Trade Notes

The edge-case section for the deals that need extra context.

Some VGK trades are too unusual to leave entirely to the model. This page gives you a clear place to handle exceptions, clarifications, and tracing notes.

Context Note

Marc-Andre Fleury

The Fleury trade needs separate explanation because the return was minimal, but the move also tied into broader cap management and roster planning. That makes it difficult to treat as a standard one-for-one value exchange.

The model shows it as a win for VGK, but that's mostly driven by the context provided. Fleury's post-trade value comes out negative because he went to a really bad Chicago team, and there's essentially no incoming value on the VGK side since the return never played. So statistically it looks like VGK "won," but I wouldn't really interpret it that way in practice.

Vegas Golden Knights

Sent Marc-Andre Fleury

1 year left, $7 million AAV

for

Chicago Blackhawks

Sent Mikael Hakkarainen

Last year of ELC, $825k AAV

Context Note

Retained Salary

Retained salary is noted throughout the project because it changes the practical cost of a trade. It is documented as context, but not directly assigned its own standalone value component in the model.

In practice, retained salary can still shape how a trade should be read because it affects flexibility and changes the real cost of moving or acquiring a player. The site treats that as written context so the trade score can stay consistent without pretending every retention case can be valued perfectly.

San Jose Sharks

Sent Tomas Hertl

6 years left, $6.75 million cap hit acquired by Vegas, $1,387,500 retained by SJS

Sent 2025 3rd

Traded to Vancouver

Sent 2027 3rd

for

Vegas Golden Knights

Sent David Edstrom

32nd overall pick in 2023 draft

Sent 2025 1st

Traded to Nashville

Context Note

Draft Pick Traceability

Some outgoing or incoming picks become difficult to trace once they are moved again in later deals. When that happens, the site uses notes to explain what is modeled directly and what is only partially followed.

This Eichel example shows why draft-pick traceability can become uncertain. Minnesota held two second-round picks in the 2023 draft, so it is not possible to say with confidence which specific selection came from the asset chain that began with Vegas. In cases like that, the project can follow the movement of the pick itself, but it should avoid overstating certainty about the exact prospect attached to that branch.

Vegas Golden Knights

Received Jack Eichel

Received 2023 3rd round pick

VGK selected F Mathieu Cataford

for

Buffalo Sabres

Received Alex Tuch

Received Peyton Krebs

Received 2022 16th overall pick

BUF selected F Noah Ostlund

Received 2023 2nd round pick

then

Minnesota Wild

Acquired 2023 2nd round pick

Sent Jordan Greenway to Buffalo