New York Islanders Revised Expansion Draft Team

1 of 4

May 31, 2017; Las Vegas, NV, USA: General overall view of the T-Mobile Arena. A new home for at least one particular New York Islanders player. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

The Vegas Golden Knights expansion draft is just a night away. Rumors have been swirling on who will be picked from the New York Islanders to create this new team in the desert. We take our second shot at making it for them.

Now that the New York Islanders protected list for the NHL Expansion Draft is out there for the public to consume we thought we’d play armchair GM. And conduct an expansion draft of our own to fill the Golden Knights roster.

We’ve done a mock draft before by complete speculation. We had no idea what player each NHL team will protect. And now that the lists are out there are a few teams we were well off.

Like Anaheim, for example, we, along with a bunch of other sources, figured that Jakob Silfverberg would be left exposed by the Ducks. Turns out they value him more than we thought nad protected him instead of 32 goal scorer Patrick Eaves.

Our team is compliant with all expansion rules with 16 forwards, eleven defensemen and three goalies. It also has 22 of the minimum 20 players under contract for the 2017-18 season. The team carries a $61.2 million cap.

We know there are some trade deals between Vegas and a few teams, namely the New York Islanders. So we’ve tried to capture that as best we could.

Mar 11, 2017; Tampa, FL, USA; Florida Panthers center Jonathan Marchessault (81) skates with the puck against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the third period at Amalie Arena. Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Florida Panthers 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Atlantic Division

Boston Bruins (Colin Miller)

D. He’s 25-years-old and only costs a million on the cap. Miller isn’t prolific in the points department with only 13 points in 61 games played this season. But his 52.7% 5on5 Corsi-For lead the Boston Bruins blue line. Miller will certainly be given a bigger role playing under Gerard Gallant in Vegas.. Boston Bruins. . Colin Miller

Buffalo Sabres

. Matt Moulson. F. He’s 33-years-old and carries a big cap hit. But the expansion draft is going to be full of pitfalls and perils when it comes to the cap. The Golden Knights are going to have to take a few just to make sure they meet the cap floor. Moulson still scored 32 points on a terrible Buffalo team last season. He taught Jack Eichel how to be a professional hockey player, and now that Jack is makin’ decision for the team he needs to move out of Moulson’s place.. Buffalo Sabres

Detroit Red Wings

. Riley Sheahan. F. The Golden Knights have to take someone from each team? Detroit is a land of slim pickings. Sheahan had a bad year, but the hope is that he can get back to that 36 point pace he set back in 2014-15.. Detroit Red Wings

Florida Panthers

. Jonathan Marchessault. F. There’s no question the Golden Knights take Marchessault right? With 30 goals and 51 points this year it’s the easiest no-brainer for GM GM. Marchesseault might not like it right now, but he’s going somewhere where he’ll be one of the top players on the team.. Florida Panthers

Montréal Canadiens

Nikita Nesterov. D. This will be his third team in two years. He’s not that top pair flashy defender, but Nesterov is still effective. He ranked thrid on the Habs with a 54.3% 5on5 Corsi-for In Vegas see him playing between the second and third defensive pairing.. Montréal Canadiens.

Ottawa Senators

Thanks to Dion Phaneuf, Marc Methot is available for the Golden Knights. We’ve seen other tempted in taking Bobby Ryan. But let’s remember that he only scored 25 points last season, and cost $7.25 million on the cap. He was fantastic in the playoffs, but judging future potential based on a single tournament isn’t a great strategy.. Ottawa Senators. . Marc Methot . D

Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa Bay Lightning. . Cedric Paquette. F. With ten points in 56 games okayed last season, Paquette is going to be one of many depth players for the Golden Knights. His $812,000 cap hit helps keep cost low as Vegas goes about trying to secure more expensive talents.

Toronto Maple Leafs

. Martin Marincin. D. Marincin is young at 25-year-old and he’s already a solid NHL level blue liner. Something Vegas is gong to need in abundance if they’re to be even remotely competitive this season. With a $1.25 cap hit, Marincin is a great cheap option for the blue line.. Toronto Maple Leafs

Home/Editorials