Nate Schmidt still stinging after trade from Golden Knights

Nate Schmidt eventually will find the bright side because, well, that’s what the eternally optimistic defenseman always does.

But a day after being traded from the Golden Knights to the Vancouver Canucks, Schmidt was still trying to come to terms with the move.

“Last night was hard,” Schmidt said Tuesday in a videoconference call. “You put down some roots in a place, you’re there from the beginning, which is obviously something special. Not many guys can say they’ve been in a place from the ground up.

“Forever I’m a misfit.”

Schmidt, 29, was a salary cap casualty after the Knights signed free agent defenseman Alex Pietrangelo to a seven-year, $61.6 million contract.

Vancouver sent a 2022 third-round pick to the Knights on Monday for Schmidt, who carries a $5.95 million salary cap hit through 2024-25.

Schmidt was a popular figure in the Knights’ locker room after being selected in the expansion draft from Washington, and his outgoing personality made him a fan favorite, too. He also was the team’s representative for the players’ union.

He emerged as the Knights’ top shutdown defender and led the team in average ice time.

“Going back to what we went through as a group and what the city went through on Oct. 1 … it’s something that we healed together,” Schmidt said. “Our run together is something that can’t be matched. There’s a lot of guys that you move places and you hear about it, but there really is truly a special place for me for the community of Las Vegas.”

Before the start of the 2018-19 season, Schmidt was suspended 20 games after he tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance, but was publicly supported by Knights president of hockey operations George McPhee.

While he served the suspension, Schmidt signed a six-year, $35.7 million contract extension with the Knights.

He referred to that contract Tuesday while expressing his bitterness about the trade and said management kept him in the dark about a possible deal until it was finalized Monday.

Schmidt’s name appeared in trade rumors Sunday, with deals to Winnipeg and then Florida mentioned on social media.

During his 25-minute conference call, Schmidt appeared especially upset he had not been contacted by McPhee as of Tuesday afternoon.

McPhee signed Schmidt as an undrafted free agent in Washington in 2013, and the two have a long working relationship.

“It was hard given the previous communications in the past versus what happened,” Schmidt said. “You know that with Pietrangelo coming in that there had to be something, something had to give. And it’s one of those things that it was a tough pill to swallow at first.”

Schmidt is staying in the Pacific Division and said he was looking forward to dishing out a few hits on Knights forward Jonathan Marchessault.

In Vancouver, he will help solidify the right side of the Canucks’ defense after Christopher Tanev and Troy Stecher departed in free agency.

Schmidt finished with seven goals and 24 assists in 59 games last season, his third straight 30-point season.

In 196 career games with the Knights, Schmidt posted 21 goals and 97 points with a plus-52 rating.

Vancouver, British Columbia, is one of Schmidt’s favorite cities on the road, he said, and he will be reunited with former Capitals teammates Jay Beagle and Braden Holtby.

Schmidt got an up-close look at his new team during the postseason, as the Canucks pushed the Knights to seven games in the Western Conference semifinals.

He was especially impressed with goaltender Thatcher Demko, who nearly stole the series after coming off the bench to replace Jacob Markstrom.

“With each passing hour, you get more and more excited about the prospect and the idea of being a Vancouver Canuck,” Schmidt said. “I hope the guys aren’t too sensitive to me being loud and goofy sometimes in the locker room.”

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.