Senators at 25: A look back at Ottawa’s expansion draft

While the Vegas Golden Knights are set to put together their inaugural roster in just a few days, it has been 25 years since the Ottawa Senators conducted their expansion draft prior to the 1992-93 season.

The Senators and Tampa Bay Lightning, who joined the league the same year, each chose 21 players - two goaltenders, seven defensemen, and 12 forwards. The pickings were quite slim, as non-expansion teams were allowed to protect two netminders and 14 skaters each. (The second-year San Jose Sharks were exempt from the expansion draft.)

Ottawa didn't get much from the players it selected; only Sylvain Turgeon (pictured above) finished in the top three in team scoring, and was the only expansion pick to record more than 15 goals. That might explain why the Senators went an abysmal 10-70-4 in their first year, setting an NHL record for fewest road wins in a season (one).

Here are the 21 players the Senators selected in the expansion draft:

Goaltenders

Peter Sidorkiewicz (selected from Hartford)

GP W L T GAA SV%
64 8 46 3 4.43 .856

Sidorkiewicz, a one-time Calder Trophy finalist, had a dreadful season in the Canadian capital, winning just eight of his 64 appearances while leading the NHL in goals against. He was dealt to New Jersey the following summer in a five-player deal that netted the Senators netminder Craig Billington, among others, and played just four more NHL games after that.

Mark Laforest (selected from N.Y. Rangers)

GP* W L T GAA SV%
30 10 18 1 4.30 .878

* played for AHL's New Haven Senators

Laforest was solid in back-to-back seasons for the Rangers' American Hockey League affiliate before being plucked by the Senators; he made just two appearances for Ottawa, both during the 1993-94 season, before bolting for the International Hockey League during the 1994-95 lockout. He wrapped up his playing career in 1997 with Utica of the Colonial Hockey League.

Defensemen

Brad Shaw (selected from New Jersey)

GP G A PTS +/-
81 7 34 41 -47

It was a rough two years in Ottawa for Shaw, who finished with the league's fourth-worst plus-minus in the Senators' inaugural campaign. Shaw was made team captain in 1993-94, posted a 4-19-23 line with a -41 rating in 66 games, and spent the majority of the next four seasons in the IHL. He retired in 1999 and has been an NHL assistant/associate coach since 2006.

Darren Rumble (selected from Philadelphia)

GP G A P +/-
69 3 13 16 -24

Like Shaw, Rumble spent just two seasons with the Senators - and like Shaw, they were difficult campaigns. Rumble posted nine goals, 31 points, and a -74 rating in 139 games with the Senators before rediscovering his offensive touch in the AHL, recording three straight 50-point seasons. It never did translate to the NHL, however, as he had just 36 points in 193 career games.

Dominic Lavoie (selected from St. Louis)

GP G A P +/-
2 0 1 1 0

Lavoie's playing days in North America were nearly spent by the time he arrived in Ottawa; he spent most of his only season with the Sens in the AHL, recording 43 points in 53 games. Stints with Boston and Los Angeles preceded a move overseas, where Lavoie split the final 10 years of his career between Felkirch VEU of the Austrian League and the Hannover Scorpions of the German League.

Brad Miller (selected from Buffalo)

GP G A P +/-
11 0 0 0 -5

Many sports fans know about former NBA center Brad Miller, and current Tampa Bay Rays infielder Brad Miller - but they may not know there was an NHL version, too. He made more of an impact with his fists, recording just one goal, five assists, and 321 penalty minutes in 82 career NHL games; he spent his final six seasons in the IHL, where he also punched faces.

Ken Hammond (selected from Vancouver)

GP G A P +/-
62 4 4 8 -42

Hammond, an eighth-round pick of the Kings in 1983, had played for the expansion Sharks the year before being plucked by the Senators, so being on a first-year team had kind of become his thing. Ottawa represented his final taste of NHL action; he played with Providence of the AHL in 1993-94 before wrapping up his career with the IHL's Kansas City Blades.

Kent Paynter (selected from Winnipeg)

GP G A P +/-
6 0 0 0 -7

Paynter didn't make much of an impact in his NHL career, recording one goal and adding three assists in 37 games. His Senators tenure was equally drab - one assist and a -13 rating in 15 games before he fled for the IHL for the final four years of his career. His only NHL goal came against Daniel Berthiaume, who also played for the Sens during their inaugural season.

John Van Kessel (selected from Los Angeles)

GP* G A P +/-
17 2 3 5 -6

* played for AHL's New Haven Senators

Never heard of Van Kessel? It's okay; most hockey fans haven't. He never played in an NHL game, spending 1992-93 between the AHL and IHL and kicking around the minors for a few more seasons before wrapping up his career in Germany. Fun fact: Van Kessel was selected 49th overall in 1988, ahead of Mark Recchi, Rob Blake, and Alex Mogilny, among others. Oops!

Forwards

Sylvain Turgeon (selected from Montreal)

GP G A P +/-
72 25 18 43 -29

Turgeon was expected to be the centerpiece of Ottawa's offense; the former No. 2 overall pick had two 40-goal seasons in Hartford to his credit, and was still in his prime when the Senators selected him. But he topped out at a high of 25 goals in three seasons with Ottawa, then left the NHL in 1995-96 for stings in the IHL, Italy, Switzerland, and Germany.

Mike Peluso (selected from Chicago)

GP G A P +/-
81 15 10 25 -35

It's fair to say the Senators knew what they were getting from a guy who had led the entire NHL with 408 penalty minutes the season before. But even though Peluso pretty much did as expected - racking up 318 PIMs in 81 games - he also showed some scoring touch, finishing fifth on the team in goals. He would net just 13 more tallies over his final five campaigns.

Rob Murphy (selected from Vancouver)

GP G A P +/-
44 3 7 10 -23

A second-round pick of the Canucks in 1987, Murphy never did reach his full potential following four impressive campaigns in the QMJHL. The Senators couldn't get much out of him, either, and cut him loose after one season. He spent the next four seasons in the IHL before a six-year stint in Germany and one year in the Quebec Senior Men's Hockey League.

Mark Lamb (selected from Edmonton)

GP G A P +/-
71 7 19 26 -40

Lamb was by no means flashy, but he was a serviceable depth option for a Senators team that was woefully short on experience. Lamb finished with 18 goals and 55 points in parts of two seasons with Ottawa before being traded to Philadelphia for Claude Boivin in March 1994. He finished playing in 2000, then spent time as an assistant coach with the Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars.

Jim Thomson (selected from Los Angeles)

GP G A P +/-
15 0 1 1 -11

Thomson was another bruising forward with a penchant for dropping the gloves; the 6-foot-1 winger had racked up 162 penalty minutes in just 45 games with the Kings the season before. But he was a pivotal piece for the Sens, who sent him back to L.A. in December in a four-player deal that allowed them to acquire perennial 20-goal scorer Bob Kudelski.

Lonnie Loach (selected from Detroit)

GP G A P +/-
3 0 0 0 0

Loach had turned heads in 1991, racking up 131 points in 81 games with Fort Wayne to win the International Hockey League scoring title by 11 points over linemate and future NHL head coach Bruce Boudreau. But Loach couldn't duplicate his success in the NHL, posting just 23 points in 56 games before plying his trade in the AHL, Switzerland, the Alpenligue, and the UHL.

Laurie Boschman (selected from New Jersey)

GP G A P +/-
70 9 7 16 -26

Boschman was one of the Senators' most established players; the former first-round pick had nearly 1,000 NHL games on his resume with the Maple Leafs, Oilers, Jets, and Devils. He reached the 1,000-game plateau in an Ottawa uniform but called it quits at season's end, returning for a seven-game stint with the British Hockey League's Fife Flyers in 1994-95.

Mark Freer (selected from Philadelphia)

GP G A P +/-
63 10 14 24 -35

Freer wasn't much of an offensive threat, but still managed an NHL personal-best 10 goals despite a -35 rating with the Senators. He signed with the Calgary Flames the following offseason but spent the majority of 1993-94 in the AHL, averaging better than a point per game. He played the next five seasons in the IHL before returning to the Philadelphia organization with the Phantoms.

Chris Lindberg (selected from Calgary)

GP* G A P +/-
62 9 12 21 -3

* played for Calgary Flames

The Flames really didn't want to part with Lindberg, whom they had signed as a free agent in 1991. So, they dealt defenseman Mark Osiecki to the Senators in order to reacquire their prized forward. The deal didn't really work out for either side; Lindberg departed for Quebec as a free agent the following offseason, while Ottawa placed Oseicki on waivers in February 1993.

Jeff Lazaro (selected from Boston)

GP G A P +/-
26 6 4 10 -8

The Waltham, Mass., native was nothing more than a depth forward with the Bruins, but Lazaro showed decent offensive promise between Ottawa and New Haven (12 goals, 13 assists in 27 games). Yet, his Senators stint represented the last of his NHL playing experience, as he spent his final nine seasons between the AHL, ECHL, Germany, and Austria.

Darcy Loewen (selected from Buffalo)

GP G A P +/-
79 4 5 9 -26

Power forwards were all the rage in the late 80s and early 90s, which explains how Loewen was a third-round pick; he averaged a point per game over his final two WHL seasons while racking up 425 penalty minutes in that span. But he was all fists, no hands in the NHL, registering 12 points and 211 PIMs in 135 games. He finished his playing career in the West Coast Hockey League.

Blair Atcheynum (selected from Hartford)

GP G A P +/-
4 0 1 1 -3

Atcheynum, a third-round pick of the Whalers in 1989, had 138 points in his final junior season but never saw the ice with Hartford and barely featured for Ottawa. He rejuvenated his career in 1997-98, playing 61 games with the St. Louis Blues before being claimed by Nashville in the Predators' expansion draft. he was later dealt back to St. Louis before finishing his career with Chicago.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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Expansion mock draft: Vegas Golden Knights take shape

We're so close.

The protected and available players lists for the expansion draft are public, which means it's time to finally take our best shot at filling out the Vegas Golden Knights' roster.

We've listed the roster by position, and broken down each selection by team, including the player's age, salary cap hit, and contract status.

Forwards

  • Josh Bailey
  • Pierre-Edouard Bellemare
  • Beau Bennett
  • Mikkel Boedker
  • William Carrier
  • Marko Dano
  • Mikhail Grigorenko
  • William Karlsson
  • Jujhar Khaira
  • Brendan Leipsic
  • Trevor Lewis
  • Jonathan Marchessault
  • James Neal
  • David Perron
  • Teemu Pulkkinen
  • Hunter Shinkaruk
  • Lee Stempniak
  • Chris Wagner

Defense

  • Brandon Davidson
  • Jake Dotchin
  • Matt Dumba
  • Marc Methot
  • Colin Miller
  • Jamie Oleksiak
  • Luca Sbisa
  • Trevor van Riemsdyk

Goalies

  • Marc-Andre Fleury
  • Philipp Grubauer
  • Petr Mrazek
  • Antti Raanta

Projected Cap Hit: $52,515,000*

*Not including restricted free agents

Picks by team

Anaheim Ducks

  • Player: Chris Wagner (RW)
  • Age: 26
  • Cap hit: $637,500
  • Signed through: 2017-18

All signs point to an agreement between the Ducks and Vegas that ensures the Golden Knights don't select Sami Vatanen or Josh Manson, and beyond those two, it's slim pickings. Like, super slim.

Arizona Coyotes

It's either Pulkkinen or Alex Burmistrov, and Pulkkinen's 2014-15, when he had 34 goals and 61 points in 46 games in the AHL, remains too impressive to pass up, even two years later.

Boston Bruins

  • Player: Colin Miller (D)
  • Age: 24
  • Cap hit: $1M
  • Signed through: 2017-18

Miller's age, cap hit, and experience - he's played 103 regular-season games, averaging almost 16 minutes in ice time - make him an easy choice.

Buffalo Sabres

  • Player: William Carrier (LW)
  • Age: 22
  • Cap hit: $689,167
  • Signed through: 2017-18

If you've got a better suggestion than Carrier, we're all ears.

Calgary Flames

There are veteran and more expensive options - like Troy Brouwer - but Shinkaruk, a former first-round pick, had 15 goals and 35 points in 52 games in the A last season, and our Vegas roster is being built with youth in mind.

Carolina Hurricanes

  • Player: Lee Stempniak (RW)
  • Age: 34
  • Cap hit: $2.5M
  • Signed through: 2017-18

Stempniak will score, provides veteran experience, is well-traveled, and can be flipped at the trade deadline. That's basically his specialty.

Chicago Blackhawks

Another no-brainer. The kid averaged 18:25 on the Blackhawks' blue line last season and chipped in with 16 points. This could be a great move for his career, which already includes a Stanley Cup ring.

Colorado Avalanche

While Grigorenko hasn't lived up to his 12th overall selection in 2012, he's had back-to-back 20-point seasons and has played over 200 games at only 23 years old. That counts for something.

Columbus Blue Jackets

A reported deal is in place that will see Vegas not select Josh Anderson, Joonas Korpisalo, Jack Johnson, or David Savard, but all is not lost. Karlsson's a decent consolation prize, especially considering a first-round pick is reportedly headed the Golden Knights' way. It'll be interesting to see what the kid can do given more of an opportunity.

Dallas Stars

The Stars' list of available players may be the most underwhelming in the NHL. No offense, Mr. Oleksiak.

Detroit Red Wings

  • Player: Petr Mrazek (G)
  • Age: 25
  • Cap hit: $4M
  • Signed through: 2017-18

Mrazek being left exposed is a surprise, especially considering Jimmy Howard's contract. Vegas must take advantage. It gives the Golden Knights a large salary to help get to the cap floor, and he can be used as a potential trade chip.

Edmonton Oilers

  • Player: Jujhar Khaira (LW)
  • Age: 22
  • Cap hit: $675K
  • Signed through: 2018-19

Khaira is young and signed for two more years. Worth a shot.

Florida Panthers

Dude had 30 goals and 51 points last season, and is a no-brainer at his salary.

Los Angeles Kings

  • Player: Trevor Lewis (C)
  • Age: 30
  • Cap hit: $2M
  • Signed through: 2019-20

A veteran with a couple of rings to play up the middle. Nothing wrong with that.

Minnesota Wild

  • Player: Matt Dumba (D)
  • Age: 22
  • Cap hit: $2.55M
  • Signed through: 2017-18

Eric Staal's tempting, but Dumba's age, experience, and the fact he's coming off a career season make him the selection.

Montreal Canadiens

Davidson's a sixth-round pick done good, and can fill out the defense corps.

Nashville Predators

  • Player: James Neal (LW)
  • Age: 29
  • Cap hit: $5M
  • Signed through: 2017-18

A proven goal scorer who could be dangled at the deadline, should Vegas go that route.

New Jersey Devils

  • Player: Beau Bennett (RW)
  • Age: 25
  • Cap hit: RFA ($725K in 2016-17)

Not a whole lot of tantalizing options out of Newark, so Bennett gets the nod because he was more productive than Devante Smith-Pelly.

New York Islanders

  • Player: Josh Bailey (LW)
  • Age: 27
  • Cap hit: $3.3M
  • Signed through: 2017-18

A reported trade has Vegas banking another first-round pick for not plucking exposed Brock Nelson or Ryan Strome. While Bailey could also be included in that agreement, we're going to assume that he's not. He had 56 points last season.

New York Rangers

  • Player: Antti Raanta (G)
  • Age: 28
  • Cap hit: $1M
  • Signed through: 2017-18

Raanta had a .922 save percentage last season. That'll do, especially at a million bucks.

Ottawa Senators

  • Player: Marc Methot (D)
  • Age: 31
  • Cap hit: $4.9M
  • Signed through: 2018-19

Blame Dion Phaneuf, who refused to waive his no-movement clause, leaving Methot exposed.

Philadelphia Flyers

Bellemare's a bit cheaper than Michael Raffl, and is a durable bottom-six forward who can provide some leadership on a young team.

Pittsburgh Penguins

There are some interesting names on the Pens' available list, including Carl Hagelin, Tom Kuhnhackl, Bryan Rust, and Scott Wilson, but Fleury to Vegas has to happen. It's been discussed far too much for it not to.

San Jose Sharks

Boedker's first season in San Jose was a disaster, but he's proven he can score in double digits and is a two-time 50-point scorer.

St. Louis Blues

  • Player: David Perron (LW)
  • Age: 29
  • Cap hit: $3.75M
  • Signed through: 2017-18

Perron brings a little bit of everything on an expiring deal.

Tampa Bay Lightning

  • Player: Jake Dotchin (D)
  • Age: 23
  • Cap hit: RFA ($616,667 in 2016-17)

A young D-man who averaged 18:26 on Jon Cooper's blue line in 35 games last season, in which he had 11 assists. There's something here.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Leipsic has nothing left to prove in the AHL, he's ripped it up, and is a casualty of too much young talent in Toronto (when was the last time you could say that?).

Vancouver Canucks

  • Player: Luca Sbisa (D)
  • Age: 27
  • Cap hit: $3.6M
  • Signed through: 2017-18

He played 19 minutes a night and didn't miss a game last season. And, really, Vancouver's list of available players is downright ghastly.

Washington Capitals

Grubauer could be a long-term option as a No. 1. It's worth finding out.

Winnipeg Jets

  • Player: Marko Dano (C)
  • Age: 22
  • Cap hit: $850K
  • Signed through: 2017-18

Dano's still living on potential.

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Luongo crosses himself off Panthers’ exposed list

It was only a matter of time before Roberto Luongo chimed in.

The Florida Panthers' 38-year-old goalie was left exposed by the club ahead of the expansion draft, and took to Twitter to sympathize with the Vegas Golden Knights' tough decision ahead:

Vegas must select one player from each team, and Luongo crossed himself off the list.

Considering the 'tender's $4,533,333 salary-cap hit through 2021-22, it's a safe bet Luongo will be in Florida next season and beyond. But you can't fault the guy for making sure. Or trying to, at least.

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Report: Mrazek’s attitude issues led to Howard’s protection

One of the most noticeable names left unprotected for expansion selection on Sunday was Detroit Red Wings goalie Petr Mrazek, but the reasoning behind it may not be what you expected.

Many NHL pundits expected the Wings to leave the less desirable 33-year-old Jimmy Howard exposed, so when it was Mrazek's name left unprotected, those same experts began to speculate whether Detroit general manager Ken Holland had a side deal in place with Vegas to ensure Mrazek stayed in red and white.

However, that appears to not be the case.

"We had a tough year. We're trying to build our team," Holland said, according to Ansar Khan of MLive.com. "I'm not spending any future assets to hang onto players."

Related: Expansion Draft: A list of all players available to Vegas

If no side deal exists to protect Mrazek from becoming a Knight, then why is Holland so dead set on making his former No. 1 available?

Mrazek did have a lackluster season in 2016-17 - the 25-year-old posted an 18-21-9 record to go along with a 3.04 GAA and .901 save percentage - but, as Khan points out, the former fifth-round pick could be heading elsewhere due to poor behavior and a cocky approach.

As such, a GAA above 3.00 and a save percentage barely above .900 apparently isn't enough to make up for a sour attitude.

According to Khan, Mrazek has always carried a "swagger and air of confidence" with him, something that initially attracted the Wings. But if head coach Jeff Blashill's benching of Mrazek in favor of rookie Jared Coreau at the Centennial Classic is any indication, the Czech native has seemingly worn out his welcome in Motown.

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Expansion Draft: A list of all players available to Vegas

The protected lists are in.

We know who the Golden Knights can't select. On the flipside, below is a comprehensive list - broken down by team - of all the players George McPhee can have join him in Vegas.

Anaheim Ducks

  • Spencer Abbott (F)
  • Jared Boll (F)
  • Sam Carrick (F)
  • Patrick Eaves (F)
  • Emerson Etem (F)
  • Ryan Garbutt (F)
  • Max Gortz (F)
  • Nicolas Kerdiles (F)
  • Andre Petersson (F)
  • Logan Shaw (F)
  • Nick Sorensen (F)
  • Nate Thompson (F)
  • Corey Tropp (F)
  • Chris Wagner (F)
  • Nate Guenin (D)
  • Korbinian Holzer (D)
  • Josh Manson (D)
  • Jaycob Megna (D)
  • Jeff Schultz (D)
  • Clayton Stoner (D)
  • Sami Vatanen (D)
  • Jonathan Bernier (G)
  • Jhonas Enroth (G)
  • Ryan Faragher (G)
  • Matt Hackett (G)
  • Dustin Tokarski (G)

Arizona Coyotes

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

  • Alexander Burmistrov (F)
  • Shane Doan (F)
  • Tyler Gaudet (F)
  • Peter Holland (F)
  • Josh Jooris (F)
  • Jamie McGinn (F)
  • Jeremy Morin (F)
  • Mitchell Moroz (F)
  • Chris Mueller (F)
  • Teemu Pulkkinen (F)
  • Brad Richardson (F)
  • Garret Ross (F)
  • Branden Troock (F)
  • Radim Vrbata (F)
  • Joe Whitney (F)
  • Kevin Connauton (D)
  • Jamie McBain (D)
  • Zbynek Michalek (D)
  • Jarred Tinordi (D)
  • Louis Domingue (G)

Boston Bruins

  • Matt Beleskey (F)
  • Brian Ferlin (F)
  • Jimmy Hayes (F)
  • Alex Khokhlachev (F)
  • Dominic Moore (F)
  • Tyler Randell (F)
  • Zac Rinaldo (F)
  • Tim Schaller (F)
  • Drew Stafford (F)
  • Linus Arnesson (D)
  • Chris Casto (D)
  • Tommy Cross (D)
  • Alex Grant (D)
  • John-Michael Liles (D)
  • Adam McQuaid (D)
  • Colin Miller (D)
  • Joe Morrow (D)
  • Anton Khudobin (G)
  • Malcolm Subban (G)

Buffalo Sabres

  • William Carrier (F)
  • Nicolas Deslauriers (F)
  • Brian Gionta (F)
  • Derek Grant (F)
  • Justin Kea (F)
  • Matt Moulson (F)
  • Cal O'Reilly (F)
  • Cole Schneider (F)
  • Brady Austin (D)
  • Mathew Bodie (D)
  • Zach Bogosian (D)
  • Justin Falk (D)
  • Taylor Fedun (D)
  • Cody Franson (D)
  • Josh Gorges (D)
  • Dmitry Kulikov (D)
  • Anders Nilsson (G)
  • Linus Ullmark (G)

Calgary Flames

  • Brandon Bollig (F)
  • Lance Bouma (F)
  • Troy Brouwer (F)
  • Alex Chiasson (F)
  • Freddie Hamilton (F)
  • Emile Poirier (F)
  • Hunter Shinkaruk (F)
  • Matt Stajan (F)
  • Kris Versteeg (F)
  • Linden Vey (F)
  • Matt Bartkowski (D)
  • Ryan Culkin (D)
  • Deryk Engelland (D)
  • Michael Kostka (D)
  • Brett Kulak (D)
  • Ladislav Smid (D)
  • Michael Stone (D)
  • Dennis Wideman (D)
  • Tyler Wotherspoon (D)
  • Brian Elliott (G)
  • Tom McCollum (G)

Carolina Hurricanes

  • Bryan Bickell (F)
  • Connor Brickley (F)
  • Patrick Brown (F)
  • Erik Karlsson (F)
  • Danny Kristo (F)
  • Jay McClement (F)
  • Andrew Miller (F)
  • Andrej Nestrasil (F)
  • Joakim Nordstrom (F)
  • Lee Stempniak (F)
  • Brendan Woods (F)
  • Klas Dahlbeck (D)
  • Dennis Robertson (D)
  • Philip Samuelsson (D)
  • Matt Tennyson (D)
  • Daniel Altshuller (G)
  • Eddie Lack (G)
  • Michael Leighton (G)
  • Cam Ward (G)

Chicago Blackhawks

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

  • Kyle Baun (F)
  • Andrew Desjardins (F)
  • Marcus Kruger (F)
  • Pierre-Cedric Labrie (F)
  • Michael Latta (F)
  • Brandon Mashinter (F)
  • Dennis Rasmussen (F)
  • Jordin Tootoo (F)
  • Brian Campbell (D)
  • Dillon Fournier (D)
  • Shawn Lalonde (D)
  • Johnny Oduya (D)
  • Ville Pokka (D)
  • Michal Rozsival (D)
  • Viktor Svedberg (D)
  • Trevor van Riemsdyk (D)
  • Mac Carruth (G)
  • Jeff Glass (G)

Colorado Avalanche

  • Troy Bourke (F)
  • Gabriel Bourque (F)
  • Rene Bourque (F)
  • Joe Colborne (F)
  • Turner Elson (F)
  • Felix Girard (F)
  • Mikhail Grigorenko (F)
  • Samuel Henley (F)
  • John Mitchell (F)
  • Jim O'Brien (F)
  • Brendan Ranford (F)
  • Mike Sislo (F)
  • Carl Soderberg (F)
  • Mark Barberio (D)
  • Mat Clark (D)
  • Eric Gelinas (D)
  • Cody Goloubef (D)
  • Duncan Siemens (D)
  • Fedor Tyutin (D)
  • Patrick Wiercioch (D)
  • Joe Cannata (G)
  • Calvin Pickard (G)
  • Jeremy Smith (G)

Columbus Blue Jackets

  • Josh Anderson (F)
  • Alex Broadhurst (F)
  • Matt Calvert (F)
  • Zac Dalpe (F)
  • Sam Gagner (F)
  • Brett Gallant (F)
  • William Karlsson (F)
  • Lauri Korpikoski (F)
  • Lukas Sedlak (F)
  • T.J. Tynan (F)
  • Daniel Zaar (F)
  • Marc-Andre Bergeron (D)
  • Scott Harrington (D)
  • Jack Johnson (D)
  • Kyle Quincey (D)
  • John Ramage (D)
  • Jaime Sifers (D)
  • Ryan Stanton (D)
  • Oscar Dansk (G)
  • Anton Forsberg (G)
  • Joonas Korpisalo (G)

Dallas Stars

  • Adam Cracknell (F)
  • Justin Dowling (F)
  • Cody Eakin (F)
  • Ales Hemsky (F)
  • Jiri Hudler (F)
  • Curtis McKenzie (F)
  • Mark McNeill (F)
  • Travis Morin (F)
  • Patrick Sharp (F)
  • Gemel Smith (F)
  • Matej Stransky (F)
  • Mattias Backman (D)
  • Andrew Bodnarchuk (D)
  • Ludwig Bystrom (D)
  • Nick Ebert (D)
  • Justin Hache (D)
  • Dan Hamhuis (D)
  • Patrik Nemeth (D)
  • Jamie Oleksiak (D)
  • Greg Pateryn (D)
  • Dustin Stevenson (D)
  • Henri Kiviaho (G)
  • Maxime Lagace (G)
  • Kari Lehtonen (G)
  • Antti Niemi (G)
  • Justin Peters (G)

Detroit Red Wings

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

  • Louis-Marc Aubry (F)
  • Mitch Callahan (F)
  • Colin Campbell (F)
  • Martin Frk (F)
  • Luke Glendening (F)
  • Darren Helm (F)
  • Drew Miller (F)
  • Tomas Nosek (F)
  • Riley Sheahan (F)
  • Ben Street (F)
  • Eric Tangradi (F)
  • Adam Almquist (D)
  • Jonathan Ericsson (D)
  • Niklas Kronwall (D)
  • Brian Lashoff (D)
  • Dylan McIlrath (D)
  • Xavier Ouellet (D)
  • Ryan Sproul (D)
  • Jared Coreau (G)
  • Petr Mrazek (G)
  • Edward Pasquale (G)
  • Jake Paterson (G)

Edmonton Oilers

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  • David Desharnais (F)
  • Justin Fontaine (F)
  • Matt Hendricks (F)
  • Roman Horak (F)
  • Jujhar Khaira (F)
  • Anton Lander (F)
  • Iiro Pakarinen (F)
  • Tyler Pitlick (F)
  • Zach Pochiro (F)
  • Benoit Pouliot (F)
  • Henrik Samuelsson (F)
  • Bogdan Yakimov (F)
  • Mark Fayne (D)
  • Andrew Ference (D)
  • Mark Fraser (D)
  • Eric Gryba (D)
  • David Musil (D)
  • Jordan Oesterle (D)
  • Griffin Reinhart (D)
  • Kris Russell (D)
  • Dillon Simpson (D)
  • Laurent Brossoit (G)
  • Jonas Gustavsson (G)

Florida Panthers

  • Graham Black (F)
  • Tim Bozon (F)
  • Jaromir Jagr (F)
  • Jussi Jokinen (F)
  • Derek MacKenzie (F)
  • Jonathan Marchessault (F)
  • Colton Sceviour (F)
  • Michael Sgarbossa (F)
  • Reilly Smith (F)
  • Brody Sutter (F)
  • Paul Thompson (F)
  • Shawn Thornton (F)
  • Thomas Vanek (F)
  • Jason Demers (D)
  • Jakub Kindl (D)
  • Brent Regner (D)
  • Reece Scarlett (D)
  • MacKenzie Weegar (D)
  • Reto Berra (G)
  • Sam Brittain (G)
  • Roberto Luongo (G)

Los Angeles Kings

  • Andy Andreoff (F)
  • Justin Auger (F)
  • Dustin Brown (F)
  • Kyle Clifford (F)
  • Andrew Crescenzi (F)
  • Nic Dowd (F)
  • Marian Gaborik (F)
  • Jarome Iginla (F)
  • Trevor Lewis (F)
  • Michael Mersch (F)
  • Jordan Nolan (F)
  • Teddy Purcell (F)
  • Devin Setoguchi (F)
  • Nick Shore (F)
  • Matt Greene (D)
  • Vincent Loverde (D)
  • Brayden McNabb (D)
  • Cameron Schilling (D)
  • Rob Scuderi (D)
  • Zach Trotman (D)
  • Jack Campbell (G)
  • Jeff Zatkoff (G)

Minnesota Wild

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  • Brady Brassart (F)
  • Patrick Cannone (F)
  • Ryan Carter (F)
  • Kurtis Gabriel (F)
  • Martin Hanzal (F)
  • Erik Haula (F)
  • Zack Mitchell (F)
  • Jordan Schroeder (F)
  • Eric Staal (F)
  • Chris Stewart (F)
  • Ryan White (F)
  • Victor Bartley (D)
  • Matt Dumba (D)
  • Christian Folin (D)
  • Guillaume Gelinas (D)
  • Alexander Gudbranson (D)
  • Gustav Olofsson (D)
  • Nate Prosser (D)
  • Marco Scandella (D)
  • Mike Weber (D)
  • Johan Gustafsson (G)
  • Darcy Kuemper (G)
  • Alex Stalock (G)

Montreal Canadiens

  • Daniel Carr (F)
  • Connor Crisp (F)
  • Jacob De La Rose (F)
  • Bobby Farnham (F)
  • Brian Flynn (F)
  • Max Friberg (F)
  • Charles Hudon (F)
  • Dwight King (F)
  • Stefan Matteau (F)
  • Torrey Mitchell (F)
  • Joonas Nattinen (F)
  • Steve Ott (F)
  • Tomas Plekanec (F)
  • Alexander Radulov (F)
  • Chris Terry (F)
  • Brandon Davidson (D)
  • Alexei Emelin (D)
  • Keegan Lowe (D)
  • Andrei Markov (D)
  • Nikita Nesterov (D)
  • Zach Redmond (D)
  • Dalton Thrower (D)
  • Al Montoya (G)

Nashville Predators

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  • Pontus Aberg (F)
  • Cody Bass (F)
  • Vernon Fiddler (F)
  • Mike Fisher (F)
  • Cody McLeod (F)
  • James Neal (F)
  • PA Parenteau (F)
  • Adam Payerl (F)
  • Mike Ribeiro (F)
  • Miikka Salomaki (F)
  • Colton Sissons (F)
  • Craig Smith (F)
  • Trevor Smith (F)
  • Austin Watson (F)
  • Colin Wilson (F)
  • Harry Zolnierczyk (F)
  • Taylor Aronson (D)
  • Anthony Bitetto (D)
  • Stefan Elliott (D)
  • Petter Granberg (D)
  • Brad Hunt (D)
  • Matt Irwin (D)
  • Andrew O'Brien (D)
  • Adam Pardy (D)
  • Jaynen Rissling (D)
  • Scott Valentine (D)
  • Yannick Weber (D)
  • Marek Mazanec (G)

New Jersey Devils

  • Beau Bennett (F)
  • Michael Cammalleri (F)
  • Carter Camper (F)
  • Luke Gazdic (F)
  • Shane Harper (F)
  • Jacob Josefson (F)
  • Ivan Khomutov (F)
  • Stefan Noesen (F)
  • Marc Savard (F)
  • Devante Smith-Pelly (F)
  • Petr Straka (F)
  • Mattias Tedenby (F)
  • Ben Thomson (F)
  • David Wohlberg (F)
  • Seth Helgeson (D)
  • Viktor Loov (D)
  • Ben Lovejoy (D)
  • Andrew MacWilliam (D)
  • Jon Merrill (D)
  • Dalton Prout (D)
  • Karl Stollery (D)
  • Alexander Urbom (D)
  • Keith Kinkaid (G)
  • Scott Wedgewood (G)

New York Islanders

  • Josh Bailey (F)
  • Steve Bernier (F)
  • Eric Boulton (F)
  • Jason Chimera (F)
  • Casey Cizikas (F)
  • Cal Clutterbuck (F)
  • Stephen Gionta (F)
  • Ben Holmstrom (F)
  • Bracken Kearns (F)
  • Nikolay Kulemin (F)
  • Brock Nelson (F)
  • Shane Prince (F)
  • Alan Quine (F)
  • Ryan Strome (F)
  • Johan Sundstrom (F)
  • Calvin de Haan (D)
  • Matthew Finn (D)
  • Jesse Graham (D)
  • Thomas Hickey (D)
  • Loic Leduc (D)
  • Scott Mayfield (D)
  • Dennis Seidenberg (D)
  • Jean-Francois Berube (G)
  • Christopher Gibson (G)
  • Jaroslav Halak (G)

New York Rangers

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  • Taylor Beck (F)
  • Chris Brown (F)
  • Daniel Catenacci (F)
  • Jesper Fast (F)
  • Tanner Glass (F)
  • Michael Grabner (F)
  • Marek Hrivik (F)
  • Nicklas Jensen (F)
  • Carl Klingberg (F)
  • Oscar Lindberg (F)
  • Brandon Pirri (F)
  • Matt Puempel (F)
  • Adam Clendening (D)
  • Tommy Hughes (D)
  • Steven Kampfer (D)
  • Kevin Klein (D)
  • Michael Paliotta (D)
  • Brendan Smith (D)
  • Chris Summers (D)
  • Magnus Hellberg (G)
  • Antti Raanta (G)
  • Mackenzie Skapski (G)

Ottawa Senators

  • Casey Bailey (F)
  • Mike Blunden (F)
  • Alexandre Burrows (F)
  • Stephane Da Costa (F)
  • Christopher DiDomenico (F)
  • Nikita Filatov (F)
  • Chris Kelly (F)
  • Clarke MacArthur (F)
  • Max McCormick (F)
  • Chris Neil (F)
  • Tom Pyatt (F)
  • Ryan Rupert (F)
  • Bobby Ryan (F)
  • Viktor Stalberg (F)
  • Phil Varone (F)
  • Tommy Wingels (F)
  • Mark Borowiecki (D)
  • Fredrik Claesson (D)
  • Brandon Gormley (D)
  • Jyrki Jokipakka (D)
  • Marc Methot (D)
  • Patrick Sieloff (D)
  • Chris Wideman (D)
  • Mikael Wikstrand (D)
  • Mike Condon (G)
  • Chris Driedger (G)
  • Andrew Hammond (G)

Philadelphia Flyers

  • Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (F)
  • Greg Carey (F)
  • Chris Conner (F)
  • Boyd Gordon (F)
  • Taylor Leier (F)
  • Colin McDonald (F)
  • Andy Miele (F)
  • Michael Raffl (F)
  • Matt Read (F)
  • Chris VandeVelde (F)
  • Jordan Weal (F)
  • Dale Weise (F)
  • Eric Wellwood (F)
  • Mark Alt (D)
  • TJ Brennan (D)
  • Michael Del Zotto (D)
  • Andrew MacDonald (D)
  • Will O'Neill (D)
  • Jesper Pettersson (D)
  • Nick Schultz (D)
  • Steve Mason (G)
  • Michal Neuvirth (G)

Pittsburgh Penguins

(Courtesy: Getty Images)

  • Josh Archibald (F)
  • Nick Bonino (F)
  • Matt Cullen (F)
  • Jean-Sebastien Dea (F)
  • Carl Hagelin (F)
  • Tom Kuhnhackl (F)
  • Chris Kunitz (F)
  • Kevin Porter (F)
  • Bryan Rust (F)
  • Tom Sestito (F)
  • Oskar Sundqvist (F)
  • Dominik Uher (F)
  • Garrett Wilson (F)
  • Scott Wilson (F)
  • Ian Cole (D)
  • Frank Corrado (D)
  • Trevor Daley (D)
  • Tim Erixon (D)
  • Cameron Gaunce (D)
  • Ron Hainsey (D)
  • Stuart Percy (D)
  • Derrick Pouliot (D)
  • Chad Ruhwedel (D)
  • Mark Streit (D)
  • David Warsofsky (D)
  • Marc-Andre Fleury (G)

San Jose Sharks

  • Mikkel Boedker (F)
  • Barclay Goodrow (F)
  • Micheal Haley (F)
  • Patrick Marleau (F)
  • Buddy Robinson (F)
  • Zack Stortini (F)
  • Joe Thornton (F)
  • Joel Ward (F)
  • Dylan DeMelo (D)
  • Brenden Dillon (D)
  • Dan Kelly (D)
  • Paul Martin (D)
  • David Schlemko (D)
  • Aaron Dell (G)
  • Troy Grosenick (G)
  • Harri Sateri (G)

St. Louis Blues

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

  • Kenny Agostino (F)
  • Andrew Agozzino (F)
  • Kyle Brodziak (F)
  • Jordan Caron (F)
  • Jacob Doty (F)
  • Landon Ferraro (F)
  • Alex Friesen (F)
  • Evgeny Grachev (F)
  • Dmitrij Jaskin (F)
  • Jori Lehtera (F)
  • Brad Malone (F)
  • Magnus Paajarvi (F)
  • David Perron (F)
  • Ty Rattie (F)
  • Scottie Upshall (F)
  • Nail Yakupov (F)
  • Robert Bortuzzo (D)
  • Chris Butler (D)
  • Morgan Ellis (D)
  • Carl Gunnarsson (D)
  • Jani Hakanpaa (D)
  • Petteri Lindbohm (D)
  • Reid McNeill (D)
  • Jordan Binnington (G)
  • Carter Hutton (G)

Tampa Bay Lightning

  • Carter Ashton (F)
  • Michael Bournival (F)
  • J.T. Brown (F)
  • Cory Conacher (F)
  • Erik Condra (F)
  • Gabriel Dumont (F)
  • Stefan Fournier (F)
  • Byron Froese (F)
  • Yanni Gourde (F)
  • Mike Halmo (F)
  • Henri Ikonen (F)
  • Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond (F)
  • Tye McGinn (F)
  • Greg McKegg (F)
  • Cedric Paquette (F)
  • Tanner Richard (F)
  • Joel Vermin (F)
  • Dylan Blujus (D)
  • Jake Dotchin (D)
  • Jason Garrison (D)
  • Slater Koekkoek (D)
  • Jonathan Racine (D)
  • Andrej Sustr (D)
  • Matt Taormina (D)
  • Luke Witkowski (D)
  • Peter Budaj (G)
  • Kristers Gudlevskis (G)
  • Jaroslav Janus (G)
  • Mike McKenna (G)

Toronto Maple Leafs

  • Brian Boyle (F)
  • Eric Fehr (F)
  • Colin Greening (F)
  • Seth Griffith (F)
  • Teemu Hartikainen (F)
  • Brooks Laich (F)
  • Brendan Leipsic (F)
  • Joffrey Lupul (F)
  • Milan Michalek (F)
  • Kerby Rychel (F)
  • Ben Smith (F)
  • Andrew Campbell (D)
  • Matt Hunwick (D)
  • Alexey Marchenko (D)
  • Martin Marincin (D)
  • Steve Oleksy (D)
  • Roman Polak (D)
  • Antoine Bibeau (G)
  • Curtis McElhinney (G)
  • Garret Sparks (G)

Vancouver Canucks

  • Reid Boucher (F)
  • Michael Chaput (F)
  • Joseph Cramarossa (F)
  • Derek Dorsett (F)
  • Brendan Gaunce (F)
  • Alexandre Grenier (F)
  • Jayson Megna (F)
  • Borna Rendulic (F)
  • Anton Rodin (F)
  • Drew Shore (F)
  • Jack Skille (F)
  • Michael Zalewski (F)
  • Alex Biega (D)
  • Philip Larsen (D)
  • Tom Nilsson (D)
  • Andrey Pedan (D)
  • Luca Sbisa (D)
  • Richard Bachman (G)
  • Ryan Miller (G)

Washington Capitals

  • Jay Beagle (F)
  • Chris Bourque (F)
  • Paul Carey (F)
  • Brett Connolly (F)
  • Stanislav Galiev (F)
  • Tyler Graovac (F)
  • Garrett Mitchell (F)
  • Liam O'Brien (F)
  • T.J. Oshie (F)
  • Zach Sill (F)
  • Chandler Stephenson (F)
  • Christian Thomas (F)
  • Nathan Walker (F)
  • Justin Williams (F)
  • Daniel Winnik (F)
  • Karl Alzner (D)
  • Taylor Chorney (D)
  • Cody Corbett (D)
  • Darren Dietz (D)
  • Christian Djoos (D)
  • Tom Gilbert (D)
  • Aaron Ness (D)
  • Brooks Orpik (D)
  • Nate Schmidt (D)
  • Kevin Shattenkirk (D)
  • Pheonix Copley (G)
  • Philipp Grubauer (G)

Winnipeg Jets

  • Marko Dano (F)
  • Quinton Howden (F)
  • Scott Kosmachuk (F)
  • Tomas Kubalik (F)
  • JC Lipon (F)
  • Shawn Matthias (F)
  • Ryan Olsen (F)
  • Anthony Peluso (F)
  • Chris Thorburn (F)
  • Ben Chiarot (D)
  • Toby Enstrom (D)
  • Brenden Kichton (D)
  • Julian Melchiori (D)
  • Paul Postma (D)
  • Brian Strait (D)
  • Mark Stuart (D)
  • Michael Hutchinson (G)
  • Ondrej Pavelec (G)

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8 talented skaters left unprotected for the expansion draft

The Vegas Golden Knights will have some intriguing options to choose from both up front and on the back end Wednesday night.

That's when the NHL's newest franchise will begin plucking players from the other 30 teams in the expansion draft, using the lists of the protected and available players revealed Sunday morning.

Related: The 7 best goalies made available to the Golden Knights

The New York Islanders and Columbus Blue Jackets have reportedly agreed to side deals to prevent the Golden Knights from taking certain players the clubs don't want to lose, and there could certainly be more of these arrangements in the works.

Here are the best unprotected forwards and defensemen who are ripe for the picking barring more expansion-draft assurances:

Jonathan Marchessault

This one's a bit of a head-scratcher. The Florida Panthers elected to protect restricted free-agent defensemen Mark Pysyk and Alex Petrovic instead of their leading scorer this past season.

Marchessault's 30-goal campaign came out of nowhere, but considering his breakout season and his incredibly affordable cap hit of $750,000 next season, it's surprising that the Panthers would leave him prone to selection by the expansion franchise.

Even if he doesn't match 2016-17's offensive explosion, he's shown he has the tools to score consistently over an 82-game schedule.

Sami Vatanen

The Anaheim Ducks had to protect Kevin Bieksa because of his no-movement clause and had to limit themselves to three protected blue-liners because of their forward depth, so that left Vatanen prime for the taking.

It would be a mild shock if Ducks general manager Bob Murray didn't work out a side deal before Wednesday to keep his steady Finnish D-man, but Vatanen is out there for now.

James Neal

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

Neal hit the 20-goal mark for the ninth consecutive season, and he's only one year removed from a 31-goal, 58-point campaign.

The Nashville Predators winger could be a nice addition for the Golden Knights, who can thank the Predators' depth on defense and faith in younger forward Calle Jarnkrok for Neal being available.

Eric Staal

The veteran center erupted for 28 goals and 65 points with the Minnesota Wild after struggling to find his game in his final foray with the Carolina Hurricanes and a disappointing post-trade turn with the New York Rangers.

Who knows which Staal the Golden Knights would get if they picked him, but it might be worth finding out considering how well he played this past season.

Matt Dumba

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

Staal's teammate is a solid defenseman at both ends of the ice, and the Wild would probably keep Dumba if they didn't have to account for Ryan Suter, Jared Spurgeon, and Jonas Brodin, as well as a deep forward group.

He's also only 22 years old, and is coming off his most productive season from a production standpoint.

Michael Grabner

Like Marchessault, there's no guarantee Grabner will replicate his 2016-17 efforts, and the New York Rangers appear to be betting against the 29-year-old forward by leaving him available.

Still, Grabner scored 27 goals this past season - the most he's notched since his first full campaign in 2010-11 - and Chris Kreider was the only member of the high-powered Rangers offense who lit the lamp more than Grabner in the regular season.

David Perron

The Golden Knights might be able to land Perron without having to give up a draft pick, and the St. Louis Blues winger could be a nice fit in Nevada.

Perron is coming off his best offensive season since 2013-14, and he's repeatedly proven capable of scoring 15-20 goals per campaign.

Nate Schmidt

Schmidt worked his way into the Washington Capitals' lineup and proved he belongs, finishing the season as John Carlson's defense partner.

He'd be a solid pick for the Golden Knights given that he's only 25 and promising left-shot blue-liners aren't easy to find.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The 7 best goalies made available to the Golden Knights

The Vegas Golden Knights have no shortage of options between the pipes.

The NHL's 30 teams submitted their protections lists Sunday, which the incoming Golden Knights will now pore over to make their selections. Among the players made available, Vegas must select at least 14 forwards, nine defensemen, and three goaltenders.

That totals to 26, and with Vegas needing to take 30 players, it could max out at seven goaltenders, leaving general manager George McPhee with plenty of assets to deal to rival teams seeking help in the crease:

Marc-Andre Fleury

What better way to headline the NHL in Sin City than with a three-time Stanley Cup champion tending the twine?

The Pittsburgh Penguins are moving ahead with Matt Murray, the rookie netminder who has twice won the Stanley Cup. But that's fine with Fleury, who waived his no-movement clause to accept a move to Vegas. Had he not done so, he would have required protection, leaving Murray free for the taking.

Should Fleury become a Golden Knight, he'll arrive in Nevada with the third-most wins among active netminders, with 375 career victories to his name.

Petr Mrazek

The Detroit Red Wings made the most surprising move in readying for the expansion draft, leaving Mrazek exposed in favor of veteran goalie Jimmy Howard.

Mrazek struggled last season, piecing together a 18-21-9 showing through 50 games, coupled with a pedestrian .901 save rate that ranked dead-last among the 26 netminders who saw as much ice time.

Still, the 25-year-old boasts plenty of potential, and could be a viable asset for the Golden Knights, whether he plays in Vegas or if he's flipped elsewhere. Mrazek also comes with an affordable cap hit, as he's owed just $4 million next season.

Philipp Grubauer

Protecting Braden Holtby left Grubauer up for grabs to the Golden Knights. The 25-year-old is a starter-in-waiting, and while he won't get that opportunity in Washington, he could find it in Vegas.

With the Capitals last season, Grubauer appeared in 23 games, picking up 13 wins in the process, key victories in helping Washington secure its second-straight Presidents' Trophy.

Should Grubauer wind up in Vegas, there will be at least one familiar face in McPhee, the former GM in Washington who drafted him in 2010.

Antti Raanta

Could the New York Rangers backup be the next Cam Talbot? The numbers appear to show Raanta is ready for a top job.

Through two seasons in Manhattan, Raanta has been a tough challenger to Henrik Lundqvist, going as far as to unseat the King for part of last season. Through 30 games, Raanta posted a .922 save percentage, ranking him among the top 10 netminders who saw as many contests.

Before arriving in New York, Raanta was a strong second-stringer for the Chicago Blackhawks, pushing for starts behind Corey Crawford. He also comes as a cost-effective option, as he's signed for just $1 million through next season.

Roberto Luongo

Could Luongo's Twitter game soon make its home on the Strip? It's now a possibility, with the Florida Panthers electing to protect James Reimer ahead of the veteran netminder.

Still, the odds of the Golden Knights banking on Luongo are slim. While still an effective keeper, there is no doubt the 38-year-old is slowing down, not to mention the injuries that have come with a long career. Luongo was limited to just 40 games last season

Further complicating the issue, Luongo has five years remaining on his contract, and that'd be a tough pill for the Golden Knights.

Joonas Korpisalo

If the Golden Knights want to think long term, Korpisalo offers loads of potential. The backup for the Columbus Blue Jackets has just 45 games under his NHL belt, but has performed admirably in limited action.

In 14 games last season, Korpisalo posted a 7-5-1 record to secure the No. 2 job ahead of Curtis McElhinney and Anton Forsberg.

It was just the second season in the NHL for Korpisalo, after he pitched in six wins en route to a Calder Cup win with Cleveland in 2015-16. Korpisalo is signed through the next two seasons, carrying a $900,000 cap charge.

Michal Neuvirth

Neuvirth struggled last season, but like Grubauer, he's a known quantity to McPhee, who drafted him with the Capitals in 2006. Since stopping pucks in Washington, Neuvirth has had stints with the Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, and now the Philadelphia Flyers.

With the Golden Knights, Neuvirth could be a key veteran voice, particularly if the club opts for a younger starter. It's an added bonus that Neuvirth has plenty of experience playing in a tandem, which would likely be the case if he were selected by Vegas.

Neuvirth also comes with an affordable ticket, as he recently signed a two-year pact that pays $2.5 million in each of the next two seasons.

But what about free agents?

What if Vegas wants to write its own contract? While the above seven netminders are among the best available to Vegas, they're not the only options. The Golden Knights could also dip into free agency, where the likes of Ryan Miller, Jonathan Bernier, Steve Mason, and Brian Elliott, among others, could sign early with the Golden Knights.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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McPhee to other GMs: ‘Negotiate your way out of this if you wish’

George McPhee is simply telling it like it is, even if might sound like a threat from a "James Bond" villain or a fictional mob boss.

The Vegas Golden Knights general manager had a message for his colleagues after the protected lists were revealed.

"You can negotiate your way out of this if you wish," he told reporters Sunday, according to The Associated Press' Stephen Whyno. "Every team in this league has a chance to protect their roster."

Several teams were forced to leave key players exposed to potential selection by the Golden Knights ahead of Wednesday night's expansion draft, but as McPhee amusingly made clear, the clubs are welcome to arrange side deals to prevent Vegas from picking players the original teams don't want to lose.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have reportedly agreed to send the Golden Knights a first-round pick and a prospect to ensure none of Jack Johnson, David Savard, Josh Anderson, or Joonas Korpisalo are chosen, while the New York Islanders will reportedly surrender a first-round pick to keep Vegas away from their slew of talented forwards.

McPhee confirmed Sunday that he's already fielding calls from teams interested in drafting players for the Golden Knights, but he said the clubs need to give him something better than the players Vegas can claim from those teams.

For the time being, it's the Golden Knights' world, and the 30 other teams are just living in it.

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