On Sunday, the Vegas Golden Knights announced contract extensions for defenseman Brayden McNabb, forward Michael Amadio, and goalie Logan Thompson. All three agreements will start at the 2022/23 season.
McNabb’s agreement is intended to last for three years with an annual payment of $2.85 million. Michael Amadio will receive $762,500 annually through the 2023/24 season, and Logan Thompson will receive $766,667 through the 2024/25 season. The player signings were announced by team general manager Kelly McCrimmon.
The most significant of these deals is a contract extension with McNabb, who at 31 is one of the Golden Knights’ defensive leaders. In 46 games, the Canadian hockey player has scored two goals and given seven assists for nine points with +/- six points. Thanks in part to his defensive play, Vegas has an excellent chance of making the playoffs this season at the end of the regular season. You can bet on that at one of the bookmakers on https://bookmaker-ratings.com/.
By the time he signed his new contract, McNabb had blocked 110 shots this season and became the first player in the entire league to commit 110 blocks with more than a hundred shots on goal.
The Canadian defenseman has played more than half of his 553 career games for Vegas since the Golden Knights signed him in the 2017 NHL expansion draft. McNabb scored 57 points (15 goals + 42 assists) and served over 190 penalty minutes for the Vegas club.
In 60 postseason games with the Golden Knights, the Canadian scored 13 points (3 goals and 10 assists) and a +10 rating, 42 minutes, 130 blocks, and 212 shots.
Centre forward Michael Amadio, 25, was selected by the Los Angeles Knights in the 2014 draft. After moving from the Toronto Maple Leafs to Vegas last October, Michael is slowly on his way to becoming a key player in Peter Debure’s build-up.
The forward has played 201 games in his NHL career, with 20 goals + 27 assists for a -16 rating. Michael is showing a positive +/- this season for the Golden Knights, having already scored seven points (4 goals + 3 assists) in 28 games on 34 shots despite missing some games due to injury and COVID protocol.
Logan Thompson, who is also on a new deal, made his first NHL appearance in a game against the Nashville Predators earlier this January (2-3). The 24-year-old goalie saved 23 of 26 shots on goal in that game.
Last season, he was the AHL’s top goalie with 93.4% of shots on goal and a 1.96 goals-against average per game for the Henderson Silver Knights. This season for the Silver Knights, he saved 92.8% of his shots and conceded an average of 2.62 goals per game.
Such numbers and the age of the goalie guarantee Vegas an excellent option to bolster the depth of the squad in case of injury or other unpleasant circumstances.
These signings leave the Golden Knights with $5.7 million before the salary cap, and the club fans should be pleased that management could retain a key defenseman in peak form and two hockey players with good potential to become essential elements to the team.
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