The Vegas expansion team ... for now

[newfcollins]

I'm sure a lot of these will change by tomorrow, but here is the list of players and draft picks given to LV tonight, from TSN.

Forwards
Teemu Pulkkinen (Coyotes)
William Carrier (Sabres)
Cody Eakin (Stars)
Tomas Nosek (Red Wings)
Jonathan Marchessault (Panthers)
Reilly Smith (Panthers)*
Connor Brickley (Hurricanes)
Chris Thorburn (Jets)
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (Flyers)
Nikita Gusev (Lightning)*
James Neal (Predators)
Mikhail Grabovski (Islanders)*
Brendan Leipsic (Maple Leafs)
David Perron (Blues)
Oscar Lindberg (Rangers)
Erik Haula (Wild)
Alex Tuch (Wild)*
William Karlsson (Blue Jackets)
David Clarkson (Blue Jackets)*

Defencemen
Luca Sbisa (Canucks)
Jon Merrill (Devils)
Brayden McNabb (Kings)
Jason Garrison (Lightning)
Deryk Engelland (Flames)
Jake Bischoff (Islanders)*
Colin Miller (Bruins)
Marc Methot (Senators)
David Schlemko (Sharks)
Griffin Reinhart (Oilers)
Alexei Emelin (Canadiens)
Clayton Stoner (Ducks)
Shea Theodore (Ducks)*
Trevor van Riemsdyk (Blackhawks)
Nate Schmidt (Capitals)

Goaltenders
Calvin Pickard (Avalanche)
Jean-Francois Berube (Islanders)
Marc-Andre Fleury (Penguins)

*Acquired via trade


Here is a list of draft picks acquired by Golden Knights:
2nd round (2020) from Penguins
2nd round (2019) Blue Jackets
1st round (2017) from Jets
3rd round (2019) from Jets
6th round (2017) from Sabres
5th round (2017) from Hurricanes
2nd round (2017) from Lightning
4th round (2018) from Lightning
1st round (2017) from Islanders
2nd round (2019) from Islanders

[StuntMan12]

so washington didn't have to give them anything so they wouldn't take Grubauer? thought for sure he was going to be a Golden Knight

[VintageVibe]

Thanks for putting this down on paper for everyone to see.

Going to be a lot of movement tomorrow. Specifically some of the defensemen listed there. I really don't think anyone is safe just yet save an except for Fleury, Pickard and the Russians ... and perhaps the prospects they acquired (even with them who knows).

I think it is a job well done so far -- will be interesting to see how it looks on opening night with all of the unknown future trades and UFA signings you gotta take into consideration.

[donpaulo]

Kinda feel for Pickard. Sitting behind Varlamov, getting drafted by Vegas only to sit behind MAF

[VintageVibe]

Kinda feel for Pickard. Sitting behind Varlamov, getting drafted by Vegas only to sit behind MAF

Yeah... gotta think VGK is hoping for Pickard to pull a Murray on Fleury. They must consider him their 1B and goaltender of the future...

Either way, neither will be putting up a lot of W's over the next year or two...

But who knows -- lots of rumours circulating in re: to the lineup of trade calls being made at 9 AM tomorrow -- shiniest rumour being Vegas linked to a trade with PHI involving a goalie and a couple of picks in exchange for the 2nd overall.

Can't cast judgement until the storm subsides. I'll wait until I see the opening night roster before I grade GMGM and the LVGK.

[StuntMan12]

you guys think Shea Theodore is a downgrade on Vatanen?

[VintageVibe]

you guys think Shea Theodore is a downgrade on Vatanen?

I don't. I think he would've ended up competing with the current crop of top Dmen in ANH for top minutes sooner rather then later - hell he was already doing just that in the playoffs this year. Only time will tell... he will get the opportunities in Vegas. But unless things change he won't have a Getzlaf/Perry to play with (for a while anyway)...

[StuntMan12]

so anaheim could have kept both Vatanen AND Theodore if Bieksa waived his NMC? It's not like Vegas would have TAKEN Bieksa anyway right? Would it have been worth it if they just bought out Bieksa and protected Vats and Theo?

[Jouko-Pouko]

I have to say, I don't really like some of the the side deals Vegas made. I broke down those trades below with the player they should have taken IMO.

Matthew Dumba, 2017/2018 3rd round pick for Alex Tuch and Erik Haula
- Tuch is a good prospect and Haula is a solid bottom-6 forward but Dumba is a young top-4 defenseman which is worth much more IMO. I also have no idea why they needed to add a draft pick here.

Brock Nelson for 15th overall, 2019 2nd round pick, J-F Berube, Mikhail Grabovski, Jake Bischoff
- I would just take Brock Nelson (or Ryan Strome for that matter) rather than eat Grabovski's contract for so little. Nelson equals the 15th overall in value IMO, so basically the Islanders got rid of Grabovski with Bischoff and a 2019 2nd which is not bad but not great either. If we look at TSN ranking, 15th overall would be Kristian Vesalainen. He could have more upside than Nelson or he could end up being a total bust.

Marko Dano, 2017 24th overall for 2017 13th overall, 2019 3rd round pick, Chris Thorburn
- I know the 13th pick is really nice but in a year like this where after the top-10, the draft could go a million different ways, I'm not sure it's worth losing Marko Dano to move up from #24 to #13. I would rather have two late 1st round picks (Dano and #24) than one in the middle of the round. This deal is not bad by any means, just not sure the value is there in a year like this. If again we look at TSN ranking, 13th overall would be Lias Andersson while 24th overall would be Kailer Yamamoto. I could just as easily see Yamamoto taken 13th and Andersson 24th, so I'm not seeing huge difference between those picks.

All in all, I think young NHL players should have been valued higher by Vegas; Dumba, Nelson and Dano.

Some of the deals that I did like:
- Getting Marchessault and a 4th round pick for taking Reilly Smith
- Getting Gusev and picks to take Garrison - Tampa didn't have anyone good available anyways
- Getting Theodore by eating Stoner's contract and not taking Vatanen (only because I think Theodore is an NHL player and not a prospect)
- Getting a 1st and 2nd for eating Clarkson's contract - nothing bad about this as long as the owner is happy to pay

Impossible to comment the other selections because many of them will be flipped today or later in the summer, so some choices could start making more sense once we see what they acquired for them.

GMGM mentioned that they're going to select some guys who they won't sign anyways, so they just burn a selection. I'd guess Teemu Pulkkinen is an obvious one, and Chris Thorburn probably another. Brickley and Berube maybe as well. I would have expected them to be signed before drafting them if they were going to sign them at all.

[2014olympicgold]

LVGK1.JPGLVGK2.JPG

Vegas Contracts

[SeaDawg]

It seems to me that they don't have enough centers. Eakin and Marchessault...after that, I'm not sure. It is hard to acquire centers, but they are going to need to get some, I think.

[Spinorama514]

Vadim Shipachyov, for all intents and purposes, may be their #1C, with Marchessault & Eakin slotting in a 2C & 3C, respectively.

I don't see them signing Ship at 4.5M per season and not having him in a prime role.

[Pengwin7]

Personally, I think Oscar Lindberg (form NYR) is better than both Marchessault & Eakin (for overall NHL-game).
Lindberg strikes me in the same way I've been speaking of Phillip Danault... he's a C2/C3 that can easily play a Bozak-ian C1 with the right offensive talent.

I don't think Vegas lost a single deal for their long-term plans.
Dumba, for example, yes - absolutely a better NOW pick then Haula/Tuch... but Dumba is RFA next summer - and he's gonna be a 6x$5m RFA... which MIN might not even be able to afford.
Brock Nelson... 25, also RFA next summer. Yup, better pick now... not necessarily going to want to stay in Vegas. He's part of NYI clubhouse and might feel really sour moving elsewhere.
Some players like the ideas of being selected to a new team (agree Fleury was ready for a fresh start)... others may hate it.

Last night... I'm watching Deryk Engelland (form CGY) get selected and they mention that he lives in Vegas.
And I'm thinking "Oh, well that's kind of smart. They should be able to get him to sign and play long-term. They can start thinking about an offensive LH D to pair with him."
That kind of thing really helps a new team build - having a piece in place for a while.

Young people love to be a part of something new.
The kids, prospects, they aren't really a part of a clubhouse yet... so this is great for them, they'll bond over this.
The veterans, some may bolt at end of contract - Vegas might not suit them... so GMGM has to be tactful about who he thinks will stay and who might ransom him in a year (Dumba? Nelson?)

The short:
Vegas is going to be absolutely shit for 2-3 years.
But they've got assets, lots of assets, and eventually they'll flip them for veterans when the team is ready to take off.

A+ job for GMGM, I just think he crushed it on every trade.

[bondon]

Personally, I think Oscar Lindberg (form NYR) is better than both Marchessault & Eakin (for overall NHL-game).
Lindberg strikes me in the same way I've been speaking of Phillip Danault... he's a C2/C3 that can easily play a Bozak-ian C1 with the right offensive talent.

I don't think Vegas lost a single deal for their long-term plans.
Dumba, for example, yes - absolutely a better NOW pick then Haula/Tuch... but Dumba is RFA next summer - and he's gonna be a 6x$5m RFA... which MIN might not even be able to afford.
Brock Nelson... 25, also RFA next summer. Yup, better pick now... not necessarily going to want to stay in Vegas. He's part of NYI clubhouse and might feel really sour moving elsewhere.
Some players like the ideas of being selected to a new team (agree Fleury was ready for a fresh start)... others may hate it.

Last night... I'm watching Deryk Engelland (form CGY) get selected and they mention that he lives in Vegas.
And I'm thinking "Oh, well that's kind of smart. They should be able to get him to sign and play long-term. They can start thinking about an offensive LH D to pair with him."
That kind of thing really helps a new team build - having a piece in place for a while.

Young people love to be a part of something new.
The kids, prospects, they aren't really a part of a clubhouse yet... so this is great for them, they'll bond over this.
The veterans, some may bolt at end of contract - Vegas might not suit them... so GMGM has to be tactful about who he thinks will stay and who might ransom him in a year (Dumba? Nelson?)

The short:
Vegas is going to be absolutely shit for 2-3 years.
But they've got assets, lots of assets, and eventually they'll flip them for veterans when the team is ready to take off.

A+ job for GMGM, I just think he crushed it on every trade.

Honestly I agree with all of this, and what an exciting time to be a hockey fan.

I hope Vegas invested a lot into their scouting and development teams.

[lucafen4]

Shipachev needs to be added to the roster, while he wasn't drafted he is signed for 2yrs