Golden Knights sign defenseman Jaycob Megna to two-year deal

Representation at Bartlett Hockey for veteran defenseman Jaycob Megna announced on Tuesday that their client has agreed to terms on a two-year, one-way contract with the Vegas Golden Knights.

The deal is for a total of $1.6 million, good for an average annual value and salary cap hit of $800,000.

Megna, a 32-year-old left-handed defenseman, was a seventh round pick by the Anaheim Ducks, No. 210 overall, in the 2012 NHL entry draft.

He spent three years in college at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, and he played four AHL seasons with the Norfolk Admirals and San Diego Gulls before making his NHL debut in Anaheim during the 2016-2017 season.

Megna first managed to carve out a significant role as a member of the San Jose Sharks, where he spent the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 campaigns, recording 20 points and a plus-5 rating in 92 games in black and teal.

In the years since, Megna has spent time with the Seattle Kraken, Chicago Blackhawks and Florida Panthers, for whom he skated in eight NHL regular season games this season.

As a member of the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, Megna was a plus-26 while scoring 2 goals and dishing out 14 assists for 16 points in 64 games played.

Megna will provide defensive depth to a Golden Knights team that has already made several big splashes this offseason.

The acquisition of star winger Mitch Marner was made official earlier Tuesday via a sign-and-trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and veteran defenseman Alex Pietrangelo announced that he is stepping away from the game due to injury-related issues.

Vegas returns a defensive unit that is comprised of Shea Theodore, Noah Hanifin, Brayden McNabb, Zach Whitecloud, Jeremy Lauzon, Ben Hutton and Kaeden Korczak.

Megna’s NHL experience will prove valuable to the team’s AHL affiliate in Henderson, and will certainly be useful if he is needed for NHL duty in Vegas as a result of other roster moves or injuries.