Vadim Shipachyov among 3 players cut by Golden Knights

Vadim Shipachyov did not make the cut Tuesday. But look for him on the ice Friday when the Golden Knights make their NHL debut at the Dallas Stars.

The 30-year-old Russian free-agent center was one of three players left off the Knights’ 23-man roster, which was turned into the league office at the 2 p.m. Tuesday deadline.

Because Shipachyov didn’t have to clear waivers, he was technically able to be reassigned to the Chicago Wolves, the Knights’ American Hockey League affiliate. Same for defenseman Shea Theodore and right wing Alex Tuch.

By making the moves, Knights general manager George McPhee was roster compliant while buying time to make changes before Friday’s season opener. McPhee, who was not available for comment Tuesday, will address the transactions during the team’s media day Wednesday at City National Arena.

So for now, Brad Hunt, Griffin Reinhart, Will Carrier, Tomas Nosek and Brendan Leipsic are on the team. The Knights have three goaltenders, nine defensemen and 11 forwards on their roster.

The Knights started the day with 27 players, then 28 when they claimed goaltender Malcolm Subban off waivers from the Boston Bruins. But a little roster razzle-dazzle by McPhee allowed the Knights to reach 23.

Forward James Neal was placed on the injured nonroster list, and defenseman Clayton Stoner went on the injured reserve list. Neal still is recovering from offseason surgery on his right hand, and Stoner has a lower body injury.

Hunt, a 5-foot-9-inch free-agent defenseman, was the team’s leading scorer in the preseason with one goal and five assists.

“I tried not to think about whether I’d make it or not,” he said. “I just tried to focus on playing the best I could every game and practice.”

Tuch, a 6-4 right wing, appeared to have played well enough to make the team. He was acquired from the Minnesota Wild on the night of the NHL Expansion Draft in a separate transaction. Tuch played six games with Minnesota last season, spending most of his time in the AHL.

In five preseason games, Tuch had one goal and one assist. He is playing with another former member of the Wild, Erik Haula, and Leipsic.

The pickup of Subban, who spent most of the 2016-17 season with the Bruins’ AHL affiliate, was an interesting one. In 32 games, he had a 2.41 goals against average and a .917 save percentage with one shutout. He appeared in one NHL game with the Bruins last season.

The Knights appear to be set in goal with Marc-Andre Fleury and Calvin Pickard. By claiming Subban, the Knights must keep him on their NHL roster for a minimum of 30 days.

Contact Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow @stevecarprj on Twitter.