There are several NHL players with local ties that are possible draft picks for the upcoming NHL Expansion Draft, but I wanted to see if it was possible to build an entire team with connections to the Pacific Northwest. Against my better judgement, I went on an endeavor to create the most local expansion team possible that was still compliant within the rules of the upcoming Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft.
Rules of the Sound Of Hockey Mock Expansion Draft
The rules of the hyper-local Expansion Draft are the same as our other mock drafts that we have been completing at Sound Of Hockey over the past couple of weeks.
Protection Lists are based on latest updates on Sound Of Hockey (Central, East, West, North).
You are allowed one UFA-and-sign selection. Selection should pass the sniff test of being a legitimate option. (i.e. expecting to draft and sign Alex Ovechkin does not feel legitimate).
No side deals. Although we are aware that this will be a major part of the actual Expansion Draft, we don’t have good knowledge about what could be done here. So for the purposes of this mock draft, we’re keeping this off the table.
Rule addendums for the Hyper-Local Mock Expansion Draft
To make it hyper local, however, we have added a few additional stipulations.
Any available Washington State natives that are eligible for the NHL Expansion Draft must be drafted.
You must have a representative from each US Division WHL team.
You must draft one former BCHL player.
You must draft one Alaskan native.
You must draft one former Idaho Steelhead.
If there are no available players from Washington State or US WHL Division on an existing NHL team, then and only then can you select players from other WHL teams.
Washington State natives
This is the easiest part of the draft. We take Dylan Gambrell (SJS) from Bonney Lake, Derek Ryan (CGY) from Spokane, T.J. Oshie (WSH) from Mt. Vernon, and Tyler Johnson (TBL) from Spokane. Ryan is a pending free agent so he takes our UFA spot. That might put us in a bind later, but he is an obvious selection.
US Division WHL team
Spokane is covered with Ryan and Johnson so we need to make sure Seattle, Everett, Tri-City, and Portland have representation. We also need to make sure we have the positional requirement of 14 forwards, nine defensemen, and three goaltenders. I am going to prioritize goalies first since that is allegedly an important position (though I don’t really buy that).
Adin Hill (ARI) played for the Portland Winterhawks for two seasons and is probably one of the best goalies we can get right now.
Eric Comrie (WPG) will be our Tri-City Americans representative. He played 168 regular season games over four seasons for the Americans.
Calvin Pickard (played for Seattle) and Chris Driedger (played for Tri-City) are both pending UFAs. We cannot select them due to already using our UFA signing on Derek Ryan.
The only US Division goalie left is Landon Bow in Dallas. Bow played 23 regular season games for the Seattle Thunderbirds.
We still do not have the Everett Silvertips represented, but there are two available in Florida, Radko Gudas and Noah Juulsen. Neither is having a very strong year, but I am going to select Juulsen because he is young and has potential.
BCHL, Alaskan and Steelhead player requirements
Now that we have our US Division WHL players selected, let us identify our BCHL player, our Alaskan native, and our Idaho Steelhead.
For our BCHL player, we are going to select Troy Stecher (DET). Stecher played for the Penticton Vees for three seasons before playing collegiately in North Dakota. Coincidentally, Stecher could be the best player available from the Red Wings.
Alaska. This one is challenging. Right now there is only one NHL player from Alaska, former Seattle Thunderbird Nate Thompson. He would be perfect and would check multiple boxes. The issue is that he is a pending UFA and we already selected our UFA signing in Derek Ryan. We could go after Washington Capital Pheonix Copley, but we select T.J. Oshie from the Caps. Digging deeper, I also scoured the alumni from the University of Alaska Anchorage and University of Alaska Fairbanks with no luck. Colton Parayko played at University of Alaska Fairbanks, but we are projecting him to be protected and therefore cannot draft him. We thought we were out of luck, but in the eleventh hour, we appealed to the league and received a waiver for this rule under the condition we hire Scott Gomez as one of the first assistant coaches of the Seattle Kraken….or we hire him for our digital media team.
Sam Carrick of the Anaheim Ducks played most of his first pro season for the Idaho Steelheads. Carrick is a pending UFA so per the rules, he will not be re-signed and enter free agency.
Low-hanging fruit
We have met all the core requirements across geographies and leagues, so now we need to fill out the rest of the team. I will now need to focus on WHL US Division players that I know off the top of my head could be available. Matt Dumba (MIN/Portland), Jake Bean (CAR/Tri City), Caleb Jones (EDM/Portland), and Ryan Johansen (NSH/Portland) will fit in nicely with the hyper-local Kraken.
The rest of the squad
Anaheim has several WHL players that will be available but only one from the US Division. As a policy of the Hyper-Local Mock Expansion Draft, we must pick him. Chase De Leo is joining the Kraken.
This might be a deep cut but the Boston Bruin with the closest tie to the Pacific Northwest is Cameron Hughes. Hughes played two seasons with the Spruce Grove Saints of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL).
Buffalo has a few WHLers on its roster but only one US Division player. Dustin Tokarski will be joining the team as a fourth goalie.
In Chicago we are going to select 22-year-old left wing Brandon Hagel who played four years with the Red Deer Rebels.
Colorado has a few options, but we like the thought of former Penticton Vees center, Tyson Jost.
There aren’t a lot of options in Columbus, but Calvin Thurkauf played two years in Kelowna so we are picking him.
From Los Angeles, we will take former Seattle Thunderbird defenseman Austin Strand.
Shea Weber played 190 games for the Kelowna Rockets. He is our pick out of Montreal.
As much as I loved Thomas Hickey when he played with the Seattle Thunderbirds at Key Arena, I need to select Kieffer Bellows from the New York Islanders. Bellows played one year in Portland.
Pretty deep cut here as well, but the New York Rangers only have two WHL players that are projected to be exposed in the Expansion Draft. Mason Geertsen is our pick. He played with the Edmonton Oil Kings and Vancouver Giants, but has yet to play a game in the NHL. Rules are rules.
Derrick Pouliot played four seasons with the Portland Winterhawks and is our pick from the Philadelphia Flyers.
Colton Sceviour also played in Portland for two years and is our only option out of Pittsburgh. Sceviour is another pending UFA so he will not be re-signed and will enter free agency.
For the life of me, I could not find a WHL player on the Ottawa Senators that is exposed and not a pending UFA, so we are going to draft pending UFA and former Portland Winterhawk, Braydon Coburn with the expectation that he walks to free agency.
St. Louis does not have many players with northwest ties, but Tanner Kaspick played four seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings and one season with the Victoria Royals. Kaspick has yet to play a game in the NHL but is only 23, so he still has a shot.
Toronto is another team with very few players with northwest ties, but we found one! 24-year-old forward Adam Brooks played five seasons with the Regina Pats.
Rounding out the roster is Vancouver Canucks prospect Kole Lind, who played three seasons with the Kelowna Rockets.
…and I am utterly exhausted from looking at literally hundreds of hockeydb.com player profile pages.
Let’s see how we did.
We seem to be a little heavy at the center position and a little light at left wing, but we’re hoping some of the centers we took can shift over.
Even with the constraints of the rule addendums for the Hyper-Local Mock Expansion Draft, there are some players that could be candidates for the Kraken. Hill, Bean, Jones, Stecher, Oshie, Gambrell, and Bellows are probably on a short-list at Kraken HQ.
I hope you enjoyed a lighter look at the Expansion Draft.
As the Seattle Kraken hockey operations team looks toward the Expansion Draft, the age of each NHL player will factor into their selections. On Saturday, we posted a broad look at the average player ages of NHL teams, but that just scratches the surface of understanding how teams are constructed. Today, we take a deeper dive into the ages of players and wrap it up with how this could factor into the Kraken’s selection process for the Expansion Draft.
Average age by position and line
Let us start by looking at the median ages of NHL players by position and how they stack up on depth charts.
A couple interesting points to call out here. First, the youngest line in hockey tends to be the first forward line with a median age of 25.8 years old. Conversely, the oldest line is the fourth forward line. Last, the median age of goalies is older than any of the forward or defense lines. This makes sense, since goalies typically take so much longer to develop than skaters.
Average ages by team and line
Here are a couple fun call-outs when looking at this data:
The Vancouver Canucks have the youngest forward line in the NHL (21.8), which is their first line: Elias Pettersson (21.9) Nils Hoglander (19.8), and Brock Boeser (23.6).
The Jets have the oldest forward line in hockey (34.2), their fourth line: Nate Thompson (36.0), Mathieu Perreault (32.7), and Trevor Lewis (33.7)
The Ottawa Senators have the youngest team across all positions with an average age of 25.5 years old.
Washington has the oldest team in the NHL at 31.0 years old. Thank Zdeno Chara (43.5), Craig Anderson (39.4), and Alex Ovechkin (35.0) for driving the age up for the Caps.
The Avalanche have the youngest defensemen in the league, averaging just under 23.9 years old.
Here is a data visualization you can use to dig into the detail of age distributions by team.
Seattle thoughts
Player age alone will not be a deciding factor in the Kraken’s selections in the upcoming NHL Expansion Draft this summer, but it will be a component in some of the decisions to be made. An important piece in incorporating a player’s age in the decision-making process is how many years are left on a player’s contract. How might the players contributions decline over the remainder of the deal?
Example:
Dustin Brown has 11 goals and six assists in his 20 games in the NHL this year and will turn 37 in November. Brown has only one year remaining on his contract with a salary cap hit of $5.9 million per year.
TJ Oshie has five goals and nine assists in his 20 games in the NHL this year and will turn 35 in December. Oshie has four years remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $5.7 million per year.
Both players are expected to be exposed in the Expansion Draft. Even though Brown is two years older, he probably carries the least amount of risk between the two because he only has one year remaining on his contract. In the salary-cap-strapped era the NHL is going through, Brown would probably be more tradeable at the trade deadline next season since teams only need to fit his salary in for the remainder of the year.
The Kraken will also need to evaluate players that are just entering the NHL to forecast what their upside might be. In San Jose, both Dylan Gambrell and Alexander True should be exposed in the Expansion Draft. Both play center. Gambrell is one year older than True and has been a regular in the Sharks lineup this year. True has played this season in the AHL and has five points in six games. They seem to have very similar capabilities, but does the one-year age difference change any of the NHL projections for either player?
For the last three months, the Sound Of Hockey team has been poring over NHL rosters, sizing up prospects, sharing our best estimates on the Expansion Draft protected lists, and identifying potential Seattle Kraken players to monitor. Now looking ahead to the next few weeks, each of us at Sound Of Hockey will be taking a stab at a Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft. These days, mock Expansion Draft articles are a dime a dozen, and most are fraught with poor assumptions and non-compliance to the expansion rules. We hope to avoid that with a few guiding principles.
Rules of the Sound Of Hockey Mock Expansion Draft
Protection lists are based on latest updates on Sound Of Hockey (Central, East, West, North).
You are allowed one UFA-and-sign selection. Selection should pass the sniff test of being a legitimate option (i.e. expecting to draft and sign Alex Ovechkin does not feel legitimate).
No side deals. Although we are aware that this will be a major part of the actual Expansion Draft, we don’t have enough insider knowledge about what could be done here or what the Kraken would actually try to pull off. So for the purposes of this mock draft, we’re keeping this off the table.
John’s Expansion Draft strategy overview
My strategic roadmap for my team would be to become a perennial playoff contender three to five years down the line and to set up for moments of opportunity to go ‘all in’ for a Stanley Cup run in the future.
In a real-world scenario, my objective would be to accumulate an additional five to 10 additional Entry Draft Picks spread over the next three years. Teams are built through the NHL Entry Draft so the more bets I can make with draft picks, the more likely the chances will be of getting a blue-chip player.
In line with the three-to-five-year strategy, I will index toward younger players that offer more upside and could be bigger contributors after several years.
The single biggest advantage Seattle has in this league is its salary cap space, and just because the Kraken have the cap space, does not mean I want to use it right out of the gate. This advantage could be leveraged for years to come and I would like to preserve this asset if possible.
Expansion Draft goalie strategy
My original goalie strategy was to have three goalies under 30. One would serve as the starter, another goalie would be my backup that is just breaking into the league, and another would spend much of the year in the AHL. This did not play out as I intended. There were a couple goalies I liked that fit this strategy, but they were either a pending UFA or there was someone else on their team that I prioritized over them. I am still happy with the netminders that ended up on my team, though.
The Expansion Draft picks
Expansion Draft Selections
Anaheim – This came down to Max Jones and Josh Mahura. Mahura would have been the choice, but after a couple rounds of selections and tweaks, I was heavy on left defense so Mahura did not add much to the roster. I went with Max Jones.
Arizona – Adin Hill has been circled for a while. It is unclear how good he can be in the NHL, but at the very least he could be the third goalie in the depth chart while we try to figure out what level of backstop he can be.
Boston – I had a tough time with Boston. I landed on Jeremy Lauzon, but depending on the day, I could have selected Nick Ritchie or Trent Frederic. All three could add value to the squad, but I might call around to some GM’s to see if there are any players on Boston that teams might want in a draft-and-trade scenario.
Buffalo – If exposed, I like Henri Jokiharju from Buffalo. He is the youngest player on my roster and could be a cornerstone of the Seattle defense corps for years.
Carolina – Sticking with the youth movement, would love to grab Jake Bean from Carolina. The Canes might be eager to keep Bean, though, and could be a side-deal candidate.
Columbus – Speedy undrafted Eric Robinson is getting a little more playing time in Columbus this year, and Seattle could give him a bigger opportunity.
Calgary – The current captain of the Flames, Mark Giordano, will be 38 around the start of next season, but has not shown any signs of slowing down. I love the thought of him in the locker room as that steady leader.
Chicago – Lucas Carlsson does not have much of an NHL resume but could have some upside.
Colorado – If Devon Toews is available, he is the pick. Crazy to think that one of the better defensemen in the league could be exposed, but the Avalanche’s hands are a bit tied. We should not feel sorry for them.
Dallas – Jamie Oleksiak is my draft-and-sign UFA. Another strong veteran presence in the locker room. If he is asking for too much or does not want to be part of the Kraken, then Seattle might want to draft him and let him walk. I like Anton Khudobin, but he will turn 36 during the 2021-22 season and will still have another year on his contract so I will pass on selecting him.
Detroit – Givani Smith shows the most potential in Detroit.
Edmonton – Assuming Oscar Klefbom is Expansion Draft eligible, this will expose former Portland Winterhawk, Caleb Jones. If so, Jones is the selection.
Florida – When we updated our forecast, we had Anthony Duclair unprotected. This is probably incorrect but we are sticking with the rules of our mock draft so I will be selecting him.
Los Angeles – I never thought I would say this, but Dustin Brown’s numbers this season are tough to ignore. With only one year left on his deal, selecting him seems relatively low risk.
Minnesota – If he is still on the roster come Expansion Draft, Matt Dumba is the selection here.
Montreal – The Habs have a few young and promising defensemen, but Jake Allen is primed for selection and hopefully sharing the burden between the pipes in year one.
Nashville – I am passing on Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen to select a slightly younger and much cheaper Colton Sissons.
New Jersey – Yegor Sharangovich is a bit of a flier. He is young and has not done a lot in the NHL to date, but he put up some big numbers in the KHL earlier this year.
New York Islanders – Josh Bailey will be another vet that adds playmaking capabilities at right wing.
New York Rangers – Brett Howden is the pick from the Rangers.
Ottawa – The Senators do not provide many options, but Nicholas Paul is the type of versatile middle-six forward that is needed on all teams.
Philadelphia – James van Riemsdyk has put up 21 points in 15 games this year. He’s 31 now, but there’s clearly plenty left for JvR.
James van Riemsdyk's (@JVReemer21) fantastic season continues to roll❗
Pittsburgh – Jared McCann could be a sneaky good middle-six forward and up until his injury was contributing to the Pens.
San Jose Sharks – The watchlist is narrow in San Jose. It comes down to local boy, Dylan Gambrell from Bonney Lake, or former Seattle Thunderbird, Alexander True. I select Gambrell here since he has more NHL experience.
St Louis – Good depth options available from the Blues. There are several players that are regular contributors and could benefit from an elevated role with the Kraken. For now, I am selecting Ivan Barbashev.
Tampa Bay – There are a ton of quality options in Tampa. I am expecting a side deal to come out of Tampa Bay. Ondrej Palat is the one that can contribute immediately, but we still need to figure a way to get Tyler Johnson here as well.
Toronto – Travis Dermott has not had the most productive year, but he is the most skilled Leaf that will be available in the Expansion Draft.
Vancouver – The 22-year-old Kole Lind, has four goals in five games for the Utica Comets. I like his upside.
Washington – This one was tough. As much as I would love to see TJ Oshie or Brenden Dillon back in Seattle, I just could not turn down Vitek Vanecek to round out the goalies.
Winnipeg –Sami Niku is someone we circled at the beginning of the season, even though he has not been able to crack the lineup on a regular basis.
Closing thoughts
This was much tougher than expected. There are too many NHL players on this team. The NHL roster size is limited, so I would probably look a little deeper into the AHL prospects and/or draft some UFAs on expiring contracts with the intent of letting them enter free agency.
Talentwise, the team is thin at center and center is not a place you want to be thin. In future iterations I would identify a few better centers to prioritize. The team isn’t going to be the juggernaut that Vegas was in the first year, but there are some solid pieces and I like the potential of some of the younger guys like Brett Howden, Max Jones, Kole Lind, Jake Bean, and Henri Jokiharju.
If you glance at Vegas’ crop of players in the 2017 Expansion Draft, and then back at their current Championship-caliber roster, you may wonder: How did we get here?
Vegas built a roster immediately ready to contend largely because of crafty side deals, but there were still some noteworthy selections purely from the Expansion Draft.
Although only five players actually selected in the draft remain with Vegas today, 15 players on the Golden Knights’ roster can be tracked back to Expansion Draft deals.
Here’s a look at where all these players are today:
Anaheim Ducks — Clayton Stoner, D
Stoner’s selection was contingent on the Ducks dealing promising prospect Shea Theodore to Vegas, presumingly so Vegas wouldn’t take defensemen Sami Vatanen or Josh Manson.
Stoner, a former Tri-City Americans star, never played that season — or again for that matter. Vegas absorbed the final year of his $3.25 million contract and the Golden Knights gained a player that could feasibly win a Norris Trophy in Theodore.
Despite never suiting up for Vegas, Stoner joined the Vegas Jr. Golden Knights coaching staff after he retired in 2019 and is currently an associate coach for the South Island Royals under-18 AAA team, based out of Victoria, British Columbia.
Arizona Coyotes — Teemu Pulkkinen, LW
Pulkkinen never played for Vegas after the Golden Knights selected him in the Expansion Draft, even though he put up 65 points for the AHL’s Chicago Wolves in 2017-18. Pulkkinen left North America after that season and is currently playing for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the KHL, Russia’s top league.
Boston Bruins — Colin Miller, D
Miller was a key contributor for Vegas in its first two seasons before being traded to Buffalo before the 2019-20 season for a second-round pick in 2021 and a fifth-round pick in 2022. Miller is still with the Sabres and remains a potent offensive threat, but his ice time has dipped a bit since moving on from Vegas.
Buffalo Sabres — William Carrier, LW
The Sabres slid over a sixth-round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft to ensure the Golden Knights selected Carrier instead of someone like goaltender Linus Ullmark. Carrier remains a solid depth piece for the Golden Knights.
With that sixth-round pick, Vegas selected Jiri Patera, who starred for the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings and was signed to an entry-level contract. He’s listed on the Henderson Silver Knights’ roster, the Golden Knights’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate.
Calgary Flames — Deryk Engelland, D
Engelland, who was beloved during his time with the Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL in the early 2000s, was a feel-good story and a valuable contributor for the Golden Knights until his retirement following the 2019-20 season. Engelland is sticking around in Nevada and working for the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation as the special assistant to the owner.
Carolina Hurricanes — Connor Brickley, C
The Hurricanes, under the leadership of future Seattle Kraken general manager Ron Francis, dangled a fifth-round pick out to Vegas on the condition the Golden Knights took pending free agent Connor Brickley, who signed with Florida that offseason.
After a season with the Panthers organization and another with the Rangers, Brickley played last season with EC Salzburg in the Austrian Hockey League, where he put up 26 points in 33 games. He isn’t listed on any rosters for this season.
The Golden Knights selected Jack Dugan, a former Providence College star, with the fifth-round pick acquired. Dugan is currently with the Henderson Silver Knights and is Vegas’ third-ranked prospect, according to The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler.
Chicago Blackhawks — Trevor van Riemsdyk, D
The Golden Knights selected van Riemsdyk and immediately flipped him, along with a seventh-round pick in 2018, to Carolina for a second-round pick in 2017.
Van Riemsdyk signed with Washington in the offseason after three so-so seasons in Carolina and has been in and out of the lineup for the Capitals this season.
The Golden Knights used that second-rounder on Jake Leschyshyn, who played in the WHL for Regina and Lethbridge and is currently playing for the Henderson Silver Knights, but appears to have lost some prospect shine since being taken No. 62 overall.
Colorado Avalanche — Calvin Pickard, G
This selection seems pretty unassuming on the surface, but it has some interesting ramifications.
Pickard, a former Seattle Thunderbirds netminder, never played a regular-season game with the Golden Knights, as he was traded to Toronto for a sixth-round pick and prospect Tobias Lindberg.
Pickard, 28, remains an NHL journeyman. The Winnipeg, Manitoba, native is on his fourth different franchise since being traded from Vegas. He is currently in the Detroit Red Wings organization.
Lindberg has bounced around the league, too.
The Golden Knights traded him to Pittsburgh for forward Ryan Reaves and a fourth-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, then the Penguins moved him to Ottawa, the team that initially drafted him, and the Senators eventually dealt him back to Vegas in the Mark Stone blockbuster.
Lindberg is currently playing in Sweden, and Stone and Reaves are still integral parts of Vegas’ current roster.
The 2018 sixth-round pick acquired in the Pickard deal was used on Peter Diliberatore, who has 14 points in 22 games for Quinnipiac University this season.
The 2018 fourth-round pick in the Reaves deal was spent on defenseman Slava Demin, who played with the BCHL’s Wenatchee Wild in 2016-17 and is currently playing for the University of Denver.
Columbus Blue Jackets — William Karlsson, C
There’s a ton to unpack here.
Karlsson was one of the most noteworthy selections in the Expansion Draft, not just because of how influential he was in Vegas’ debut season, but for how much Columbus gave up to make sure he was drafted.
The Blue Jackets traded their first-round pick in 2017, a second-round pick in 2019, and veteran forward David Clarkson (and the rest of his $5.25 million AAV contract that ran through 2019-20) so that Vegas would select Karlsson.
Salary cap relief, along with ensuring forward Josh Anderson and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo weren’t taken, was the main directive for Columbus. But Karlsson blossoming into a top-line center that finished third in the NHL with 43 goals in his first season with Vegas is still a tough pill to swallow for the Blue Jackets.
Karlsson remains a top-line center while Clarkson never played in an NHL game — he was eventually traded to Toronto along with a fourth-round pick in 2019 for goalie Garret Sparks.
That first-round pick acquired by Vegas was flipped to Winnipeg for the No. 13 overall pick in the draft. Vegas selected Nick Suzuki, who is one of the best young players in hockey, and sent him to Montreal, along with the second-round pick from Columbus, in the trade that sent Max Pacioretty to Sin City.
Dallas Stars — Cody Eakin, C
The veteran pivot played two-and-a-half seasons with the Golden Knights until Vegas shipped him to Winnipeg for a conditional fourth-round pick in 2021. Eakin signed with Buffalo this past offseason and has been a middle-six contributor in the Sabres lineup.
Detroit Red Wings — Tomas Nosek, LW
The 28-year-old remains with Vegas as a depth piece and is a key penalty killer. Nosek is an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
Florida Panthers — Jonathan Marchessault, LW
In one of the most puzzling situations in the Expansion Draft, Florida not only let Vegas select Marchessault, but traded away winger Reilly Smith for a fourth-round pick in 2018.
Marchessault remains a dynamic contributor high in Vegas’ lineup and inked a six-year, $30 million contract with Vegas. The 30-year-old won’t be a free agent until 2024.
Smith, 29, is also an important offensive producer for the Golden Knights. Perhaps Florida was eager to dump Smith’s $25 million contract after an underwhelming campaign in 2016-17. But considering Florida coerced Vegas to take Smith and Marchessault to avoid the likes of Mark Pysyk, Alex Petrovic, and Jason Demers from being taken, it’s easy to wonder what former Florida general manager Dale Tallon was thinking there.
Also, Florida fired Gerard Gallant, who immediately took Vegas to the Stanley Cup Final in Vegas’ first season.
As the internet would say, that’s a big ole yikes.
But all was not lost for the Panthers. That fourth-round pick helped the Panthers trade for Mike Hoffman, who the Panthers let walk this offseason as an unrestricted free agent.
At least you have that, Florida Panthers fans.
Edmonton Oilers — Griffin Reinhart, D
Reinhart was the No. 4 overall pick to the New York Islanders in 2012 but never turned into an NHL regular. Vegas gambled on his pedigree, but after two seasons in the AHL with the Chicago Wolves, he signed with the Kunlun Red Star of the KHL last season and is currently with the Iserlohn Roosters in Germany.
Los Angeles Kings — Brayden McNabb, D
McNabb remains with the Golden Knights after Vegas signed the defenseman to a four-year $10 million extension early in his first year with the franchise. The 30-year-old rearguard is currently on long-term IR with a lower-body injury, but remains a key contributor to Vegas’ defensive core when healthy.
Minnesota Wild — Erik Haula, C
The Wild traded young forward Alex Tuch in exchange for a conditional third-round pick and Vegas’ selection of Haula in the Expansion Draft, presumably so the Golden Knights wouldn’t nab someone like defensemen Matt Dumba and Marco Scandella or forward Eric Staal.
Haula played a top-six role in Vegas’ debut season, but a knee injury derailed his sophomore season with the Golden Knights. Vegas eventually traded Haula to Carolina for Nicolas Roy and a conditional fifth-round pick, and the Hurricanes later flipped the Finnish forward to the Florida Panthers in the deal that sent Vincent Trocheck back to Carolina.
Haula is now with the Predators on a one-year deal, playing in a top-six role.
Tuch, 24, is still with Vegas and playing a significant role.
With that conditional third-round pick, the Wild selected former Everett Silvertips star Connor Dewar, who is playing for the Wild’s AHL team in Iowa.
Montreal Canadiens — Alexei Emelin, D
After selecting Emelin, the Golden Knights immediately flipped him to Nashville for a third-round pick in 2018. The Russian defenseman played one season in Nashville before bolting to his home country to play for Omsk Avangard of the KHL, where he still plays.
That third-round pick Vegas acquired was used on defenseman Layton Ahac, who is currently playing for Ohio State University.
Nashville Predators — James Neal, LW
Neal played one season in Vegas and was a top-six player for the Golden Knights’ Cup run before signing with the Calgary Flames the ensuing offseason. The 33-year-old winger was eventually flipped to Edmonton for Milan Lucic, but he was placed on waivers on Feb. 13 and it appears his tenure with the Oilers may be over.
New Jersey Devils — Jon Merrill, D
Merrill was a depth defenseman for Vegas for three seasons before signing with Detroit this past offseason. The 29-year-old blueliner has two points in 10 games for the Red Wings this season.
New York Islanders — Jean-Francois Berube, G
Berube never played for the Golden Knights — he signed with Chicago as soon as free agency began after the Expansion Draft — but the Islanders offered a king’s ransom (a first-round pick in 2017, a second-round pick in 2019, veteran Mikhail Grabovski, and prospect Jake Bischoff) so Vegas would take the pending free agent and New York wouldn’t lose someone like Brock Nelson, Ryan Strome, Thomas Hickey, or Calvin de Haan.
Berube played one season for Chicago and has bounced around the AHL ever since.
Grabovski, now 36, never played after the 2015-16 season and officially retired in 2019. Bischoff remains a part of the Vegas organization and is playing for Henderson.
As for the draft picks, Vegas nabbed defenseman Erik Brannstrom with the No. 15 overall pick, who was the crown jewel prospect in the trade that brought two-way dynamo Mark Stone to Vegas.
The second-round pick was flipped to Detroit in the package for Tomas Tatar.
New York Rangers — Oscar Lindberg, C
Lindberg played one-and-a-half seasons for Vegas in a bottom-six role before being flipped to Ottawa in the Stone trade. The Swedish forward is currently playing for Moscow Dynamo in the KHL.
Ottawa Senators — Marc Methot, D
Methot was immediately traded to Dallas for goalie prospect Dylan Ferguson and a second-round pick in 2020. After undergoing knee surgery in the 2019-2020 season, Methot appears to have retired.
Ferguson is currently playing in the AHL with the Henderson Silver Knights.
The second-round pick acquired by Dallas was included in the Mark Stone trade.
Philadelphia Flyers — Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, RW
Bellemare played two seasons for the Golden Knights in a third-line role, and the 35-year-old is currently playing in a similar spot with Colorado after signing a two-year, $3.6 million deal before the 2019-20 season.
Pittsburgh Penguins — Marc-Andre Fleury, G
With Matt Murray seizing the reins of Pittsburgh’s crease — oh, how times have changed — the Penguins slid over a second-round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for Vegas selecting Fleury and alleviating Pittsburgh’s goalie logjam. It also cleared $5 million in cap space for Pittsburgh.
“Flower,” as Fleury is colloquially known, is still in Vegas after leading the Golden Knights to the Cup Final in 2017-18, and remains one of the most beloved athletes in the market, if not the entire NHL.
Sure, Robin Lehner claimed the bulk of starts last year, but with Lehner sidelined with an injury, Fleury, now 36, has played at an extremely high level this season. He is on the second year of a three-year, $21 million contract extension with Vegas.
Almost ironically, the second-round pick Vegas acquired to select Fleury was dealt to Chicago for Lehner during last year’s trade deadline.
San Jose Sharks — David Schlemko, D
Schlemko was flipped to Montreal immediately after the Expansion Draft for a fifth-round pick in 2019. After two seasons bouncing between the NHL and AHL, Schlemko hasn’t played since the 2018-2019 season.
That fifth-round pick was used on Marcus Kallionkieli, who is with the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings. Brandon was previously owned by Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon, who remains the Wheat Kings’ alternate governor. Kallionkieli is a long shot to play this season in Brandon due to travel restrictions coming into Canada.
St. Louis Blues — David Perron, LW
Perron put up 66 points for Vegas in 2017-18 before returning to St. Louis as a free agent the following season. The 32-year-old is still playing a key role for the 2019 Stanley Cup Champions and is on the third year of a four-year, $16 million deal.
Tampa Bay Lightning — Jason Garrison, D
The Golden Knights picked up two draft picks — a second-rounder in 2017 and a fourth-rounder in 2018 — and promising prospect Nikita Gusev on the contingency that Vegas selected veteran defenseman Jason Garrison and took the remaining $4.6 million of his contract off Tampa’s books.
Garrison played eight games for Vegas in 2017-18, but mostly was stuck in the AHL for Chicago. He moved on to Edmonton in 2018-19 before jumping to Djurgardens IF of the Swedish Hockey League. He isn’t listed on a roster.
Gusev never played for Vegas, despite putting up huge numbers in the KHL. The Golden Knights traded Gusev to New Jersey when he was a restricted free agent, mostly due to salary complications, for a third-round pick in 2020 and a second-round pick in 2021. Gusev is playing in a key offensive role for New Jersey.
Vegas picked up former Seattle Thunderbird great Keegan Kolesar by trading the second-rounder acquired from the Lightning to Columbus. The Blue Jackets selected French forward Alexandre Texier with the pick, who is playing big minutes for the Blue Jackets. Kolesar has cracked Vegas’ lineup and has played in 10 games for the Golden Knights this season.
Vegas selected Paul Cotter with the 2018 fourth-round pick in the Garrison trade. Cotter has a point in four games with the Henderson Silver Knights this season.
The Golden Knights nabbed defenseman Lukas Cormier from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with the third-round pick acquired in the Gusev deal.
Toronto Maple Leafs — Brendan Leipsic, LW
Leipsic, a former Portland Winterhawks star, played 44 games for Vegas in its inaugural season before being dealt to Vancouver for Philip Holm — who is currently playing in the KHL.
Leipsic is playing for CSKA Moscow after a social media controversy uncovering misogynistic direct messages prompted his release from the Washington Capitals last year.
Washington Capitals — Nate Schmidt, D
Schmidt struggled to make a huge impact with the Capitals, but developed into a bona fide top-pairing defenseman and a fan favorite with the Golden Knights.
Schmidt was traded to Vancouver this past offseason for a third-round pick in 2022. The 29-year-old rearguard is still playing a significant role for the Canucks.
Winnipeg Jets — Chris Thorburn, RW
In order to prevent Vegas from selecting Marko Dano or Tobias Enstrom — neither of whom are playing in the NHL now — the Jets flopped first-round picks, trading down from No. 13 to No. 24, acquired by Vegas from Columbus, in addition to a third-round pick in 2019 so Vegas would select Thorburn, a pending free agent.
Thorburn signed with the Blues in the free agency period. The veteran forward played just one game for the Stanley Cup Champion Blues in 2018-19, but still was a part of St. Louis’ Stanley Cup run. He retired soon after.
The third-round pick was flipped to several teams and eventually landed with New Jersey, who selected defenseman Michael Vukojevic from the Ontario Hockey League.
Vancouver Canucks: Luca Sbisa, D
The veteran defenseman played in 30 regular-season games and 14 playoff games in the Golden Knights’ inaugural season before signing as an unrestricted free agent with the Islanders the following offseason. Sbisa remains in the NHL with Nashville after the Predators claimed him off waivers in January.
Reliving Vegas’ Expansion Draft triumphs really makes you wonder: What kind of magic, especially with a flat salary cap, can Seattle GM Ron Francis pull off this summer?
Josh Horton is a freelance writer, former newspaper journalist, and former Western Hockey League writer for the Everett Herald and The Spokesman-Review (Spokane). He is NOT a juggler, nor is he a former professional baseball player. Follow him on Twitter @byjoshhorton.
With 10 points in 14 games, Nick Ritchie is on the verge of playing himself into protected status. Ondrej Kase (projected to be protected) has missed 12 games due to injury. Meanwhile, youngsters Jakub Zboril and Jeremy Lauzon are playing big minutes for the B’s. – Darren (original post here)
Buffalo Sabres
Sabres Protected List
Watchlist
Buffalo had a middling start, then got shut down for two weeks because of COVID-19 and recently returned with two straight losses to the Islanders. The Sabres are in last place. Forward Tage Thompson failed to deliver when he was on Buffalo’s top line early in the season and has often been a healthy scratch.
Journeyman forward Riley Sheahan earned a roster spot after going to training camp on a professional tryout and has the trust of Sabres coach Ralph Krueger.
Henri Jokiharju’s struggles are reflected in his advanced stats: 44 percent Corsi for (even strength shot differential) and -13 Corsi relative to his teammates that are worst among Buffalo’s defensemen. Jake McCabe, who is due to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, ranks first among Sabres blueliners with a 55.9 Corsi for and 7.5 relative Corsi. – Jim (original post here)
Will Butcher hasn’t played this season and the young defenseman, a comfortable selection for protection this offseason, might have lost his spot to PK Subban. Subban hasn’t lit the world on fire but leads the team in ice time this year. – Josh (original post here)
New York Rangers
Rangers Protected List
Watchlist
The Rangers waived Tony DeAngelo and are trying to trade him after an incident with a teammate after a recent game against Pittsburgh. – Andy (original post here)
Hand up, leaving Vitek Vanecek off my protected list was an oversight. The 25-year-old netminder owns a .906 save percentage this season. It also may be worth wondering if the Capitals aren’t as big of fans of Jonas Siegenthaler as we are. The 23-year-old blueliner has drawn into the lineup in only six of 13 games this season. –Josh (original post here)
We are updating our Expansion Draft protected lists and Seattle Kraken watchlists all week. Monday we went through the Scotia North Division, and today we step through the Honda West Division.
Anaheim Ducks
Ducks Protected List
Watchlist
Max Jones was a player who had a chance to earn protection but hasn’t been productive and was recently demoted to the taxi squad. Isac Lundestrom was recalled from the taxi squad and has two goals in his first eight games this season. – Andy (original post here)
Arizona Coyotes
Coyotes Protected List
Watchlist
The battle for the seventh protected forward spot in Arizona is being won by Tyler Pitlick who has outperformed Christian Fischer to start the season. – Andy (original post here)
Colorado Avalanche
Avalanche Protected List
Watchlist
Vladislav Kamenev has been playing in the KHL, and although he is still eligible for the Expansion Draft, we are dropping him off the watchlist. There could be an argument to bump Tyson Jost off the protected list to make space for Joonas Donskoi, but Jost is younger and has more potential in front of him. – John (original post here)
Los Angeles Kings
Kings Protected List
Watchlist
It is still VERY hard to predict which direction the Kings will go with several of their protection questions. We now think they will change from eight total skaters to a 7-3-1 protection scheme. Carl Grundstrom has shown some high-level skill this season, which moves him onto our protected list. Dustin Brown has 12 points in 13 games, so he can apparently still play and should be watched. Former Seattle Thunderbird Austin Strand is suddenly playing a role, though this would be more of a bet for the future. – Darren (original post here)
Minnesota Wild
Wild Protected List
Watchlist
Something still has to give here. When we wrote the Wild profile, we assumed Matt Dumba would be traded for a center. That hasn’t happened, and such a deal is appearing less likely as the season goes on. We’re now predicting that general manager Bill Guerin gets one of or both of his veteran forwards with no-movement clauses (Zach Parise and/or Mats Zuccarello) to waive their NMC’s so the Wild don’t have to protect them. This would let Minnesota go the route of protecting eight total skaters, and if that happens, they could keep Dumba while still protecting Jordan Greenway and Joel Eriksson Ek. – Darren (original post here)
San Jose Sharks
Sharks Protected List
Watchlist
Maxim Letunov has yet to get in a game this year, while Dylan Gambrell has been getting more responsibilities with the Sharks and Alexander True has four points in his first four games for the San Jose Barracuda, the Sharks AHL affiliate. We will keep Letunov on the list but feel that Gambrell and True are distancing themselves as better candidates. – John (original post here)
St Louis Blues
Blues Protected List
Watchlist
We are removing Jake Walman from the Kraken watchlist. He has only been in three NHL games this season and seems destined to spend a lot of time on the taxi squad this year. Meanwhile, Justin Faulk is putting together a pretty good season so far with five goals in the first 16 games. – John (original post here)
