Man, it seems like the hits just keep coming for the Vegas Golden Knights, eh (not the good ones)? First, you lose Brayden McNabb and William Karlsson before him. Now? Brett Howden (lower body) has been placed on injured reserve, with Jonas Rondbjerg being called up to the main roster.
VGK have recalled Jonas Rondbjerg. Brett Howden has been placed on IR.
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) January 20, 2026
The loss is as painful as having all your nose hairs pried out. General manager Kelly McCrimmon stated that no injured players would return before the Olympics, effectively ruling Howden out. This season, the Calgary native has nine goals and six assists. The center has been a valuable lower-line player, providing ample scoring when called upon.
As for Rondbjerg, he comes up with a flair for killing penalties. The Danish Olympian has 12 goals and 11 assists in 35 games with the Henderson Silver Knights this season. He's projected to score 25 goals and 23 assists with the AHL club this season, making him more than an assistant captain.
The loss of Brett Howden has the Vegas Golden Knights digging deep for Henderson Silver Knights depth pieces
As mentioned, you don't want to dig too deep into the AHL club for pieces. Whenever a wave of injuries hits like a bad case of Murphy's Law, you're looking for anyone to fill the void. There are only so many Rasmus Andersson's that you can acquire before you're suffocated by the stranglehold of the salary cap, after all.
That's the case with the Vegas Golden Knights, who will lose a great lower-line forward in Brett Howden. The 27-year-old is a great skater and can come through in a clutch, giving Vegas more oomph.
This is no disrespect to Rondbjerg. After all, he has been serviceable when called up. However, Golden Knights fans can point to Silver Knights like Jaycob Megna not being effective at the NHL level. Fans can expect Rondbjerg to rarely put up points with the Golden Knights, given that he's not as offensively inclined.
But the loss also comes at the worst possible time. The Golden Knights face a daunting four-game East Coast swing that starts on Thursday against the Boston Bruins. Along the way, they must face the Montreal Canadiens, the Toronto Maple Leafs (Marner cinema incoming!), and the Ottawa Senators.
Not having Howden around is a bigger blow to the forward group than people realize. The Calgary native was one of a few depth pieces who actually scored goals. That could be bad news should the well run dry from the top during the road trip.