Knights trim roster near deadline
after Sunday’s 5-3 preseason finale loss to the San Jose Sharks at T-mobile Arena.
One move made was with Teemu Pulkkinen, the forward who had been acquired from the Arizona Coyotes in the NHL Expansion Draft. Pulkkinen was placed on waivers de
KNIGHTS
spite two goals and an assist in four preseason games.
The other move was assigning forward Tomas Hyka to the Chicago Wolves, the Knights’ American Hockey League affiliate. Hyka was second on the team in scoring during the preseason with four goals and an assist in five games.
“Tomas played very well,”
Mcphee said. “He deserves to get some games here, and we look forward to making that call to bring him back up.”
Mcphee said the other moves will be made Tuesday morning.
But he wouldn’t say what they are.
“We’ve made some final decisions,” he said.
The team still has 11 defensemen and plans to keep seven, eight at the most. Brad Hunt had a strong training camp. But was it enough? Will Shea Theodore stay in the
NHL? Or will the fact he still has nonwaiver options ultimately put him in the AHL with the Wolves?
One player who was waiting to hear his fate was forward Brendan Leipsic. He appeared in two preseason games after injuring his shoulder Sept. 21 and missed five days of training camp.
“I think I got a fair chance,” said Leipsic, who was taken from the Toronto Maple Leafs in the expansion draft. “You always want to make the team. But it’s also a business.”
The Knights open the season Friday at the Dallas Stars. And while they will turn in their roster Tuesday, they might not announce all their moves at that time.
Mcphee also said the team is combing the waiver wire. “But right now, we’re not planning on doing anything,” he said.
Contact Steve Carp at scarp@ reviewjournal.com or 702-3872913. Follow @stevecarprj on Twitter.