Six teams emerge as fits for Vegas Golden Knights free agent Chandler Stephenson

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James Connelly
May 30, 2024 (1:57 PM)

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Vegas Golden Knights centerman Chandler Stephenson could be hitting the free agent market this summer and if he does, many teams could be vying for his services.

Since trading for Chandler Stephenson back in 2019, the Vegas Golden Knights have unlocked the centerman's potential by having him go from a bottom-six player to a top-line center for the Vegas Golden Knights.

In each of the past three seasons, Stephenson has scored over 50 points with him scoring over 60 in two of them. He does this while also maintaining a strong defensive game which makes him the perfect second-line center for any Stanley Cup contender.

Recently insider David Pagnotta offered some insight into Stephenson's contract situation and has shared six different teams that could land him.

"Stephenson's camp and the Golden Knights are going to speak in the next week or two and go from there. If he prices himself out of Vegas, like many expect, he'll draw a ton of interest and I suspect teams like Boston, Vancouver, Toronto, Washington, Carolina, Nashville and several others will pick up the phone." - David Pagnotta

At 30 years old, Stephenson is in the prime of his career and will likely sign with the team that gives him the most term. One of the more interesting fits is Toronto as they have Auston Matthews and John Tavares as their top two centerman so either they would have to play Stephenson on his wing or trade one of the two players to make room for him.

Additionally, Vancouver is another peculiar fit as they have JT Miller, Elias Pettersson, and Elias Lindholm (who is a pending free agent) all able to play center so if Stephenson were to sign there that would mean Vancouver would have to lose one of those three, most likely Lindholm.

Source - The Fourth Period
WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS DOESN'T ALWAYS STAY IN VEGAS