Golden Knights sign Barbashev to 5-year extension

The Vegas Golden Knights signed forward Ivan Barbashev to a five-year extension with an average annual value of $5 million, the team announced Wednesday.

Barbashev could've become an unrestricted free agent July 1.

Vegas freed up the cap space for the extension after shipping out Reilly Smith to the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier Wednesday. Smith has two seasons remaining on his current contract with a cap hit of $5 million.

Barbashev's new deal includes an eight-team no-trade list for the first three years and a five-team no-trade list for the last two seasons, according to CapFriendly.

The Golden Knights acquired Barbashev from the St. Louis Blues prior to the trade deadline in exchange for prospect Zach Dean.

Barbashev, 27, put up six goals and 10 assists in 23 regular-season games in Sin City. He added 18 points in 22 playoff games to help the Golden Knights capture their first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history. Barbashev was also a physical force in the postseason, ranking second on the team with 64 hits.

Overall, Barbashev amassed 16 goals and 45 points in 82 contests this past campaign with St. Louis and Vegas.

The Golden Knights now have just under $3.5 million in cap space, but that number can rise to approximately $8.5 million if goaltender Robin Lehner is placed on long-term injured reserve to start the new season.