In this edition of Vegas Golden Knights News & Rumors, Evgenii Dadonov is in sit and wait mode as the NHL is waiting to see whether an attempted trade that would send him to the Anaheim Ducks is permissible. Meanwhile, recently signed defenceman Derrick Pouliot was claimed off of waivers by the Seattle Kraken. In other news, Zach Whitecloud was recently placed on COVID protocol, which resulted in Zack Hayes getting to suit up for his first NHL game.
Dadonov Trade Pending
A very strange situation occurred with the Golden Knights on deadline day. It appeared that with just minutes to spare, they pulled off a trade that sent Dadonov and a conditional second-round pick to the Ducks in exchange for defenceman John Moore and the contract of retired forward Ryan Kesler. However, the NHL is investigating that deal, and many have speculated that it won’t go through.
The reasoning behind this is due to the fact that Dadonov has a 10-team no-trade clause in his deal, and the Ducks were one of those 10 teams. What the league is investigating is whether or not the player and his agent properly filed that list to the team, and from the sounds of it from most insiders, it is believed they did everything correctly.
If that does indeed turn out to be the case, this trade will be vetoed by the NHL, meaning Dadonov will remain a Golden Knight. That will be a tough situation for management, as they needed to move him and his $5 million cap hit in order to activate either Alec Martinez or Mark Stone from long-term injured reserve. Of course, it is an even more unfortunate situation for Dadonov, who will now either have to go to a team that he did not want to be a part of or rejoin the Golden Knights knowing they attempted to move him. It is an all-around strange situation, and that has been generating a ton of buzz.
Pouliot Claimed by Kraken
On March 17, it was announced that the Golden Knights had signed Pouliot to a one-year, $750,000 deal. At the time of the signing, the 28-year-old defenceman had been playing for the Henderson Silver Knights in the American Hockey League (AHL).
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He went on to play two games for the Golden Knights but was put on waivers afterwards as they had a number of players rejoin the lineup. He won’t be returning to the Silver Knights, however, as he was claimed the following day by the Kraken. Playing on an inexperienced team could be a great chance for the eighth overall pick of the 2012 draft to get his NHL career back on track. He has not been an NHL regular since the 2018-19 season.
Whitecloud Placed in COVID Protocol
It has been a frustrating season for Whitecloud, as he has dealt with a number of injuries that have limited him to just 44 games this season. The difficult year continued this past week, as it was announced that he has been placed on the NHL’s COVID protocol list, which has forced him to miss the past two games versus the Minnesota Wild and Winnipeg Jets.
The silver lining from this news is that Hayes, an undrafted 22-year-old who is in his second season with the Silver Knights, has been able to jump into the Golden Knights lineup in what have been the first two NHL games of his career. Once Whitecloud is activated, however, it is likely that he is reassigned to the AHL.
Up Next for the Golden Knights
The Golden Knights will be looking to snap a two-game skid on Thursday night as they get set to take on the Nashville Predators. Points have been hard to come by for this club lately, as they have won just two of their past seven games and as a result, are sliding out of the playoff picture. Wins against Predators on Thursday as well as the Pittsburgh Penguins, however, would be massive, as they are trailing the Dallas Stars by a single point for the final wild-card position, and also trail the Edmonton Oilers by three points for third in the Pacific Division.
