Forward James Neal and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury were introduced as part of the Vegas Golden Knights inaugural squad as the National Hockey League held its first expansion draft in 17 years.
Vegas ended up with 26-year-old forward Jon Marchessault, who was left unprotected after a 30-goal season, but it also received forward Reilly Smith in exchange for the Golden Knights' fourth-round pick in 2018.
The Expansion Draft was somewhat awkwardly sandwiched between announcements in the NHL Awards show, with groups of picks being revealed by owner Bill Foley and general manager George McPhee during breaks in the hardware being handed out.
"A couple of days ago, they threw the interest out there but I didn't think much of it", said Engelland, calling from backstage at the T-Mobile Arena and the scene of the NHL Expansion Draft.
Will the team try to move Methot now or wait until next year's trade deadline, when his value could increase?
What's odd to me is how many people who should and maybe do know better are blowing smoke up your ass and saying this team might be good now.
The 17-year-old Owen Sound centre was the second of three Vegas first rounders - between Cody Glass and Erik Brannstrom.
Nashville general manager David Poile has been named the NHL's top executive, and Columbus coach John Tortorella has won the Jack Adams Award as the top coach. McPhee and assistant GM Kelly McCrimmon developed a blueprint with an aim toward controlling the process while putting together a competitive team as well as stockpiling draft picks.
Vegas, which selected 30 players in its expansion draft Wednesday night, has three picks in each of the first two rounds.
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But Nick Suzuki is already getting used to it.
The Golden Knights have to get rid of players, making the team a one-stop shop for teams in search of bargain deals. To see the trophies up close and personal, touch them, get a picture with them, it makes it all a little bit more real. "To be their first pick, that really means a lot".
They took players they needed now, players they needed for the future and players they really didn't need at all. Then Vegas makes the first pick in franchise history.
The expansion draft itself was mostly anticlimactic, as the names of numerous new Golden Knights had already leaked out.
As for the impact of the expansion draft to the league, it is expected to give a major blow to the other teams.
Vegas went young with most of the rest of its forward picks, including Oscar Lindberg from the Rangers and a few unproven players in Arizona's Teemu Pulkkinen, Carolina's Connor Brickley, Buffalo's William Carrier, Detroit's Tomas Nosek and Toronto's Brendan Leipsic. The NHL still had ties in 1994, so teams didnt pick up extra points through shootout wins. Last season he accumulated 46 points and 107 penalty minutes in 65 games. He was one of the only unrestricted free agents the Golden Knights signed during their exclusive negotiating window leading up to the expansion draft. They need at least one center to play on one of their first three lines and possibly two centers overall, depending on how they feel about some of their prospects.
Vegas Golden Knights' Jason Garrison poses for photographers Wednesday, June 21, 2017, in Las Vegas.
"My roots are here", Engelland said. "Definitely ready for that part of it". The Vegas Golden Knights have a full roster. The Ducks traded the promising Theodore to stop Vegas from selecting defensemen Sami Vatanen and Josh Manson - and to persuade the Golden Knights to take Clayton Stoner instead, removing his onerous contract from the five-time defending Pacific Division champions' books.
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