Nicolas Roy Practices In No-Contact Jersey
Murat Ates of The Athletic expects the Winnipeg Jets to check in on Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen prior to the NHL Trade Deadline. The Jets have had interest in the 30-year-old in the past and Ates thinks they could take another look at him in hopes of boosting their blueline.
Winnipeg doesn’t have a ton of draft capital in this year’s NHL Entry Draft, having moved several picks out the door in previous trades. The Jets likely wouldn’t need to move a first-round pick to acquire Ristolainen and would probably scoff if that was the cost of acquiring him from Philadelphia.
In other Western Conference notes:
- Vegas Golden Knights forward Nicolas Roy practiced today in a no-contact jersey (as per SinBin.vegas). Roy has been out of action since December 15th with an upper-body injury. The 27-year-old’s injury progressed unusually after he was first given a maintenance day and then missed several practices and eventually a game. A short time later he was put on the injured reserve and has been there since. Roy had a career year last season, posting 13 goals and 28 assists in 70 games but wasn’t able to carry the momentum into this year as he had a slow start with just six goals and seven assists in 31 games.
- San Jose Sharks forward Carl Grundstrom was a full participant in practice today (as per Max Miller of The Hockey News). The 27-year-old suffered an undisclosed injury on December 28th in a game against the Calgary Flames but is reportedly close to returning. The Umea, Sweden native has been used sparingly in 30 games, averaging just nine minutes of ice time per game. The former second-round pick has a goal and four assists and will likely return to a spot in the team’s bottom six when he is healthy.
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.
West Notes: Olofsson, Fleury, Wedgewood
Vegas Golden Knights forward Victor Olofsson didn’t play last night due to an illness (as per Golden Knights Twitter). The 29-year-old was a late scratch as Tanner Laczynski took his spot in the lineup against the Buffalo Sabres. Olofsson was previously a member of the Sabres for six seasons after being drafted in the seventh round in 2014. He signed a one-year deal in Vegas in the summer and has fared well thus far in limited action, posting eight goals and five assists in 18 games.
The Golden Knights have the day off today and will return to practice tomorrow, head coach Bruce Cassidy was hopeful that the day off will allow Olofsson the chance to recover from whatever is ailing him (as per Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review Journal).
In other Western Conference notes:
- Winnipeg Jets defenseman Haydn Fleury skated in a non-contact jersey yesterday as he looks to return from a lower-body injury (as per Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press). Fleury hasn’t played since suffering a frightening-looking leg injury against Toronto on December 23rd, he was originally considered week-to-week and will likely remain so for now, as his return doesn’t appear to be imminent. The fact that Fleury is already back skating is a good sign for the former seventh-overall pick, but his eventual return will force the Jets to make some roster decisions as it will further crowd their back end.
- The Colorado Avalanche received some good news on the injury status of goaltender Scott Wedgewood (as per Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette). The veteran netminder’s scan came back negative, indicating that he does not have a high ankle sprain. The Avalanche have hopes that the 32-year-old will be able to get back into the lineup in the next two weeks but should receive confirmation soon as he is meeting tomorrow with a specialist. Wedgewood was acquired from the Nashville Predators on November 30th and has helped steady the Avalanche goaltending situation, posting terrific numbers in seven games with a 2.35 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage.
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.
Golden Knights Make Three Roster Moves
The Golden Knights have made a trio of roster moves heading into tonight’s game against San Jose. SinBin.Vegas relays (Twitter link) that center Nicolas Roy has been placed on injured reserve, opening a roster spot for defenseman Ben Hutton to be activated off LTIR. Meanwhile, forward Tanner Laczynski has been recalled once more after being papered down over the holiday break.
Roy last played on December 15th where he suffered an upper-body injury. The 27-year-old got off to a hot start to his season with a dozen points in his first 17 games but has been quiet since then, being limited to just one point – a goal – since then, spanning 14 games. Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Sun adds (Twitter link) that Roy’s IR placement is retroactive to December 16th, meaning he has already served the required seven days so he’ll be able to be activated as soon as he’s cleared to return.
As for Hutton, he has been limited to just five games this season and has missed more than a month with an upper-body issue of his own which landed him on LTIR when Vegas needed to open up a bit of short-term cap flexibility. The 31-year-old has been held off the scoresheet in his five outings while averaging just over 11 minutes a night. With now eight healthy blueliners on the roster, Hutton may be waiting a little while before seeing game action.
Laczynski, meanwhile, was briefly up with Vegas before the break, getting into three games. He was held without a point in those in just under nine minutes a night of playing time. However, the 27-year-old has been productive with the Silver Knights, tallying six goals and 13 assists in 17 AHL games. He’s in the first season of a two-year, one-way deal after spending the previous four seasons with Philadelphia.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Vegas Golden Knights
Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t often see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2024-25 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia. We’re currently covering the Pacific Division, last up is the Golden Knights.
Vegas Golden Knights
Current Cap Hit: $87,344,447 (under the $88MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Alexander Holtz (one year, $894K)
Potential Bonuses
Holtz: $850K
Holtz was acquired from New Jersey over the offseason in the hopes that a change of scenery would help him reach some of the potential that made him the seventh overall pick in 2020. That hasn’t come to fruition so far as his role and production have been as limited as they were with the Devils. It’s still too early to give up on him but he’s heading for a short-term bridge deal that shouldn’t cost too much more than his entry-level deal does. At this point, his bonuses are unlikely to be reached.
Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level
D Nic Hague ($2.294MM, RFA)
G Adin Hill ($4.9MM, UFA)
F Victor Olofsson ($1.075MM, UFA)
F Tanner Pearson ($775K, UFA)
G Ilya Samsonov ($1.8MM, UFA)
F Cole Schwindt ($800K, RFA)
Olofsson didn’t have a great platform year with Buffalo last season, leading to this deal where he hoped that a strong showing with Vegas could give him a stronger market next summer. Injuries have limited him thus far but he still has seven goals in 14 games. If he can stay close to that level, he should be able to get closer to the $3MM or $4MM mark albeit likely on another short-term agreement.
Schwindt was claimed off waivers at the start of the season and has held down a spot on the fourth line for most of the year. He’s arbitration-eligible which could work against him as this is a roster spot that Vegas will want to keep close to the minimum. If Schwindt is open to a short-term deal around this price point, that could be enough to keep him around. Pearson converted a preseason PTO into a minimum salary deal. While he has fit in well in a limited role, it’s hard to see him landing much more than this next offseason.
Hague has been a fourth or fifth defender for most of his career although his role and playing time have been reduced this season. That’s not ideal as he’s heading toward having to be qualified at $2.7MM with arbitration rights that could push the cost closer to $4MM per season. If he stays in more of a sixth role, he could become a non-tender candidate.
With Logan Thompson being moved to Washington, Hill became the undisputed starter, a good spot to be in considering it’s a contract year. That said, his play has been a bit inconsistent which will make it difficult for him to command much more than he’s making now. That said, he should be able to get something around this price point on a longer-term agreement than the two-year pact he’s playing on. Samsonov had a rough year with Toronto in 2023-24 resulting in Samsonov looking for a place to try to rebuild his value. He has performed a little better than a year ago but certainly not to the point where teams will be looking at him as a starter. That said, a strong second half could allow him to approach the $3MM to $3.5MM mark as a backup who can play starters minutes when needed.
Signed Through 2025-26
F Pavel Dorofeyev ($1.835MM, RFA)
F Jack Eichel ($10MM, UFA)
D Ben Hutton ($975K, UFA)
D Kaedan Korczak ($825K, RFA)
Eichel has become the number one center that Vegas was hoping he’d be when they acquired him in 2021. That said, he never has really had high-end point production before this season which might limit his market value to a point. A small raise should still be expected on a max-term agreement but unless he can get to that 100-point threshold, he might be hard-pressed to beat someone like Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson ($11.6MM) barring a big jump in the salary cap by then. Dorofeyev impressed in limited action last season and is producing at a better rate so far this year, making him a strong value piece on his bridge deal. He’ll have arbitration rights in 2026 and if he continues to score at the pace he’s on, he could jump past $5MM per season on his next contract.
Hutton has been a capable depth defender for several years now which has helped earn him some stability with Vegas. But these types of pieces generally stay low-cost and it would be surprising to see Hutton land any sort of notable raise on this deal, especially as teams will want to keep the back-of-the-roster spots as close to the minimum as possible. Korczak is in a similar situation, although he’s young enough (23) to still change those fortunes. If he stays in a depth role, he’s in the same boat as Hutton and his arbitration eligibility could work against him. If he locks down a full-time spot, he could push for something more in the $1.5MM range.
Signed Through 2026-27
F William Karlsson ($5.9MM, UFA)
D Alex Pietrangelo ($8.8MM, UFA)
F Nicolas Roy ($3MM, UFA)
F Mark Stone ($9.5MM, UFA)
When healthy, Stone is a legitimate top-line two-way threat, one that’s a key part of this lineup. Of course, staying healthy has been a challenge for him over the years as he has missed significant time due to injuries over the past several years. That will hurt him when it comes time for his next deal, as will the fact he’ll be 35 at that time. Even in what should be a more favorable cap environment by then, Stone will likely be heading for a pay cut. It wouldn’t be shocking to see a longer-term deal with an eye on getting the cap hit lower, similar to what Pittsburgh did with Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin in the past (though Stone’s price tag should come above theirs).
Karlsson has been a solid second option down the middle throughout most of his tenure with Vegas and the price tag for those players has shot up over the years. That said, he’ll be 34 which means there’s a good chance his next contract is his last one. Assuming it’s a longer-term one to keep the AAV down, it’s possible Karlsson’s price tag stays in this range. Roy has held the third center role for the bulk of his time with the Golden Knights and has been above-average on the production side for the last few seasons. It’s already a below-market deal and if he stays in that 40-point range, his next contract should start with a four.
In his prime, Pietrangelo was a high-end two-way threat from the back end. However, he turns 35 next month and his production and ice time have dropped in recent years. When he started in Vegas, Pietrangelo was worth this price tag, if not more. But as the offensive numbers go down and he slips a bit more on the depth chart (or they at least try to manage his minutes a bit more), the perception of this deal will flip to an above-market one, an outcome that shouldn’t come as much surprise as that was the expectation at the time it was signed. Having said that, he’s still playing a big enough role to give Vegas a decent return and that should continue for at least a little while longer.
Golden Knights Recall Tanner Laczynski
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.
Pacific Notes: Arvidsson, Hyman, Warsofsky, Barbashev
The Edmonton Oilers received a flurry of injury updates on Tuesday, captured Oilers TV host Tony Brar. Most notably, winger Viktor Arvidsson is expected to return to the lineup sometime this weekend, with Thursday’s matchup against Boston a real possibility. Arvidsson has missed Edmonton’s last 15 games with an undisclosed injury. He landed on injured reserve on November 21st, and could be activated at any point with Edmonton carrying plenty of lineup and cap flexibility.
Arvidsson signed a two-year, $8MM contract with the Oilers this summer, but only managed two goals and five points in 16 games before sustaining his injury. The near month-long absence continues Arvidsson’s nagging bout with injuries. He missed all but 18 games of last season with a lower-body injury, and hasn’t played 80 games in a season since 2016-17. Arvidsson has usually been able to curb routine absences with promising scoring – scoring 52 goals and 123 points in 161 games with the Los Angeles Kings over the last three seasons – but that production hasn’t carried up North just yet.
While Arvidsson hopes to return to the lineup, and the scoresheet, fellow winger Zach Hyman will also be facing injury. Brar reports that Hyman sustained a broken nose, but isn’t expected to miss any playing time. Hyman has 10 goals and 15 points in 26 games this year. He’s a fixture of Edmonton’s top line and power-play unit – a role he stamped with 54 goals and 77 points in 80 games last season.
Other notes from out West:
- San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky has received a $25,000 fine for inappropriate conduct during Saturday’s game against Utah, per Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group. Warsofsky took exception with multiple missed calls throughout the game. Most egregious was a second-period hit to Macklin Celebrini from Utah’s Kevin Stenlund that appeared to be a clear boarding penalty, though refs left it uncalled. Celebrini didn’t suffer any injuries on the hit. Warsofsky will now turn towards the future with slightly lighter pockets, looking to pull San Jose into the win column after a 5-5-0 record in their last 10 games.
- Vegas Golden Knights winger Ivan Barbashev missed Tuesday’s practice with an upper-body injury, head coach Bruce Cassidy shared with Jesse Granger of The Athletic. Cassidy designated Barbashev as day-to-day. The Russian winger has continued to be a force in the Golden Knight roster, with 30 points – split evenly – in 31 games. The near point-per-game scoring is far-and-away the highest of Barbashev’s nine-year career in the NHL. His current career-high in scoring came in 2021-22, when Barbashev posted 26 goals and 60 points with the St. Louis Blues.
Golden Knights Sign Keegan Kolesar To Three-Year Extension
The Golden Knights are keeping another veteran in the fold for a few more years. The team announced that they’ve signed winger Keegan Kolesar to a three-year, $7.5MM extension that begins in the 2025-26 season.
The 27-year-old was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Instead, he’ll stay with Vegas through the 2028-29 campaign and will get a nice raise along the way. Kolesar carries a $1.4MM salary and cap charge in the final year of his current deal, meaning he’ll get an increase of $1.1MM per season on this new agreement.
The Golden Knights acquired Kolesar back in 2017 from Columbus, flipping a mid-second-round pick to the Blue Jackets for his rights; Columbus wound up selecting Alexandre Texier with that selection. He was initially drafted in the third round (69th overall) by Columbus.
Kolesar has been a full-time regular for the Golden Knights since the 2020-21 season. Along the way, he has chipped in a bit offensively while becoming one of the more physical wingers in the league, notching at least 246 hits in each of the last three years.
This season, Kolesar has been more impactful in the offensive zone. He has already notched seven goals on the season, good for sixth on the team and just one shy of his career-high that he has reached in each of the last two seasons. He’s also still collecting more than three hits per game on average while his ATOI of 12:55 is also the highest of his career.
With that in mind, Kolesar was going to be heading for a fair-sized raise on the open market had this deal not been reached, especially since rugged wingers tend to generate a lot of interest in free agency. Instead, he’ll be sticking around with the Golden Knights where he’ll remain one of their longest-tenured players.