The Vegas Golden Knights did not offer Nolan Patrick a contract on the eve of free agency, making him available for any team to pick up in the National Hockey League. The future was bright for Patrick, drafted second overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2017.
Unfortunately, Patrick failed to live up to the expectation of a second-overall draft pick. In 3 seasons as a member of the Flyers, Patrick appeared in 197 games and had 70 points.
The Golden Knights acquired Patrick in a three-team deal that sent Cody Glass to the Nashville Predators in July 2021. General manager, Kelly McCrimmon, has ties with Patrick dating back to 2013 when he played on the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL. Patrick had a standout season in 2015-16 when he logged 102 points in 72 games.
Patrick appeared in 25 games with the Golden Knights and logged just seven points.
Throughout the course of his career, Patrick has only appeared in a total of 222 of a possible 466 regular-season games. Patrick missed the entire 2019-20 season with the Flyers.
Injuries seemed to be the most consistent thing about Patrick, unfortunately. Patrick spent the entire 2022-23 season on LTIR and the future is questionable. It is possible Patrick calls it a career at this point.
