By Jordan Long
The Las Vegas Golden Knights’ record stands at 4-4-1 for 9 points. They will not play again until Friday when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Knights decided to extend the contract of defenseman Nate Schmidt for 6 more seasons, paying him $5.95 million per year. Schmidt will be with the Golden Knights until the summer of 2025.
Schmidt was one of the Gold Knights’ top defenseman last year. He logged an average ice time of 22:14. Schmidt was able to poke check the puck away from opponents who tried to come into the defensive zone, ending scoring chances. If he wasn’t able to poke check the puck, Schmidt checked them off the puck. He blocked shots from entering the goaltender.
Schmidt was valuable on offense. He shot the puck from the point or he found his teammates for wide open shots. Schmidt scored 5 goals and added 31 assists. On the power play he was the quarterback and set the plays up. Schmidt would use his one-timer to score. If he didn’t score, there was a teammate near the goaltender to tip the puck in or find the rebound to put the puck in the back of the net. Schmidt scored 1 goal and added 10 assists on the power play.
The Knights knew they wanted to keep him. He is a scoring defenseman that every team wants. This deal locks him in long-term.
The downside of this deal is Schmidt hasn’t played this season because he failed a drug test for PED use. The NHL suspended him on September 2nd for 20 games. He is eligible to return on November 18th. The NHL has a strict policy about PED use. This was his first violation. If Schmidt fails a second test, he will be sidelined 60-games. That is a risk the Knights are taking.
The Knights know what kind of player he was last year. They are hoping when he comes back this season he plays at a high level and throughout the contract as well. Schmidt would like to help this team win the Stanley Cup during his new agreement.
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