Golden Knights recall former first-round pick

The Golden Knights recalled left winger Grigori Denisenko from AHL Henderson on Friday, per a team announcement. To open space on the active roster, the team returned rookie right winger Jakub Demek to the minors.

Denisenko, 23, is the latest in a series of minor league call-ups that’s seen time on the NHL roster with forwards William Carrier, Pavel Dorofeyev, Jack Eichel, Brett Howden, and Mark Stone all out with injuries. He’s played in four games for Vegas this year, going without a point while averaging 9:57 per game.

A first-round pick of the Panthers in 2018, Denisenko signed a two-year, $1.55M deal to remain in Florida after reaching restricted free agency last summer. 

However, he was claimed off waivers by the Golden Knights when the Panthers attempted to send him to the minors after he failed to make the team out of camp in October.

Vegas placed him on waivers again the day after claiming him, but Florida opted not to bring him back to the organization. As such, he was assigned to Henderson to begin the campaign, where he’s up to 14 goals and 40 points in 47 games on the season. 

It’s his best offensive showing since coming to North America in 2020, although it hasn’t yet translated into NHL success.

It’s unclear if Denisenko will slot into the lineup against the Sabres on Saturday or if the Golden Knights plan to keep him around as a 13th forward. If he draws in, it would be on their fourth line, currently staffed by a trio of AHL call-ups in Byron Froese, Mason Morelli, and Sheldon Rempal.

Meanwhile, Demek has yet to make his NHL debut after being recalled twice last month. The 6-foot-4 forward out of Slovakia has five goals and 13 points in 44 games for Henderson during his first professional season. Vegas selected him in the fourth round, 128th overall, in the 2021 draft.