NHL Draft: Ranking each team’s expansion decision

Tier 1: The Winners

These teams did the best, losing no one of consequence. In fact, a few of them improved.

Arizona Coyotes

The best thing about having a bad team with most of your players being young is you don’t have much to lose in an expansion draft. They lost forward Teemu Pulkkinen, who put up 65 points in 78 AHL games for the Chicago Wolves.

Colorado Avalanche

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Losing Calvin Pickard worked out great for the Colorado Avalanche. He wasn’t in the Golden Knights organization after the first week of the season. Also, Jonathan Bernier took his roster spot and did a mighty fine job. Then again, when you set a record for fewest points in the salary cap era, it’s safe to say you’re not going to lose a good player in an expansion draft.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes gave up a fifth-round pick to entice the Golden Knights to pick Connor Brickley, yet another pending free agent. Looking at how they left unprotected, there wasn’t anyone worth losing. Hard to hate what they did.

They also got Marcus Kruger and Trevor van Riemsdyk from the Golden Knights in separate trades. But we didn’t include them because they were not directly related to the expansion draft.

San Jose Sharks

Overall, the San Jose Sharks made some very smart expansion draft moves. Maybe they should have pushed for Vegas to take on Mikkel Boedker’s contract. Instead, they lost defenseman David Schlemko instead. The Golden Knights would later trade him to the Montreal Canadiens. San Jose had guys ready to replace Schlemko, so losing him wasn’t a big deal.

Montreal Canadiens

Without giving up any picks, the Golden Knights took defenseman Alexei Emelin from the Montreal Canadiens. That was a blessing in disguise, opening up a roster spot for some young defensemen. Also, the Canadiens left Tomas Plekanec (who later netted them a second-round pick at the trade deadline) and promising young forward Charles Hudon unprotected. So Emelin getting picked was one of the best possible outcomes for Montreal.

Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers lost Griffin Reinhart. It’s funny to think they once gave up the draft pick used to get Mathew Barzal for him. But Edmonton didn’t miss the depth defenseman one bit.

Tier 2: You Lost Someone, But It Wasn’t That Bad

Calgary Flames

The Calgary Flames lost defenseman Derk Engelland, who was going to be a free agent in a few weeks anyway. They had no intention of keeping him around either. Engelland went from a journeyman third-paring defenseman to be a serviceable second-pairing defenseman. There’s no way the Flames could have known this. Plus, protecting a pending free agent would have been ludicrous.

Winnipeg Jets

The Winnipeg Jets lost right wing Chris Thorburn, who, like Engelland, was going to be a free agent in a few weeks. They also lost their first-round pick (13th overall) and a 2019 third-round pick to protect certain players, but at least they got a first-round pick back (24th overall). Winnipeg was likely protecting Toby Enstrom, Ben Chariot, Paul Postma, Michael Hutchinson, and Marko Dano.

You could nitpick and say they shouldn’t have traded a first-round pick and a third-rounder, which is fair. But the Jets made sure they didn’t lose anyone worth losing, which is much better than a lot of other teams did. Keeping Enstrom around alone was probably worth dropping 11 spots in the first-round.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Much like the Coyotes, most of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ best players didn’t even need to be protected. They lost forward Brendan Leipsic, who wound up doing decent for Vegas before being traded to the Canucks. He wouldn’t have had a spot in the lineup this season anyway.

Buffalo Sabres

William Carrier was the guy who the Buffalo Sabres lost. They also gave up a sixth-round pick to protect someone. It’s not known for sure who that was, but my best guess is it was young goaltender Linus Ullmark. Given the Sabres bleak future in net, ensuring he wouldn’t be selected was a justifiable decision.

New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils lost defenseman Jon Merill. To be fair, it was likely unavoidable. After all, the Devils were one of the worst teams in the NHL. Plus, much like the Coyotes, a good portion of their players worth protecting didn’t need to be protected due to being young.

Merill was serviceable for the Golden Knights. But his departure probably opened up a spot in the lineup for Will Butcher. So it worked out well for the Devils.

New York Rangers

The New York Rangers lost forward Oscar Lindberg. At the time, people thought the team would miss him. While Lindberg found a role as a bottom six forward in Vegas, he only put up 11 points in the regular season. This just goes to show that nobody knows anything about hockey.

If you really wanted to nitpick, you could question why the Rangers didn’t trade Derek Stepan (who they protected) before the expansion draft. But who knows if the deal from the Arizona Coyotes was on the table at that point?

Tier 3: You Lost Someone Good, But It Was Unavoidable Or Justified

Ottawa Senators

The Ottawa Senators dug themselves into a deep hole. Specifically, they thought they could talk one of their guys with a no-movement clause into waiving it. Except none of them were willing. This forced them to leave defenseman Marc Methot unprotected.

It could have ended badly for the Senators, but Methot didn’t do well this season even when healthy.

Nashville Predators

The Nashville Predators lost James Neal, who wound up being very productive for the Golden Knights. However, they were one of the teams screwed by having too many good players. Specifically, the Predators had four defensemen worth protecting.

This left them with only four forwards to protect. It came down to Calle Jarnkrok or Neal. The Predators made the right decision 11 months ago. It’s still the right one now.

Boston Bruins

Short of talking Vegas into taking on Matt Beleskey’s contract, the Boston Bruins were going to lose a quality player. They wound up losing Colin Miller, who has done great for the Golden Knights. That said, this was more of a product of the Bruins having too many good players than anything else.

You could argue Boston should have exposed Kevan Miller instead. However, in hindsight, Kevan had proved himself to be a capable, consistent defenseman. 11 months ago, Colin had not. If Kevan was taken instead, you’d be questioning why the Bruins left him unprotected.

Pittsburgh Penguins

It is so easy to make fun of the Pittsburgh Penguins for handing the Golden Knights a franchise goalie in Marc-Andre Fleury. But some context is required. First of all, Fleury had a no-movement clause. He had to sign off on not being protected (which he did ahead of time).

The Penguins had a chance to either get rid of an expensive (and potentially bad contract down the line) or lose the goalie who just won them two straight Stanley Cups. Also, Pittsburgh got a second-round pick for him. On paper, it looks like the Penguins got hosed. But they made the right move.

Tier 4: You Lost Someone Consequential

Vancouver Canucks

In the expansion draft, the Vancouver Canucks lost defenseman Luca Sbisa. If you had him being a decent contributor to the Golden Knights, please tell me this week’s lottery numbers. The Canucks might have been able to get something for him if they kept him, but knowing their luck, he would have gotten injured and hurt his trade value.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers lost forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. This was a bit surprising, as many though the Golden Knights would go with Michal Neuvirth. Especially given general manager George McPhee’s familiarity with him.

Turns out the Golden Knights made a decent move. There are other factors involved, but the Flyers penalty kill suffered without Bellemare. He’s been a strong contributor and leader for the Golden Knights this season. Hey, at least, Vegas didn’t pick Michael Raffl.

Detroit Red Wings

Why the Detroit Red Wings didn’t take advantage of the Golden Knights’ willingness to take on bad contracts is beyond me. But they lost forward Tomas Nosek. He wound up being a consistent fourth-line forward for the Golden Knights.

They could have lost Petr Mrazek or Riley Sheahan (both netted them draft picks in trades). Luckily for the Red Wings, the Golden Knights went with someone Detroit likely wouldn’t have gotten anything of consequence for even if they traded him.

Dallas Stars

Cody Eakin is the quintessential guy you’re supposed to lose in an expansion draft. A decent forward, but not a game changer. Eakin did alright for the Golden Knights, putting up 27 points as their third-line center.

However, the Stars probably should have left Brett Ritchie unprotected instead. Dallas had injury problems. Maybe keeping Eakin would have helped keep things afloat. Plus, centers are more valuable than wings.

Los Angeles Kings

The Los Angeles Kings elected to protect four defensemen. Brayden McNabb, surprisingly, was not one of them. The Kings elected to protect young blueliner Derek Forbort instead. Maybe this had more to do with Los Angeles wanting more mobile defensemen. After all, McNabb is a good defenseman, but he’s not that mobile.

That said, the Kings should have pushed for Vegas to take Trevor Lewis. Either that or traded McNabb, ensuring they would at least get something for him rather than lose him to the team that wound up sweeping them in the postseason.

Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks lost defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk. Considering the state of their blueline, it’s safe to say they missed him. However, this says more about the Blackhawks’ core of defensemen than anything else.

Tier 5: You Paid A Lot To Protect Someone And It Worked Out

New York Islanders

Without question, the New York Islanders were the weirdest team during the expansion draft. On one hand, they didn’t lose any of consequence. The Golden Knights selected goaltender Jean-Francois Berube, who later signed with the Blackhawks.

However, selecting him wasn’t cheap. The Islanders gave up a first-round pick, a second-round pick, blueline prospect Jake Bischoff, and forward Mikhail Grabovski. Getting Grabovski’s contract off the books was significant. So was losing no one meaningful despite all signs pointing to them being doomed.

I think the Islanders, ultimately, made the right decision. Had they had reason to believe Nelson would have the season that he did or that de Haan would get injured in December, I’d be far more critical. It would be negligent to criticize this decision without considering what the Islanders knew or should have known 11 months ago.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning gave up what it took to keep them from potentially losing Slater Koekkoek, Jake Dotchin, or Yanni Gourde. In exchange for taking defenseman Jason Garrison, the Golden Knights received a 2017 second-round pick, a 2018 fourth-round pick, and the rights to Nikita Gusev (who wound up signing in the KHL).

Props to Tampa Bay general manager Steve Yzerman for knowing Gourde was worth keeping around, even if he couldn’t protect him.

Tier 6: You Didn’t Predict An Unexpected 40 Goal Season

Columbus Blue Jackets

It’s very easy to laugh at what happened to the Columbus Blue Jackets at the expansion draft. They gave up their 2017 first-round pick and their 2019 second-round pick so the Golden Knights would take on David Clarkson’s contract. In addition, as a part of the trade, the Blue Jackets left center William Karlsson unprotected.

You might think leaving a guy who scored 43 goals and put up 78 points unprotected was a bad decision. However, context is necessary for this move. The Blue Jackets didn’t want to lose young goalie Jonas Korpisalo, especially with Sergei Bobrovsky’s injury history and uncertain future after 2019. Essentially, this decision came down to either Josh Anderson or Karlsson. The former is younger and did better that season.

If you could have guessed Karlsson would score 43 goals, raise your hand. For those of you who did, put your hand down and stop lying. In 165 games with the Blue Jackets, Karlsson scored 16 goals. If you include his 16 games with the Anaheim Ducks, that’s 18 goals in 183 games.

Getting Clarkson’s contract off the books was significant for the Blue Jackets. And Karlsson was, at best, their third-line center. In hindsight, this wasn’t a bad move. It might look bad because Karlsson scored on well over 20 percent of his shots. 11 months ago, if you would have told anyone he would score over 30 goals, let alone 40, during the 2017-18 season, they would have looked at you like you had three heads.

Tier 7: Wow, You Blew It

St. Louis Blues

It’s kind of odd the St. Louis Blues did nothing to stop the Golden Knights from selecting David Perron. Didn’t they see it coming? Couldn’t the Blues have gotten something in return for him? But at least they didn’t surrender a 30 goal scorer to ensure Vegas would take a 15 goal scorer (more on this later). I’m curious why they protected Vladimir Sobotka over Perron. Protecting Ryan Reaves sounds bad until you realize he helped the Blues pick up a first-round pick a few days later.

Washington Capitals

The Washington Capitals were one of those teams who were going to lose a good player no matter what. It’s shocking the Golden Knights didn’t take Philipp Grubauer. He was a young goalie with an impressive resume as a backup. Surely Vegas would take him, right?

Wrong. McPhee screwed the Capitals over for the second time in his career, selecting defenseman Nate Schmidt. To be fair, Washington did this to themselves. They undervalued Schmidt and didn’t give him the playing time he deserved. His success this season proves the Capitals probably should have found a way to ensure he wouldn’t be selected.

Anaheim Ducks

Many think the Anaheim Ducks were completely screwed by the expansion draft rules. This is partially true. Thanks to the rules, they had to leave good players unprotected. The Ducks surrendered young defenseman Shea Theodore to ensure the Golden Knights would take Clayton Stoner.

But allow me to paraphrase WWE legend Vince McMahon – “Anaheim screwed Anaheim“. If the Ducks didn’t sign Kevin Bieksa to an ill-advised no-movement clause, they wouldn’t have had to give up Theodore. Who, by the way, did an excellent job with the Golden Knights this season.

Tier 8: You Really Blew It

Minnesota Wild

Much like the Capitals, the Minnesota Wild were pretty much screwed. But at least Washington only lost one really good player. The Wild lost two. Not only did they lose Erik Haula, they also gave the Golden Knights Alex Tuch to make sure they wouldn’t lose a better player. And only got a conditional third-round pick (either 2018 or 2019) in return.

The Wild proceeded to trade one of those players they couldn’t protect but wanted to keep (Marco Scandella) for peanuts, by the way. Minnesota managed to keep Matt Dumba, who was probably the guy they were worried about. But this could have been avoided by not protecting Jonas Brodin.

Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers did the worst job at the expansion draft and it isn’t close. Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault flanked Karlsson to form one of the NHL’s most effective forward lines this season. This trio is a huge reason why the Golden Knights are in the Stanley Cup Final right now. Guess who’s directly responsible for Vegas having Smith and Marchessault? You guessed it, the Panthers.

There are two parts to this mind-numbingly dumb move. First of all, there’s Smith. The Panthers got rid of him because they wanted to clear salary. That’s unfortunate, but that’s not an excuse to effectively trade him with a 30 goal scorer and only get a fourth-round pick in return. Smith’s contract is far from terrible for someone who is at worst an above-average top six forward.

I’m also skeptical that the Panthers had to trade him. They wound up adding money to their payroll last offseason. So it’s safe to say the Panthers probably could have found a way to cut payroll without getting rid of Smith. Even if this wasn’t possible, they should have waited until someone gave them a reasonable offer for him that didn’t include having to give up Marchessault.

The second part to this horrible decision? Marchessault. The last thing a budget team like the Panthers should be doing is trading a cheap player who just scored 30 goals. You hold onto players like that, or at least move them while their value is sky high. Even if the Panthers were worried about keeping him long-term, why not demand a huge haul for him?

Next: Ranking Each NHL Team's All-Time Starting Lineup

Losing Smith and Marchessault for a fourth-round pick is inexcusable. It was an awful decision 11 months ago and it has somehow gotten even worse since. Vegas should really send Dale Tallon a Stanley Cup ring if they win. Without Smith and Marchessault, the Golden Knights wouldn’t be where they are right now.