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Shortly after trading goaltender Logan Thompson to the Washington Capitals, the Vegas Golden Knights turned around and strengthened their goal by signing Akira Schmid from the New Jersey Devils.

The trade also included the transfer of forward Alexander Holtz to Vegas, while Paul Cotter and a 2025 third-round pick went to New Jersey.

Which GM fared better in the trade? Here are our grades for both teams.

After the Golden Knights traded Thompson to the Capitals, speculation immediately began about what Vegas would do next with its goalie. Adin Hill was the only goalie signed with any tangible NHL experience. The UFA market offered alternatives, but not at the cheap price of Thompson’s contract ($766,667 AAV).

But with Schmid, the Golden Knights get a goalie at 24 who can still grow and has a contract that should be close to the value Thompson offered them. Schmid is a restricted free agent who only made $850,833 on his last contract despite being offered a qualifying offer of $813,750. He has 43 games in the NHL and nine more in the postseason. While his numbers dipped last season, his performance in 2022-23 (.922 save percentage, 2.13 goals-against average) showed potential for what he could accomplish with a solid defensive effort in front of him.

The wild card is Holtz. He scored 16 goals in 82 games last season. But after 82 games – and reportedly several attempts to trade him – the Devils decided they didn’t want to wait any longer to see if his defensive skills would develop. He’s a dazzling offensive talent. If Vegas can play the rest of his game, a throw-in here could prove to be the bargain of draft weekend, for the price of a forward and an expendable third-round pick.

Schmid’s path to the NHL was blocked by the Two Jakes, as the Devils will have Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen as NHL players in the future. They also like Nico Daws a little better than Schmid at the moment, so the “Akira!” chants will now be heard in Vegas.

Holtz…boy, it’s hard to give up on an offensive talent like that. But the Devils have let him play for a long time this season and clearly haven’t seen enough to warrant a roster spot or a new contract after next season. They’re willing to live with the regret if he pans out as a player, but don’t expect that to happen.

With Cotter, the Devils get a young (24), big player for their bottom six who can contribute offensively (22 goals and 23 assists in 138 NHL games). New Jersey needed to add depth on offense – and size – and Cotter is a good addition to do that. They also get a third-round pick next season.