Leading OFF
Expansion draft signals reality for Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights, the NHL’s 31st franchise that will start play this fall, had 72 hours to put together a team after protected and unprotected lists were announced Sunday.
They were able to sign another team’s free agents or make deals to not select a player from a team’s available list. They also can make a deal to draft a player from one team and trade him to another.
Their choices, plus any deals they make, were to be announced Wednesday during the NHL awards show in Las Vegas.
When all is said and done, what kind of team could they have?
They will be more competitive than previous expansion teams but probably not quite as competitive as the NHL hopes.
They could — and that’s a big question mark — rank in the 16-25 range among teams. If everything goes right and the goaltending is sound, perhaps Vegas could compete for a wild card.
More likely, Vegas will be just outside the playoff grouping. The Golden Knights should be able to improve at a faster rate than previous expansion teams because they will launch the franchise with a larger collection of future assets.
The presumption is they have completed deals with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Anaheim Ducks to stay away from selecting specific players. The Columbus
Dispatch has reported the Blue Jackets are believed to be sending a first-round pick to Vegas.
Vegas general manager George McPhee told USA TODAY Sports the Golden Knights’ objective was to find the right balance between putting a competitive team on the ice quickly and acquiring enough draft picks to expedite their building process.
They could end up with three first-round picks in Friday’s draft and perhaps 12 extra picks over the next three drafts. They will secure previously drafted prospects in their trades.
“You usually have seven draft picks, but if we could have two or three drafts where we have 10 or 12 picks, it would accelerate our process,” McPhee said.
The defense could be dependable. Among the players who were left exposed, they could take Paul Martin, Marc Methot, Matt Dumba, Calvin de Haan, Nate Schmidt, Brayden McNabb and Trevor van Riemsdyk.
On offense, an intriguing pick could be James Neal, who was left exposed by the Stanley Cup finalist Nashville Predators. He could be a good linemate for Vadim Shipachyov, the Russian Kontinental Hockey League star who has been signed to play on the expansion team’s top line.
Because Neal has one season left on his deal, the Golden Knights could trade him before the trade deadline and probably obtain a strong return.
Florida Panthers center Jonathan Marchessault, 26, proved he can play in the NHL by scoring 30 goals last season. He’s a smallish player with creative flair. In this era of limited scoring, his skill level is hard to ignore.
New York Islanders forward Brock Nelson is 6-3 and can play center and wing. He has averaged 22 goals over the last three seasons, and, at 25, his best seasons are in front of him. Nelson will be in his prime when the Golden Knights start to become more competitive.
Detroit Red Wings center Riley Sheahan could be an underrated pick. Though he struggled offensively this season and didn’t score a goal until the final game of the season, he could be the Golden Knights’ rugged No. 3 center for the next 10 years. He is bullish and strong and boasts the skill to score 12 to 15 goals every season.
New York Rangers winger Jesper Fast had a strong playoffs (six points in 12 games) and could be an underrated pick. Given the right opportunity, he could be a productive offensive player.
But it’s unlikely the Golden Knights would consider the Otta- wa Senators’ Bobby Ryan because he has five years remaining on a deal with a $7.25 million cap hit.
The only way the Golden Knights would draft Ryan is if the Senators offered a deal that the Knights couldn’t refuse. It probably would take something such as a first-round pick, a high-quality prospect and retaining at least $2 million in salary.
In net, Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is the most accomplished of those who are available, with three Stanley Cups on his résumé. McPhee, who used to run the Washington Capitals, saw Fleury a lot because they were in the same conference.
But he could be drafted and traded for assets. If Fleury is not the Golden Knights’ No. 1 next season, he will be the No. 1 with the Winnipeg Jets, Philadelphia Flyers or even the Buffalo Sabres.
Red Wings goalie Petr Mrazek’s availability on the list is a surprise. The 25-year-old could be a difference-maker, but he’s coming off a poor season, and Jimmy Howard played extremely well last season for the Red Wings.
Antti Raanta and Philipp Grubauer also are intriguing, and Columbus goalie Joonas Korpisalo could be an underrated pick.
McPhee said he would consider taking teams’ unwanted contracts if the price were right. The Los Angeles Kings, for example, could talk to McPhee about Marian Gaborik or Dustin Brown. Word around the NHL is that teams will have to offer a king’s ransom to get the Golden Knights to bite.
McPhee said he would proceed cautiously in that direction.
“We’re keeping an eye on the money, because it adds up in a hurry,” he said.
Next season’s salary cap will be $75 million, up $2 million from last season, with a floor of $55.4 million.
McPhee said he was confident heading into the point where he could begin assembling his roster and felt no pressure.
“We want to do a really good job, and that’s important,” McPhee said. “But it’s been a fantastic experience from Day 1. We hired intelligent, experienced people, and it’s been a pleasure to work with them. We are very well-prepared. So the process has been enjoyable.
“There’s an intensity to it, but we have great chemistry in the room, so it’s been fun.”