Golden Knights roster review: Nick Holden

Background

Holden ended last season as the odd man out.

He played in Game 1 of the Knights’ first-round playoff series against the San Jose Sharks, then sat the rest of the seven-game series. His $2.2 million cap hit and contract status entering the final year of his deal put his future in question.

Yet Holden, as he often has during a nine-year career that is bordering on 500 games played, found a way to survive. He’s now not just a part of the Knights’ present. He’s part of their future.

Performance

Holden is like a good rug. He just ties everything together.

The 32-year-old undrafted player has lasted for 496 NHL games because he’s proven adaptable to any situation.

Want to play him on his off side, his right? He’ll do it. Need him to switch sides the next game? No problem.

His versatility even extends to the roles he can play. Holden has been an excellent partner for two drastically different players late in the season — Shea Theodore and Zach Whitecloud.

With the offensive-minded Theodore, Holden is comfortable staying back and guarding his own end. With the more conservative rookie Whitecloud, Holden is willing to jump into the offensive zone and create chaos for defenses. Both partnerships rank among the Knights’ most successful in scoring-chance percentage.

Holden’s ability to fit whatever role his team needs has made him one of the Knights’ unsung heroes. He never chases credit, just like he never looked to complain when he found himself in the press box last postseason.

“He is one of the best guys in the National Hockey League,” general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. “When we play on the road, every time, Nick Holden is at the visiting dressing room talking to somebody. He knows people all over.”

Future

Holden did earn one reward for his play this season: a new contract.

The Knights gave him a two-year extension with an average annual value of $1.7 million in February to keep his versatility and locker room presence in the fold.

“My priority was to stay here,” Holden said. “My family is settled in here, and they love it. The team is awesome, the organization is great.

“For me and my family, it’s huge to be able to sign a two-year deal knowing we’re going to be here. We’ve loved it since we’ve been here, and our goal is to stay here, so when they came to us saying they’d like to talk about an extension, we were excited.”

The deal should allow him to continue filling needs for the team on the ice while mentoring its next wave of young blue liners off it. After all, who better for a young defenseman to learn from than an undrafted player who just signed his seventh contract?

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.