Dreger: Red Wings trade draft picks to Vegas Golden Knights for winger Keegan Kolesar

Updated 7x at 7:20 PM: It’s official:

Per TSN’s Darren Dreger:

Kolesar, 29, stands at 6’2″ and 214 pounds, and he’s in year 2 of a 3-year contract that pays him $2.5 million per season.

Update: From the Hockey News’s Michael Whitaker:

Selected with the 69th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets while playing in the WHL for the Seattle Thunderbirds, the Brandon, Manitoba native was eventually traded to the Golden Knights in 2017.

He made his NHL debut with the Golden Knights in 2020, and would soon become a regular in their lineup. 

Kolesar lifted the Stanley Cup with the rest of his Golden Knights teammates in 2023 after defeating the Florida Panthers; he contributed two goals and three assists in 22 postseason games during their title run. 

Update #2: Confirmed from the Vegas side:

Update #3: From the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan:

Kolesar played all 82 games last season, with six goals and 11 assists for 17 points and a minus-14 rating and 55 penalty minutes.

The 6-foot-2, 216-pound wing is known for his forechecking, ability to win board battles and ability to deliver hits.

The Wings added to their lineup Wednesday, signing forward Viktor Arvidsson, goaltender Daniil Tarasov and defenseman Jacob Bryson, along with re-signing forward Carter Mazur.

The Wings are awaiting word on veteran forward Patrick Kane, who hit the free agent market but has not ruled out a return to Detroit.

Update #4: Here’s the Free Press’s Helene St. James:

Kolesar, 29, has spent his entire NHL career with the Knights, appearing in 439 games since making his debut in 2019-20. He recorded personal highs in 2024-25 with 12 goals, 18 assists and 30 points in 82 games. Last season he had six goals and 11 assists, along with a minus-14 rating. He has also logged 77 career playoff games, with 21 of them coming last season, in which he registered one point and a minus-2 rating.

Kolesar is entering the second year of a three-year deal that carries a $2.5 million annual average value.

Last season he averaged around 11:30 of ice time per game, including about half a minute killing penalties.

Update #5: Here’s even more from MLive’s Ansar Khan…

The Detroit Red Wings acquired gritty, physical right wing Keegan Kolesar Wednesday from the Vegas Golden Knights for a third-round pick in 2029 and seventh-round selection in 2027.

Kolesar, 29, appeared in 82 games last season, collecting six goals, 11 assists and 55 penalty minutes. He appeared in 21 playoff games in the Golden Knights’ run to the Stanley Cup Final, picking up just one point (a goal).

Kolesar (6-2, 216) ranked seventh in the NHL with 270 hits last season, providing a much-needed element for a team that needs to be harder to play against.

He has two years remaining on his contract at $2.5 million per season.

Kolesar had spent his entire six-year career with Vegas, appearing in 439 games and tallying 44 goals, 76 assists and 323 penalty minutes.

And Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen:

Detroit Red Wings’ GM Steve Yzerman, embracing an objective to be a tougher team, acquired 218-pound Las Vegas Golden Knights winger Keegan Kolesar who posted 270 hits last season.

Kolesar, 28, has been a regular for the Golden Knights for six seasons, and has averaged 262 hits per season over the past five years. He ranked seventh in the NHL in hits last season.

Yzerman gave up a third-round draft pick and a seventh rounder to land the fourth-line energy forward. He has two seasons remaining on a contract that pays him $2.5 million per season. He has averaged seven goals a season in Vegas with a high of 12 in 2024-25.

He was one of four veterans acquired by Detroit Wednesday, joining forward UFA signees Viktor Arvidsson, defenseman Jacob Bryson, and goaltender Daniil Tarasov.

97.1 the Ticket’s Will Burchfield also weighed in:

For too long, the Red Wings have been the nail. They’ve finally added a hammer.

Detroit has acquired bruising forward Keegan Kolesar from the Golden Knights in exchange for a third-round draft pick in 2029 and a seventh-rounder in 2027.

The 6’2 Kolesar is third in the NHL in hits over the last five seasons, tallying well over 200 each year. He won’t chip in much offense — averaging eight goals per season over that stretch — but he’s been a bottom-six mainstay on number of good teams for Vegas, including two that reached the Stanley Cup final and one that won it.

Kolesar will add some of the heaviness and physicality that the Red Wings have been lacking. Detroit was 29th in the NHL in hits and fights last season. Their leader in hits was second-year forward Marco Kasper, with 186. Kolesar had 270 for Vegas.

Their leader in fights was departed defenseman Travis Hamonic, with three. They had 11 as a team. Kolesar dropped the gloves five times himself, four more than any returning Red Wings player.

Update #7: Here’s the official press release:

RED WINGS ACQUIRE KEEGAN KOLESAR FROM VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS IN EXCHANGE FOR THIRD-ROUND PICK IN 2029 NHL ENTRY DRAFT AND SEVENTH-ROUND PICK IN 2027 NHL ENTRY DRAFT

  … 2023 Stanley Cup Champion Has Skated in 439 Games with Vegas …

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today acquired forward Keegan Kolesar from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2029 NHL Entry Draft and a seventh-round pick in the 2027 NHL Entry Draft.

Kolesar, 29, skated in all 82 games with the Golden Knights during the 2025-26 season, recording 17 points (6-11-17), 55 penalty minutes, 67 shots and 270 hits in 11:32 average time on ice. The 6-foot-2, 216-pound forward also tallied one goal and six penalty minutes in 21 postseason contests, helping the Golden Knights reach the 2026 Stanley Cup Final. Originally selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the third round (69th overall) of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Kolesar has registered 120 points (44-76-120) and 323 penalty minutes in 439 regular-season games with the Golden Knights since 2019-20. He has also registered 11 points (4-7-11) and 68 penalty minutes in 77 playoff matchups, winning a Stanley Cup championship with the Golden Knights in 2023. Kolesar notched 67 points (28-39-67) and 157 penalty minutes in 151 games with the American Hockey League’s Chicago Wolves from 2017-20. Additionally, Kolesar had 16 points (9-7-16) and 10 penalty minutes in 20 games with the ECHL’s Quad City Mallards during the 2017-18 campaign.

Prior to turning professional, Kolesar collected 167 points (77-90-167), a plus-23 rating and 338 penalty minutes in 243 regular-season games with the Western Hockey League’s Seattle Thunderbirds from 2012-17. Kolesar also logged 48 points (19-29-48) and 47 penalty minutes in 46 postseason contests, helping the Thunderbirds win their first Ed Chynoweth Cup in franchise history in 2017. During the 2017 WHL Playoffs, Kolesar led all skaters with 31 points (12-19-31), in addition to a plus-12 rating and 37 penalty minutes in 19 games. Kolesar also netted one goal and two penalty minutes in three games with the Thunderbirds during the 2017 Memorial Cup. The Brandon, Man., native played for Canada Western at the 2014 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, showing four points (2-2-4) and two penalty minutes in five appearances.  

Published by

George Malik

My name is George Malik, and I'm the Malik Report's editor/blogger/poster. I have been blogging about the Red Wings since 2006, and have worked with MLive and Kukla's Korner. Thank you for reading!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *