The Vegas Golden Knights moved Kaedan Korczak on June 30, 2026, sending the defenseman to the Pittsburgh Penguins and bringing back Parker Wotherspoon. Pittsburgh will keep 50% of Wotherspoon's salary, giving the deal a clear financial split as both clubs rework their blue lines.
Parker Wotherspoon Joins Vegas
Wotherspoon arrives after a season that changed his value. He played 80 games for Pittsburgh and finished with 30 points, a plus-17 rating, 112 blocked shots and 2:22 of average shorthanded time on ice.
That is the profile Vegas is buying: a defenseman who stayed in the lineup, handled short-handed work and produced offense at a rate that went well beyond a stay-at-home role. He also enters with 188 NHL games, 46 career points and 16 postseason contests behind him.
Kaedan Korczak Leaves Vegas
Korczak goes the other way after five seasons in Vegas. He played 155 games for the club and recorded 37 points, including a career-high 78 contests in 2025-26, when he posted 16 points.
The move ends a path that began when Vegas drafted him in the second round, 41st overall, of the 2019 NHL Draft. For Pittsburgh, the trade adds a younger defenseman who has already handled a full-season workload at the NHL level.
Salary Retention Changes The Price
The 50% salary retention on Wotherspoon is the part that changes the arithmetic of the deal. It lowers the immediate cap hit for Vegas and tells you the Penguins were willing to absorb part of the contract to move a defenseman who had just put up a career-high season in Pittsburgh.
Wotherspoon also gives Vegas another current form line to weigh. He represented Canada at the 2026 IIHF World Championship and had four points in 10 games with a plus-13 rating, a reminder that his value extends beyond one regular season in Pittsburgh.
The swap leaves each club with a direct answer on the blue line: Vegas gets Wotherspoon and Pittsburgh gets Korczak. What prompted the trade is not spelled out in the move itself, but the structure shows both teams chose a one-for-one exchange and adjusted the money to make it work.
