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The Vegas Golden Knights are one day away from having a roster that consists of more than a couple of spare parts on CapFriendly. But since it’s 2017 and everyone’s a GM these days, we at Canes Country decided to give Vegas GM George McPhee a little help in assembling his roster.
Members of the writing staff used the SB Nation expansion draft tool (we are, after all, company men and women) to assemble our roster. We followed largely the same rules that the Golden Knights have to follow in assembling their team, with one exception: in forming our rosters, we assumed that no side deals would be made and the list is what it is. That doesn’t mean, though, that teams couldn’t be assembled with future trades in mind, and indeed some of our rosters loaded up on potential trade-deadline bait.
What did we learn in this process?
- Petr Mrazek being left exposed by the Red Wings threw a monkey wrench into the whole Marc-Andre Fleury, Future Golden Knight storyline. While six of our writers still shipped Fleury to Vegas, three saw Bryan Rust on the available list and grabbed him instead.
- Jonathan Marchessault should just go ahead and start scouting apartments right now. He’s the only player from any team who was unanimous in being selected on all ten rosters.
- An honorable mention goes to the Wild’s Matt Dumba, named on nine of ten rosters. The Predators’ James Neal and Marko Dano from the Jets were named on eight apiece.
- On the flip side, no one’s really sure who’s leaving the Coyotes or Islanders. Six different players from each of those teams were named on our ten rosters, with Alexander Burmistrov and Ryan Strome the only ones to appear more than once.
- In the honorable mention category, five players were named on at least one roster from the Sharks, Flyers, Flames and Blues.
- Could Eric Staal be the first captain of the Golden Knights? At least one person says yes.
- And what of the Hurricanes? Seven of us think that Lee Stempniak is headed west, two went with Joakim Nordstrom, and one plucked Eddie Lack off the Canes’ list.
Below are our rosters. Whose does your own match up closest with? We’ll find out the real roster tomorrow night during the NHL Awards show in — you guessed it — Las Vegas.
Brian (16 F, 11 D, 3 G, $49.5m cap hit)
| Player | Position | Former team | Cap hit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Position | Former team | Cap hit |
| Josh Manson | D | Anaheim | $825,000 |
| Kevin Connauton | D | Arizona | $1,000,000 |
| Colin Miller | D | Boston | $1,000,000 |
| William Carrier | F | Buffalo | $689,000 |
| Lance Bouma | F | Calgary | $2,200,000 |
| Lee Stempniak | F | Carolina | $2,500,000 |
| Trevor van Riemsdyk | D | Chicago | $825,000 |
| Mikhail Grigorenko | F | Colorado | RFA |
| William Karlsson | F | Columbus | $1,000,000 |
| Jamie Oleksiak | D | Dallas | RFA |
| Petr Mrazek | G | Detroit | $4,000,000 |
| Jujhar Khaira | F | Edmonton | $675,000 |
| Jonathan Marchessault | F | Florida | $750,000 |
| Brayden McNabb | D | Los Angeles | $1,700,000 |
| Matt Dumba | D | Minnesota | $2,550,000 |
| Brandon Davidson | D | Montreal | $1,425,000 |
| James Neal | F | Nashville | $5,000,000 |
| Devante Smith-Pelly | F | New Jersey | $1,300,000 |
| Josh Bailey | F | NY Islanders | $3,300,000 |
| Jesper Fast | F | NY Rangers | RFA |
| Andrew Hammond | G | Ottawa | $1,400,000 |
| Michal Neuvirth | G | Philadelphia | $2,500,000 |
| Bryan Rust | F | Pittsburgh | $640,000 |
| Mikkel Boedker | F | San Jose | $4,000,000 |
| David Perron | F | St. Louis | $3,750,000 |
| Cedric Paquette | F | Tampa Bay | $812,500 |
| Martin Marincin | D | Toronto | $1,250,000 |
| Luca Sbisa | D | Vancouver | $3,600,000 |
| Nate Schmidt | D | Washington | RFA |
| Marko Dano | F | Winnipeg | $850,000 |
Peter (17 F, 10 D, 3 G, $52.4M cap hit)
| Player | Position | Former team | Cap hit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Position | Former team | Cap hit |
| Sami Vatanen | D | Anaheim | $4,875,000 |
| Alexander Burmistrov | F | Arizona | RFA |
| Colin Miller | D | Boston | $1,000,000 |
| William Carrier | F | Buffalo | $689,000 |
| Alex Chiasson | D | Calgary | RFA |
| Joakim Nordstrom | F | Carolina | $1,275,000 |
| Trevor van Riemsdyk | D | Chicago | $825,000 |
| Calvin Pickard | G | Colorado | $1,000,000 |
| Matt Calvert | F | Columbus | $2,200,000 |
| Cody Eakin | F | Dallas | $3,850,000 |
| Petr Mrazek | G | Detroit | $4,000,000 |
| Griffin Reinhart | D | Edmonton | RFA |
| Jonathan Marchessault | F | Florida | $750,000 |
| Brayden McNabb | D | Los Angeles | $1,700,000 |
| Matt Dumba | D | Minnesota | $2,550,000 |
| Daniel Carr | F | Montreal | $725,000 |
| James Neal | F | Nashville | $5,000,000 |
| Mike Cammalleri | F | New Jersey | $5,000,000 |
| Dennis Seidenberg | D | NY Islanders | $1,250,000 |
| Michael Grabner | F | NY Rangers | $1,650,000 |
| Marc Methot | D | Ottawa | $4,900,000 |
| Michael Raffl | F | Philadelphia | $2,350,000 |
| Bryan Rust | F | Pittsburgh | $640,000 |
| Aaron Dell | G | San Jose | $625,000 |
| Jori Lehtera | F | St. Louis | $4,700,000 |
| Slater Koekkoek | D | Tampa Bay | RFA |
| Brendan Leipsic | F | Toronto | RFA |
| Brendan Gaunce | F | Vancouver | RFA |
| Nate Schmidt | D | Washington | RFA |
| Marko Dano | F | Winnipeg | $850,000 |
Kyle (18 F, 9 D, 3 G, $59.7m cap hit)
| Player | Position | Former team | Cap hit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Position | Former team | Cap hit |
| Sami Vatanen | D | Anaheim | $4,875,000 |
| Peter Holland | F | Arizona | RFA |
| Colin Miller | D | Boston | $1,000,000 |
| William Carrier | F | Buffalo | $689,000 |
| Hunter Shinkaruk | F | Calgary | $863,000 |
| Lee Stempniak | F | Carolina | $2,500,000 |
| Ville Pokka | D | Chicago | RFA |
| Mikhail Grigorenko | F | Colorado | RFA |
| Joonas Korpisalo | G | Columbus | $900,000 |
| Cody Eakin | F | Dallas | $3,850,000 |
| Petr Mrazek | G | Detroit | $4,000,000 |
| Jujhar Khaira | F | Edmonton | $675,000 |
| Jonathan Marchessault | F | Florida | $750,000 |
| Brayden McNabb | D | Los Angeles | $1,700,000 |
| Matt Dumba | D | Minnesota | $2,550,000 |
| Charles Hudon | F | Montreal | $650,000 |
| James Neal | F | Nashville | $5,000,000 |
| Mike Cammalleri | F | New Jersey | $5,000,000 |
| Ryan Strome | F | NY Islanders | $2,500,000 |
| Oscar Lindberg | F | NY Rangers | RFA |
| Bobby Ryan | F | Ottawa | $7,250,000 |
| Matt Read | F | Philadelphia | $3,625,000 |
| Marc-Andre Fleury | G | Pittsburgh | $5,750,000 |
| Brenden Dillon | D | San Jose | $3,270,000 |
| Nail Yakupov | F | St. Louis | RFA |
| Slater Koekkoek | F | Tampa Bay | RFA |
| Alexey Marchenko | D | Toronto | $1,450,000 |
| Brendan Gaunce | F | Vancouver | RFA |
| Nate Schmidt | D | Washington | RFA |
| Marko Dano | F | Winnipeg | $850,000 |
Andy (18 F, 9 D, 3 G, $62.8m cap hit)
| Player | Position | Former team | Cap hit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Position | Former team | Cap hit |
| Sami Vatanen | D | Anaheim | $4,875,000 |
| Jamie McGinn | F | Arizona | $3,333,333 |
| Matt Beleskey | F | Boston | $3,800,000 |
| Linus Ullmark | G | Buffalo | $750,000 |
| Lance Bouma | F | Calgary | $2,200,000 |
| Lee Stempniak | F | Carolina | $2,500,000 |
| Marcus Kruger | F | Chicago | $3,083,333 |
| Calvin Pickard | G | Colorado | $1,000,000 |
| Zac Dalpe | F | Columbus | $725,000 |
| Nick Ebert | F | Dallas | RFA |
| Xavier Ouellet | D | Detroit | RFA |
| Benoit Pouliot | F | Edmonton | $4,000,000 |
| Jonathan Marchessault | F | Florida | $750,000 |
| Brayden McNabb | D | Los Angeles | $1,700,000 |
| Matt Dumba | D | Minnesota | $2,550,000 |
| Daniel Carr | F | Montreal | $725,000 |
| Austin Watson | F | Nashville | RFA |
| Ben Lovejoy | D | New Jersey | $2,666,667 |
| Brock Nelson | F | NY Islanders | $2,500,000 |
| Adam Clendening | D | NY Rangers | RFA |
| Marc Methot | D | Ottawa | $4,900,000 |
| Dale Weise | F | Philadelphia | $2,350,000 |
| Marc-Andre Fleury | G | Pittsburgh | $5,750,000 |
| Mikkel Boedker | F | San Jose | $4,000,000 |
| David Perron | F | St. Louis | $3,750,000 |
| Cedric Paquette | F | Tampa Bay | $812,000 |
| Eric Fehr | F | Toronto | $2,000,000 |
| Brendan Gaunce | F | Vancouver | RFA |
| Nate Schmidt | D | Washington | RFA |
| Shawn Matthias | F | Winnipeg | $2,125,000 |
Justin (17 F, 9 D, 4 G, $57.7m cap hit)
| Player | Position | Former team | Cap hit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Position | Former team | Cap hit |
| Sami Vatanen | D | Anaheim | $4,875,000 |
| Teemu Pulkkinen | F | Arizona | RFA |
| Malcolm Subban | G | Boston | RFA |
| Zach Bogosian | D | Buffalo | $5,143,000 |
| Hunter Shinkaruk | F | Calgary | $863,000 |
| Lee Stempniak | F | Carolina | $2,500,000 |
| Trevor van Riemsdyk | D | Chicago | $825,000 |
| Mikhail Grigorenko | F | Colorado | RFA |
| Matt Calvert | F | Columbus | $2,220,000 |
| Cody Eakin | F | Dallas | $3,850,000 |
| Ryan Sproul | D | Detroit | $625,000 |
| Griffin Reinhart | D | Edmonton | RFA |
| Jonathan Marchessault | F | Florida | $750,000 |
| Kyle Clifford | F | Los Angeles | $1,600,000 |
| Matt Dumba | D | Minnesota | $2,550,000 |
| Stefan Matteau | F | Montreal | RFA |
| James Neal | F | Nashville | $5,000,000 |
| Devante Smith-Pelly | F | New Jersey | $1,300,000 |
| Ryan Strome | F | NY Islanders | $2,500,000 |
| Michael Grabner | F | NY Rangers | $1,650,000 |
| Bobby Ryan | F | Ottawa | $7,250,000 |
| T.J. Brennan | D | Philadelphia | $625,000 |
| Marc-Andre Fleury | G | Pittsburgh | $5,750,000 |
| David Schlemko | D | San Jose | $2,100,000 |
| Nail Yakupov | F | St. Louis | RFA |
| J.T. Brown | F | Tampa Bay | $1,250,000 |
| Garret Sparks | G | Toronto | RFA |
| Luca Sbisa | D | Vancouver | $3,600,000 |
| Philipp Grubauer | G | Washington | RFA |
| Marko Dano | F | Winnipeg | $850,000 |
Brandon (18 F, 9 D, 3 G, $70.7m cap hit)
| Player | Position | Former team | Cap hit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Position | Former team | Cap hit |
| Josh Manson | D | Anaheim | $825,000 |
| Alexander Burmistrov | F | Arizona | RFA |
| Matt Beleskey | F | Boston | $3,800,000 |
| Zach Bogosian | D | Buffalo | $5,143,000 |
| Troy Brouwer | F | Calgary | $4,500,000 |
| Joakim Nordstrom | F | Carolina | $1,275,000 |
| Trevor van Riemsdyk | D | Chicago | $825,000 |
| Calvin Pickard | G | Colorado | $1,000,000 |
| William Karlsson | F | Columbus | $1,000,000 |
| Jamie Oleksiak | D | Dallas | RFA |
| Petr Mrazek | G | Detroit | $4,000,000 |
| Griffin Reinhart | D | Edmonton | RFA |
| Jonathan Marchessault | F | Florida | $750,000 |
| Dustin Brown | F | Los Angeles | $5,875,000 |
| Matt Dumba | D | Minnesota | $2,550,000 |
| Tomas Plekanec | F | Montreal | $6,000,000 |
| James Neal | F | Nashville | $5,000,000 |
| Mike Cammalleri | F | New Jersey | $5,000,000 |
| Ryan Strome | F | NY Islanders | $2,500,000 |
| Antti Raanta | G | NY Rangers | $1,000,000 |
| Bobby Ryan | F | Ottawa | $7,250,000 |
| Michael Raffl | F | Philadelphia | $2,350,000 |
| Bryan Rust | F | Pittsburgh | $640,000 |
| Mikkel Boedker | F | San Jose | $4,000,000 |
| Dmitrij Jaskin | F | St. Louis | $1,000,000 |
| Jake Dotchin | D | Tampa Bay | RFA |
| Brendan Leipsic | F | Toronto | RFA |
| Luca Sbisa | D | Vancouver | $3,600,000 |
| Nate Schmidt | D | Washington | RFA |
| Marko Dano | F | Winnipeg | $850,000 |
Cody (17 F, 10 D, 3 G, $71.7m cap hit)
| Player | Position | Former team | Cap hit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Position | Former team | Cap hit |
| Sami Vatanen | D | Anaheim | $4,875,000 |
| Brad Richardson | F | Arizona | $2,083,333 |
| Jimmy Hayes | F | Boston | $2,300,000 |
| Linus Ullmark | G | Buffalo | $750,000 |
| Matt Stajan | F | Calgary | $3,125,000 |
| Lee Stempniak | F | Carolina | $2,500,000 |
| Trevor van Riemsdyk | D | Chicago | $825,000 |
| Joe Colborne | F | Colorado | $2,500,000 |
| Matt Calvert | F | Columbus | $2,200,000 |
| Cody Eakin | F | Dallas | $3,850,000 |
| Tomas Nosek | F | Detroit | $612,000 |
| Iiro Pakarinen | F | Edmonton | $725,000 |
| Jonathan Marchessault | F | Florida | $750,000 |
| Matt Greene | D | Los Angeles | $2,500,000 |
| Matt Dumba | D | Minnesota | $2,550,000 |
| Alexei Emelin | D | Montreal | $4,100,000 |
| James Neal | F | Nashville | $5,000,000 |
| Devante Smith-Pelly | F | New Jersey | $1,300,000 |
| Casey Cizikas | F | NY Islanders | $3,350,000 |
| Antti Raanta | G | NY Rangers | $1,000,000 |
| Marc Methot | D | Ottawa | $4,900,000 |
| Dale Weise | F | Philadelphia | $2,350,000 |
| Marc-Andre Fleury | G | Pittsburgh | $5,750,000 |
| Brenden Dillon | D | San Jose | $3,270,000 |
| Kyle Brodziak | F | St. Louis | $950,000 |
| J.T. Brown | F | Tampa Bay | $1,250,000 |
| Martin Marincin | D | Toronto | $1,250,000 |
| Alex Biega | D | Vancouver | $750,000 |
| Jay Beagle | F | Washington | $1,750,000 |
| Mark Stuart | D | Winnipeg | $2,625,000 |
Zeke (17 F, 10 D, 3 G, $69.5m cap hit)
| Player | Position | Former team | Cap hit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Position | Former team | Cap hit |
| Josh Manson | D | Anaheim | $825,000 |
| Alexander Burmistrov | F | Arizona | RFA |
| Matt Beleskey | F | Boston | $3,800,000 |
| Josh Gorges | D | Buffalo | $3,900,000 |
| Alex Chiasson | D | Calgary | RFA |
| Lee Stempniak | F | Carolina | $2,500,000 |
| Marcus Kruger | F | Chicago | $3,083,333 |
| Mark Barberio | D | Colorado | $750,000 |
| Jack Johnson | D | Columbus | $4,357,000 |
| Cody Eakin | F | Dallas | $3,850,000 |
| Petr Mrazek | G | Detroit | $4,000,000 |
| Benoit Pouliot | F | Edmonton | $4,000,000 |
| Jonathan Marchessault | F | Florida | $750,000 |
| Brayden McNabb | D | Los Angeles | $1,700,000 |
| Matt Dumba | D | Minnesota | $2,550,000 |
| Brandon Davidson | D | Montreal | $1,425,000 |
| James Neal | F | Nashville | $5,000,000 |
| Beau Bennett | F | New Jersey | RFA |
| Ryan Strome | F | NY Islanders | $2,500,000 |
| Antti Raanta | G | NY Rangers | $1,000,000 |
| Bobby Ryan | F | Ottawa | $7,250,000 |
| Michael Raffl | F | Philadelphia | $2,350,000 |
| Carl Hagelin | F | Pittsburgh | $4,000,000 |
| Joel Ward | F | San Jose | $3,275,000 |
| David Perron | F | St. Louis | $3,750,000 |
| Jake Dotchin | D | Tampa Bay | RFA |
| Martin Marincin | D | Toronto | $1,250,000 |
| Alex Biega | D | Vancouver | $750,000 |
| Philipp Grubauer | G | Washington | RFA |
| Marko Dano | F | Winnipeg | $850,000 |
Jamie (16 F, 10 D, 4 G, $67.4m cap hit)
| Player | Position | Former team | Cap hit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Position | Former team | Cap hit |
| Sami Vatanen | D | Anaheim | $4,875,000 |
| Alexander Burmistrov | F | Arizona | RFA |
| Jimmy Hayes | F | Boston | $2,300,000 |
| Linus Ullmark | G | Buffalo | $750,000 |
| Lance Bouma | F | Calgary | $2,200,000 |
| Eddie Lack | G | Carolina | $2,750,000 |
| Marcus Kruger | F | Chicago | $3,083,333 |
| Mark Barberio | D | Colorado | $750,000 |
| Jack Johnson | D | Columbus | $4,357,000 |
| Cody Eakin | F | Dallas | $3,850,000 |
| Xavier Ouellet | D | Detroit | RFA |
| Griffin Reinhart | D | Edmonton | RFA |
| Jonathan Marchessault | F | Florida | $750,000 |
| Brayden McNabb | D | Los Angeles | $1,700,000 |
| Eric Staal | F | Minnesota | $3,500,000 |
| Charles Hudon | F | Montreal | $650,000 |
| Colton Sissons | F | Nashville | $625,000 |
| Mike Cammalleri | F | New Jersey | $5,000,000 |
| Nikolai Kulemin | F | NY Islanders | $4,188,000 |
| Antti Raanta | G | NY Rangers | $1,000,000 |
| Bobby Ryan | F | Ottawa | $7,250,000 |
| Dale Weise | F | Philadelphia | $2,350,000 |
| Marc-Andre Fleury | G | Pittsburgh | $5,750,000 |
| Mikkel Boedker | F | San Jose | $4,000,000 |
| Nail Yakupov | F | St. Louis | RFA |
| Jake Dotchin | D | Tampa Bay | RFA |
| Martin Marincin | D | Toronto | $1,250,000 |
| Luca Sbisa | D | Vancouver | $3,600,000 |
| Nate Schmidt | D | Washington | RFA |
| Marko Dano | F | Winnipeg | $850,000 |
Brett (15 F, 11 D, 4 G, $52.1m cap hit)
| Player | Position | Former team | Cap hit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Position | Former team | Cap hit |
| Sami Vatanen | D | Anaheim | $4,875,000 |
| Alexander Burmistrov | F | Arizona | RFA |
| Colin Miller | D | Boston | $1,000,000 |
| Zach Bogosian | D | Buffalo | $5,143,333 |
| Alex Chiasson | F | Calgary | RFA |
| Lee Stempniak | F | Carolina | $2,500,000 |
| Trevor van Riemsdyk | D | Chicago | $825,000 |
| Calvin Pickard | G | Colorado | $1,000,000 |
| William Karlsson | F | Columbus | $1,000,000 |
| Curtis McKenzie | F | Dallas | $700,000 |
| Xavier Ouellet | D | Detroit | RFA |
| Griffin Reinhart | D | Edmonton | RFA |
| Jonathan Marchessault | F | Florida | $750,000 |
| Nick Shore | F | Los Angeles | RFA |
| Matt Dumba | D | Minnesota | $2,550,000 |
| Charles Hudon | F | Montreal | $650,000 |
| James Neal | F | Nashville | $5,000,000 |
| Jon Merrill | D | New Jersey | $1,138,000 |
| Ryan Strome | F | NY Islanders | $2,500,000 |
| Antti Raanta | G | NY Rangers | $1,000,000 |
| Marc Methot | D | Ottawa | $4,900,000 |
| Michael Raffl | F | Philadelphia | $2,350,000 |
| Marc-Andre Fleury | G | Pittsburgh | $5,750,000 |
| Mikkel Boedker | F | San Jose | $4,000,000 |
| Nail Yakupov | F | St. Louis | RFA |
| Slater Koekkoek | D | Tampa Bay | RFA |
| Brendan Leipsic | F | Toronto | RFA |
| Luca Sbisa | D | Vancouver | $3,600,000 |
| Philipp Grubauer | G | Washington | RFA |
| Marko Dano | F | Winnipeg | $850,000 |