Elliotte Friedman Says Paul Stastny Rejected Return To Golden Knights

Before they signed Phil Kessel, the Vegas Golden Knights were in on another NHL free agent. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported on the 32 Thoughts Podcast that the Golden Knights offered free agent Paul Stastny a contract. Stastny signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday.

“I heard one of the teams (interested in Stastny) was Vegas. He skates with some of those guys, and I think Vegas actually offered him more money, but he went to Carolina instead,” said Friedman.

The Golden Knights were likely looking at Stastny as an option for added forward depth. With the moves general manager Kelly McCrimmon made this offseason, the Golden Knights took a hit in terms of forward depth. Last season with the Winnipeg Jets, Stastny scored 21 goals and 24 assists for 45 points in 71 games.

He joins former Golden Knights Max Pacioretty and Dylan Coghlan in Carolina. A former Golden Knight himself, Stastny is entering his seventeenth season in the NHL as a veteran 36-year-old forward.

He spent two seasons with the Golden Knights from 2018 to 2020. In 121 games with the VGK he scored 80 points.

Stastny will be an unrestricted free agent one more next summer.