Vegas Golden Knights place forward Brett Howden on injured reserve

The injury woes continue for the team in Sin City.

On Friday, the Vegas Golden Knights have placed forward Brett Howden on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. In an ensuing move, the team called up forward Jakub Demek from their American Hockey League affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights.

This comes after head coach Bruce Cassidy slated the 25-year-old as “day-to-day” on Thursday. Howden last played against the Nashville Predators on Feb. 20.

There has been no disclosure on what is ailing Howden, or when he exactly he was injured.

Howden has been banged up in stretches throughout his career. He suffered a fractured foot late in the 2020-21 season with the New York Rangers, and has had a couple of other lower-body issues since he was traded to the Golden Knights in July 2021.

The laundry list of key players that are on the Golden Knights’ injury list right now is extensive. Howden joins Mark Stone (upper-body), Jack Eichel (knee) and William Carrier (upper-body) as assets on IR.

Howden is eligible to return next Tuesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In 54 games, the Calgary native has scored five goals and eight assists. He is on pace to set a career-high in points, potentially surpassing the 23-point mark he registered in his rookie campaign during the 2018-19 season with the Rangers.

In 333 NHL games, Howden has notched 36 goals and 59 assists, and scored 10 points with Vegas during their run to the franchise’s Stanley Cup last season.

Jakub Demek is in the middle of his freshman season in pro hockey, with this being his first call-up to the NHL. In 44 games with the Silver Knights, the Slovakian native has also posted five goals and eight assists.

He came into the pro ranks after two seasons in the Western Hockey League, playing with the Edmonton Oil Kings and Kamloops Blazers, playing in last year’s Memorial Cup with the Blazers.

The Golden Knights (32-19-6) are set to faceoff with the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. They are currently second in the Pacific Division, 10 points back of the league-leading Vancouver Canucks.