Nicolas Roy has been a pleasant surprise for the Golden Knights (USA Today Sports)
General Manager Kelly McCrimmon and the Vegas Golden Knights can't miss. Last summer, they traded fan-favorite Erik Haula to the Carolina Hurricanes in a salary cap dump, for a modest return. What they got was an unknown forward in Nicolas Roy and a conditional fifth round pick, for a 29-goal scorer. The motivation was obvious, cut cap, don't sweat the return.
Fast-forward approximately 10 months and that landscape has changed completely. Haula was sent to the Florida Panthers at the trade deadline, amid chemistry and injury concerns in Carolina. Meanwhile, Roy has carved out a nice role for himself in the Golden Knights' bottom six. Injuries to Alex Tuch, Max Pacioretty, Mark Stone, and Cody Glass necessitated a solid replacement and Roy seized the opportunity.
His play has been noticably strong in each of his NHL appearances, despite playing the waivers game as an exempt player. He's been sent up and down as much as anyone in the game, but hasn't let that affect his on-ice effectiveness. He currently sports a 5-5-10 line in 28 NHL games played. The 23-year-old forward has also appeared in 27 games in the American Hockey League with the Chicago Wolves, recording 7 goals and 15 assists.
Standing 6-foot-4, Roy's speed and fluidity catches the opposition off-guard. He can play both a fast and physical game and is responsible up and down the ice. His versatility as a true two-way forward serves both he and the team well. New Head Coach Pete DeBoer has even gone as far as saying he sees Power Play time in the young forward's future.
He's not afraid of the corners, has scoring touch, and is a competent defender. It's not farfetched to go as far as labelling Roy as the ideal bottom-sixer. He's young, he's hungry, and he makes an impact with and without the puck on his stick. The fact that the Golden Knights were able to extend Roy, at his miniscule cap hit, should give the club plenty of roster flexibility this off-season.
Similarly to Zach Whitecloud's deal, Roy's extension should be unanimously celebrated among the Vegas faithful. As impending Restricted Free Agents, bringing them back would took minimal risk and could potentially carry a very high reward. If and when hockey resumes, the Golden Knights are poised for prolonged success.
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