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Expansion Notes: Schmidt, Emelin, Islanders, Enstrom

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In our mock expansion draft, Nate Schmidt edged out Philipp Grubauer as the selection from the Washington Capitals mainly due to the wealth of goaltending talent available to the Vegas Golden Knights. Schmidt has shown potential to be able to log time as a top-4 defender, and has the elite skating ability that would allow him to fit into what should be a young group in Vegas.

That said, Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post reports that Schmidt’s camp hasn’t been told if he was the selection. Several players have been notified already in order to get them there for the reveal tonight, but as Khurshudyan explains it’s still early yet. Schmidt would be of interest to many teams around the league immediately after selection, though he’s also young enough (25) to fit in long-term in Vegas.

  • Frank Seravalli of TSN got some bad info on the expansion target in Montreal earlier, but has since found out that Alexei Emelin may be headed to Vegas. Originally, Seravalli believed there was a connection to Brandon Davidson who shares an agent with Spencer Foo, the college free agent that Vegas is currently trying to sign. Emelin has just one year remaining on his contract and holds a 10-team no-trade list should Vegas want to flip him. At 31, it doesn’t seem like he fits into their competitive window but could be used—like James Neal and others—as trade bait either in the summer or at next season’s trade deadline.
  • Arthur Staple of Newsday has been all over the New York Islanders expansion situation from the beginning, but still can’t lock down who will be selected tonight. What he can share is that it’s likely not someone “who saw regular NHL time last season.” That would seem to rule out many of the exposed Islanders’ exposed players including Brock Nelson, Casey Cizikas and Josh Bailey. Even Ryan Strome spent the majority of the season in New York. That could point to defenseman Scott Mayfield, as the 34th overall pick in 2011 still hasn’t cracked the NHL roster full-time. In 25 games with the Islanders this season he scored nine points, and at 24 would still have time to develop further in Vegas.
  • Darren Dreger of TSN notes that Toby Enstrom may have been protected after all by the Winnipeg Jets, as there is likely a side-deal with Vegas to not select the veteran defender. Enstrom waived his no-movement clause in order for the Jets to protect Tyler Myers, and would probably cost less in terms of assets to protect in a deal.

Snapshots: Eakin, Gusev, Kane

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The rumblings over who will be selected in tonight’s expansion draft are coming fast and furious, and though many are highly speculative Jim Toth of TSN 1290 is reporting that Cody Eakin will be the selection from the Dallas Stars. While it’s not clear who Toth’s sources are, Eakin would make sense as the Dallas selection. Not only did he show that he’s capable of putting up 35-40 points before this season but he’s only 26-years old and was drafted by new Vegas GM George McPhee back in Washington.

We projected Eakin as the selection out of Dallas in our mock expansion draft, mostly because of the lack of exciting options available among their exposed players. Eakin is coming off a disastrous season in which he scored just 12 points despite spending substantial time with the Stars’ big guns up front. His faceoffs improved and he could still be a valuable piece, but there is no guarantee he’ll ever get back to the highs earlier in his career.

  • Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times thinks that Nikita Gusev may be part of any trade with the Vegas Golden Knights to either protect young defensemen or move Jason Garrison’s hefty contract. Gusev was a linemate of Vadim Shipachyov last season in the KHL and has shown that he can be an incredible offensive performer despite his relatively small stature. The 24-year old still has one year remaining on his contract with SKA St. Petersburg, meaning it would just be a deal of negotiating rights to the Golden Knights. Gusev could also work out a mutual termination or buyout of his KHL contract and come to North America right away, though the interest in that option is unclear.
  • Darren Dreger of TSN gave us an update on Evander Kane trade talks amid all the expansion news, reporting that there are still ongoing discussions with teams in “win now” mode. While those teams aren’t clear, there is likely quite a bit of interest in the 28-goal man who may have turned a corner after his recent legal drama. Kane was by all accounts a much more consistent teammate this season, and showed it on the scoresheet with his best season since 2011-12. Amazingly still just 25-years old, Kane has one year left on his contract and could be among next summer’s top free agents with a repeat performance.

Expected Trades With Vegas Golden Knights

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The Vegas Golden Knights assuredly have more deals worked out than we know so far, but Bob McKenzie of TSN gave us a long breakdown of the ones that are expected to happen. With some added details from others like Michael Russo of the Star Tribune, Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch and Arthur Staple of Newsday, here are the deals that the hockey world is pretty sure have been agreed upon. To be clear, none of these trades are final until they are announced at tonight’s NHL Awards ceremony:

Minnesota Wild

Vegas signs Erik Haula to multi-year contract, forfeiting expansion selection. Sends conditional draft pick.

Minnesota sends Alex Tuch.

Anaheim Ducks

Vegas selects Clayton Stoner.

Anaheim sends Shea Theodore.

Chicago Blackhawks

Vegas selects Trevor van Riemsdyk.

Chicago sends Marcus Kruger.

This deal in particular should be subject to skepticism, as today’s news surrounding Marian Hossa complicates things. Scott Powers of The Athletic has been told that Kruger will remain with the Blackhawks through tonight, though it’s unclear what that would mean for van Riemsdyk who is still eligible to be drafted.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Vegas will not select Josh Anderson, Joonas Korpisalo or Jack Johnson.

Columbus sends 2017 first-round pick, a prospect, and David Clarkson.

New York Islanders

Vegas will not select certain players left exposed (unclear who exactly has been included).

New York sends 2017 first-round pick, and  Mikhail Grabovski.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Vegas selects Marc-Andre Fleury.

Pittsburgh sends unknown draft pick.

There are also deals in place with other teams including Florida and Tampa Bay, but reports have been inconsistent on the details thus far. McKenzie’s thread gives some insight into what they could be, but at this point it is still speculation. Again, each of these should be considered still only expected as details are fuzzy on each of them. We’ll update this page with any other deals that are leaked in the next few hours.

Karl Alzner, Jordan Weal Will Not Sign With Vegas Before July 1st

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Pierre LeBrun of TSN spoke to J.P. Barry, agent to unrestricted free agents Karl Alzner and Jordan Weal who said his clients did speak with the Vegas Golden Knights but will wait to talk to other teams before making a decision. That takes them out of consideration to count as the Golden Knights’ expansion picks, but doesn’t rule out a deal eventually between the two sides. LeBrun is quick to point out that this doesn’t necessarily signal that Weal will not sign in Philadelphia before free agency opens next Saturday.

It has been clear since the end of the season that Alzner would not be back with the Washington Capitals next season, but with such appealing options available to them in the expansion draft the Golden Knights couldn’t afford to forfeit their selection. Nate Schmidt or Philipp Grubauer, the two most often expected to be the selection, are too valuable to Vegas to pass on just for the chance to sign Alzner early.

Weal on the other hand may be the most enticing option available after Philadelphia submitted their protection list. The 25-year old is a Group VI free agent this summer, and showed at the end of the year that there may be some NHL scoring ability in him after all. It’s not surprising that Vegas showed interest, as they likely will again if he can’t get a deal done with Philadelphia by the end of the month. The two sides had apparently agreed on term earlier this month, though still can’t decide on a salary that works.

The Golden Knights have signed Erik Haula from the Minnesota Wild, but that was more of a secondary part following a deal to protect extra players. It will be hard to see Vegas waste many opportunities just to sign a free agent that they may have a chance with anyway, especially with the intriguing free agents clustering in places like Washington and San Jose. Alexander Radulov remains an interesting option, though not a wisp of rumor has come out connecting the two sides prior to the deadline this morning.

Poll: Who Will Be The Best Golden Knights Player After The Dust Settles?

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When the NHL first introduced the rules under which the Vegas Golden Knights would be making their expansion draft selections, much of the hockey world immediately believed that they would be a disaster for the first few seasons. Now as GM George McPhee has held all the cards in the lead-up to the draft, the Golden Knights seem poised to acquire a huge pool of young talent right away.

Much of that young talent will come at the cost of not selecting the best NHL-ready players from around the league, as deals with Anaheim and Minnesota point to the Golden Knights avoiding some of the best available players. Shea Theodore and Alex Tuch are fine prizes, but players like Sami Vatanen and Eric Staal would have likely made a bigger impact in the first year.

So, after the team signed Vadim Shipachyov and may still be able to acquire players like James Neal, Marc Methot or Brock Nelson who exactly will be their best player? After all the dust settles, and the Golden Knights head into the 2017-18 season who will open as the face of the franchise and player anointed to carry the load for them in their first year?

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

Toronto Maple Leafs Discussing Trade With Vegas

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As teased in our earlier article about George McPhee’s confirmation that he and the Vegas Golden Knights already have at least six trades completed, is that the Toronto Maple Leafs are also still in discussions with the club. As Frank Seravalli of TSN notes in his latest piece, Toronto GM Lou Lamoriello was affected by travel issues and was given more time from McPhee to negotiate a deal with Vegas.

Though the Maple Leafs aren’t likely to need to dump salary or protect extra players—Joffery Lupul or Nathan Horton’s contracts could be moved for more cap space this summer, but it’s not imperative that the team do so—they could be on the prowl for one of the extra defensemen that Vegas will pick tomorrow. Seravalli notes Mathew Dumba, Colin Miller, Sami Vatanen and Marc Methot in his column but there are obviously many more.  Trevor van Riemsdyk

In our mock expansion draft, we had the Golden Knights picking ten defensemen from around the league and while it’s still unclear how the already completed trades could affect these names, it’s a list that would draw wide interest from the Maple Leafs. While Brayden McNabb and Nate Schmidt are both left-handed and would likely have to slot in behind Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner, they are both young enough to fit into the Leafs’ competitive window and would offer upgrades on Matt Hunwick and Martin Marincin, the duo most often deployed in that third pairing LHD spot last season.

The most interesting name though may be Trevor van Riemsdyk, young brother of Maple Leafs’ forward James van Riemsdyk and expected expansion casualty from the Chicago Blackhawks. The younger van Riemsdyk is only 25, right-handed and has begun to show a capability beyond his beginnings as an NCAA free agent.

In any case, there should be many names available to the Maple Leafs if the Golden Knights are looking to flip contracts after the draft. With several exciting prospects still in the Leafs system and a glut of young players already fighting for jobs at the NHL level, they could afford to move out a couple in any deal. It will be interesting to see what kind of dealing they have planned with the expansion franchise, if any at all.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Sabres Notes: Mueller, Coaching, Expansion

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Mirco Mueller was dealt from the San Jose Sharks to the New Jersey Devils just before the expansion protection lists were submitted, but they weren’t the only team interested in him. Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports that the Buffalo Sabres were also in talks with the Sharks before they made the move for Nathan Beaulieu instead. It’s clear that the Sabres are looking for every opportunity to improve their defense after finding little consistency from the back end a year ago.

So far, the Sabres project to have some combination of Beaulieu, Rasmus Ristolainen, Zach Bogosian, Josh Gorges, Jake McCabe and Viktor Antipin in their regular group, with Justin Falk, Brendan Guhle and others fighting for the last few spots. That’s a group that could seriously use another upgrade, as various levels of inexperience and inconsistency flow throughout. With Vegas announcing that they’d have defensemen for sale after the expansion draft, it wouldn’t be surprising to hear Buffalo had picked up the phone to try and acquire one.

  • That is of course if Buffalo doesn’t lose a defenseman of their own in the draft. Though we expect the Golden Knights to go after Linus Ullmark (with William Carrier a close second), there is always the chance that Bogosian could be selected. After all, even though he’s been disappointing for the Sabres since coming from Winnipeg in the Tyler Myers trade, he is still just 26 and has the pedigree of a third-overall pick. His contract still has three years left at a $5.14MM cap hit (and actually costs more from a salary perspective) but if Vegas believes he can put his injury woes behind him and become the top-pairing two-way defender he was drafted as they could potentially take him off Buffalo’s hands.
  • John Vogl of the Buffalo News passes on a report that Phil Housley will hire an all-new assistant coaching staff for next season, with Terry Murray, Bob Woods and Tom Ward all not expected to be retained. New GM Jason Botterill is attempting to change the entire culture in the Buffalo organization, and that likely means wiping the coaching slate clean. Interestingly, Murray is the uncle of former Buffalo GM Tim Murray and is a career NHL coach who has held the head position in Florida, Philadelphia, Washington and Los Angeles.

George McPhee Confirms Vegas Has Completed At Least Six Trades

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In meeting with the media today, GM George McPhee of the Vegas Golden Knights was excited about the prospects of his new expansion team. Chris Johnston of Sportsnet sent out a series of tweets quoting McPhee, as he talked about the pre-draft trades he’s completed. The GM announced that there are at least six deals but that he’s lost track of exactly how many. He also said that the team would claim several extra defenders that he would need to trade after the expansion process is complete, and was surprised at how much scoring talent the team has been able to acquire. Even though he had set a deadline last night, several GMs had travel issues in getting to Vegas and McPhee is still talking with them. The Toronto Maple Leafs are one such team, reports Johnston.

The Lightning, Blue Jackets, Islanders, Ducks, and Blackhawks have all been heavily rumored to have deals in place with the Golden Knights, either to eat a bad contract or protect extra players from expansion. Other teams, like the Nashville Predators and Minnesota Wild have tried to get something done without much reported success though obviously that can change in a moment.

One of the most interesting parts of the week will be how many of the expansion selections will be traded immediately, as available players like James Neal have little use to the expansion franchise but could hold big trade value on the open market. Mathew Dumba, Sami Vatanen, Josh Manson, Jason Demers, Calvin de Haan and others are available on defense, and would command healthy returns if they were actually made available. McPhee made it clear that he’s willing to go that route, telling Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports that some expansion picks will be traded the very next day. The Golden Knights are in an incredible position of leverage as the minutes tick down. They must submit their expansion selections and any free agent contracts tomorrow morning, before everything is announced at the NHL Awards show tomorrow night.

It should prove to be one of the most interesting nights in recent hockey history, with transactions flying all around the league. Remember that there is a still a moratorium on any movement that doesn’t include the expansion team until early Thursday morning, meaning teams will have to wait and watch the expansion frenzy while sitting on their proverbial hands.

No Deal In Place Between Ottawa, Vegas

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Both Pierre LeBrun of TSN and Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia believe as of the end of yesterday the Ottawa Senators did not have a deal in place with the Vegas Golden Knights. From Vegas GM George McPhee’s own mouth came the idea that they wouldn’t talk trade after last night, meaning Marc Methot and others will indeed be left exposed in the expansion draft.

In our recent mock expansion draft, our staff picked Methot from the Senators though not unanimously. Bobby Ryan received two votes and a lot more support from the PHR community, and the Senators would probably be happy if he was the selection over Methot. Ryan’s contract will pay him $7.25MM for the next five seasons, and similar to the situation with Dion Phaneuf, the Senators have to believe his price tag will be enough to keep him out of the Golden Knights dressing room. There are other options on defense, with Chris Wideman, Mark Borowiecki and Fredrik Claesson all going unprotected. While those three all have some value, Methot could move into a leadership role with the Golden Knights or could be a top trade candidate as his contract comes to an end in the summer of 2018.

If it is Methot that heads to the strip, the Senators will need to find another player to ride shotgun with Erik Karlsson for next season. Claesson seems to be the only real option for that for the time being, as Borowiecki plays a much different game and Phaneuf has found a chemistry with Cody Ceci on the second pair. Top prospect Thomas Chabot should make an impact eventually, but plays the same side as Karlsson.

PHR Mock Expansion Roster

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The protection lists are in, and the Vegas Golden Knights are on the clock to determine who will be selected in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. Each team will lose one player off their roster, either through an expansion selection or the Golden Knights signing a free agent.

Vegas must select at least 20 players who are under contract for the 2017-18 season and a minimum of 14 forwards, 9 defensemen and 3 goaltenders. The contracts of the selected players must fall between 60% ($43.8MM) and 100% ($73MM) of the 2016-17 salary cap. The entire rules for the selection process can be found here.

Here at PHR  Zach Leach, Brian La Rose, Mike Furlano, Nate Brown, Seth Lawrence, Holger Stolzenberg and I all submitted what we thought the Vegas expansion selections would look like, and below is the projected roster based on those predictions. This made for a pretty interesting lineup, selecting a surplus of NHL defensemen and goaltenders in order to collect assets for the summer.

Forwards (15):

James Neal (NSH)
Cody Eakin (DAL)
David Perron (STL)
Jamie McGinn (ARZ)
Brock Nelson (NYI)
William Karlsson (CBJ)
Hunter Shinkaruk (CGY)
Kerby Rychel (TOR)
Marko Dano (WPG)
Jon Marchessault (FLA)
Charles Hudon (MTL)
Nicolas Kerdiles (ANA)
Beau Bennett (NJD)
Brendan Gaunce (VAN)
Taylor Leier (PHI)

Defensemen (10):

Marc Methot (OTT)
Brenden Dillon (SJS)
Mathew Dumba (MIN)
Brayden McNabb (LAK)
Colin Miller (BOS)
Klas Dahlbeck (CAR)
Trevor van Riemsdyk (CHI)
Griffin Reinhart (EDM)
Jake Dotchin (TB)
Nate Schmidt (WSH)

Goaltenders (5):

Marc-Andre Fleury (PIT)
Petr Mrazek (DET)
Antti Raanta (NYR)
Calvin Pickard (COL)
Linus Ullmark (BUF)

Obviously, some of the expected side deals were taken into account with Anaheim being the clearest example. Both Sami Vatanen and Josh Manson were not selected, as it is almost a given that Anaheim has some sort of a protection deal with the Golden Knights. That said, as GM George McPhee said today, nothing is final until it’s final.

Here are the honorable mentions, made up of players that received more than one vote but were still not the majority choice:

Sami Vatanen (ANA), Josh Manson (ANA), Alexander Burmistrov (ARZ), Malcolm Subban (BOS), William Carrier (BUF), Eddie Lack (CAR), Mikhail Grigorenko (COL), Jack Johnson (CBJ), Dan Hamhuis (DAL), Iiro Pakarinen (EDM), Christian Folin (MIN), Ryan Strome (NYI), Thomas Hickey (NYI), Michael Grabner (NYR), Bobby Ryan (OTT), Paul Martin (SJ) Nail Yakupov (STL), Dmitrij Jaskin (STL), Cedric Paquette (TB), Andrey Pedan (VAN), Philipp Grubauer (WSH).

We came to a unanimous decision on only three players, with Trevor van Riemsdyk, Marc-Andre Fleury and Marko Dano receiving votes from all seven writers. That uncertainty will make the next few days even more interesting, as surprises and closed-door dealings will be sure to make June 21st a wild night. Make sure to leave your choices in the comments, and what you think the chances of this team would be next season.

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