LAS VEGAS -- With free agency mere hours away, the Vegas Golden Knights, particularly general manager Kelly McCrimmon, are already hard at work tinkering away to build a roster that will return the Stanley Cup to Sin City.
On Tuesday, the Golden Knights made a pair of moves on the coaching staff and roster that they hope brings them closer to that goal.
Starting with new head coach Ryan Craig’s assistants, the Golden Knights have hired Colorado Eagles head coach Mark Letestu to fill the assistant coach spot vacated by new Henderson Silver Knights bench boss Joel Ward.
In his only season with the Eagles, Letestu would take them to the Western Conference Finals, including eliminating Craig and the Silver Knights in the second round of the AHL playoffs. Prior to his coaching career, Letestu would play 11 seasons in the NHL, including serving as Craig’s teammate with the Columbus Blue Jackets for two seasons between 2013-15.
It has also been reported that the remainder of the coaching staff from last season will remain, including assistant coaches John Stevens and Dominique Ducharme, guaranteeing Vegas has at least some continuity behind the bench.
Speaking of continuity, the Golden Knights kept one of their own from reaching free agency before it opens, signing defenseman Jeremy Lauzon to a six-year contract extension with an annual cap hit of $4 million.
Lauzon’s extension came hours after the news that the Golden Knights traded defenseman Kaedan Korczak to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for defenseman Parker Wotherspoon.
Arriving as a result of the Nic Hague trade to the Nashville Predators, Lauzon made his impact as a punishing stay-at-home defenseman, racking up 257 hits, 97 blocks and 89 penalty minutes. That level of grit was something the Golden Knights clearly felt they currently lacked on their blue line, prompting this extension to be completed.
Once the presumed Rasmus Andersson extension comes through, that will likely fill out the defensive corps for Vegas this season outside of securing potential depth options in free agency.
Lauzon’s extension means that the Golden Knights currently sit at just under $2.5 million in cap space, although they will likely have the chance to designate defenseman Alex Pietrangelo for season-ending long-term injured reserve to increase their cap space to just under $11.3 million.
With internal business handled, at least for the time being, McCrimmon and the Golden Knights can now have their eyes set to see what other moves can be made to strengthen their roster heading into next season.