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Golden Knights Sign Kai Uchacz To Entry-Level Contract

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In the other half of last night’s announcement, the Vegas Golden Knights signed forward Kai Uchacz to a two-year entry-level contract. Similarly to Braeden Bowman, Uchacz had been playing the 2024-25 campaign on an AHL contract with the Henderson Silver Knights.

Uchacz recently finished a five-year career in the Western Hockey League, split between the Seattle Thunderbirds and Red Deer Rebels. Unfortunately, his departure from the Thunderbirds wasn’t under good circumstances. The Calgary, Alberta native was removed from the Thunderbirds roster for the 2020-21 season due to making racially-charged comments toward one of his teammates.

After additional training and education, the WHL reinstated Uchacz for the 2021-22 season. The WHL’s announcement came shortly after the Thunderbirds traded Uchacz to the Rebels for a second-round pick in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft.

He finished his career on a three-year hot streak, scoring 106 goals and 199 points in 188 games for the Rebels. Much like Bowman, Uchacz went undrafted at the NHL level and had to settle for an AHL contract this season with the Silver Knights.

At the time of writing, Uchacz sits seventh on the team in scoring with 12 goals and 23 points in 51 contests. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been enough to help Henderson climb out of the Pacific Division basement.

Golden Knights Sign Braeden Bowman To Entry-Level Contract

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The Vegas Golden Knights announced two two-year entry-level contracts shortly after last night’s game against the New Jersey Devils.  The first player signed was forward Braeden Bowman, who had been playing on an AHL contract with the Henderson Silver Knights.

Bowman joined the Silver Knights out of training camp after four years with the OHL’s Guelph Storm. He had always shown a knack for putting the puck in the net, scoring 27 goals and 10 assists through his first two years with the Storm.

Like many quality goal-scorers at the OHL level, Bowman reached beyond a point-per-game average during his junior and senior seasons. The Kitchener, Ontario native scored 70 goals and 73 assists in 122 games, finishing second on the team in scoring in back-to-back campaigns. Unfortunately, Bowman’s production in Guelph never earned him a draft selection at the NHL level.

Still, his professional career has gotten off to a positive start. He’s scored 12 goals and 30 points in 52 games with AHL Henderson- good for third on the team in scoring.

Unless the Silver Knights go on an unprecedented win streak to end the 2024-25 season, Bowman will have to wait another year to compete for the Calder Cup. Henderson occupies last place in the AHL’s Pacific Division with a 22-30-3-0 record and 17 games remaining.

Golden Knights Sign Trent Swick To Entry-Level Contract

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The Vegas Golden Knights have signed 2024 sixth-round pick Trent Swick to a three-year entry-level contract. The deal is set to begin in the 2025-26 season. Swick is currently with the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers, where he’s scored 57 points in 55 games this season – second-most on the team.

Swick is a towering six-foot-six, 210-pound winger who skates smoothly, doesn’t take penalties, and gets back on defense. Those points are evidenced by his measly 38 penalty minutes and a strong plus-seven this year. His size limits what roles Swick can play in the offensive end, but he fills what’s asked of him well – holding space in the slot and using a long reach to disrupt opponents.

Swick had a breakout year last season. With the eyes of NHL scouts watching close, he jumped from 18 points in 33 games in 2022-23 to 62 points in 63 games last year. He found his niche as a passing catalyst for Kitchener’s smaller and more dynamic scorers. But Swick was distinctly helped along by an improved ability to hang onto the puck and work his way into space. He improved his play through traffic on and off of the puck, and continues to improve his scoring pace this year as a result.

With sixth-round acclaim and juniors scoring that, while strong, doesn’t jump off the page – it’s not likely that Swick will make an impact on the NHL roster in the short term. He’ll instead likely be forced to decided between the AHL and college hockey next season, with recent agreements between the CHL and NCAA opening the door for the soon-to-be 21-year-old to take either path. Should he turn pro, Swick’s body control in his lofty frame could earn Vegas’ attention very quickly. The New York Rangers have notably found their own successes leaning into their oversized forwards, with Adam Edstrom and Matt Rempe each carving niche roles in the Rangers bottom-six.

Trade Deadline Primer: Vegas Golden Knights

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With the 4 Nations Face-Off now complete, the trade deadline looms large and is less than two weeks away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Vegas Golden Knights

The Vegas Golden Knights are sitting in a position that has become all too familiar as they approach the NHL Trade Deadline. They are once again atop the Pacific Division and will be one of the favorites to come out of the Western Conference as they try to get back to the Stanley Cup Final. Vegas is always in the mix to make a big move and has never shied away from doing everything possible to make a splash. The Golden Knights have stumbled as of late (4-4-2 in their last 10) but will no doubt push to find reinforcements for another deep playoff run. It will not be easy for them to make changes as they don’t have a first-round pick in the next two drafts and have very little room under the NHL salary cap.

Record

34-18-6, 1st in the Pacific Division

Deadline Status

Buyers

Deadline Cap Space

$2.422MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention spots used, 47/50 contract spots used, per PuckPedia.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2025: VGK 2nd, SJ 3rd, WASH 3rd, VGK 4th, VGK 5th, VGK 6th, WASH 6th,
2026: VGK 2nd, VGK 3rd, VGK 5th, VGK 6th, VGK 7th,

Trade Chips

This is going to be a struggle for Vegas, years of making massive trades have left them with a prospects pool that is quite thin and ranked 22nd in the NHL (according to Scott Wheeler’s rankings in The Athletic). That isn’t to say the Golden Knights don’t have some good prospects, they do have a few that could be used as trade pieces, but not many that are on the level that they could land a Mikko Rantanen-type player.

Trevor Connelly is their top prospect and was drafted 19th overall last year. The playmaking winger has a ton of skill and could be a central piece of a big trade if Vegas entertains that idea. Connelly possesses quick skating, a terrific shot, and a great set of hands. He is on the smaller side, but as he adds muscle and strength, it’s easy to imagine his all-around game rounding into form. Vegas may not be keen on trading their top prospect, but if they want to go all in, it might start with Connelly.

Outside of Connelly, Vegas does have a few other noteworthy prospects. Mathieu Cataford is the reigning QMJHL MVP and just played for the Canadian World Junior team. Cataford can play all three forward spots and has a good hockey IQ as he reads the game well and can play off of his teammates and their decisions in real time.

Goaltender Carl Lindbom looks like he will be an NHL netminder. The 21-year-old is having a solid first season in the AHL with Henderson, posting a 12-9-1 record with a .913 save percentage. Lindbom has thrived at every level thus far in his short career,  winning HockeyAllsvenskan goalie of the year and rookie of the year a couple of seasons ago and eventually posting good numbers in the Swedish Hockey League last season. This year, as a rookie, Lindbom has outplayed the more experienced Akira Schmid, which has been a pleasant surprise for Vegas.

Outside of a handful of prospects, Vegas doesn’t have much on their current roster they could move out. The players with value they will want to keep, and the players who have struggled would be difficult to move until the summer. Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon could get creative with his draft picks, but he doesn’t exactly have a full slate of them. As mentioned earlier, Vegas doesn’t have a first-round pick until 2027, but they do have eight second and third-round picks combined between now and 2028.

Despite the limited assets, Vegas will still have options to improve its team. They still have a decent prospect pipeline for a team that has traded away so much of its future and they have a handful of draft picks that they can put in play.

Team Needs

1) Depth Goaltender – Vegas doesn’t have any glaring holes in their lineup, but one cause for concern could be their goaltending. Both Adin Hill and Ilya Samsonov had a tough stretch in January which led the Golden Knights to flip-flop back and forth on their starts. Both men have played better as of late, but outside of Hill and Samsonov, Vegas doesn’t have another option, which could be problematic if either man suffers an injury or goes into another slump. Schmid has posted brutal numbers in the AHL and doesn’t appear to be an option should an emergency arise in net. There are plenty of goaltenders who could be had, but many of them carry cap hits far too rich (and too long) for Vegas’ tastes. John Gibson and Tristan Jarry come to mind, but both players carry too much term and are too expensive. Anton Forsberg out of Ottawa might be an option, as could Alexandar Georgiev of the San Jose Sharks, with Forsberg likely being the better fit due to cap hit and play as of late. Vegas may take a look at the market and take their chances with what they have, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see them make a move.

2) A Top 9 Forward – It’s tough to envision Vegas making a splash here, but that’s likely what people said last year before McCrimmon swung a last-minute deal for Tomas Hertl. Vegas needs some help at forward, not a ton, but using Raphael Lavoie in the top nine as of late is less than ideal. If economics didn’t come into play, the Golden Knights would have interest in Brock Nelson or Brayden Schenn. But with price tags north of $6MM, it’s tough to imagine Vegas getting involved unless they move salary out. A more affordable option for Vegas could be a player like Anthony Beauvillier out of Pittsburgh or Ryan Donato of Chicago. Both players are on inexpensive cap hits and could slide into different places within Vegas’ current forward group. While the trade for a depth option is more likely, you almost have to expect the unexpected when it comes to Vegas.

William Karlsson, Cole Schwindt Resume Skating

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Aside from the Boston Bruins losing Charlie McAvoy, the Vegas Golden Knights are another team that lost an impact player during the 4 Nations Face-Off. According to Jesse Granger of The Athletic, the Golden Knights don’t have any new updates regarding defenseman Shea Theodore’s injury status. However, head coach Bruce Cassidy provided updates on another pair of injured players.

Meanwhile, the positive injury updates continue as the team is expected to activate (X Link) forward Tanner Pearson for tonight’s contest against the Vancouver Canucks. Pearson missed the Golden Knights’ final two games before the break due to an undisclosed injury. The former 20-goal scorer has notched nine goals and 19 points in 53 games for Vegas this season averaging 12:01 of ice time per night.

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Latest On The Blues’ Deadline Plans

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The Blues’ reported openness to dealing away captain Brayden Schenn has made the team one of the more intriguing clubs to watch leading up to the trade deadline on March 7. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta noted this morning that St. Louis was one of the most active teams in trade conversations during the 4 Nations break and has also begun to receive calls on core forwards Pavel Buchnevich and Jordan Kyrou. Pagnotta adds the former’s reported availability “had a trickle effect” on additional talks, but more teams have expressed firm interest in Schenn than the others as they’ve had more time to marinate.

While Schenn has been seen as a speculative fit for a few teams, namely the Avalanche, there hasn’t been any mention yet of a team demonstrating clear interest. That changes with Pagnotta’s report, as he notes the Golden Knights are one of “several” teams that have contacted St. Louis general manager Doug Armstrong about a Schenn trade:

[The Golden Knights] have cap space. Obviously, Shea Theodore is out. We had heard the initial prognosis was six-to-eight weeks, which would take them right towards the end of the season. So, we’ll see kind of where that goes. But (Schenn’s) on their radar and a few other teams, as well.

How high the Blues set the asking price for Schenn remains to be seen. It’s been a seller’s market thus far, but Schenn has a full no-trade clause and carries a $6.5MM cap hit that’s already a tad steep for what he’s provided offensively over the last two seasons. Considering he’s 33 years old and signed through the 2027-28 campaign, there won’t be an oversized list of teams willing to take on that contract.

St. Louis does have all three of its salary retention slots available. Still, there’s an inherent risk of limiting their retention availability for that many seasons if the Blues endure a longer retool or rebuild than expected. If someone steps up for them, they certainly won’t be keeping any money on Buchnevich or Kyrou, both signed through the 2030-31 season.

It stands to reason that Kyrou would land the most significant return of the trio. He’s the youngest at age 26 and leads the team in scoring with 23-21–44 through 56 games. He’s tied his career-best +10 rating, and while his offensive production is his worst per-game basis in four years, he boasts more substantial possession impacts than in the past and has added a bit more physicality to his game with a career-high 31 hits. An $8.125MM cap hit may stand as a small overpay at present but checks in at market value once the salary cap begins its meteoric rise next season, assuming his current 64-pace is where he bottoms out. He’s averaged 33 goals and 73 points per 82 games since his breakout 2021-22 campaign.

Buchnevich put pen to paper on a six-year, $48MM extension one day after becoming eligible to sign one last summer, but his production has continued to slide after back-to-back seasons above a point per game in 2021-22 and 2022-23. His totals dropped to 63 points in 80 games last year, and he’s only pace for 52 points over an 82-game schedule in 2024-25 with 11-23–34 through 54 appearances. His minus-two rating is his worst since arriving in St. Louis four years ago, as is his 11.1% shooting rate. With so much term attached at an $8MM annual commitment, a Buchnevich trade will likely need to wait until the summer at the earliest for teams to gauge whether the chance at a resurgence is worth the risk of him plateauing at 50-65 points per season.

Predators Acquire Grigori Denisenko From Golden Knights

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The Predators have acquired winger Grigori Denisenko from the Golden Knights in exchange for future considerations, the latter club announced. He was previously on assignment to AHL Henderson and will now report to Nashville’s affiliate in Milwaukee. He does not need to clear waivers.

Denisenko, 24, is best known for his time in the Panthers system as a top prospect. His professional career never got off the ground after being selected 15th overall in 2018, though, and after failing to make Florida’s roster out of camp last season, he was waived and claimed by the Golden Knights. He’s appeared in just seven games with Vegas since the beginning of 2023-24, spending nearly all of his time in Henderson instead. Only one of those games came this season. He’s yet to record a point in a Knights uniform and has a minus-three rating while averaging 10:30 per game and recording five shots on goal.

This season, Denisenko cleared waivers in September and returned to Henderson. After recording a respectable 56 points in 65 games there last year, 2024-25 hasn’t been nearly as productive for the Russian forward. He’s posted 10-14–24 in 42 games with a -21 rating, although that was still good enough for sixth place on the scoring-challenged Silver Knights. His lone NHL appearance this year came on Nov. 13 against the Ducks, taking a minor penalty and recording five hits with no shots in 8:27 of ice time.

Now in the Nashville organization, Denisenko will look to get his AHL scoring numbers back up in search of another NHL recall. He doesn’t have a lot of runway to do it with two months left in the regular season, though. He’s also due to reach Group VI unrestricted free agency this summer as a result of him playing fewer than 80 NHL games while being at least 25 years old on July 1 with at least three seasons of professional experience. That makes him ineligible for a qualifying offer, and he’ll hit the open market without an extension.

With the move, the Knights open up a contract slot ahead of the trade deadline. They now have three with 47 out of a maximum 50 on the books.

Canada’s Shea Theodore To Miss Remainder Of 4 Nations Face-Off

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10:45 a.m.: Theodore is expected to be out week-to-week due to the upper-body injury, the Golden Knights said Thursday. Whether he’ll remain out through the trade deadline remains to be seen, but it’s clear he won’t be ready to go when Vegas resumes its schedule on Feb. 22 against the Canucks.

8:17 a.m.: Canada defenseman Shea Theodore will be sidelined for the rest of the 4 Nations Face-Off after sustaining an upper-body injury in last night’s overtime win over Sweden, head coach Jon Cooper told reporters postgame (including Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet).

The Golden Knights blue-liner hit the boards awkwardly while being hit by Swedish Kings winger Adrian Kempe early in the second period. He skated off under his own power and appeared to favor his right arm/shoulder area. During the game, TNT’s Jackie Redmond relayed that Theodore was already undergoing X-rays as part of his initial evaluation.

Unfortunately for the 29-year-old, his second appearance for the Canadian men’s national team ends after nine shifts and 6:59 of ice time. Canada cannot immediately replace Theodore on its roster – they can only add replacements if fewer than 18 healthy skaters are available for a game. Travis Sanheim was scratched as their extra defenseman against Sweden but will make his tournament debut on Saturday against the United States.

It’s a tough break for the 6’2″ lefty, who’s produced at an elite clip for Vegas since the turn of the decade but has struggled with injuries over the past few seasons. He hasn’t played more than 60 regular-season games in a single campaign since 2021-22. He was on track to play in all but one regular season game this year after missing a game due to illness back in October, but his availability for Vegas coming out of the two-week break in the schedule is now uncertain.

Theodore wasn’t going to be a top power-play option for Canada – they had Cale Makar and Josh Morrissey to quarterback their two units. But he was arguably their best puck-mover and most offensively gifted blue-liner behind those two, and a much lower-ceiling option in Sanheim now has to fill his minutes.

Vegas is far more concerned about Theodore missing time than the national side, though. He’s inarguably been their top defenseman this season, leading the club’s blue-liners in goals (seven), assists (41), points (48), shot attempts (282), takeaways (27), expected rating (+9.5), and CF% at even strength (52.1). For a team that entered the break on a 5-8-3 skid, that’s tough news.

Theodore’s lone previous appearance for the Canadian men’s national team came in 2019 when he recorded 2-5–7 with a plus-nine rating in 10 games en route to a silver medal at the World Championship. He also suited up for Canada at the 2013 U18 Worlds and the 2015 World Juniors.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Golden Knights Place William Karlsson on LTIR, Recall Three

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The Vegas Golden Knights are spending their final days before the 4-Nations Face-Off break by jumping through salary cap hoops. They’ve announced a litany of roster moves intended to maximize their cap space accrued from long-term injured reserve, all captured by PuckPedia. Vegas first recalled winger Alexander Holtz and goaltender Akira Schmid, then reassigned center Raphael Lavoie. Those moves placed them $135K under the cap ceiling. Vegas then placed top center William Karlsson on long-term injured reserve and recalled forward Jonas Rondbjerg, which they wouldn’t have been able to afford without shelving Karlsson. By recalling two players and getting as close to the cap ceiling as they could before moving Karlsson, Vegas maximized the amount of LTIR cap relief they were provided. They now sit with $5.133MM in available cap space, but will be one contract’s worth of cap over the limit when Karlsson is back to full health.

The string of moves were a great exercise in how to leverage the NHL’s LTIR policies, but Vegas will still be worse for wear without Karlsson. The 32-year-old centerman hasn’t played since January 20th, when he sustained a lower-body injury against the St. Louis Blues. He was immediately ruled out week-to-week, and the team still didn’t have a clear timeline for his return 10 days later. An LTIR placement will now force him out of the lineup through at least February 24th, the second game after Vegas returns from break.

Karlsson has continued to serve as a top center for the Golden Knights, but his season has been filled with abnormal scoring struggles. He has just 18 points in 38 games on the year, and was amidst a seven-game scoring slump prior to his injury. Karlsson has one assist in 10 games since the start of 2025. He’s still provided strong performances for the Golden Knights away from the scoresheet. He currently sits with a fantastic 58.9 percent faceoff win-rate that ranks Karlsson fifth among all NHL centers. Karlsson has also recorded 89 shots on goal and a plus-seven, respectively ranking him third and fifth among the team’s forwards.

Those numbers represent an impact that’ll be hard for Vegas to replace. Their flurry of moves leaves the task of filling in up to Rondbjerg and Holtz. The latter has far-and-away been the more popular fixture of Vegas’ lineup. Holtz has scored 11 points in 49 games this season, while Rondbjerg hasn’t yet scored through 10 appearances. The duo should both earn ice-time on Vegas’ left wing while the team deals with absences to Karlsson, Lavoie, Cole Schwindt, and Tanner Pearson.

Golden Knights Place Tanner Pearson On Injured Reserve

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The Golden Knights have placed left-winger Tanner Pearson on injured reserve, per Sin Ben Vegas. Pearson, who missed Tuesday’s loss to the Islanders with an undisclosed injury, has been ruled out for the team’s final two games before the 4 Nations Face-Off.

The Knights now have an open roster spot – they previously had one before the transaction, but recalled Jonas Røndbjerg from AHL Henderson today to replace Pearson on the active roster, per the NHL’s media site. He’ll join the team for tonight’s game in New Jersey and have to suit up unless they plan on dressing 11 forwards and seven defensemen.

Pearson, 32, landed a PTO with Vegas and eventually signed a one-year, league-minimum deal a few days before the start of the regular season. The 12-year veteran started the season on a high note with seven points in 11 games, but he’s been colder since then, with 12 points in 42 appearances since the beginning of November. He’s been especially cold lately, posting an assist and a minus-eight rating in his last 14 showings. He’s lost ice time and been pushed down the depth chart after the team inked Brandon Saad following his mutual termination with the Blues last week.

The 2014 Stanley Cup champion has a 9-10–19 scoring line in 53 games for Vegas on the whole, his best offensive showing since he scored 14-20–34 in 68 GP with the Canucks in 2021-22. Pearson lost most of the 2022-23 season with Vancouver due to a lingering hand injury and struggled to the tune of 5-8–13 in 54 games with the Canadiens last year.

His injury did force Vegas to roll 11-7 against the Isles, and it’s still unclear when he sustained it. Pending RFA Alexander Holtz should get a look in the top nine with Pearson out, as he’s projected to skate alongside Pavel Dorofeyev and Tomáš Hertl tonight against his former club. He’s back with the club after the team quietly assigned him to Henderson over the course of the past couple of weeks, although he never suited up for the minor-league club.

Røndjberg has played fourth-line spot duty again for Vegas this year, entering the lineup nine times. He’s still looking for his first point of the year but has secured his fourth straight season of NHL playing time with the Knights, who drafted him 65th overall back in 2017. The Danish winger has 7-8–15 in 32 games with Henderson.

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