Vegas Golden Knights claim forward Adam Brooks off waivers

The Vegas Golden Knights added to their roster on Wednesday afternoon, claiming forward Adam Brooks off of waivers from the Montreal Canadiens.

Brooks, 25, had a very brief four-game tenure with the Canadiens, as they had just claimed him in October off of waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Taken in the fourth-round (92nd overall) of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, he has amassed 22 career games split between the Habs and Leafs to this point, scoring four goals and adding five helpers. He has also suited up for an additional two postseason games but was held off the scoresheet.

Since turning pro ahead of the 2017-18 season, Brooks has been a solid offensive contributor at the American Hockey League (AHL) level but hasn’t been able to put it all together in the NHL just yet. In 2020-21, he appeared in 17 games with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL, scoring four goals and 13 points, while also suiting up in 11 games for the Leafs where he had four goals and a lone assist.

This claim likely has a lot to do with the injury situation the Golden Knights currently find themselves in. Not only are Max Pacioretty, Nolan Patrick, and William Carrier all on the injured reserve, but they are also currently without William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault and Evgenii Dadonov. It has been a very tough go of things on the injury front for the Golden Knights, but to their credit they have battled hard this season, proven by their 9-7-0 record which has them tied for a wild card position.

Given these injuries, Brooks may get a shot in a top-six role for the first time in his NHL career. He has played both the wing and center position throughout his career, so where head coach Peter DeBoer will slot him into the lineup remains unknown. We may get a better idea of that sometime on Thursday, as the Golden Knights are set for a road tilt against the Detroit Red Wings. Though nothing has been announced yet, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Brooks suit up with his new squad.