NHL teams spent nearly $700 million during the first day of free agency Monday and Golden Knights incoming president of hockey operations George McPhee was content to largely just sit back and watch.
Thanks to limited cap space and a roster with few holes at the moment, the Knights simply re-signed forwards Tomas Nosek and Brandon Pirri and continued to work on a new deal with defenseman Deryk Engelland.
As a result, other players went elsewhere as center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and forward Ryan Carpenter signed with the Colorado Avalanche and the Chicago Blackhawks, respectively.
“It’s nice to be invited to the party but respectfully decline today,” McPhee said.