McNabb leaving Kings for Knights
NHL’s most outstanding player and the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player. He soundly beat Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby for the Hart, 1,604 points to 1,104, though, of course, Crosby can get consolation from having won the Stanley Cup not so long ago.
The awards were handed out in between announcements of the Golden Knights’ picks. For their $500-million admission fee they were allowed to choose one player from each team and took three goaltenders, 14 forwards and 13 defensemen. They then added two defensemen and four forwards in trades with teams whose players they had agreed to pass over, in addition to acquiring a pile of draft picks. For choosing Ducks defenseman Clayton Stoner and agreeing to not claim Sami Vatanen and Josh Manson, Ducks General Manager Bob Murray gave the Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore, a 2013 first-round draft pick whose defensive weaknesses made him an expendable asset among a deep group of young defensemen.
“I would like to thank Clayton and Shea for their contributions to the team and wish them well going forward with Vegas,” Murray said in a statement. “This was a long process but we feel we made a trade that works for both teams. Obviously, we were going to lose one player in expansion, but we felt freeing up some salary would help us this summer. Vegas will be pleased as well, acquiring a good young prospect in Shea and a solid veteran and leader in Clayton. Our needs aligned and we were able to work out a deal.”
The Golden Knights used the same strategy in several other instances, giving them an array of surplus players. They’re expected to trade some of them — especially defensemen — after the league’s trade freeze lifts Thursday morning. “I feel like we have created a great team initially and we can grow from here,” Golden Knights owner Bill Foley said.
They start off strong in goal with three-time Stanley Cup champion Marc-Andre Fleury, who had agreed to waive his no-move clause and be available in the expansion draft so the Penguins could instead protect Matt Murray.
Fleury gives the Golden Knights instant credibility, too, and his appearance on stage at T-Mobile Arena was greeted with roars. But he said he’s not angling to become the face of the franchise.
“I’m going to try to win some games and get into the community and meet people and spread the words of the Golden Knights,” he said. “I ‘ve been very fortunate to play [in Pittsburgh] for 14 years. I’m very grateful for this opportunity in Vegas, a new team, new organization.”
Crosby said Golden Knights fans will come to appreciate Fleury as much as he did, calling Fleury the best teammate he ever had. “I think he’s going to be so important to that team because of his experience and the kind of person he is,” Crosby said. “I know that he’s going to do great things here.”
Great might be too much to expect from the Golden Knights, though they picked up an intriguing young talent in former Florida forward Jonathan Marchessault, who scored 30 goals last season, a slick-skating defenseman in Washington’s Nate Schmidt, and a top-four, physical defenseman in Marc Methot, formerly of Ottawa.
“I’m delighted with the way that it went and it was a fascinating experience,” said Vegas general manager George McPhee, who dashed off to catch a red-eye flight to Chicago for the annual entry draft, which will take place Friday and Saturday and will further fill out the Golden Knights’ roster and identity.
This awards show/expansion draft will be remembered for the birth of a new team, but it also produced a couple of poignant moments. Ottawa goalie Craig Anderson won the Masterton Trophy for perseverance and dedication, a nod to his devotion to his cancer-stricken (but recently cancer-free) wife Nicholle. She cried as he accepted the award, and so did those who saw him.
The league also paid tribute to Bryan Bickell, who had to end his career after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, another touching gesture that showed the heart of the hockey community — a feature Golden Knights fans will soon come to know.
McNab acknowledged he had mixed emotions about leaving the Kings and he thanked former GM Dean Lombardi and current GM Rob Blake for his time in Los Angeles. “Now it’s a fresh start,” he said, “and I’m excited.”