The Vegas Golden Knights had to remove one more player from their NHL roster in order to activate Jack Eichel, and they’ve decided it will be Adam Brooks. The depth forward has been placed on waivers according to CapFriendly, the third time he’s ended up there this season. Previously, Brooks had been claimed by the Montreal Canadiens from the Toronto Maple Leafs, and then the Golden Knights from the Canadiens. He’s now up for grabs once again.
Brooks, 25, has played just seven games for the Golden Knights since being claimed in November, scoring his only two goals of the season. He did go to the minor leagues on a conditioning stint for a short period, but in order to be assigned there full-time, has to clear waivers.
Whether he clears this time still remains to be seen, as Brooks represents a useful fourth-line forward with a bit of powerplay upside in the right situation. Even in his short NHL career, which spans just 29 regular season games, he has scored six goals and 11 points. A superstar in junior, recording 250 points over his final two years with the Regina Pats, he’s exactly the type of player who seems to ride right on the edge between the minor leagues and NHL. The fact that he is a natural center but can also play the wing only helps his case, as does his super-low cap hit of $725K.
Unfortunately, given he has been on injured reserve since the middle of January, teams probably can’t be sure that he’s ready to contribute. That could allow him to slip through and be sent to Henderson, where he can remain useful depth for the cap-strapped Golden Knights.