Tanner Pearson is heading to Las Vegas, but he’ll have to prove himself before cashing in on a new contract.
The former Vancouver Canucks winger has signed a pro tryout (PTO) with the Vegas Golden Knights, meaning he is still without an NHL deal for next season.
✍️ 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
Pearson made $3.25 million last season — the third and final year of a contract dished out to him by former Canucks GM Jim Benning in 2021. The 32-year-old became an unrestricted free agent on July 1 but failed to land a contract.
Perhaps that was to be expected after what he’s gone through.
The veteran winger missed most of the 2022-23 season after a seemingly minor hand injury reportedly required “six or seven” surgeries to fix.
“I’m just trying to get my hand back,” Pearson told reporters in April of last year, five months after the original injury. “I’m just trying to go home and be a dad and be with my kids and be able to play at the moment.”
Pearson was traded to the Montreal Canadiens before last season and went on to have the least productive season of his career, scoring just 13 points (5-8-13) in 54 games. That was well back of his best season with the Canucks in 2019-20, when Pearson scored 45 points (21-24-45) in 69 games.