from Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch,

This is not what the Vegas Golden Knights envisioned when they signed defenseman Alex Pietrangelo away from the Blues as a free agent.

This is not what they foresaw after acquiring wingers Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone, defenseman Alec Martinez, goaltender Robin Lehner, winger Evgenii Dadonov and center Jack Eichel with willy-nilly trades.

This is not what they sought while firing original coach Gerard Gallant and hiring Peter DeBoer.

For all of their aggressive wheeling and dealing — much of it senseless — the Golden Knights sit outside of the Western Conference playoff bracket with five games to play.

Meanwhile the Blues have already clinched another playoff berth with their cleverly retooled roster. General manager Doug Armstrong has remained aggressive, but, unlike his Vegas counterparts, he doesn’t lunge at every bright shiny object.

In the NHL’s salary cap world, spastic management can create a mess — as the Golden Knights proved.

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