Adam Hunger / AP
Arizona Coyotes defenseman Dysin Mayo reacts after scoring a goal against the New Jersey Devils during the second period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023 | 2:12 p.m.
The Golden Knights' first trade of deadline season is a minor one but has potentially significant implications going forward.
Vegas acquired defenseman Dysin Mayo from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for a fifth-round pick this year and the contract of defenseman Shea Weber. ESPN was first to report the deal.
The roster transaction isn't the most important part of this. Mayo, 26, was assigned to AHL Henderson. He's appeared in 26 games with AHL Tucson and has three years remaining with a cap hit of $950,000.
What this does, now less than nine days before the league's trade deadline, is give the Golden Knights salary flexibility not just at the deadline but for next season.
Weber's cap hit of $7.875 million was already put on long-term injured reserve, not counting against the cap for this season. Sending Weber to Arizona clears him off the LTIR books for next season and gives the Golden Knights financial flexibility to add players next year.
Teams can exceed 10% of the salary cap in the offseason before diving into LTIR, but taking off Weber ensures that they'll have the space to add someone possibly with term next summer.
Weber had three years remaining on his contract. He was acquired on June 16 from Montreal for forward Evgenii Dadonov.
Forwards Patrick Kane and Timo Meier have been linked to the Golden Knights ahead of the March 3 trade deadline at noon.
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
