Akira Schmid is gone, and Pavel Dorofeyev’s trade to New York on Friday left the Golden Knights with a sharper need at forward. Free agency opens Wednesday, so the roster shift lands at the exact moment Vegas has to decide whether to spend on scoring help or protect its blue line.
Golden Knights Need Scoring Help
Dorofeyev’s exit creates the clearest opening: a goal scorer. That is the spot the Golden Knights can attack first when the market opens at 9 a.m. Wednesday, and the names linked to that search include Patrik Laine, Evander Kane, Viktor Arvidsson, Brock Boeser and Oliver Bjorkstrand.
Patrik Laine fits the most obvious version of that need. He had 85 power-play goals since entering the league in 2016, ranked 17th-most in that span, and he had 20 goals in 52 games with the Montreal Canadiens two years ago.
Laine also brings the risk that goes with the upside. He missed almost all of last season after major core-muscle surgery, though he said after the season that he is healthy. He opened the 2025-26 season with one assist in five games, which is the kind of line that keeps him in the low-risk, high-reward category rather than a clean fix.
Bowman And Connelly Push
The Golden Knights do not have to solve every opening with one signing. Braeden Bowman will challenge for an everyday roster spot, and Trevor Connelly will push for a job, so the front office can balance outside additions against internal competition.
That matters because the trade did more than remove a scorer. If Jeremy Lauzon is not brought back, the Knights may need to look elsewhere for a third-pairing, physical presence. That pushes the free-agency plan beyond one target and into two separate needs: a finisher up front and a defenseman who can handle that role.
Vegas now has a clean read on the work ahead. A Dorofeyev trade to New York on Friday changed the board, and the opening at 9 a.m. Wednesday will show whether the Golden Knights use it to add a pure scorer, shore up the defense, or try to do both.
