Vegas Golden Knights won’t be active at the 2017 NHL trade deadline

The biggest wild card at the upcoming 2017 NHL trade deadline apparently won’t be a factor.

The Vegas Golden Knights are holding an open house at T-Mobile Arena for fans this week, and owner Bill Foley confirmed the NHL’s expansion franchise won’t get the final payment of their expansion fee through in time to play ball at the March 1 NHL trade deadline.

"The money is not the problem," Foley told KXNT News on Tuesday. "We have the money. It's just documentation."

Although the $500 million fee is due in full by April 5, the Golden Knights accelerated the process to try and make moves before the trade deadline. Vegas could have traded for draft picks or acquired players before the upcoming expansion draft.

Instead, it sounds like the tedious paperwork process will leave them silent as the deadline passes next week. However, Foley did confirm that the paperwork would be finalized in time for general manager George McPhee to take part in the GM meetings in early March.

Vegas can sign college players, European free agents, and older junior league players as soon as the final expansion fee payment is paid. In the meantime, the franchise will continue looking for a head coach. Former Islanders head coach Jack Capuano seems to be the front-runner, though recently fired coaches like Ken Hitchcock and Gerard Gallant could also be in the mix.

No NHL expansion team has ever had a better coaching pool to choose from.