Chandler Stephenson to stay with Golden Knights

Chandler Stephenson joined the Golden Knights in need of a fresh start. Ten months later, he’s found long-term security.

The Knights locked up the versatile forward with a four-year, $11 million contract, the team announced Wednesday. The deal takes the would-be restricted free agent off the market after he scored 22 points in 41 games following his December trade from the Washington Capitals.

Stephenson, 26, will carry a $2.75 million cap hit in each season of his deal. The contract puts the Knights approximately $2.8 million over the NHL’s $81.5 million salary cap limit. They are allowed to exceed the cap by 10 percent in the offseason, but they will have to shed salary — possibly by moving goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and part or all of his $7 million cap hit — at some point.

”Chandler was a really good fit upon joining our team,” general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. “Great utility in terms of his ability to play throughout the lineup. Real dimension of speed and a player that we really think is going to be an important part of our team here over the next four years.”

Before the trade, Stephenson was fighting for consistency in the NHL. He won the 2018 Stanley Cup with the Capitals against the Knights, but scored only 33 points in his first 168 games.

The Knights found a way to unlock his game. Stephenson’s speed quickly stood out at five-on-five and on the penalty kill. His 22 points with the Knights would have been his career high in a full season, let alone the equivalent of half of one.

Stephenson showed off his flexibility in the playoffs, too. He had five points in 20 games while playing everywhere from first-line left wing to fourth-line center. He gave the Knights a 1-0 lead in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final before the Dallas Stars rallied to win the game and series in overtime.

Other RFA news

The Knights did not give another pending restricted free agent, Nick Cousins, a qualifying offer because of their salary-cap crunch. The forward will become an unrestricted free agent when the market opens Friday.

McCrimmon said Cousins still could be an option for the Knights.

“He’s an example of one of those players that played well enough that you’d easily be able to justify qualifying him,” McCrimmon said. “We weren’t at that point.”

Cousins was acquired from the Montreal Canadiens for a 2021 fourth-round pick at the trade deadline in February. The well-known agitator scored three points in seven games before the pause. He had five points in 17 games during the postseason.

Cousins was scratched in three of the Knights’ final six playoff games.

The team gave qualifying offers to restricted free agents Reid Duke, Keegan Kolesar and Jimmy Schuldt, which allows it to retain their rights. It also signed Gage Quinney, a member of its postseason taxi squad, to a one-year deal worth $700,000.

The Knights did not give defenseman Brett Lernout a qualifying offer.

McCrimmon, Lowes praise staff

McCrimmon and assistant director of player personnel Bob Lowes praised their staff Wednesday for adjusting to the abnormal season caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Amateur seasons were cut short, so Knights scouts had to be productive remotely through extra video work. The scouts also helped coordinate video interviews with players.

“They work tremendously hard,” Lowes said. “They’re very team-oriented, which is not always easy in the scouting business.”

Brisson compared to Keller

NHL Network analyst Brian Lawton, a former player, agent and general manager, said he thinks Knights’ first-round pick Brendan Brisson has a lot of similarities to Arizona Coyotes forward Clayton Keller.

Keller, 22, had 44 points in 70 games for the Coyotes last season and played second-line left wing in the playoffs.

“(Brisson’s) not that finished product, hopefully the next few years at Michigan he’ll develop into that, but he’s got a lot of the same skills as Clayton,” Lawton said on NHL Network. “He’s so creative, he’s able to make plays at high speeds, he’s got wonderful hands, shoots the puck, plays well in traffic, dynamite on the power play.”

Another Tuch taken

Knights right wing Alex Tuch’s younger brother Luke was selected 47th overall by the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday.