The Vegas Golden Knights have announced that they’ve signed veteran forward Tanner Pearson to a professional tryout agreement (PTO).
Last season, Pearson played for the Montreal Canadiens, recording five goals and 13 points in 54 games. The Kitchener, ON native was traded to the Canadiens from the Vancouver Canucks before the season began in exchange for goaltender Casey DeSmith, with Montreal also acquiring a 2025 third-round pick in the deal.
Pearson is coming off a three-year, $9.75 million contract he signed while playing for Vancouver, but he was unable to secure a new contract during the offseason. Now, he’ll head to Vegas on a PTO, hoping to impress the coaching staff during training camp and preseason games.
✍️ The Golden Knights have signed forward Tanner Pearson to a professional tryout agreement. #VegasBorn https://t.co/agdG9bkiOL
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) August 20, 2024
The 32-year-old winger was originally selected 30th overall in the first round of the 2012 NHL Draft by the Los Angeles Kings. Pearson spent parts of six seasons with the Kings, contributing 12 points in 24 playoff games during their 2014 Stanley Cup championship run.
After a slow start to the 2018-19 season, Pearson was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins, but his time there was brief, as he was traded again after just 44 games. He eventually landed with the Vancouver Canucks, where he spent parts of five seasons.
Over his career, Pearson has appeared in 644 NHL games, tallying 138 goals and 147 assists for a total of 285 points. He’s also notched 23 points in 51 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
As for the Golden Knights, general manager Kelly McCrimmon is looking for creative ways to improve the roster. After a relatively quiet offseason following several in-season moves in 2023-24, the Golden Knights have brought in Pearson on a PTO, offering them a low-risk opportunity to potentially add some secondary scoring and bottom-six depth for the upcoming season.
