Vegas Brainstorming- are we gonna see something unprecedented??

[Fighting_Emu]

So we all know the GK can be good but after a lengthy debate about what they can achieve this off season im actually shocked how competetive they might be. If they go pick hoarding and tank mode I couldnt blame them but check this out. If they bought a 1st line how far off are they???

So speculatively- if they can ssurrounf ship with two toplne talent through trade or free agency (I looked at dadonov, rad, kovy, even panarin/galch albeit a long shot). Basically theyre a trade and/or a signing away from a real topline. Any combo of sip plus 2 of those four could do it in theory.

After that were looking at an l2 of zucker/boekker/jannerok/vrbata/leivo/nino- point is you have N intriguing "hit or miss" second line based on the names availble. I dont hate a group like this (at all).

Brings us next to bottom six- which is where we shine. If our top six hold up than this bottom six ahould be dominant as we basically get the pick of the litter.

Gonna skip d for a sec and focus on tending. I belieev fleury makes sense for him (opportunity) and for the knights (experience, cup pedigree, character and skill) but even if not LV is in a fortuitius position to poach some highly regarded netminders.

Lastly- D. There are a few d-men on the market but they also interfere with their selections. I basically see a very solid top 4 without a genuine all situations high end defender or pure shut down guy. Shatt and/or Alzner would go a long way towards correcting that. Most fans/pundits will agree their d shoukd be sound but one solid signint on either end (offensive-shatts ir defensive-alzner) checks a lot of boxes for a team that already has a lot of boxes checked.

So what im saying is that if you could acquirs just TWO high end forwards and ONE high end dmen- the knughts could be doing way more damage than they were intended too. #shipandthesalarycap

[Fighting_Emu]

And I know shatts and alzner will cost too much- but:

A) theyve got the cap and

B) even tho I dont think they will- its just shocking on paper how competitive they could theoretically be on paper.

Just rambling...

[als_revenge]

I think the NHL has woken up and realized that it doesn't make sense to bring an NHL team to a new market and have it be bad forever.

[gooding74]

With how quickly young players can evolve (McDavid, Matthews), I could see this Vegas team being playoff-bound by their third season if things play out well. They probably won't draft a player of McDavid's or Matthews' caliber, but the salary cap levels everything off now. Plus the Pacific Division isn't the strongest it has been.

[Sulla]

Let's be fair the expansion landscape is much different now... And the cap is a big reason why. In previous expansions deep pockets counted for a lot but with the parity that the cap brings I agree with Ian and this team could be more competitive sooner than any of us anticipate

[Jouko-Pouko]

I've been saying for a while now that they should acquire a proven starter and some offensive star players from the KHL, and they could have a pretty good team right away. Not a playoff team but not an embarrassment either. And you all laughed at me. Well, I'm glad someone else sees the potential as well so I'm not totally crazy.

I thought they would get Bishop (I was saying that already in April) but maybe they'll get Fleury instead now. And I suggested a while back that they should sign Shipachyov and Dadonov (my post from March), well, they're halfway there.

As others have said, the new expansion draft rules and the salary cap are big reasons why this expansion team won't be like the others before it. And having some real talent playing in the KHL also helps.

Of course it's still very much possible they go to tank mode and build their entire team through the entry draft but I actually hope they don't because there's enough talent in the world to support 31 NHL teams, so they don't really need to wait 5 years to build their team.

[Sulla]

Will be really surprised if they tank - IMO they have no reason too

[Magicstew]

Think they will have a decent roster, especially after protection lists are decided and the side deals come to fruition. They are going to get a starter and may be a F/A signing from being competitive.

[lucafen4]

They should go with a Ryan Miller - Elliott tandem.

[GoNucks]

Miller could make sense since he has long wanted to play near or in California

[lucafen4]

Here's one ... LV selects David Clarkson from CBJ and LV gets a 1st and a prospect to do so.

[LawMan]

I'll go against the grain (in this thread) and say LV is going to be bad, really bad. I don't see anyway they finish outside the bottom-3 in their first 2 seasons.

In my mind an NHL team needs:
a top-pairing Dman
a top-line and 2nd line centre and then
a true starting goalie

Las Vegas may be able to get a starting goalie in Fleury. I don't see them ending up with a top-pairing Dman or a true top-line centre. They will have a lot of borderline top-6 forwards and probably 6-7 2nd/3rd pairing Dmen aka a lot of solid but average NHL players. They won't have any game breakers.

I don't think they'll "tank" but I think they'll take their time to develop their team focusing on young players and getting strong thru the draft. If they some how get a Matthews/McDavid then all bets are obviously off.

[Jouko-Pouko]

I'll go against the grain (in this thread) and say LV is going to be bad, really bad. I don't see anyway they finish outside the bottom-3 in their first 2 seasons.

In my mind an NHL team needs:
a top-pairing Dman
a top-line and 2nd line centre and then
a true starting goalie

Las Vegas may be able to get a starting goalie in Fleury. I don't see them ending up with a top-pairing Dman or a true top-line centre. They will have a lot of borderline top-6 forwards and probably 6-7 2nd/3rd pairing Dmen aka a lot of solid but average NHL players. They won't have any game breakers.

I don't think they'll "tank" but I think they'll take their time to develop their team focusing on young players and getting strong thru the draft. If they some how get a Matthews/McDavid then all bets are obviously off.

Nashville did OK in the playoffs without 1st or 2nd line center on the team. I'm not saying they'll be a Cup contender or even a playoff team right away, just that they won't be an embarrassment like Colorado this year. Maybe they could be a team like Carolina or Florida this year if things go well for them, or perhaps a team like Detroit or Buffalo if things don't go perfectly. I would consider that a success for them on their first year.

[lucafen4]

Fleury has waived his NMC

[yougo]

I think 3 years is a good timeline for them to make the playoffs IMO.

If they make things right, their first-rounder this year won't be in the NHL until year 2-3.
In year 1, I fully expect them to finish in the bottom of the standings and get a top3 pick. Not because they are going to be a shitty team, simply because they still don't have the pieces to compete. A top3 pick that should be in the NHL in year 2 because next year's draft seems to be heavy on top-end talent(This means the top3 is very strong compare to this year).
In year2, they should still miss the playoffs but you could see them have a 15-16 Buffalo Sabres type of year. Which means a finish between 25th-23th