After plunging into their prospect pool to acquire the likes of Tomas Tatar then Max Pacioretty, the Vegas Golden Knights needed a young player with some potential. With Nick Suzuki out of town, and every other Golden Knights prospect is still a year or two away of making it to the show, general manager George McPhee needed to get creative.
Last year, McPhee went out and claimed Ryan Carpenter off waivers from the San Jose Sharks. The move bolstered roster depth and stability to the Golden Knights bottom six forward group. He ended up becoming a key piece down the stretch and showed signs of potential.