Certain decisions — a three-time Cup winner, a rock-solid D-man, a former 40-goal scorer — for the Golden Knights were no-brainers. But at least one pick was a little out there.
In 1999, the Atlanta Thrashers selected 26 players in the expansion draft. Ten of those players never played a game for the Thrashers.
In 2000, the Columbus Blue Jackets selected goaltender Dwayne Roloson, defenseman Mathieu Schneider and forwards Turner Stevenson and Dallas Drake. None of them ever wore a Blue Jackets jersey.
On Wednesday night in front of a packed house at T Mobile Arena, the Vegas Golden Knights unveiled what the majority of their roster will look like in 2017-18.
It is reasonable to assume Marc-Andre Fleury will be their No. 1 goalie, James Neal will be their top-line right winger and, barring a trade, Marc Methot will be on their top defensive pair.
But when the glitter and glitz from Wednesday night fades, changes will be coming, and quickly.
By the time the entry draft concludes Saturday afternoon in Chicago, many of the players and draft picks selected by the Knights on Wednesday will be sent packing to other teams as general manager George McPhee begins transforming an abundance of unprotected, unsigned and unproven players into a competitive 23-man roster by the time the Knights open the season on Oct. 6 in Dallas.
Until then, here’s a quick analysis of the newest hockey team in Sin City that is made up of players signed before the expansion draft, expansion-draft picks and trades made during the expansion draft:
Marc-Andre Fleury: Fleury ranks up there with John Vanbiesbrouck as one of the top goalies ever selected by an expansion franchise. Vanbiesboruck was 30 years old when the Florida Panthers selected him from the New York Rangers in 1993. He went 21-25-11 in his first season in Florida, helping the Panthers complete their inaugural season with a respectable 33-34-17 record. Fleury, 32, has an all-time regular season record of 375-216-68 and won three Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins. There will be days he wishes former teammate Kris Letang was in front of him, but he’ll make the Knights competitive from Day 1.
James Neal: The Knights are likely to struggle to score and they’ll need Neal, 29, to be the real deal. Few players in the NHL have a release as quick as Neal, who has scored 20 or more goals in six straight seasons, including 31 two seasons ago and 40 in 2011-12.
Marc Methot: At 6-foot-3,228 pounds, Methot is a legitimate shutdown defenseman capable of logging big minutes for the Knights. But will McPhee keep the 32-year-old blue liner or deal him? Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion tried making a deal with the Knights to lay off Methot, but was unwilling to part with his first-round pick in 2018. If the Knights are interested in moving Methot, the Colorado Avalanche, Boston Bruins, Dallas Stars, Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens would love to have him, but Methot has 10 teams on his no-trade list and that could limit McPhee’s flexibility and keep Methot in Vegas.
When it came to the Sabres’ unprotected list, the Knights could have chosen between hard-hitting defenseman Dmitry Kulikov, 26, or talented goaltender Linus Ullmark, 23. Instead, they selected left winger William Carrier and a sixth rounder from the Sabres. Carrier, 22, had just five goals and three assists in 41 games as a Sabres rookie last season.
The Knights took on a pair of contracts — David Clarkson from the Blue Jackets and Mikhail Grabovski from the Islanders — that will help them get to the salary floor, but little else. Clarkson, 33, has three years and $15.75 million remaining on his contract and has been sidelined since the 2015-16 season with back pain. Grabovski, also 33, has one year and $5 million remaining on his contract and has not played since 2015-16 because of a concussion. In return, the Knights picked up a first-round pick (15th overall) from the Islanders, along with a second-round pick in 2019 and a prospect, Jake Bischoff, and the 24th pick overall in 2017 and a second-rounder in 2019 from the Blue Jackets.
As evidenced by the work he did against Sidney Crosby in the Eastern Conference finals, Methot is as tough as they come and would make an excellent captain if McPhee and the Knights don’t trade him.
LW David Perron (St. Louis Blues) – Vadim Shipachyov (UFA) – RW James Neal (Nashville Predators)
C/LW Cody Eakin (Dallas Stars) – C Oscar Lindberg (New York Rangers) – RW Jonathan Marchessault (Florida Panthers)
LW William Karlsson (Columbus Blue Jackets) – C Erik Haula (Minnesota Wild) – RW Reilly Smith (Florida Panthers)
LW William Carrier (Buffalo Sabres) – C/LW Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (Philadelphia Flyers) – RW Chris Thorburn (Winnipeg Jets)
LW Brendan Leipsic (Toronto Maple Leafs) – C Tomas Nosek (Detroit Red Wings) – RW Teemu Pulkkinen (Arizona Coyotes)
LW Connor Brickley (Carolina Hurricanes) – C Reid Duke (UFA) – RW Alex Tuch (Minnesota Wild)
Uncertain futures: C Mikhail Grabovski (New York Islanders) , RW David Clarkson (Columbus Blue Jackets)
Marc Methot (Senators) – Alexei Emelin (Canadiens)
Luca Sbisa (Canucks) – Nate Schmidt (Capitals)
Brayden McNabb (Kings) – Jason Garrison (Lightning)
Jon Merrill (Devils) – Deryk Engelland (Flames)
Griffin Reinhart (Oilers) – David Schlemko (Sharks)
Colin Miller (Bruins) – Trevor van Riemsdyk (Blackhawks)
Shea Theodore (Ducks) – Clayton Stoner (Ducks)
Marc-Andre Fleury (Penguins)
Calvin Pickard (Avalanche)
Jean-Francois Berube (Islanders)
