Dec. 3: Chayka went unclaimed and is now an unrestricted free agent, Friedman said.
Dec. 2: It appears that the Golden Knights will be parting ways with one of their prospects. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that defenseman Daniil Chayka has been placed on unconditional waivers for the purpose of contract termination.
The 22-year-old was a second-round pick by Vegas back in 2021, going 38th overall. He signed his entry-level deal just three months later though he spent his post-draft season with OHL Guelph where he had an impressive 39 points in 53 games.
However, point production has not come as easily for Chayka at the professional level. After putting up eight points in 57 games with AHL Henderson in 2022-23, he followed that up with just seven in 64 appearances in his sophomore year. This season, Chayka has split time between the Silver Knights (five games) and ECHL Tahoe (four games), recording an assist with each franchise.
Assuming he isn’t claimed, Chayka will be walking away from more than half of his entry-level deal as he’s signed through next season. If he’s unclaimed and released, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent and could try to catch on with another NHL franchise or look to return to Russia; he played in CSKA Moscow’s system in 2020-21 when the OHL didn’t play that season.
that sucks for Chayka, though he fell to the 2nd round he was always ranked in the 1st round of the mock drafts that year, even as high as a mid 1st