NHL expansion draft rumors: Vegas Golden Knights roster takes shape
The Vegas Golden Knights have assembled their first team in franchise history and news is beginning to leak out about the composition of the roster.
The NHL’s other 30 teams submitted their lists of protected players on Sunday and Vegas had until 10 a.m. ET Wednesday to select one player from each team. General manager George McPhee said Tuesday that the team planned to keep tinkering with its picks until right up to the deadline.
McPhee also said that Vegas has six trade agreements in place with teams. The deals reportedly entail teams sending draft picks to Vegas in exchange for the assurance that the Golden Knights will not select certain unprotected players in the expansion process. TSN’s Frank Seravalli reported that such deals are in place with the Islanders, Blackhawks, Blue Jackets and Ducks.
Sportsnet’s John Shannon reported shortly after 3:30 p.m. ET that all 30 teams have been informed which players they’ll be losing in the expansion draft and set out informing the players. Vegas’s selections will officially be announced during the NHL’s awards show Wednesday night beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Follow all the latest news on the expansion draft below.
• The Blues are losing David Perron in the expansion draft. (Raphael Doucet, Hockey Magazine)
• The Golden Knights are taking Cody Eakin from the Stars. (Jim Toth, TSN 1290)
• The Penguins are sending a draft pick to Vegas to have the Golden Knights take Marc-Andre Fleury and clear space off Pittsburgh’s cap. (Pierre LeBrun, TSN)
• Wild restricted free agent Erik Haula will be selected by Vegas in the expansion draft and then sign a multi-year deal. Minnesota prospect Alex Tuch is being traded to the Golden Knights in exchange for the assurance from Vegas that it will not select one of Minnesota’s valuable unprotected players, such as Eric Staal, Marco Scandella and Matt Dumba. Minnesota will also receive a conditional draft pick from Vegas in the Tuch deal. (Michael Russo, Star Tribune)
• The Panthers player selected by Vegas is not Jonathan Marchessault. (L.A. Lariviere, TVA Sports) UPDATE: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman says Vegas is taking Marchessault.
• The Predators are expected to lose James Neal in the expansion draft but Vegas could subsequently move him. (Bob McKenzie, TSN)
• It looks like Brendan Leipsic is going from Toronto to Vegas in the expansion draft. (Darren Dreger, TSN)
• Alexei Emelin appears to be the Golden Knights’ choice from Montreal. Emelin, for whatever it’s worth, is now following the Golden Knights on Instagram. (Frank Seravalli, TSN)
• Vegas is taking Marc Methot from the Senators, but could be shipping him elsewhere in the coming days. (Pierre LeBrun, TSN)
• The Jets have a trade agreement with the Golden Knights to keep Toby Enstrom in Winnipeg. (Darren Dreger, TSN)
• The Golden Knights are taking Brayden McNabb from the Kings. (John Hoven, NHL Network Radio)
• Tomas Nosek is the player the Red Wings are “most likely” to lose in the expansion draft. (Craig Custance, The Athletic)
• William Karlsson appears to be the heading to Vegas from Columbus in the draft. (Aaron Portzline, Columbus Dispatch)
• The Ducks are believed to be taking Clayton Stoner in the draft and acquiring Shea Theodore in exchange for passing on Sami Vatanen and Josh Manson. (Bob McKenzie, TSN)
• The Rangers are losing Oscar Lindberg, not goalie Antti Raanta. It isn’t clear yet if Lindberg, a 25-year-old checking forward, was Vegas’s first choice or if the Rangers had an agreement in place to steer the Golden Knights away from picking Raanta. (Frank Seravalli, TSN) UPDATE: There is no trade in place with Vegas. The Golden Knights picked Lindberg over Raanta and Michael Grabner. (Larry Brooks, New York Post)
• The previously reported deal between the Islanders and Golden Knights will entail Vegas taking young goaltender Jean-Francois Berube in the expansion draft. (Bob McKenzie, TSN)
• Pierre-Edouard Bellemare is Vegas’s choice from the Flyers. (Craig Custance, The Athletic)
• The Golden Knights are taking pending unrestricted free agent Deryk Engelland from the Flames. (John Shannon, Sportsnet)
• Vegas is Griffin Reinhart from the Oilers. Reinhart, the No. 4 pick in the 2012 draft, was acquired from the Islanders for two first-round picks in 2015. He played 29 games for Edmonton in the 2015–16 season and did not appear in the NHL last season. (John Shannon, Sportsnet)
• David Schlemko looks like the guy going from San Jose to Vegas (Pierre LeBrun, TSN)