Brooks’s Golden Knights Picks
| Team | Position | Name | Age | Cap Hit | Status | ||||
| Anaheim | D | Sami Vatanen | 26 | $4.875 mil | UFA 2020 | ||||
| Arizona | LW | Teemu Pulkkinen | 25 | $812,500 | RFA 2017 | ||||
| Boston | G | Malcolm Subban | 23 | $863,333 | RFA 2017 | ||||
| Buffalo | D | Zach Bogosian | 26 | $5.142 mil | UFA 2020 | ||||
| Calgary | RW | Troy Brouwer | 31 | $4.5 mil | UFA 2020 | ||||
| Carolina | LW | Joakim Nordstrom | 25 | $1.275 mil | RFA 2018 | ||||
| Chicago | D | Trevor Van Riemsdyk | 25 | $825,000 | RFA 2018 | ||||
| Colorado | C | Mikhail Grigorenko | 23 | $1.3 mil | RFA 2017 | ||||
| Columbus | C | William Karlsson | 24 | $1 mil | RFA 2018 | ||||
| Dallas | C | Cody Eakin | 26 | $3.85 mil | UFA 2020 | ||||
| Detroit | G | Jared Coreau | 25 | $612,500 | RFA 2018 | ||||
| Edmonton | LW | Jujhar Khaira | 22 | $675,000 | RFA 2019 | ||||
| Florida | C | Jonathan Marchessault | 26 | $750,000 | UFA 2018 | ||||
| Los Angeles | D | Brayden McNabb | 26 | $1.7 mil | UFA 2018 | ||||
| Minnesota | D | Matt Dumba | 22 | $2.55 mil | RFA 2018 | ||||
| Montreal | D | Brandon Davidson | 25 | $1.425 mil | RFA 2018 | ||||
| Nashville | LW | James Neal | 29 | $5 mil | UFA 2018 | ||||
| New Jersey | D | Jon Merrill | 25 | $1.137 mil | RFA 2018 | ||||
| NY Islanders | C | Brock Nelson | 25 | $2.5 mil | RFA 2018 | ||||
| NY Rangers | RW | Michael Grabner | 29 | $1.65 mil | UFA 2018 | ||||
| Ottawa | D | Marc Methot | 31 | $4.9 mil | UFA 2019 | ||||
| Philadelphia | C | Jordan Weal | 25 | $650,000 | UFA 2017 | ||||
| Pittsburgh | G | Marc-Andre Fleury | 32 | $5.75 mil | UFA 2019 | ||||
| San Jose | LW | Mikkel Boedker | 27 | $4 mil | UFA 2020 | ||||
| St Louis | RW | Dmitrij Jaskin | 24 | $1 mil | RFA 2018 | ||||
| Tampa Bay | D | Jake Dotchin | 23 | $616,667 | RFA 2017 | ||||
| Toronto | LW | Kerby Rychel | 22 | $863,333 | RFA 2018 | ||||
| Vancouver | C | Brendan Gaunce | 23 | $863,333 | RFA 2017 | ||||
| Washington | G | Philipp Grubauer | 25 | $750,000 | RFA 2017 | ||||
| Winnipeg | C | Marko Dano | 22 | $850,000 | RFA 2018 | ||||
| Min Cap Hit: $56.8M/$43.8M | Max Cap Hit: $56.8M/$73 M | ||||||||
Hockey teams are built from the net forward, down the middle, and then out. For my goaltenders, it was a no-brainer to select Marc-Andre Fleury from the Pittsburgh Penguins. A proven winner, he’ll provide instant credibility to Vegas’s crease for the next two years. Backing him up is Philipp Grubauer, who has the ability to take over as a starter for this franchise down the line. Jared Coreau and Malcolm Subban will provide organizational depth between the pipes.
I made it a priority to beef up the Golden Knights’ blue line with a balance of blend of offensive ability, two-way play, and guys that can play shutdown hockey. I also didn’t want too many aging players back there, preferring to go with mostly young veterans with some room to grow. However, I also wanted some veteran leadership on the blue line, so I went with guys like Zach Bogosian and Marc Methot. Sami Vatanen and Matt Dumba provide offensive ability. Jake Dotchin brings a physical edge, while Brayden McNabb, Brandon Davidson, Jon Merrill, and Trevor Van Riemsdyk are young veterans in their mid-20’s who are on the verge of entering their primes.
When it came to forwards, there wasn’t as much depth to choose from. As a result, I went with a few younger guys that have flashed some offensive skill despite bouncing around, but could find a home in Sin City with more of an opportunity. Players like Teemu Pulkkinen, Mihail Grigorenko, Marko Dano, Jordan Weal, and Kerby Rychel fit that category. Florida’s Jonathan Marchessault was surprisingly left unprotected after a breakout 30-goal season, but would provide the Golden Knights with some speed and offensive ability. Ditto for Michael Grabner, who scored 27 goals for the Rangers. Both Marchessault and Grabner are two of the biggest bargains in the league.
I also made sure to provide this team with some veterans up front that have showed some offensive ability despite coming off down seasons, such as Troy Brouwer, Mikkel Boedker, and Cody Eakin. Brock Nelson has scored at least 20 goals in each of the last three seasons, and provides youth and depth down the middle. On paper, James Neal is the best goal scorer on this roster, having found the back of the net at least 21 times in each season of his career. However, Neal could be a valuable trading chip for Vegas next season at the trade deadline, as could other veterans on this roster.
Of course, this mock draft doesn’t take into account any side deals that other teams could swing with Vegas to encourage them to stay away from certain players. It wouldn’t be surprising to see players like Vatanen or Dumba left alone by the Golden Knights, provided the Ducks or Wild compensate Vegas with compensation in the form of high draft picks and/or prospects.
