Vegas Golden Knights round off busy day with deserved Holden extension

You wait all day for one move and then loads happen at once and that was the case for the Vegas Golden Knights in the latter stages of the NHL Trade Deadline.

While teams were busy making moves all day, the Vegas Golden Knights took a more patient approach in their bid to retool the roster.

And, boy, did it pay off.

With the clock ticking towards the 12:00 p.m. PT Deadline, the Knights pulled out the ultimate trump card in the dying minutes.

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As they did last year when they left it late to pull the trigger on a blockbuster trade for Mark Stone, the Golden Knights saved the best for last when they sent ripples throughout the rest of the NHL by trading for elite goalie Robin Lehner from the Chicago Blackhawks.

Then, while we were all still trying to digest that information, the Knights announced that they had bolstered their bottom-six by dealing for gritty forward Nick Cousins from the Montreal Canadiens.

But the Golden Knights were not done there.

Because, with deals still trickling through after the Deadline, the Golden Knights also announced that they had signed veteran defenseman Nick Holden to an extension.

The new deal is a two-year contract through 2021-22 with an average annual value of $1.7 million.

Holden was in the final year of a two-year contract and was due to become an Unrestricted Free Agent in the summer.

But the 32-year-old will now remain in Vegas and it gives the Golden Knights a bit more stability when it comes to their blueline.

This is the makeup of the defense for the Knights going forward:

• Nate Schmidt, $5,950,000 AAV, UFA 2025-26
• Shea Theodore, $5,200,000 AAV, UFA 2025-26
• Alec Martinez, $4,000,000 AAV, UFA 2020-21
• Brayden McNabb, $2,500,000 AAV, UFA 2021-22
• Nick Holden, $1,700,000 AAV, UFA 2022-23
• Jon Merrill, $1,375,000 AAV, UFA 2020-21
• Zach Whitecloud, $925,000 AAV, RFA 2020-21
• Deryk Engelland, $700,000 AAV, UFA 2020-21

So, in a nutshell, by extending Holden the Golden Knights have locked up another piece of their blueline and the core of that defense is locked down for at least the next couple of years now, which is hugely important.

Granted, and I’ll be honest here, I was a huge advocate for trading Holden earlier in the summer given that I didn’t think he offered much and I felt his cap hit was wasted.

However, I have been forced to eat humble pie as of late given the way Holden has elevated his level of play.

Over the last few months the blueliner has become a cornerstone piece of the top-four unit for the Golden Knights, bringing consistency to the table night in and night out.

While Holden isn’t a flashy player and while he won’t ever steal the headlines, he’s a solid, no-nonsense defenseman who is responsible in his own zone and can just get the job done.

He has formed a rock-solid partnership with Shea Theodore and Holden is also an incredibly valuable player to have in the locker room.

With a number of prospects starting to emerge from the pipeline, including the likes of Nic Hague and Zach Whitecloud, Holden can act as a real mentor for those young studs.

Through 54 games this year, Holden has five goals and six assists for 11 points with 13 penalty minutes.

He has averaged 19:16 minutes of average total ice time this year while blocking 64 shots, recording 117 hits and registering 24 Takeaways.

Holden also has an impressive Corsi of 55.8%, a 57.07 Shots For Percentage and a Expected Goals For Percentage of 57.72.

Overall, Holden has been one of the most improved players for the Golden Knights this season and he’s a valuable asset both on and off the ice.

While it wasn’t their biggest move of the day, the Vegas Golden Knights made a smart decision to sign Nick Holden to a new deal and reward one of their most consistent performers this year.