Today, the Vegas Golden Knights announced that they traded forward Grigori Denisenko to the Nashville Predators for future considerations.
On the surface, this is a nothing trade. Denisenko was selected in the 1st round by the Florida Panthers in the 2018 Draft but has appeared in just 33 NHL games. He played just seven games for the Golden Knights. Denisenko played 107 games for the Henderson Silver Knights, scored 30 goals, and provided 50 assists.
If you look a little deeper, however, this move could be an indication of more to come.
Before moving Denisenko, the Golden Knights had 48 out of 50 possible players signed to standard contracts. Now, that number is down to 47.
What Does This Mean?
Allow me to preface this by saying that I may be just reading into things. It’s possible that Denisenko didn’t have a clear path to NHL playing time with the Golden Knights, so they moved on. There’s certainly a good chance things will work out for him in Nashville, especially if they start selling off roster players. He could find himself in the Predators lineup sooner rather than later. So, that’s not out of the question.
But I like my theory better.
Typically, trades like this occur for one of two reasons. The first possibility is that they want to sign a player to an NHL contract– say, Calen Addison, who is currently signed to an AHL-only deal. The second and more likely possibility is that the Golden Knights are getting ready to make a trade.
William Karlsson is injured. Shea Theodore is injured, and Elliotte Friedman doesn’t expect him back until the playoffs. The trade deadline is right around the corner, and this move could mark the beginning of something more.
For who, I’m hesitant to speculate. Friedman thinks Brayden Schenn of the St. Louis Blues could be a good fit for the Golden Knights, and he would certainly fill some holes on the roster, mainly down the middle with Karlsson out. But if Theodore is going to miss the remainder of the regular season like Friedman said, I’d be surprised if Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrimmon didn’t try and trade for a top-four right-shot defenseman.
