Golden Knights officially sign forward Tanner Pearson to one-year deal

Tanner Pearson woke up to good news Friday: he had made the Vegas Golden Knights roster and had a one-year contract to boot. The Vegas Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon announced on October 4th that Tanner Pearson has signed a deal with the team for the 2024-25 season, a one-year deal worth $775,000. Previously, Pearson joined Vegas' training camp on a professional tryout (PTO).

Pearson, 32, appeared in four of the Golden Knights' five preseason games, collecting three points, two goals, and one assist while skating to a +4 rating. In his 11-year NHL career, he has played 644 games with the Kings, Penguins, Canucks, and Canadiens. Last season with Montreal, he notched 13 points in 54 games, through five goals and eight assists. Before his time with the Habs, he spent five seasons with Vancouver, with whom he hit a career-high 45 points, scoring 21 goals, and 24 assists in the 2019-20 season.

Following the good news, Pearson phoned his wife, Meaghan, back home in Kitchener, Ontario, to let her know the news. For the last couple of weeks, he'd been living out of a hotel while attending Golden Knights training camp on a professional tryout (PTO) deal, with no guarantees. His hard work paid off, leading Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon to offer him a one-year, $775,000 contract.

It has been a couple of rough years for Pearson. Two years ago, in Vancouver, he fractured his hand, undergoing three operations, finishing his season. In Montreal last year, both hands were injured, adding more frustration. When no offers came this offseason, Pearson's agent was able to secure a tryout with Vegas, hoping a healthy summer would get him back to his game.

Thus far, Pearson has proved he is still game-ready, for the most part playing fourth-line duty with Brett Howden and Keegan Kolesar. The 2014 Stanley Cup champion with the LA Kings has two goals and an assist this preseason, along with a plus-four rating.

Head coach Bruce Cassidy praised Tanner Pearson's hockey IQ, and his 644-game NHL career speaks to the experience, tallying 138 goals and 147 assists along the way. For Pearson, the hard work finally seems to be paying off, and he's ready to reunite his family in Las Vegas to start this next chapter.