Vegas Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon is doing a good impersonation of Paul "Triple H" Levesque these days. First, he locked in beloved "Original Misfit," Shea Theodore to a seven-year, $51.975 million contract. Then, he keeps his fellow "Misfit," Brayden McNabb, around on a three-year, $10.95 million deal. After that came Brett Howden with a five-year, $12.5 million pact.
You can already hear McCrimmon yelling to Jonathan Marchessault and the "loyalty" critics about his next move.
"WAIT, GUYS! GUESS WHAT? I RE-SIGNED ANOTHER GUY!"
That's right! The general manager pulled some strings again, with winger Keegan Kolesar sticking around for three more years. The deal has an AAV of $2.5 million, with the native of Brandon, Manitoba, solidifying the bottom-six forward group. You can already hear the 33-year-old Quebec native's head explode from the news.
Updated VGK cap situation in 25-26
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) December 14, 2024
9 F: $46,985,000
7 D: $31,775,000
0 G: $0
TOTAL: $78,760,000
Available cap space ($92.4m cap): $13,640,000
RFA: Holtz, Schwindt*, Hague*, Brisson, Rondbjerg*, Denisenko*
UFA: Olofsson, Pearson, Hill, Samsonov
*Arbitration eligible
It's the latest move in a wave of contract extensions for McCrimmon, who's slowly rebuilding faith in Golden Knights fans jilted by the summer dealings. But there's more to the Kolesar extension than simply being the forechecking expert on the fourth line. He has a well-defined role on the team, establishing himself as a grind-it-out winger with scoring capabilities. Here's what fans can expect from the 27-year-old forward.
Why Keegan Kolesar re-signed with the Vegas Golden Knights
Keegan Kolesar took the mantle of a hard-hitting bottom-six winger from Ryan Reaves, carrying that distinction with him throughout his Vegas Golden Knights career. The 27-year-old has 1,001 career hits and 84 takeaways in six years. He's the physical option the Golden Knights need, specifically for wearing down division rivals like the Edmonton Oilers.
This season has been no different for the forward. He has 90 hits and six takeaways in 29 games, bringing a strong forechecking style to the Golden Knights. But that's not all he can do, though.
The native of Brandon, Manitoba, also scores goals. In fact, he has seven this season, one short of tying his career high. Kolesar also has a shooting percentage of 21.2% in 374:46 of TOI. This offensive capability makes him an upgrade over Reaves, who made a name for himself fighting other people (hello, Matt Rempe!) and hitting people.
That capability is part of why he returned on a three-year extension. The Golden Knights need reliable bottom-six options that don't just fight. They must also have a keen sense of creating turnovers and added offense. That's where Kolesar comes in. He's the much-needed addition to the fourth line, grinding out every shift and wearing his opponents down.
Kolesar's extension also proves Kelly McCrimmon is on a war path to prove the "loyalty" doubters wrong. Numerous fans were jaded by Jonathan Marchessault leaving to cheer on a hapless NFL team in Tennessee. However, it's actually Kolesar who's tied with Marchessault in goals entering Friday (seven). Bet you didn't see that coming.
Still, the deal is a big win for fans who love the 27-year-old's hard-hitting style. The Golden Knights aren't known for being physical. Instead, they use their size for clogging shooting/passing lanes and forechecking. His presence will satisfy both ends (and more), making him an underappreciated piece of the puzzle.