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Vegas Golden Knights plan to keep Nate Schmidt

By Patrick Holden

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June 23, 2017 10:32 am

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.

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.

As of this article being published, the Golden Knights have 13 selections in the 2017 NHL Draft, including three first-round picks.

Headline photo: Benjamin Hager-Las Vegas Review-Journal

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