Vegas Golden Knights sign Tanner Pearson to professional tryout agreement

The Vegas Golden Knights announced they’ve signed veteran forward Tanner Pearson to a professional tryout agreement (PTO).

Pearson spent last season with the Montreal Canadiens, where he registered five goals and 13 points in 54 games. The Kitchener, ON native was acquired by the Canadiens from the Vancouver Canucks before last season in exchange for goaltender Casey DeSmith. The Canadiens also received a 2025 third-round pick in the deal.

Pearson’s coming off a three-year, $9.75-million contract he signed while playing in Vancouver and unfortunately wasn’t able to land a contract throughout this offseason. He’ll head to Vegas on the PTO and look to make an impression on the coaching staff at training camp and into preseason action.

The 32-year-old winger was originally a 2012 first-round pick, #30th overall by the Los Angeles Kings. Pearson spent parts of six seasons with the Kings, winning a Stanley Cup in 2014, chipping in with 12 points in 24 playoff games during the Kings’ championship run.

Pearson was eventually dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2018-19 campaign, after starting the season with zero goals in his first 17 games, only then to get traded again, after just 44 games with the Penguins. He’d land in Vancouver and spend parts of five seasons with the Canucks.

Pearson’s appeared in 644 NHL games, scoring 138 goals, adding 147 assists for 285 points. He’s also collected 23 points in 51 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

As for the Golden Knights, general manager Kelly McCrimmon is trying to get creative to upgrade his roster. It’s been a reasonably quiet offseason in Vegas after a slew of in-season acquisitions in 2023-24. The Golden Knights bring in Pearson on a PTO which provides them a no-risk option to try and secure some secondary scoring and bottom-six depth heading into next season.