Golden Knights make moves to finalize 23-man roster

George McPhee made a series of moves Monday to finalize the Golden Knights roster.

But what the general manager really did was buy himself some extra time.

The Knights placed center Cody Eakin on the injured-reserve list and waived forwards Daniel Carr and Curtis McKenzie ahead of Thursday’s season opener against Philadelphia.

That leaves the Knights with 13 forwards, eight defensemen and two goaltenders ahead of the deadline to submit final 23-man rosters at 2 p.m. Pacific time Tuesday.

“This leads into a real exciting week for our organization and others across the NHL,” assistant general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. “We’re optimistic that we’re going to continue to be a strong team and look forward to starting on Thursday night.”

McPhee was facing a difficult roster decision with returning forwards Ryan Carpenter, William Carrier and Oscar Lindberg battling for two spots.

By placing Eakin on injured reserve, McPhee temporarily avoided placing one of the three on waivers.

Once Eakin is healthy, McPhee must decide whether to keep 14 forwards or continue with the current 13-8-2 setup. The GM will face a similar dilemma when defenseman Nate Schmidt is eligible to return from his 20-game suspension starting Nov. 18.

Defenseman Jake Bischoff is waiver exempt and can be sent to the Knights’ AHL affiliate in Chicago in order to accommodate Eakin.

The team did not officially announce whether Eakin’s move is retroactive to an earlier date, but he is expected to miss the opener against the Flyers.

His status is uncertain for the five-game road trip that starts Saturday at Minnesota.

Eakin appeared in one preseason game and had an assist in the Knights’ 5-1 victory at Colorado on Sept. 18. He has been out since Sept. 20 with a lower-body injury, but returned to the ice Sunday for the Knights’ optional morning skate.

Carr, who signed as a free agent after three seasons with Montreal, was an early surprise in training camp but couldn’t beat out Carpenter or Lindberg.

Carr posted one goal in five preseason games.

“I feel like I did my part,” Lindberg said after Sunday’s preseason finale against San Jose. “I felt good during training camp. We’ll see what they do, and I’m excited for the next couple days. I feel good and I’m happy with my camp.”

Lindberg got off to a hot start last season with five goals in the opening month. He finished with nine goals and 11 points in 63 games. The versatile 26-year-old spent the offseason working to improve his speed.

“I think that’s a lot of what the game is nowadays, and I’ve got to be quick and get to pucks and stuff like that,” Lindberg said. “It definitely feels good coming back and having one year underneath your belt and you understand the system a little more.”

McKenzie did not appear in a game during the preseason after signing as a free agent. The rugged winger had 48 points in 51 games in the AHL last season.

“I thought I established myself that I shouldn’t be at that (AHL) level anymore when I was there, but you come to the Stanley Cup runner-up team with a lot of returning players and a lot of depth in the organization, so you’ve got to prove yourself,” McKenzie said last week. “Nothing’s going to be handed at all. I’m just waiting for the opportunity to come and show what I have when it does.”

Carr and McKenzie can be claimed by any team before 9 a.m. Tuesday. Should they clear waivers, Carr and McKenzie would be assigned to the Knights’ AHL affiliate in Chicago.

Winger Alex Tuch left Sunday’s preseason finale against San Jose in the second period with an undisclosed injury.

The Knights were off Monday and are expected to update Tuch’s status Tuesday, but the moves to waive Carr and McKenzie likely indicate he will be healthy for opening night against the Flyers.

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Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.