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In 22 years of front-office work in the NHL, Vegas Golden Knights president of hockey operations George McPhee has made moves at the trade deadline in all but four seasons.

Vegas has been an aggressive buyer at nearly every deadline in franchise history, and McPhee’s history long before the Golden Knights ever existed is consistent with that. Since taking over as general manager, Kelly McCrimmon has been just as active, making trades at every deadline except 2022 — the year he traded for Jack Eichel in November. Considering the team is once again in a playoff position, it would be a surprise if Vegas doesn’t add at least one piece before the March 8 deadline.

Fully healthy, the Golden Knights have very little salary-cap room to work with, but the team hasn’t been close to that for some time. Eichel sits on long-term injured reserve after undergoing knee surgery but has returned to the ice and should see action in the coming weeks.

Just as Eichel is nearing a return, captain Mark Stone suffered a serious injury Tuesday and is considered week to week. Coach Bruce Cassidy didn’t offer a timeline for return, but if Stone is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season it would suddenly give the Golden Knights plenty of cap space to add a player (or two). Considering the team has maximized its LTIR space in two straight seasons, it’s possible.

The Golden Knights have struggled with consistency lately. They’ve lost four of their last five games and are 12-14-1 since Dec. 15. They slipped to third in the Pacific Division by points percentage, only 4 points ahead of the fourth-place Los Angeles Kings, who have two games in hand.

All six NHL defensemen are finally healthy. When Eichel returns, they’ll have their four strong centermen who anchored last year’s Cup run (Eichel, William Karlsson, Chandler Stephenson and Nicolas Roy). Vegas’ biggest need is on the wing, and there are plenty who could be available before the deadline.

Let’s examine the potential options.

Despite an upper-body injury that has held him off the ice since Feb. 14, Jake Guentzel is the biggest fish of the trade deadline. He’s expected to return sometime in mid-March and has scored more goals (22) than anyone on the Pittsburgh Penguins not named Sidney Crosby.

Guentzel would be an instant plug-and-play in Vegas’ top-six and would add scoring to a team that has averaged only 2.8 goals per game since Jan. 1. Perhaps the most attractive aspect of adding Guentzel is how he’s elevated his game in the postseason. The 29-year-old has 34 goals and 58 points in 58 career playoff games.

On an expiring contract with a cap hit of $6 million, Guentzel would only be an option for the Golden Knights if they move Stone onto LTIR, or offload salary in a trade. Also, Vegas has rarely added rental players at the deadline without signing them beyond that season, and Guentzel should command a massive contract this summer, which could dissuade the Golden Knights from this move.

Adam Henrique just feels like the type of player Cassidy and the Golden Knights adore. He’s experienced, smart with the puck and can play at center or on the wing. Vegas doesn’t necessarily need a center but has always been drawn to wingers with experience playing in the middle of the ice.

Henrique is 34, and after a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in his first full NHL season in 2012, he’s played in only one postseason since — a four-game sweep. A chance at another deep playoff run would be motivating for the perennial 20-goal scorer. He carries a $5.83 million cap hit, but the Anaheim Ducks would likely retain some of that to maximize the return.

Can Adam Henrique be a fit with the Golden Knights? (Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)

Sticking with the Ducks, Frank Vatrano is in the midst of a career year, on pace for 39 goals and 66 points. The 29-year-old winger would fit nicely in any of Vegas’ lines. Similar to last year’s deadline acquisition, Ivan Barbashev, Vatrano can add some scoring punch to a bottom-six line but also has the skill to play with a top line.

Another huge benefit to adding Vatrano is that he’s under contract for next season with a cap hit of only $3.65 million. Coming off his first All-Star Game appearance, he won’t be cheap to acquire but wouldn’t be strictly a rental and should provide good value for at least another season.

The Golden Knights have plenty of playmakers but few shoot-first forwards. Vladimir Tarasenko can’t drive the offense for a line the way he used to with the St. Louis Blues, but he still has an incredible shot if the puck finds him in the right areas.

Not only would the veteran add a shooter to the struggling power play but he’s also really strong on the puck and along the walls, which are huge priorities for Cassidy. He’s accustomed to playoff hockey and is on an expiring contract.

This list wouldn’t be complete without the obvious mention of reuniting Reilly Smith and the Golden Knights. There are plenty of reasons this trade makes sense, highlighted in this piece in early February.

More than anything, there’s certainty in what you’re getting with Smith. Whatever the acquisition cost ends up being, the Golden Knights can project what Smith will bring to the team with far more certainty than any other player on the market.

The three-time Cup title winner checks a lot of boxes the Golden Knights typically look for in players. He’s experienced, knows what it takes to win it all, is a great presence in the room, and his game is built for playoff hockey. Cassidy recently said he thought his team was becoming too easy to play against, and Pat Maroon would help fix that with his physicality and tenacity on the puck.

There is one major concern, however. Maroon underwent back surgery in early February and isn’t expected to be available until mid-March. He’s still a relatively low-risk add, on an expiring contract with a cap hit of only $800,000.

Nic Dowd is this year’s Teddy Blueger. That acquisition at last year’s deadline worked out so well for Vegas that it’s worth mentioning Dowd as an option here. He’s an excellent defensive fourth-line center who is comfortable playing tough minutes in his own zone. His 213 shifts started in the defensive zone are the second most in the entire NHL behind only his linemate Beck Malenstyn, who has played nine more games. Despite that difficult workload, Dowd has been on the ice for 21 goals for and only 14 against.

Vegas doesn’t necessarily need a center, but Dowd would be a low-cost add who would give the Golden Knights flexibility to move Stephenson to the wing and Roy up the lineup, where he’s played brilliantly lately.

Tanner Pearson is another defense-minded veteran with playoff experience. He’s familiar with Vegas assistant coach John Stevens and defenseman Alec Martinez, with whom he won a Cup in Los Angeles.

Pearson is on an expiring contract with a cap hit of $3.25 million. He’d bring physicality and checking to Vegas’ bottom six, with the ability to pitch in offensively on occasion.

It feels like Golden Knights fans have been hoping for Jason Zucker, who grew up in Las Vegas, to come home for some time. This could be the best opportunity for it to happen. With Zucker’s contract expiring at the end of this season, he carries very little risk with plenty of offensive upside.

Zucker isn’t having the best season with the Arizona Coyotes, but he’s only one year removed from a 27-goal season with the Penguins. He’s an offensive driver and would add a scoring punch to any of Vegas’ top three lines. Plus, the Coyotes would likely retain a portion of his $5.3 million cap hit, making him even more affordable.

The Golden Knights have had a lot of success trading for skilled offensive players who aren’t great fits in their current situation, and Dominik Kubalik fits that mold. The 28-year-old has always been a streaky scorer and is having the worst offensive season of his career this year with the Ottawa Senators with only nine goals through 50 games.

He’s averaged over 20 goals in each of his first four NHL seasons, so he could be a great buy-low candidate with scoring upside. Kubalik is on an expiring contract so there’s not a lot of risk if he’s not a fit in Vegas.

(Top photo of Jake Guentzel: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)