The Vegas Golden Knights have signed forward Nicolas Roy to a five-year contract worth an AAV of $3 million, the club announced Monday.
Roy had a career year for the Golden Knights last season, having totaled a career-best in goals (15), assists (24), points (39), and games played (78).
He also attained 34 blocks, 85 hits, and 34 takeaways.
Roy accomplished all of this while averaging a career-high 16:15 minutes per game.
The 25-year-old forward showed promise early on in the 2021-22 season, as he scored a goal and an assist in just the second game of the season.
Just eight games later, he scored his second goal of the season.
Roy then went on a tear in the month of December. He scored a goal and an assist in back-to-back games (Dec. 3 and 5), which would serve as Vegas' first two wins of a 7-1 stretch. In the fourth win of that run, Roy scored the game-winning goal against the New Jersey Devils on Dec. 16.
The third-year Golden Knight proceeded to record two more goals that month.
On March 4, Roy scored two goals in Vegas' 5-4 win over the Anaheim Ducks. Six games later, he scored a goal in back-to-back games yet again and would score another one four games after that.
With a five-year extension, Roy is now one of the premiere faces to serve as the future of this Golden Knights franchise.
He's gaining valuable experience playing behind some of the best, and his career in the NHL is only getting started.
Roy hasn't had a lot of opportunity to show what he brings to the table over his first five seasons, but this new contract all but confirms the forward is in Vegas' plans going forward.
Should he stay healthy again this season, it seems very likely his minutes will go up, especially amongst a right wing lineup that was hit hard with injuries last season.
Roy was one of the six restricted free agents whom the Golden Knights extended qualifying offers to last month.
The 2022-23 season will be the forwards fourth in Vegas.
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