The Vegas Golden Knights have signed expansion draft selection Teemu Pulkkinen to a one-year deal, the team announced Thursday.
Pulkkinen was drafted from the Arizona Coyotes. The deal is worth $700,000.
The 25-year-old Finland product was taken in the fourth round of the 2010 NHL Draft by the Detroit Red Wings. He was traded to Arizona from the Minnesota Wild on Feb. 26. He has 22 points in 83 career games, with 12 of them coming in the 2015-16 season with Detroit.
He played only four games with Arizona.
Arizona’s available crop of players in the expansion draft was scarce. Vegas could’ve selected Alexander Burmistrov, but passed due to medical and inconsistency concerns. While Pulkkinen hasn’t seen the ice much since being drafted, the 5-foot-10 forward moves well with the puck and has solid scoring ability. He had 36 points in 47 games with the Iowa Wild in the AHL last year.
Unless he starts the year in Chicago, which is likely, Pulkkinen will be a bottom-six forward and will get a chance to play. Then again, everyone will get a shot to play at this rate.