Golden Knights move on from once-promising prospect

The 15th overall pick of the Florida Panthers in the 2018 NHL Draft, Denisenko was a waiver claim of the Golden Knights before the 2023-24 season. Denisenko only played seven games with Vegas, failing to record a single point in that time. He spent most of his time with the team’s AHL affiliate in the Henderson Silver Knights, but his production declined from 56 points in 65 games last season to 24 points in 42 games this year.

Denisenko will likely report to the Milwaukee Admirals, the Predators’ AHL affiliate, and head back to his native Russia when his contract expires after this season.

What does the Denisenko trade mean for the Golden Knights?

On the surface, the deal looks like a minor transaction, but there is at least some form of reason to make this move now.

With Denisenko now off the roster, the Golden Knights now have only 46 out of a maximum of 50 contracts on their roster. This means Vegas can acquire four more players without having to move another signed player out. It does not look like much on the surface, but any sort of breathing room helps around this time of the season.

The trade deadline date of March 7 is rapidly approaching, and NHL teams continue to make moves despite the current break due to the 4 Nations Faceoff. The Golden Knights find themselves with new resources at their disposal, with forward William Karlsson’s cap hit currently on long-term injured reserve and defenseman Shea Theodore’s possibly going there as well. With significant cap space, general manager Kelly McCrimmon can use the empty roster slots to dramatically improve the team as they gear up for a potential deep playoff run.

The Golden Knights decided Denisenko was no longer in their long-term plans, and hope to gain someone who will in the coming weeks.