The Golden Knights locked up their unofficial captain and shed one of their more cumbersome contracts in a pair of moves Tuesday afternoon.
Vegas announced the signing of defenseman Deryk Engelland to a one-year contract and the trade of David Clarkson’s contract and a 2020 fourth-round pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for goalie Garret Sparks.
Engelland’s contract guarantees him a base salary of the league-minimum $700,000 with performance bonuses that can reach $1.5 million. Engelland had 12 points in 74 games last year and played large penalty-kill minutes for Vegas.
Sparks figures to play with the Chicago Wolves in the AHL and could be one of the first looks if Marc-Andre Fleury or Malcolm Subban gets injured. The 26-year-old played 20 games for Toronto last year with a .902 save percentage and a 3.15 goals-against average.
Clarkson’s contract and its $5.25 million cap hit was headed to long-term injured reserve, but trading it allows Vegas more financial flexibility throughout the season, including the potential cap hits against performance bonuses. Vegas lost next year’s fourth-round selection but still has Pittsburgh’s second-rounder as well as all its other picks.
The moves give the Golden Knights a projected $1.025 million in cap space with 22 players on the roster, according to CapFriendly. That includes Curtis McKenzie and his $750,000 cap hit, however, and McKenzie is not expected to make the team next year. It does not include a rookie defenseman, and the team has made it clear they expect to have one on their opening night roster at close to a league-minimum salary.
Vegas has yet to sign restricted free agents Nikita Gusev and Jimmy Schuldt.
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