In the expansion draft on Wednesday night, the Vegas Golden Knights broke all of our hearts when they selected Nate Schmidt from the Caps.
Since the expansion draft occurred, the Golden Knights have acknowledged that they intend to deal some of the players they drafted for other assets, primarily draft picks. Rumors have swirled around what players selected in the expansion draft could be dealt, and these rumors included Schmidt possibly going to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
But, according to Golden Knight’s General Manager George McPhee, Schmidt won’t be going anywhere.
Asked GM GM about Nate Schmidt, says he's not trading any of his young players. Keeping Schmidt.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 22, 2017
This move makes sense for multiple reasons. Most obviously, Schmidt will provide very good value, as he’s likely to sign a deal for $2-2.5 million per season but is capable of playing in a top-four role. At 25, Schmidt is also young enough that he will still be a meaningful contributor in a few years when the Golden Knights become truly competitive.
While the bad news is Schmidt won’t be playing for the Caps next season, the good news is the Golden Knights don’t intend to flip him to a team that could use a left-handed shooting defenseman like, say, the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Since the expansion draft concluded, the Golden Knights have made two trades, flipping two players for more draft picks.
The Golden Knights have traded defenseman David Schlemko to @CanadiensMTL for a fifth-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. pic.twitter.com/7aTFFhHukh
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 22, 2017
We have acquired the @penguins 2nd-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft from @NHLCanes in exchange for defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk. pic.twitter.com/NectgUAQ8D
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 22, 2017
As of this article being published, the Golden Knights have 13 selections in the 2017 NHL Draft, including three first-round picks.
We now have 1️⃣3️⃣2017 draft picks:
1st round: 3️⃣
2nd round:3️⃣
3rd round: 1️⃣
4th round: 1️⃣
5th round: 2️⃣
6th round: 2️⃣
7th round: 1️⃣— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 22, 2017
Headline photo: Benjamin Hager-Las Vegas Review-Journal
