Golden Knights reassign defenseman Jaycob Megna to AHL

According to a team announcement, the Vegas Golden Knights have reassigned defenseman Jaycob Megna to the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights. The move is likely for salary cap purposes since the Golden Knights don’t play again until Friday.

For the time being, that leaves Vegas with six defensemen on the active roster, with no indication that Noah Hanifin is expected to return soon. Since the Silver Knights play the Ontario Reign Wednesday evening, Megna will be able to fulfill the one-game requirement in the AHL to make him eligible to return as a depth piece for the Golden Knights on Friday.

Despite being on the roster for the last week, Megna has yet to play for Vegas this year. Excluding preseason action, Megna’s last NHL contest came over half a year ago with the Florida Panthers.

Thus, most of his professional playing days have been spent in the AHL. He’s coming off one of the best seasons of his professional career, scoring two goals and 16 points in 64 games for the Charlotte Checkers with a +26 rating. He’s already appeared in four games with AHL Henderson this year, tallying one assist with a +2 rating.

Vegas may choose to provide Megna with more consistency and recall Dylan Coghlan in his stead later this week. Still, since he can spend another 23 days on the roster before needing waivers again, expect Megna to rejoin the Golden Knights against the Colorado Avalanche on Friday.