The Vegas Golden Knights had announced that Luca Sbisa would miss both games on their current road trip, but they hadn’t actually moved him to injured reserve. At least, not with anyone knowing about it. David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal has discovered otherwise, with Sbisa having been placed on IR yesterday. The 27-year old defenseman hasn’t played since November 10th, meaning it is probably backdated far enough to allow him to return on Sunday if he’s ready to play.
Sbisa has been a bright spot for the Golden Knights so far this season, logging over 20 minutes a night and recording eight points in his 16 games. Selected by the Philadelphia Flyers 19th-overall in 2008, he’s had quite an interesting career before ending up in Sin City. His salary of $3.6MM made him expendable by Vancouver in the expansion draft, but looks like a relative bargain while providing solid minutes and experience to a young blueline.
An unrestricted free agent this summer, Sbisa could be a wanted man at the trade deadline this year thanks to his mobility, handedness and expiring contract. Though his salary is actually a bit higher than his cap hit, there will likely be plenty of teams looking for right-handed help come the New Year. If he can get healthy and continue to produce, the Golden Knights will have another hefty trade chip on their hands—even if possession metrics don’t like his game.