Golden Knights acquire scoring help by trading defenseman
The Golden Knights found scoring help before NHL free agency began Wednesday.
The Knights acquired right wing Evgenii Dadonov from the Ottawa Senators for defenseman Nick Holden and a 2022 third-round pick.
Dadonov, 32, has scored 25 or more goals in each of his past three full seasons. He had 13 goals in 55 games last season during the NHL’s condensed schedule.
The 5-foot-11-inch Russian has 104 goals in 335 NHL games and has shot better than 14 percent in each of the past four seasons. He has two years remaining on his contract with a $5 million average annual value.
Holden, 34, was a Knight for three seasons after signing as a free agent in 2018. The gregarious veteran was a beloved locker-room presence and teammate. He had 31 points in 139 games with the Knights.
Holden played only 17 games last season because he spent much of the year on the team’s taxi squad for salary cap purposes. He was commended for how he handled the situation and played a major role in the playoffs by scoring seven points in 15 games.
Holden has one year remaining on his contract, which has a $1.7 million average annual value.
The move leaves the Knights with approximately $2.5 million in salary cap space before signing restricted free agent Nolan Patrick.
Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.