Brayden McNabb

At 33 years old, Brayden McNabb has this physical status:

Playing career

McNabb was selected in the second round, 37th overall, of the 2006 WHL Bantam Draft. During the 2006–07 season, he made his Kootenay Ice debut.

He appeared in 65 games during the 2007–08 season, scoring 2 goals and 9 assists for 11 points. In addition,, he had one assist in ten playoff games for the Ice.

McNabb portrayed himself as a defensive-focused defenceman in the 2008–09 season, and his numbers reflected it. He had ten goals and 26 assists for 36 points, as well as 140 penalty minutes in 67 games played. He also played in the playoffs for five points in four games. He participated in the CHL Top Prospects Game for Team Orr this season, scoring three points for the squad and going +3 while doing so. He was also a member of Team Canada's 2009 IIHF World U18 Championships and the 2008 Ivan Hlinka Memorial, in which he and his team earned a gold medal.

McNabb was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres on June 26, 2009. He attended Athol Murray College of Notre Dame, a prep school in Wilcox, Saskatchewan, where he competed with former Buffalo Sabre Tyler Myers, who was also a defenseman.

McNabb, the Kootenay Ice captain from 2010 to 11, was the Kootenay Ice captain from 2010–11. He helped them win the 2011 Memorial Cup against Owen Sound, where he was suspended one game for elbowing Joey Hishon.

McNabb's junior career came to an end when he signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the Buffalo Sabres on May 18, 2011. Prior to the signing, he was admitted to the Sabres training camp before the 2011-12 season. McNabb was re-assigned to the Rochester Americans, an American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, for the start of the season. He stayed with the Americans until November 26, 2011, when he earned his first NHL recall due to injuries in the Sabres' lineup. He scored his first NHL goal against Tomá Vokoun of the Washington Capitals during this recall period. McNabb remained at the NHL level until suffering a concussion in a January match against the Toronto Maple Leafs. As a result, he missed eight games to recover and was re-assigned to the AHL in February. Following Tyler Myers' suspension, McNabb rejoined the Sabres in March. McNabb, one of six different players to score their first career NHL goals during the season, was one of six others to reach their first career NHL goals during the season. This was the first time six players scored their first goal for the Sabres since 1992–93. McNabb was back in the United States to help the Sabres advance to the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs to help them advance to a deep 2012 Calder Cup playoffs berth.

McNabb attended the 2012–13 season in the Sabres' training camp, but he was re-assigned to the AHL prior to the start of his sophomore season. McNabb had played in five games as a member of the power-play until the end of October. Throughout the season, he continued to improve offensively, with three goals and 18 assists in 39 games. McNabb was chosen to represent the United States in the 2013 AHL All-Star Classic, which was also the most difficult shot tournament. Due to a leg injury in March, his sophomore season came to a halt. Through 45 games, he had accumulated five goals and 25 assists. Despite this, he set career-highs in all offensive categories, including goals, assists, points, and penalty minutes while playing in 62 games.

McNabb's last year of his entry-level service joined the Sabres' Development Camp with the intention of adding to the team's opening night roster. He was back in the AHL for the 2013-14 season, but he was forced to return to action in 15 games shortly after being recalled shortly. McNabb made his season debut on November 21, partnering Jamie McBain in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers. McNabb had been recalled to the AHL in December for his match against the Utica Comets after being a healthy scratch for two games. He scored a goal and two assists during the game against the Comets, earning him the game's first star. As a result, the Sabres recalled him for their next game.

McNabb, as well as teammate Jonathan Parker and two draft picks, were traded to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for right winger Hudson Fasching and left winger Nicolas Deslauriers on March 5, 2014. He spent the 2013–14 season with the Manchester Monarchs, the Kings' AHL affiliate, before he became a restricted free agent and re-signed with the Kings to a two-year deal.

McNabb's first full season at the NHL level joined by fellow rookie Andy Andreoff. He was regarded as a two-way defenseman throughout the season, but he said he was "intent on getting his defensive legs under him before he presses the play in the offensive end of the rink." McNabb set a new career record for points in a single game with one goal and two assists during a March 2015 match against the Colorado Avalanche. This offensive play continued throughout the month, with him also retaining his four-game assist streak. McNabb recorded his first full season at the NHL level, scoring a career-high 24 points in 71 games.

McNabb returned to the Kings for the 2015–16 season, and they were selected to their opening night roster. McNabb agreed to a new two-year deal with the Kings on June 4, 2016.

McNabb started the season with the Kings before breaking his collarbone against the St. Louis Blues on October 31, 2016. Before re-joining the team in late December, he missed nearly two months of play. McNabb played in his 200th NHL game in an overtime victory over the Sharks on January 4, 2017. He had a game-high six shots on target, three hits, and three blocked shots in the upcoming game.

McNabb was selected by the Vegas Golden Knights on June 21, 2017, after being left exposed by the Kings at the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. He wore jersey number 3 when joining the team. McNabb had two assists and 19 penalty minutes through 20 games by late November. He complemented his lack of scoring by his physical appearance; he was one of six players in the league with over 50 hits and blocked shots. On November 27, the Golden Knights announced that McNabb had signed McNabb to a four-year, $10 million contract extension worth $2.5 million per year. McNabb missed three games in a row while recovering from an undisclosed injury, but the ice was back on February 2nd. He played 18:57 minutes of ice time and made two hits and one blocked shot during the game. McNabb maintained his physical appearance throughout March and joined Brooks Orpik as the only two players to reach at least 145 hits and blocked shots in the 2017-18 season. McNabb tallied 11 hits against the New Jersey Devils on March 4, his second most hits in an NHL game this season. He played for the Knights in his first regular season as a first-pair defenseman with a career-high five goals in 76 games.

The Golden Knights qualified for the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs, where they met McNabb's old team, the Los Angeles Kings, in round one. McNabb scored the only goal of the game at 4:04 in Game 4 to help the Golden Knights win by a series of goals. In addition, he aided them in winning their first Stanley Cup Playoff series in their inaugural season. McNabb made 29 of his even-strength shifts in the defensive zone with his defensive partner Nate Schmidt. In the second round, he was supposed to face the San Jose Sharks' top defensive pairing. McNabb and the Golden Knights defeated the Sharks in the Western Conference Final, marking their second series victory over the Sharks. McNabb cut the Jets' lead to 3–1 at 8:10 of the second period, but the Knights later lost 4–2. Despite this loss, the Golden Knights defeated the Jets in five games to advance to the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals against the Washington Capitals.

McNabb returned to the Golden Knights for their 2018 training camp and exhibition games prior to the 2018-19 NHL season. McNabb played with Colin Miller for the first time as a result of his exclusion of his colleague Nate Schmidt. They were the Knights top defensive pair and averaged 21 minutes per game after Schmidt's return to the Knights. McNabb was labelled a healthy scratch for the first time during the season, and was swapped by Nick Holden for a match against the Sharks. In the first round of the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Knights competed with the Sharks but were disqualified in seven games. McNabb's former defensive partner Miller was traded to the Buffalo Sabres following their trade following their release. The Golden Knights announced McNabb's three-year contract extension on January 30, 2022.

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