The Golden Knights very well could be done making moves. On paper, their roster looks pretty set. However, the nature of these additions sets the stage for the possibility of something bigger.<\/p>\n
The Golden Knights used these forward combinations in Wednesday\u2019s game against the Detroit Red Wings:<\/p>\n
Ivan Barbashev \u2014 Jack Eichel \u2014 Braedan Bowman
Reilly Smith \u2014 Mitch Marner \u2014 Pavel Dorofeyev
Brandon Saad \u2014 Tom\u00e1\u0161 Hertl \u2014 Cole Reinhardt
Cole Smith \u2014 Colton Sissons \u2014 Keegan Kolesar<\/p>\n
Then, on Thursday, the Golden Knights placed Cole Reinhardt on waivers along with Alexander Holtz. That freed up the roster spot\u2014 and the salary cap space\u2014 necessary to acquire Nic Dowd.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There are, of course, two forwards who weren\u2019t in the lineup because of injuries: Brett Howden and William Karlsson. Both are currently on LTIR, and the next 23 hours will probably give some kind of indication of when the Golden Knights expect them to return.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If Howden and Karlsson don\u2019t return this season, the Golden Knights will be worse for it; however, they would find themselves with ample salary cap space. Because of the changes to the CBA, teams won\u2019t receive full salary cap relief for injured players unless they\u2019re ruled out for the remainder of the season. And to this point, neither Karlsson nor Howden has been ruled out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So, for the sake of the argument, let\u2019s say that both Karlsson and Howden will return from injury this season. If that is the case, it creates an interesting problem. Putting aside the issue of salary cap space, the Golden Knights would simply have too many bottom-six forwards. Really, it would be an embarrassment of riches.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The addition of Cole Smith and Nic Dowd can mean one of two things.<\/p>\n
The first option is that they want to spark some internal competition. The Golden Knights haven\u2019t gotten enough offense from their bottom-six, and head coach Bruce Cassidy said as such after the team\u2019s 3-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn general, our secondary scoring has kind of been an issue for us. We need that to win games,\u201d said Cassidy on Tuesday. \u201cI think there\u2019s some guys in our lineup, at the bottom of the lineup, that have typically scored more. So far, that hasn\u2019t happened.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s how one-goal losses happen, right?\u201d Cassidy continued. \u201cYou get a goal here or there, all of a sudden you\u2019re getting one-goal wins\u2026 We\u2019ve seen that quite a bit this year, and we need some guys to get to their level offensively. It\u2019ll make it easier on everyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n Is it a coincidence that the Golden Knights brought in the first of two new bottom-six forwards mere hours after Cassidy\u2019s comments? Maybe. But probably not.<\/p>\n The second\u2013 and more intriguing\u2013 option is that the Golden Knights are preparing to make another trade.\u00a0<\/p>\n Over the past few years, general manager Kelly McCrimmon has earned a reputation for bold, unexpected moves at or around the Trade Deadline. He made one just over a month ago, when the Golden Knights\u00a0won the Rasmus Andersson sweepstakes<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Andersson hasn\u2019t yet lived up to his full potential, but it would be fair to say no one on the team has. Despite leading the Pacific Division, this 2025-26 iteration of the Golden Knights is frustratingly inconsistent. They entered the season as favorites to contend for the Stanley Cup, but so far, they\u2019ve played like a team destined to lose in the second round.<\/p>\n Maybe acquiring Andersson won\u2019t be McCrimmon\u2019s only big move. Maybe, just maybe, he has something diabolical up his sleeve, something no one expects.<\/p>\n It would hardly be the first time.<\/p>\n By the pricking of my thumbs, \t\t
Something wicked this way comes…<\/p>\n![\"avatar\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/hannah-kirkell-bio-pic.jpg\")
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