Vegas Golden Knights: Grading the Nicolas Roy Extension

Hockey may be on lockdown but that hasn’t stopped the Vegas Golden Knights from preparing for the 2020-21 season.

It was announced on Wednesday that the Vegas Golden Knights had re-signed forward Nicolas Roy to a two-year contract extension, a one-way deal carrying an Average Annual Value of $750,000.

We broke down the deal for both sides, which you can read below, but it was a win-win transaction for player and team from every single aspect.

It also highlighted just how far Roy has come in a short space of time.

Fresh off helping the Charlotte Checkers win the Calder Trophy in 2018-19, beating Vegas’ AHL affiliate the Chicago Wolves in the Final ironically enough, Roy found himself on the move after being part of the trade that sent forward Erik Haula to the Carolina Hurricanes last off-season.

In return, the Golden Knights got back a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft and Roy.

At the time many felt that there was more value in the conditional pick than Roy, who was projected to spend the year in the minors.

However, the 23-year-old blended a perfect mix of size, speed and skill into the ultimate package and emerged as a key role player for the Golden Knights.

That was despite appearing on the transactions list a whopping 30 or more times after repeatedly being moved between Vegas and Chicago, with a lot of the moves boiling down to creating cap space prior to the Trade Deadline.

There was no doubt, though, that Roy boasted the talent and all the intangibles needed to succeed in the National Hockey League, showcasing his skills in his Vegas debut with a filthy goal against the Anaheim Ducks on Oct. 27, 2019.

Roy only went from strength-to-strength from that point on, finishing his rookie year in the NHL with five goals and five assists for 10 points in 28 games with a plus/minus rating of +3.

He also recorded seven blocked shots, 39 hits and 10 takeaways and a 48.2 percent win rate in the faceoff circle while averaging 11:26 minutes of ice time per game.

The eye test was impressive, too, with Roy establishing himself as a key cog in the bottom six for the Golden Knights.

He also proved his worth as a Swiss-Army Knife Type player, slotting in on the second-line with Max Pacioretty and William Karlsson in Mark Stone‘s absence in the latter stages of the regular season and absolutely thriving.

Roy showed that he could handle playing top-six minutes and his high-end skill coupled with his big body also made him a threat on the second power play unit too.

Plus, the 23-year-old is still a couple of years away from reaching his prime and is only just scratching the surface of his potential, so this could just be the start for Roy.

GRADE: A

I like this extension a lot.

Similar to the deals for defenseman Zach Whitecloud and forward William Carrier, the Golden Knights have locked down a key role player without breaking the bank.

By signing Nicolas Roy to a one-way two-year deal with an average annual value of $750,000, it gives them flexibility come the off-season when it comes to re-signing their seven other pending free agents.

But, most importantly, the Golden Knights have an unpolished gem under contract for two more years at a more than manageable cap hit.

Boasting a high hockey IQ, Roy can play in a multitude of different situations and scenarios, while he has soft, silky hands and his hulking size also allows him to be a real dangerous net-front presence.

So, in a nutshell, the Vegas Golden Knights have taken care of one of their free agents before the off-season kicks in, strengthening their forward depth and giving themselves two more years of a player that is on the cusp of taking that next big step.

And, for Nicolas Roy, the center was rewarded for a solid rookie year with a richly-deserved one-way contract and a chance to really establish himself as a valuable role player in the NHL.

This is a win-win deal all the way round.