Golden Knights Recall Kai Uchacz
The Golden Knights announced they’ve recalled forward Kai Uchacz from AHL Henderson. They sent center Tanner Laczynski and defenseman Dylan Coghlan back down to Henderson in corresponding moves.
It’s the first NHL recall for the 22-year-old Uchacz, and he could make his NHL debut this week before the freeze. He was an undrafted free agent signed out of WHL Red Deer in 2024 and has spent the last season-plus developing in Henderson, where he’s scored 21 goals and 50 points in his first 107 professional games.
During Uchacz’s time in juniors, he was cut from his first WHL team, the Seattle Thunderbirds, following the 2019-20 season after he and a teammate were suspended for directing racist taunts toward Black teammate Mekai Sanders. He was cleared to return to the WHL for the 2021-22 campaign after going through anti-racism training and went on to play three seasons for Red Deer, including being named captain in his final junior campaign in 2023-24.
With all of Brett Howden, Jonas Røndbjerg, and Brandon Saad on injured reserve, plus Colton Sissons remaining out with an upper-body injury, Uchacz will almost certainly draw into the lineup tomorrow against the Canucks. Laczynski’s removal from the roster in the corresponding move only leaves the Knights with 12 healthy forwards, including Uchacz. The 6’2″, 209-lb forward is a natural center, so it’s reasonable to expect him to replace Laczynski down the middle on the fourth line.
Laczynski, 28, has suited up nine times for Vegas since being recalled last month. The veteran NHL/AHL tweener has two assists and a -2 rating while averaging 10:13 of ice time per game, a new career-high. He’s now played 17 times for the Knights over the past two years since signing with Vegas as a free agent in 2024.
Meanwhile, Coghlan hadn’t played since being summoned from Henderson on Friday. He was up as a temporary extra defenseman with Brayden McNabb out, but he’ll head back to the minors to get some playing time while Vegas goes without an insurance policy on the blue line for the time being.
Golden Knights Place Jonas Rondbjerg On IR
2/2/26: The Golden Knights have placed Rondbjerg on injured reserve, according to Sin Bin Vegas.
Additionally, both Coghlan and Laczynski have been reassigned to AHL Henderson. Rondbjerg is out with an undisclosed injury, presumably suffered during yesterday’s game against the Ducks. Coghlan didn’t get to dress for any games during this recall, while Laczynski was able to get into the Golden Knights’ game yesterday. He played 7:35 in Vegas’ loss to the Ducks.
1/30/26: The Vegas Golden Knights have brought two players up to the NHL club with four games remaining before the Winter Olympics break. Forward Jonas Rondbjerg and defenseman Dylan Coghlan have both been recalled, while forward Tanner Laczynski has been reassigned.
Coghlan was assigned to the AHL just hours before the Henderson Silver Knights’ Wednesday game. The defenseman went on to score both goals in the team’s 2-1 overtime win. He has alternated between the NHL and AHL lineups over his last four games, after earning his first call-up of the season earlier this month. He ranks third on the Silver Knights’ blue-line in scoring with 18 points in 30 games. Coghlan hasn’t scored yet in two NHL games this season. The pair of games were his first with Vegas since the 2021-22 season, when he scored 13 points in 59 games with the Golden Knights. Coghlan spent the last three seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes and Winnipeg Jets, where he combined for three points in 24 NHL games.
Rondbjerg has also rotated between lineups throughout the season. He ranks second on Henderson in scoring with 12 goals and 23 points in 36 games. He has also scored one assist in two NHL games this season. Rondbjerg has served as one of Vegas’ go-to call-ups for the last five seasons. He has notched 11 points and eight penalty minutes in 78 NHL games in that span, to go with 142 points and 54 PIMs in 269 AHL games.
Coghlan and Rondbjerg will bring some assured depth to the Golden Knights’ roster in their last slate before an extended break. Vegas is currently facing injuries to William Karlsson, Brett Howden, Brandon Saad, and Colton Sissons – leaving notable holes in the forward group. That should be enough to earn Rondbjerg a fourth-line role in place of Laczynski, while Coghlan will likely serve as the team’s extra defenseman. Meanwhile, Henderson will welcome the return of top-scorer Laczynski, who has 35 points in 32 AHL games this season.
Golden Knights Recall Tanner Laczynski
The Golden Knights have brought up some extra forward depth heading into their game tonight against Anaheim. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled forward Tanner Laczynski from AHL Henderson. Vegas had an open roster spot so no corresponding move needed to be made.
It’s the third recall of the season for the 28-year-old and it comes just two days after being sent back to the Silver Knights. Since he played on Friday, he’s eligible to be recalled so quickly after being sent down.
Laczynski has played in eight games with Vegas this season but is still looking for his first goal of the campaign. However, he has a pair of assists and has won just over half of his faceoffs while averaging 10:33 per game. Over parts of five NHL campaigns now, he has three goals and four assists across 54 appearances.
While he hasn’t put up many points in the NHL, Laczynski has been quite productive this season with Henderson. Through 33 games, he has 13 goals and 23 assists, putting him one point shy of last season’s output.
With the Olympic break coming up in a few days, it’s likely that Laczynski’s recall will be a short-term one as Vegas won’t want to further use up his waiver exemption while games aren’t being played.
Golden Knights Activate Adin Hill, Place Two On IR
The Golden Knights activated goaltender Adin Hill from long-term injured reserve on Thursday, per Jason R. Pothier and Ken Boehlke of Sin Bin Vegas. Netminder Carter Hart and winger Brandon Saad were placed on IR in corresponding moves, leaving the Knights with an open roster spot. They announced they’ve used that spot to recall forward Tanner Laczynski from AHL Henderson. With William Karlsson still on LTIR alongside Alex Pietrangelo on season-ending LTIR, Vegas remains cap-compliant.
Hill is expected to start tonight against the Maple Leafs, his first appearance in nearly three months. The 29-year-old has made just five starts this season and none since Oct. 20, when he sustained a lower-body injury in the first period against the Hurricanes.
It was an inauspicious start to the first season of Hill’s six-year, $37.5MM extension that he signed last March. Before exiting the lineup, he started the season on a cold run with a 1-0-2 record, .888 SV%, and 2.73 GAA. He allowed one goal above expected in 220 total minutes of action, per MoneyPuck.
Hart was signed in part due to concern over how much time Hill would miss. That experiment has been an early failure. Hart’s .871 SV% in 12 starts is the worst figure among the four netminders to suit up for Vegas this season. Among goaltenders with at least 10 appearances, only Leevi Merilainen and Petr Mrazek have allowed more goals above expected on a per-60-minute basis than Hart at 0.837.
Now, Vegas gets its true No. 1 back in the lineup. Akira Schmid has operated as the club’s de facto starter with a team-high 24 appearances and has provided great value for his $875K cap hit, logging a .896 SV% and 2.47 GAA with two shutouts and a 14-4-5 record. His 2.0 GSAx is first in Vegas and 34th in the league overall.
His rocky start aside, though, Hill is clearly the better long-term option. He’s never finished a season below .900 aside from a four-game run with the Coyotes in 2017-18 to open his NHL career. For a streaking Vegas team that’s struggled to get consistently above-average goaltending this season, his return could be an X-factor in them widening their lead in the Pacific Division.
Hart has already missed three games with a lower-body injury he sustained one week ago against the Blue Jackets. Since seven days have passed since his injury, he’s eligible to come off IR at any time. However, since he was administered a week-to-week designation last weekend, that won’t be coming anytime soon.
Saad is in the same boat in terms of his activation eligibility, sustaining an undisclosed injury in the Columbus game. He remains day-to-day and will presumably be an option sooner than Hart will. It’s been a trying season for the 33-year-old, who’s shooting at just 3.1% and has been limited to a 2-5–7 scoring line in 39 games with a -1 rating.
Laczynski’s recall comes as Vegas opens the roster flexibility to give itself injury insurance at forward. In addition to the injured Saad taking up a spot on the active roster for the last few games, Brett Howden has missed two contests with a lower-body injury and isn’t expected to be available against Toronto tonight, either.
It would be Laczynski’s season debut if he enters the lineup against the Leafs. The 28-year-old depth option was recalled once from Henderson in November but didn’t play. Now in his second year in the Knights organization, he suited up eight times last season and scored once while averaging 8:36 of ice time per game.
The 6’1″, 205-lb pivot has been the Knights’ most consistent minor-league producer since signing a two-year, league-minimum deal in 2024. After racking up 37 points in 41 appearances for Henderson last year to lead the team in scoring despite only playing in 57% of their games, he’s upped his production to 13 goals and 35 points in 32 games this season, along with a team-high +22 rating. He’s the biggest reason why the Silver Knights are tracking for their first season above .500 since 2021-22.
Image courtesy of Nick Wosika-Imagn Images.
Golden Knights Place Jeremy Lauzon On IR, Reassign Tanner Laczynski
Nov. 19th: It appears that Laczynski’s recall was largely precautionary. According to a team announcement, the Golden Knights have reassigned Laczynski to AHL Henderson.
Nov. 18th: The Vegas Golden Knights have placed defenseman Jeremy Lauzon on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury, per Danny Webster of the Veags Review Journal. Head coach Bruce Cassidy told Webster that the team doesn’t know how long Lauzon will need to sit out. This move will force him out until at least November 22nd, a full week after he left Vegas’ November 15th game early.
It wasn’t entirely clear when Lauzon sustained his injury, though he did manage to briefly return to the ice after leaving the bench. Now, perhaps out of precaution, Vegas will move him to the sideline through their next two games, at least. Lauzon has had a tough time adjusting to a new role with Vegas. He has four points, a plus-three, and 28 penalty minutes in 17 games this season – while receiving third-pair minutes. Lauzon has stepped up as a bruiser for Vegas. He leads the team with three fights on the year, while no other Golden Knight has recorded more than one. He also leads the Golden Knights in hits (57).
Lauzon may be struggling to keep opponents at bay, but his hard-nosed presence is certainly what Vegas signed up for when they acquired him from the Nashville Predators this summer. He moved to Vegas alongside forward Colton Sissons, in the trade that sent Nicolas Hague and a 2027 third-round pick to Nashville. Lauzon was a historic physical presence for the Predators. He set the franchise record for most hits by a defenseman with 250 in the 2022-23 season, then followed it by breaking the record for all Predators with 383 hits in 2023-24.
Ben Hutton has drawn back into the lineup in Lauzon’s absence. Hutton has three assists, a minus-one, and 13 blocked shots in 11 games this season. He has stepped directly onto Lauzon’s third-pair role alongside Kaedan Korczak.
Meanwhile, Vegas will use Lauzon’s vacant roster spot as a chance to recall center Tanner Laczynski from the minor leagues, per SinBin Vegas. Laczynski ranks second on the Henderson Silver Knights in scoring, with 13 points in as many games. He is one of three Silver Knights scoring at a point-per-game pace. It’s no surprise to see him near the top of Henderson’s leaderboard. Laczynski led the club in scoring last season, with 37 points in 41 games. He was awarded eight games with the NHL club throughout the season as a result, but only managed one goal and six penalty minutes, bringing his career statline up to five points in 46 NHL games.
Laczynski will compete with winger Alexander Holtz for ice time on his recall. Both are operating as Vegas’ extra forwards, while rookie Braeden Bowman enjoys a top-line role next to Ivan Barbashev and Jack Eichel.
Waivers: 10/2/25
There are 22 new names on the waiver wire today, PuckPedia reports. Everyone on the wire yesterday passed through aside from goaltender Pheonix Copley, who’s heading to the Lightning from the Kings.
Calgary Flames
F Rory Kerins
G Ivan Prosvetov
D Ilya Solovyov
Columbus Blue Jackets
Edmonton Oilers
Pittsburgh Penguins
D Sebastian Aho
F Danton Heinen
D Philip Kemp
F Joona Koppanen
G Filip Larsson
F Valtteri Puustinen
Seattle Kraken
F Ben Meyers
F Mitchell Stephens
Utah Mammoth
F Ben McCartney
D Scott Perunovich
Vancouver Canucks
Vegas Golden Knights
D Dylan Coghlan
F Tanner Laczynski
F Raphael Lavoie
D Jaycob Megna
F Cole Schwindt
Heinen, Kerins, and Kravtsov jump out as the most notable skaters from the group. Heinen is one of the first veteran surprises to reach the wire this fall. The pending UFA costs $2.25MM against the cap and was a speculative trade candidate as the rebuilding Penguins look to shed their veterans on expiring deals. If he clears, he’ll still count for $1.1MM against Pittsburgh’s cap. It’s not as if he’s coming off a catastrophic 2024-25 season. He made 79 appearances split between the Canucks and Penguins, recording a 9-20–29 scoring line while averaging 13:27 per game. Those are all a few ticks below his career averages, but still serviceable bottom-six production for a reasonable price. He may not fit into the Penguins’ plans, but it wouldn’t be too surprising to see him claimed despite his cap impact.
Kerins has been a high-ceiling name in the Flames’ system for the past couple of years with quite strong AHL showings. He got his first taste of NHL action last year in a five-game call-up, looking like he belonged with four assists and a +3 rating while averaging 12:14 per game. The 5’10” pivot isn’t a natural fit in a fourth-line role, though, and Calgary doesn’t have an open spot for him in its top nine. He’s a pending RFA without arbitration rights on a two-way deal with a league minimum cap hit – prime conditions for a claim – and had 33 goals and 61 points in 63 AHL games last year.
Kravtsov not making it to the final couple of days of camp is a surprise. Selected No. 9 overall in 2018, he was on the Canucks’ reserve list after he departed the NHL to return to Russia in 2023. He had a great showing for Traktor Chelyabinsk in the Kontinental Hockey League last year, leading the team with 27 goals in 66 games while adding 31 assists for 58 points. That was enough to generate mutual interest between the Canucks and Kravtsov to resume their relationship, and he signed a one-year, two-way deal in August. He’s due to be a Group VI unrestricted free agent next summer if he doesn’t hit 16 NHL games this year.
As for goalie-needy teams, Prosvetov might warrant some consideration after being passed over for Calgary’s backup job in favor of Devin Cooley. The 26-year-old has 24 NHL starts under his belt and was excellent in the KHL last year, managing a .920 SV% and 2.32 GAA in 38 games for CSKA Moscow.
Golden Knights’ William Karlsson Out Week-To-Week With Lower-Body Injury
11:31 a.m.: Laczynski has been recalled from AHL Henderson along with winger Brendan Brisson, the team announced. The pair of recalls indicates both Karlsson and Schwindt have been placed on IR. This is the first recall for the 23-year-old Brisson since October, after he went pointless in seven games to begin the year. The 2020 first-rounder has struggled with just four goals and 14 points in 31 AHL games since his demotion.
10:48 a.m.: The Golden Knights announced Thursday that center William Karlsson will be out week-to-week with a lower-body injury.
Karlsson, 32, also missed the first eight regular season games with an undisclosed injury. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet wrote this morning that there’s been a lingering injury bothering Karlsson that could prevent him from suiting up for Sweden in next month’s 4 Nations Face-Off, so it stands to reason the two are related.
One of three players remaining on Vegas’ roster from their inaugural season, Karlsson has operated as the Knights’ third-line center when healthy in 2024-25. With the reduction in role has come a slight decrease in minutes, with his 17:11 ATOI clocking in as his lowest during his Vegas tenure by a slight margin.
Likely due to a combination of his reduction in power-play usage and his nagging injury, this season has been a tough one for Karlsson offensively. He’s scored seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points through 38 games, down sharply from last year’s resurgent 30-goal, 60-point campaign.
Karlsson has remained valuable to Vegas in other ways. He’s winning faceoffs at a career-best 58.9% rate, leading the team. He also grades out as their top defensive forward this season, recording team-best marks at even strength in CF% (54.8) and GA/60 (1.8), the latter of which only leads Knights forwards.
The alternate captain’s absence is a big one for the Golden Knights, who will likely turn to Nicolas Roy to increase his minutes at even strength and on the penalty kill to compensate. Roy’s point production isn’t dissimilar to Karlsson’s this season, but his defensive play is a sizeable downgrade. Vegas allows 3.2 GA/60 at even strength with Roy on the ice, and his Corsi share while shorthanded is the worst among the team’s regular penaltykillers.
Vegas has a full active roster, and they also received news Tuesday that depth forward Cole Schwindt carries a week-to-week designation with a lower-body issue. One of them will presumably land on injured reserve today to allow the Knights to recall a forward for tonight’s game against the Blues. Tanner Laczynski, a natural center with a goal in six appearances for Vegas earlier this season, is the likeliest recall option.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Vegas Golden Knights Reassign Tanner Laczynski
Depth forward Tanner Laczynski is back in the American Hockey League shortly following his first goal as a member of the Vegas Golden Knights. The organization announced they’ve reassigned Laczynski to their AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights.
Laczynski was chosen by the Philadelphia Flyers with the 169th pick in the 2016 NHL Draft following a successful NCAA career at Ohio State University. He finished his NCAA career with 48 goals and 143 points in 138 games before transitioning to professional hockey in 2020-21.
Despite missing many games due to injury through the first few seasons of his career, Laczynski was still a relatively productive forward, particularly with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Laczynski recorded 31 goals and 74 points in 93 games for the Phantoms from 2021-2024 with another four goals and six postseason contests.
His time on an NHL roster wasn’t nearly as fruitful. Laczynski was rarely used in the first two years of his career, suiting up in six total games for the Flyers in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons averaging 9:53 of ice time per game. He garnered a larger opportunity in the 2022-23 season with 32 games but only scored two goals and two assists with even less average ice time.
Laczynski eventually left the Flyers organization after spending all last year in Lehigh Valley. The Golden Knights moved relatively quickly signing a player of Laczynski’s history this past summer on the back of a two-year, $1.55MM agreement.
Outside of scoring in last night’s contest against the Buffalo Sabres, Laczynski has spent much of the year with Henderson. He leads the team in scoring with six goals and 20 points in 18 contests but the Silver Knights still reside in the Pacific Division basement by a margin of five points despite Laczynski’s efforts.
Golden Knights Place Ivan Barbashev On IR, Recall Tanner Laczynski
The Vegas Golden Knights have moved forward Ivan Barbashev to injured reserve, retroactive to December 16th, per Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Barbshev has missed Vegas’ last six games with an upper-body injury, after leaving the team’s December 15th matchup at the end of the first period. He didn’t appear to sustain a noticeable injury, leaving the question of where or how Barbashev suffered his now multi-week injury up in the air. A retroactive IR placement will allow Vegas to activate Barbashev as soon as he returns to full health.
In the mean time, the Golden Knights have also brought forward Tanner Laczynski back to the NHL roster. The move comes just four days after Vegas moved Laczynski back to the minor leagues, ending his previous recall at 11 days. Laczynski stepped into his first five games of the season before being sent down. He didn’t manage any scoring, but did record six penalty minutes and a -1, while serving on Vegas’ fourth line. They were Laczynski’s first five games as a member of the Golden Knights. He spent the first three seasons of his NHL career with the Philadelphia Flyers, who drafted him in the sixth round of the 2016 NHL Draft. Serving primarily as a depth fill-in, Laczynski totaled 38 games with the Flyers – 32 of those coming last season, when he netted the first four points of his NHL career. He’s otherwise been a career minor-leaguer, combining for 94 points across 111 games, and five seasons, in the AHL.
Laczynski has performed well enough to hold down Vegas’ fourth line, but the Golden Knights are still sincerely missing Barbashev’s production. The bulky Russian has 30 points, split evenly, in 31 games this season – placing Barbashev in a three-way tie for second on the team in scoring, alongisde Mark Stone and Shea Theodore. Barbashev is on an 82-game pace of 79 points, which would smash his previous career-high in scoring: 60 points set with the St. Louis Blues in 2021-22. He’ll need to return soon to continue chasing that milestone, but should immediately step back into the top-six when he is healthy again.
Golden Knights Recall Jonas Røndbjerg, Assign Tanner Laczynski
The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled forward Jonas Røndbjerg from the Henderson Silver Knights. In a corresponding move, the Golden Knights have also assigned forward Tanner Laczynski to the minor leagues. This marks Røndbjerg’s third call-up of the year. He’s spent four days on the NHL roster this season, stepping into two games on Vegas’ fourth-line.
Røndbjerg has been a go-to call-up over the last four seasons. He was originally the sixth pick in Vegas’ franchise history, hearing his name called in the third round of the 2017 NHL Draft after a strong season with the Vaxjo Lakers’ U20 squad. The Denmark-native spent the next two seasons working his way up to Vaxjo’s SHL lineup. He totaled 17 points in 80 games with the club before moving to the AHL full-time in the 2020-21 season. He scored 40 points through his first 78 games, and three seasons, in the AHL – just enough to earn a routine role in the mix of Vegas’ bottom-six. Since then, Røndbjerg has established a pattern of a role-based impact in the NHL coupled with high production in the minor leagues. The 30 NHL games he received as a rookie in 2021-22 stand as his single-season high, though he has totaled 65 NHL appearances and 10 points in the three seasons since. He’ll return to the top flight once again, on the back of 10 points through 25 AHL games this season.
Meanwhile, Laczynski will head back to the minors after just 11 days on the NHL roster. The 27-year-old center stepped into five games during his recall, recording six penalty minutes and a -1 but not managing any scoring. He’s been far more productive in the minor leagues, netting 19 points in 17 games – still a team-lead in scoring, despite the Henderson Silver Knights playing 10 games without Laczynski. His return will prove significant help for a young Henderson lineup.