HOLTZ HEADED TO VEGAS
The Vegas Golden Knights acquired winger Alexander Holtz and goaltender Akira Schmid from the New Jersey Devils for winger Paul Cotter and a third-round draft pick in 2025.
What does it give the Vegas Golden Knights
In their second trade of the day, the Golden Knights acquired two players whom the Devils seemed to have given up on. Holtz was a former top-10 pick in the 2020 NHL draft. At that time, he was known for his goal-scoring ability but the Devils never really gave him much of a chance as a top-six winger. Holtz will likely be in another battle for minutes on a very deep Vegas team. After trading a goaltender, Vegas gets a new one in Schmid. GM Kelly McCrimmon indicated he may start as the third netminder.
What does it give the New Jersey Devils
This deal does not make a lot of sense from a Devils perspective. Cotter plays a specific role very well, but he has far less upside than both players New Jersey traded away. The cap hits are also very similar for each team in this trade, so it is not like the Devils opened up much space for free agency. Expect Cotter to bring physicality and strong defensive metrics to a bottom-six winger role with the Devils. Is the third-round pick enough to offset the difference in upside? Tough to say.
Fantasy impact
The one player to watch in fantasy circles here is Holtz. Last season, he finally started to make his mark. Now with Vegas, he will be in tough to improve on those numbers if he is in a bottom-six winger (and on the second power-play unit). More opportunity could become available if the Golden Knights' high-end free agents depart. Cotter holds minimal value, while Schmid may not get the opportunity to showcase his talent with the Knights, who are constantly evolving.
