time retaining any of their three remaining restricted free agents — goaltender Ilya Samsonov and left wings Victor Olofsson and Tanner Pearson — if Sissons and Lauzon stick around.

Samsonov is not expected back. The 28-year-old, who signed a one-year, $1.8 million contract last offseason, went 16-9-4 with an .891 save percentage his first year with the Knights. He served as Adin Hill’s backup most of the season but was demoted to No. 3 by the playoffs in favor of Akira Schmid.

Olofsson and Pearson, like Samsonov, are expected to test the market Tuesday.

Olofsson, 29, scored 15 goals in 56 games last season after joining the Knights on a one-year deal. Pearson, 32, made the team out of camp after arriving on a professional tryout contract. He had 27 points in 78 games for the Knights.

The team will need all the flexibility it can get to sign Marner, who had a $10.9 million cap hit on his previous contract. The 28-year-old is expected to earn a raise after scoring a career-high 102 points last season.

The Knights could also look to add a defenseman with Pietrangelo’s status uncertain and Hague gone. Hague, 26, was part of the franchise’s first draft class in 2017. He scored 83 points in 364 games with the Knights and helped the team win the Stanley Cup in 2023.

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.