Golden Knights surprise the hockey world by signing a defenseman

As if the Vegas Golden Knights didn't need any more defensemen, they get one anyways. Who did they pick up this time?
Tampa Bay Lightning v Nashville Predators
Tampa Bay Lightning v Nashville Predators | Frederick Breedon/GettyImages

One would think the Vegas Golden Knights didn't need any more defensemen in their roster. After all, you have Ben Hutton waiting in the wings if one went down. However, people simply can't gauge the unpredictability of Kelly McCrimmon's general manager duties.

That's why they signed defenseman Jeremy Davies to a two-year deal worth $1.15 million AAV on Sunday. The deal gives the Golden Knights more blue line depth, keeping them afloat in case of emergency.

The 28-year-old has had a journeyman career of sorts, playing with two other teams. He's spent two seasons with the Nashville Predators (three assists in 22 games) and one season with the Buffalo Sabres (one game). Overall, he's also had nine career blocked shots and 16 career hits, making him a useful depth piece.

What does this mean for the Vegas Golden Knights as Jeremy Davies joins the team?

Don't expect Davies to do too much with the Golden Knights this season. According to Puckpedia, the defenseman is expected to be waived with an Alexander Holtz deal impending after he's sent down. It's a two-way contract (think of Tanner Laczynski for a second) where the purpose is to send him down to the minors.

Currently, Vegas stands at $8.776 million over the salary cap and are $24,000 from the max possible with Alex Pietrangelo on season-ending LTIR. Therefore, the purpose of getting Davies was to use him for some much-needed cap space management.

Considering the Golden Knights need as much breathing room as possible, it's a welcome sign. When you sign Mitch Marner to a lucrative eight-year, $12 million AAV deal, you need all the space you can get. Luckily, Vegas has a salary cap master who can handle the gymnastics perfectly fine.

For McCrimmon, it's another day in the office for the Stanley Cup-winning general manager. He's gotten used to the salary cap gymnastics, where he's turned it into a craft. Better to have a salary cap wizard than a guy who doesn't get your team to the Stanley Cup playoffs, right?

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