Remember Grigori Denisenko of Henderson Silver Knights fame? He's the guy who has 10 goals and 14 assists with the Henderson SIlver Knights this season (42 games). Overall, he's actually been a productive farmhand in the AHL with 56 goals and 87 assists in five seasons (208 games). Not bad for the former first-round pick of the Florida Panthers.
He even made the AHL Skills Competition and AHL All-Star Game, representing the Silver Knights. It seems that was good enough for the Vegas Golden Knights to consider moving him to the Nashville Predators for future considerations. That's what happened on Tuesday as Kelly McCrimmon moved the forward so he could play with Jonathan Marchessault in Music City.
Denisenko played only one game at the NHL level in 2024-25. Overall, he has no goals and seven assists at this level in 33 career games. He was claimed off waivers from the Florida Panthers prior to the 2023-24 season.
Certainly, there should be a bigger move in store for McCrimmon as the trade deadline draws near, right? He's not one to shy away from shocking the hockey world with another big acquisition, after all. This might seem like a meaningless trade on the surface. However, there are bigger implications than a mere minor leaguer moving to the Central Division.
What moving Grigori Denisenko to the Nashville Predators means for future moves
Numerous circumstances indicate a bigger move is on the horizon for the Vegas Golden Knights. Shea Theodore potentially heading to LTIR after an upper-body injury, the sudden need for another winger (and maybe a goaltender?), and a projected $3,474,492 in salary cap space (according to PuckPedia) lead many to believe that McCrimmon is cooking something up again.
Could it be a reunion with Alex Tuch? Perhaps they could get a solid goaltender to pair with Adin Hill for another deep Stanley Cup run. Whatever the case, today's move sets the table for bigger things. How is this the case, you might ask?
Well, dear reader, consider the following. Draft picks are a luxury in the trading market, especially amongst rebuilding teams. The same thing applies for prospects. These give rebuilding teams the pieces necessary to plan for the future and construct the rosters they want. Sure, Grigori Denisenko might've been a fringe NHL player that would've seen lower-line action at best in Vegas. However, the Nashville Predators are willing to take a swing at the Russian forward.
Meanwhile, the Vegas Golden Knights suddenly have some cap space to work with. Their prospect pool might be more shallow after trading Denisenko away. However, getting a future draft pick will sweeten the deal for a potential trade. That's something that McCrimmon is banking on for the future.
Or maybe this is a simple trade without any major implications. Nothing more. The Golden Knights are no strangers to such moves, specifically when a player's not working out with a team. One name that comes to mind is Cody Glass, who was traded to these same Predators in 2021. Fans have seen the forward amount to nothing more than a lower-line player for the Penguins, making the trade a minor footnote in history. You can look at this the same way, where the deal doesn't have much implications.