Vegas Golden Knights sign Tanner Pearson

Another professional trial agreement ended with a guaranteed contract. The Vegas Golden Knights organization has announced They have signed an experienced striker Tanner Pearson on a one-year contract worth $775,000 for the 2024/25 NHL season.

It's a feel-good story for Pearson, who has been limited by injuries in recent years. In his final year with the Vancouver Canucks in 2022-23, Pearson only appeared in 14 contests during the season as he missed much of the year due to a hand injury that required three surgeries. He was able to skate in more than half the games with the Montreal Canadiens last year, but another hand injury lost him to 38 games this season.

The injuries to his hand have certainly limited his offensive production over the last two years, but Pearson has been known as a reliable scorer in the past. He is no longer a player who can carry the responsibilities in the top six of a playoff contender like he did when he was with the Los Angeles Kings in the mid-to-late 2010s.

He has recently shown glimpses of his goalscoring abilities with 21 goals in 69 games for the Canucks in 2019-20 and another 24 in 119 games in 2020-22. The Golden Knights will likely use Pearson in a bottom-six position on the wing to provide an offensive punch to the bottom of the lineup.

The signing isn't all that surprising despite Pearson's declining skills in recent years. Vegas has seen a dramatic decline in depth due to spending toward the salary cap cap and needs to supplement its roster with league minimum contracts.

TSN's Chris Johnston was the first to report the signing.