Golden Knights add former first-round pick in surprise move

The Golden Knights dipped into the waiver pool as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that they’ve claimed winger Grigori Denisenko off waivers from Florida. Everyone else from Friday’s group cleared.

The 23-year-old was formerly viewed as one of the top prospects for the Panthers after they picked him 15th overall back in 2018 following a good season in the MHL in Russia. He spent two more seasons playing at home, working his way up to the KHL level, before coming to North America in 2020 when he signed his entry-level contract.

Denisenko saw NHL action in each of his three years on that first deal, spanning 26 contests. However, while he has seven assists in those appearances, he’s still looking for his first goal. Meanwhile, he has had some success in the minors and is coming off a year that saw him put up a dozen goals with 24 assists in 56 games with AHL Charlotte.

He opted to take less than his qualifying offer this summer in exchange for a two-year, one-way deal worth the NHL minimum of $775K in the hopes that doing so could help him earn a spot at the end of Florida’s roster. Clearly, that didn’t happen with his placement Friday, but now, he’ll look to stick with the Golden Knights. While Denisenko isn’t a prototypical fourth-liner, he could add some offensive upside to that line or alternatively, bide his time as a low-cost reserve forward. Either way, it’s a low-cost pickup for Vegas that will have a chance to give them a nice reward if Denisenko is able to reach his offensive potential with them.