Keegan Kolesar got the text from Kelly McCrimmon.
“I have bad news,” it read.
Kolesar knew what was coming. One lengthy, emotional phone call later, Kolesar’s run with the Vegas Golden Knights was over.
The Knights traded their longtime fourth-line forward to the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday for two draft picks, ending Kolesar’s nine-year run with the organization.
McCrimmon said it was a tough phone call to make. Kolesar said even after everything settled down, he and McCrimmon texted more on Wednesday night.
“It’s a lot. It’s a whirlwind,” Kolesar said via Zoom on Thursday. “To play your entire career in one spot is pretty rare. I don’t really know the emotions right now because it hasn’t even been a full 24 hours for me, but I’m really excited to join a group that has a tremendous amount of skill and talent in their locker room.”
Kolesar was acquired during the 2017 NHL Draft in a deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets, who took Kolesar in the second round in 2015.
The Brandon, Manitoba, native worked his way up through the Knights organization and became a full-time player in the 2020-21 season.
“I think we’ll have a friendship forever,” McCrimmon said Wednesday. “I hope he does great. I’ll be the first guy to come shake his hand in the dressing room when we play Detroit.”
Longevity in the lineup
He was a pillar on the Knights’ fourth line for six seasons. He’s missed only 16 games due to injury over the past five years. That included helping the Knights win the Stanley Cup in 2023.
Kolesar, who signed a three-year, $7.5 million contract extension in December 2024, said he didn’t expect the trade.
“It’s always in the back of your mind, because how hockey is, how the game works, people can be in and out,” he said. “You’re always prepared for it. That’s the business of it.”
Kolesar called it a “shock,” and that it’ll take time for him to get over it.
“I’ve made so many great relationships with people in that city,” he added. “It’s hard. I haven’t even gone through a lot of my phone. I got a lot of phone calls I want to make, just to chat with them. It’ll take some time to turn the page, but that’s the human side of it.”
Kolesar’s final moment with the Knights is one where he didn’t play. Despite 77 playoff games with the Knights, Kolesar was a healthy scratch in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.
He said it hurt to not be in the lineup for a meaningful game.
“That’s one where me and (John Tortorella) had a talk about that, and I just said, ‘Hey, Torts, whatever we got to do to win. Like, we’re two games away from winning the Stanley Cup. I won’t care what happens if we win.
“You have that motivation. There’s a lot of motivation. Getting that close and losing that itself is motivation.”
Tough task ahead
Kolesar is going from a team that’s made the Stanley Cup Final three times in nine years, to a proud organization rich in history that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2016.
“There’s a new task now of being on a new team and carving out an identity for me, and a path, and getting into the playoffs,” he said. “That, itself, is another motivator.”
But the Red Wings are also getting someone that helped set a culture for the Knights as one of their true homegrown talents.
When asked what he’ll remember most about his time in Las Vegas and becoming synonymous with that culture, he started to tear up.
“The players made it such a wonderful place to just grow a family. I’m going to miss them a lot,” Kolesar said. “It’s bittersweet. Sometimes, change is good. I get to grow my hockey pool a lot more with some new friends.
“I’m trying to look forward, but of course, there’s going to be some moments in the next couple of days where I’ll hear from someone. I got, like, 20 texts from some of the guys right now wanting to chat. It was a special time.”
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
