Brayden Pachal, the former captain of the Henderson Silver Knights, is off to Calgary after failing to clear waivers.
The Vegas Golden Knights placed the 24-year-old defenseman on waivers on Feb. 3.
The Calgary Flames swooped in and claimed him 24 hours later — ending his five-year stint with the Knights’ organization.
Calgary claims Pachal from Vegas
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) February 4, 2024
Losing defensive depth is something no Stanley Cup contender wants — especially someone like Pachal. He’s a 6-foot-2 right-shot defenseman with a physical style of play. He was also an AHL captain for two seasons.
Pachal spent the entire first half of the 2023-24 season with Vegas, but only appeared in 17 games. He scored his first NHL goal on Oct. 12, 2023.
Placing him on waivers was a risk. It’s that time of year when teams are looking to upgrade their defensive rotation for the playoffs. The Knights were hoping to keep him around, but the Flames had other plans.
Brayden Pachal was a promising player for the Knights
Pachal went undrafted in 2019, but Vegas quickly signed him to a three-year entry-level contract. He spent the next two seasons in the AHL before being named captain of the Henderson Silver Knights during the 2021-22 season. He made his NHL debut a few months later.
The 2022-23 season saw Pachal return as captain of the Silver Knights — setting career-highs in goals (3), assists (12), and points (15) in 55 games. He secured his first NHL point on Dec. 15, 2022, and made his playoff debut with the team four months later.
Brayden Pachal on the bench saying his goodbyes. pic.twitter.com/k645P9SrCF
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) February 4, 2024
He only played one game during the Knights’ title run last season, but the team went out of their way to include his name on the Stanley Cup. ‘Brayden Pachal’ will now forever be engraved on the Cup — between Brayden McNabb and Alex Pietrangelo.
At just 24 years old, Pachal has his whole career ahead of him. Unfortunately for Vegas, that career will continue in Calgary.
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