The Golden Knights have recalled depth center Tanner Laczynski from AHL Henderson, per a team announcement. He’ll make his Vegas debut tonight against the Canucks with Ivan Barbashev and Nicolas Roy battling upper-body injuries, per Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
It will be the first NHL appearance in just over a year and a half for the 6’1″ pivot. Laczynski, an Ohio State product, was a sixth-round pick of the Flyers in 2016. He spent his entire professional career in the Philadelphia organization, playing mostly with AHL Lehigh Valley but getting a few call-ups along the way, before reaching unrestricted free agency last summer and signing a two-year, $1.55MM contract with the Knights.
Laczynski hasn’t been an offensive factor in his NHL looks, only managing four points in 38 games with the Flyers. But he’s blossomed into a top AHL point producer in recent years, and his pickup has proved prudent for Vegas’ minor-league depth. He leads the Silver Knights in scoring with 19 points (6 G, 13 A) in 17 games and has a -2 rating, a decent mark on one of the league’s worst teams this season.
Laczynski spent all of last season in the minors, posting 44 points in 49 games for AHL Lehigh Valley. He appeared in a career-high 32 NHL games for Philadelphia the year prior, though, averaging 9:31 per game and recording all four of his career points. He won 51.5% of his draws, although he’ll suit up as a third-line winger tonight for Vegas alongside Tomáš Hertl and Alexander Holtz.
Both Barbashev and Roy sustained their injuries on Sunday against the Wild. It’s a damper on a huge season for Barbashev, who’s got 30 points in 31 games and is on pace to smash his career-high of 60 set with the Blues in 2021-22. Pavel Dorofeyev, who has 12 goals to rank second on the team, moves into his first-line left-wing role alongside Jack Eichel and Mark Stone. Roy, who’s been averaging over 16 minutes per game and has 13 points in 31 appearances, will be replaced more directly by Laczynski.
Vegas had an open roster spot before executing the transaction, so no corresponding moves are necessary.