(Pittsburgh) The Vegas Golden Knights, Stanley Cup champions, are already preparing for their new season in view of another championship.
The team traded Reilly Smith to the Pittsburgh Penguins, then extended Ivan Barbashev’s contract for five years and an average of US$5 million. The news came out a few hours before the start of the draft.
PHOTO JOHN LOCHER, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Ivan Barbashev
Smith counted precisely for five million on the wage bill, which can explain the exchange of the attacker.
The 32-year-old Smith was one of the team’s original six players remaining from the inaugural season, seeing them reach the Stanley Cup Finals. He was the first to receive the cup from captain Mark Stone during on-ice celebrations earlier this month.
The Penguins traded a third-round pick for Smith.