Waiver Claim Michael Amadio Provided Golden Knights With Bottom-Six Scoring

Welcome to Vegas Hockey Now’s season in review series where we look at every player on the Vegas Golden Knights and their 2021-22 season from Michael Amadio to Zach Whitecloud.

Today’s player is Michael Amadio. Let’s jump right into things.

Michael Amadio

Stats: 56 GP, 11 G, 7A, 18 PTS

Contract: 2 years left at $762,500 AAV

Games Missed: 26*

Status: Healthy

VHN’s Grade: B+

Overall Thoughts

Michael “Ammo” Amadio was claimed off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs early in the season. He came to the Golden Knights at a time when they were missing several forwards due to injury but has since established himself as a solid bottom-six forward on a healthy team.

He scored 11 goals in 2021-22 which is respectable for a waiver claim. When the Golden Knights were hit even harder with injuries later in the season, Amadio was elevated into the top six. In January, general manager Kelly McCrimmon signed Amadio to a two-year extension with an AAV of $762,500.

Highlights

Amadio was not much of a highlight machine for the Golden Knights with his 11 goals coming mostly as dirty goals. No shame in that, they don’t ask how, they ask how many. His skill set is that of a bottom-six winger. He’s not a top-six guy, but got some stints with William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault late in the season when Reilly Smith and co. were hurt.

Michael Amadio gets his 9th goal of the season! pic.twitter.com/TsRCWZtS6Q

— AT&T SportsNet™ | RM West (@ATTSportsNetRMW) April 13, 2022

Against the Anaheim Ducks on March 4th, Amadio had a goal and two assists and then followed it up against the Senators with a strong performance. I know you all remember that game as it was the Jack Eichel buzzer-beater game.

What’s Next

At 26 years old, Amadio is still young and has potential as a bottom-six guy for the VGK. With the Golden Knight’s current cap crunch, he will be a valuable asset as a scoring winger who takes up less than $1 million in cap space.

With Reilly Smith and Mattias Janmark set to become free agents, Amadio’s role could increase as well. The Golden Knights have few NHL-ready prospects as well, meaning Amadio’s spot in the lineup is safe.

Amadio missed 26 games for the Golden Knights this season but none were due to significant injuries. He was on a different team for the first nine games of the season, a healthy scratch at times, and like many members of the Golden Knights, had his battles with COVID. He should be healthy for 2022-23.