The Vegas Golden Knights have signed winger Alexander Holtz to a two-year, $1.675MM contract. The deal will carry an $825K salary in year one, and a $850K salary in year two, per PuckPedia. This move likely indicates that defenseman Jeremy Davies will be placed on waivers and assigned to the minor leagues, opening up $1.15MM in cap space for Vegas to sign Holtz. Davies signed a two-year deal with Vegas just a few days ago.
Holtz sat as an unsigned restricted free agent for the entire summer. He had to wait patiently for a new deal after splitting last season between Vegas’ NHL and AHL rosters. He began the year in the NHL, vying for routine ice time among the Golden Knights’ bottom-six. His season kicked off with a six-game scoring drought that he spurred with a five-game scoring streak, and seven points in nine games, during November. But Holtz’s scoring would prove cold more often than not, and he was assigned to the AHL in February with only 11 points in 49 NHL games.
Holtz found fire in the minor-leagues, netting seven goals and 13 points in 16 games with the Henderson Silver Knights. The second-tier flight shined as a proving ground of the flashy play-driving and quick shooting Holtz has long showed off. It was exactly those attributes that earned him the seventh-overall selection in the 2020 NHL Draft, coming off the heels of a standout rookie year in the SHL.
The New Jersey Devils originally drafted Holtz. He joined the organization’s ranks the next season, and quickly found a rut as a top-end AHL scorer but quiet NHL performer. Through four years split between the Devils’ NHL and AHL rosters, Holtz posted 65 points in 76 AHL games but only 34 points in 110 NHL games. Those totals include Holtz’s 2023-24 campaign, when he spent all 82 games in the Devils lineup and managed only 16 goals and 28 points.
Holtz will likely begin the 2025-26 season back on the cusp between major and minor rosters. Davies’ assignment could help Vegas keep the Swedish sniper as their extra forward for a bit longer, though a return to the AHL could make sense as a way to spur Holtz towards scoring early in the year. Meanwhile, Vegas will be pushed against the salary cap ceiling with this move.