Golden Knights trade Weber's contract to Coyotes for Dysin Mayo

The Vegas Golden Knights appear to be positioning themselves for additional moves ahead of the NHL's March 3 trade deadline.

Vegas traded Shea Weber's contract and a fifth-round pick in this year's draft to the Arizona Coyotes for defenseman Dysin Mayo, the clubs announced Wednesday.

Weber hasn't hasn't played since 2021 due to injury. The 37-year-old is under contract through 2025-26 at a cap hit of approximately $7.86 million, according to CapFriendly. The Montreal Canadiens dealt his pact to the Golden Knights for forward Evgenii Dadonov in June 2022.

Vegas assigned Mayo to its AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights, upon making Wednesday's trade. The 26-year-old played for both the Coyotes and their farm club, the Tucson Roadrunners, this season. He was held without a point over 15 games with Arizona in 2022-23.

The Golden Knights will now have around $8.75 million in cap flexibility at the deadline.

Arizona has a long history of acquiring picks in exchange for taking on the contracts of players on long-term injured reserve, including Pavel Datsyuk, Marian Hossa, Chris Pronger, and Bryan Little.