McNabb Continues To Be One The NHL’s Best Bargains

On Friday, the Golden Knights made one of the most universally agreed upon decision by extending defenseman Brayden McNabb to a three-year, $10.5M contract. McNabb is one of four players to play for Vegas since the inaugural 2017-18 season. Many would consider the stay-at-home defenseman as an unsung hero over his eight seasons with the Golden Knights. Since his arrival, no one has covered, defended or intimidated opponents like the 33-year-old Saskatchewan native.

He’s a glue guy. We’ve all talked about his leadership. Quietly goes about his business every day. He’s a guy that’s been able to stay predominantly healthy. He’s made his partners better with everybody he’s played with. He’s like a big brother out there. He can play, very valuable on the kill. He’s a good all around player that you can win with. He’s a guy that you can win with. – Bruce Cassidy, VGK coach

The newly extended veteran has been a model citizen for Vegas, playing in 519 games, averaging twenty minutes a night and has racked up an impressive +104 plus/minus. Most importantly, McNabb has been arguably underpaid throughout his entire stay in Las Vegas. This has allowed the Golden Knights front office to acquire and at times overpay for a desired player. His latest contract, although he earned a raise, it allowed the flexibility to extend Shea Thedore for seven more seasons. Since 2018, McNabb has collected roughly $18M from the Golden Knights, Theodore has earned double that amount.

2025-26 VGK Defensemen Salaries

1. Alex Pietrangelo – $8.8M
2. Shea Theodore – $7.4M
3. Noah Hanifin – $7.35M
4. Brayden McNabb – $3.65M
5. Zach Whitecloud – $2.75M
6. Ben Hutton – $975K
7. Kaeden Korczak – $825K
8. Nic Hague – RFA

For years the Golden Knights could boast about having one of the deepest and most impactful defensive units in the NHL. Going into the next season, on paper they are as equivalent as they have been several years. McNabb’s selflessness by accepting team friendly deal after team friendly deal made it easier to retain and trade for some of the NHL’s best blueliners. By the way, the elder statesman is still having serious impact on a nightly basis. It makes sense to get the extension penned and out of the way.

In case you forget, McNabb leads the entire league with 1,144 blocked shots since 2017-18. Being able to obtain the NHL’s most elite shot blocker on the cheap has effectively changed the landscape of Vegas’ blue line. The Golden Knights have one future do-it-all hall of fame defenseman, two skilled blueliners locked in during their prime, two depth defenders and McNabb. Without him in the lineup nightly, each other d-man would have to take on roles they aren’t best suited for. Oh, and #3 has the 17th most checks since 2017-18.

Best to have McNabb on your side… And on the cheap.