Vegas made another waiver claim on Monday as they scooped up right-winger Raphael Lavoie from Edmonton. The 24-year-old was Edmonton's 2019 2nd-round pick (38th overall) and has appeared in seven games with the Oilers since making his debut last season. In 66 games with Bakersfield (AHL) in 2023-24, he had 28 goals, 50 points and 64 PIMs in 66 games played.
Schwindt was the 81st overall pick of the Calgary Flames in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and has spent most of his professional career thus far in the AHL. Last season, he scored 36 points (14G / 22A) in 66 games with the Calgary Wranglers (AHL).
Karlsson skated on his own on Friday but will miss Vegas' preseason finale which leaves his status for the Golden Knights' opener as questionable. Vegas does not start their season until Wednesday, so head coach Bruce Cassidy hopes Karlsson will be able to return to practice in time to play. The 31-year-old had 30 goals and 60 points in 70 games played in 2023-24.
Pearson was originally brought to Vegas on a PTO but has signed a one-year, $775,000 contract to remain with the Golden Knights for the 2024-25 season. The 32-year-old left-winger is entering his 12th NHL season with his fifth different team and had five goals, 13 points and 21 PIMs in 54 games played in 2023-24 with Montreal.
Karlsson has been hampered by an undisclosed injury during training camp but head coach Bruce Cassidy said that they are hopeful that he'll return to practice later this week. As of now, the Golden Knights are expecting him to be in the lineup when they start their season on October 9th.
Saad and his wife are expecting their third child right around the time of the Blues' first road trip of the season. In Monday's practice, he skated on the "fifth line," an indication that the Blues are preparing to be without the veteran winger when their season starts on October 8th. While Saad is out, Zack Bolduc is expected to skate in the top-6, and his strong preseason could make Saad more of a bottom-6 option this season.
Lehner underwent hip surgery in August of 2022 and was declared still unfit to play on Thursday as Vegas looks at their next steps with the injured goaltender. Leher failed to attend training camp for a mandatory pre-season medical exam which confirms that the 33-year-old is ineligible to play. He is entering the final year of a five-year, $25 million contract and has $4.5 million owed in 2024-25 if Vegas does decide to terminate his contract.
The Flames are down to one final RFA (Ilya Soloyev) after they signed Cole Schwindt to a one-year, two-way contract worth $800,000 on Wednesday. The 23-year-old has appeared in seven NHL games across the last two seasons but has yet to pick up his first career NHL point. He spent the majority of the 2023-24 season with the Calgary Wranglers (AHL) and had 14 goals, and 36 points in 66 games played.
Lavoie was selected in the second-round of the 2019 NHL Draft and appeared in his first seven career NHL games during the 2023-24 season. The 23-year-old forward failed to pick up a point with the Oilers but he led Bakersfield (AHL) in goals (28) and was third in points (50) in 66 games. Given the depth the Oilers have added this offseason, Lavoie will likely start the 2024-25 season in the AHL.
Schmid's rights were acquired by Vegas in a trade including Alexander Holtz on June 29th and the goaltender has signed a two-year, $1.75 million ($875,000 AAV) contract with the Golden Knights. The 24-year-old netminder looked like the goaltender of the future for New Jersey but struggled mightily in 2023-24 posting an ugly 5-9-1 record with a 3.15 GAA and .895 SV% across 19 games played.
Burke has been with the Avalanche organization since turning pro in 2021 but has appeared in just three NHL games since then. Burke spent most of the 2024 season in the AHL, where he had 16 goals and 23 assists (39 points) in 57 games with the Colorado Eagles. Look for him to start the 2024-25 season in the AHL.
After scoring a career-best 28 goals in 2023, Olofsson fell out of favour in Buffalo in 2024, playing just 51 games. Olofsson's two-way game needs refining, but he is a solid middle-6 scoring winger who can also help out on the power play. After Vegas lost Marchessault, Stephenson, Amadio, Mantha, and Carrier, they needed some cheap upside on the wing.
After three seasons in Vegas, Kaedan Korczak will remain a Golden Knight after signing a two-year contract extension worth $1.65 million ($825K AAV). The 23-year-old took a step forward in 2023-24, picking up a goal, nine points and a +12 plus/minus while only appearing in 26 games (career-high).
After a breakout season in 2023-24 which saw Pavel Dorofeyev achieve career highs in games played (47), goals (13), and assists (11), the 23-year-old has earned himself a two-year contract worth $3.67 million ($1.835M AAV). Drafted in the 3rd round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft (79th overall), Dorofeyev has appeared in 67 games for Vegas in three seasons, amassing 20 goals and 33 points.
Samsonov's much-documented run in Toronto is officially over after the Russian goaltender signed a one-year deal worth $1,800,000 with Vegas on Monday. The 27-year-old had an incredibly up-and-down 2023-24 after passing through waivers earlier in the season and bouncing back by year's end to finish with a 23-7-8 record, 3.13 GAA and .890 SV%.
Vegas' bottom six is slowly coming together after they signed Tanner Laczynski to a two-year contract worth $1.55 million ($775K AAV) on Monday. The 27-year-old played 32 of his 38 career games in 2023-24 and had two goals, four points and a -5 plus/minus.
Smith will find himself on a third different team for the third straight year after he was acquired from the Penguins for a 2027 2nd Round Pick and a conditional 2025 5th Round Pick. The 33-year-old is entering his 14th NHL season and had 13 goals, 40 points, and 18 PIMs in 76 games with Pittsburgh in 2023-24.
