The Vegas Golden Knights have acquired center Marcus Kruger from the Chicago Blackhawks in a trade, according to Darren Dreger of TSN.
Frank Seravalli of TSN says Chicago will acquire “future considerations” in the deal.
The deal, which was originally said to be part of the Trevor Van Riemsdyk selection during the expansion draft, was put on hold until after July 1 so that the Blackhawks would be on the hook for Kruger’s $2 million signing bonus.
Kruger’s cap hit will be $3.08 million for each of the next two seasons, but the Golden Knights will only pay $1.08 million to the 27-year old center this season.
The 6-foot veteran is a valuable bottom-six center capable of chipping in a little offensively (17 points in 70 games last season). He is a possession-driving, defensive-minded, penalty-killing center that can be very useful for Vegas, but was a luxury for the cap-strapped Blackhawks.
The Golden Knights have added another veteran that is capable of contributing right away and will help in a big way.