Instead, the team will proceed as it did during its inaugural season with a number of alternate captains. Last year, Deryk Engelland, Jason Garrison, James Neal, David Perron, Luca Sbisa, and Reilly Smith were named alternate captains, with three serving as home alternates and three on the road.
McPhee was asked about the status of naming a captain
The Golden Knights will have to either dress fewer alternates or redistribute letters to other players, as the club saw Garrison, Neal, Perron, and Sbisa all depart this offseason.
As for the newly acquired Max Pacioretty, McPhee made it clear he would not be named captain despite donning the "C" for the Montreal Canadiens the past three seasons.
"Max can come here and just play hockey now," McPhee said, according to NHL.com's Nick Cotsonika. "Doesn't have to be a captain. Won't be the captain. We have 23 captains."
The contract includes a limited 10-team no-trade clause, according to CapFriendly.
Pacioretty was traded from Montreal to Vegas early Monday morning in exchange for forward Tomas Tatar, prospect Nick Suzuki, and a 2019 second-round pick.
Pacioretty's 2018-19 cap hit will remain $4.05 million as established by his old deal, with the new extension kicking in for the 2019-20 season.
Earlier Monday, Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin said the trade was contingent upon Pacioretty signing in Vegas long term.
Stempniak is coming off a 2017-18 season in which he was limited to just 37 games with the Carolina Hurricanes. He tallied three goals and nine points.
The 35-year-old had a brief stint with the Bruins during the 2015-16 season after being acquired from the New Jersey Devils at the trade deadline. He scored three goals and added seven assists in just 19 games.
Winnik enters camp after playing the 2017-18 season with the Minnesota Wild. In 81 games last year, the 33-year-old recorded six goals and 23 points.
Although restricted free-agent winger William Nylander is without a contract for the coming season, Tavares is confident the 22-year-old will be at camp, which opens on Thursday.
"We believe we're going to have Willy (Nylander) here to start camp," Tavares said, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.
Last week, during an interview with TSN's Bob McKenzie, Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas said he wouldn't expect Nylander to be in camp until a contract is signed.
Back in August, Nylander stated he would like to sign a long-term deal with the Maple Leafs. The Swede is coming off his entry-level contract, putting up back-to-back 20-goal, 60-point seasons.
Sbisa spent last season patrolling the Vegas Golden Knights blue line and was on pace for a career year before it was cut short by injury. In total, he finished the campaign with 14 points, a plus-8 rating, 50 hits, and 54 blocks in 30 games while averaging 19:31 per night.
Sbisa was routinely the odd man out during the postseason, suiting up in just 12 of 20 playoff games during Vegas' magical run to the Stanley Cup Final.
The 28-year-old former first-round pick could help solidify an Islanders back end that allowed a league-worst 293 goal last season.
Another member of the Boston Bruins' core will not make the trip to China for their two preseason games this week.
Due to a visa issue, forward David Krejci will not travel with the team, the Bruins announced on Monday. Forward Colby Cave will take Krejci's place on the roster.
Heinen and Kuraly were excused by the team after the two participated in the Bruins' global trip in China this summer; Krug and Acciari are coming off injuries, and Bergeron continues to rehab from offseason surgery.
In return, the club acquired forward Tomas Tatar, prospect Nick Suzuki, and a second-round pick. Unlike some of Bergevin's other deals, the package he was able to fetch in Monday's trade got a generally positive reaction.
Here's what people had to say on Twitter:
I endorse the return to Montreal in the Pacioretty deal. Tatar is decent, but didn't gel with Vegas in 20 games. Suzuki has special potential. 2nd rounder is extra lottery ticket. And, they get to move on. Well done. Vegas wants to extend window. Taking risk
1. This is a solid return for Bergevin and the Habs, considering the circumstances. Top 6 forward, blue chipper, 2nd. Would have liked a 1st instead, but again, circumstances are what they are. https://t.co/JxQ38RCkcW
I don't like how MTL handled it in the media but trading a soon-to-be 30-year-old UFA for a high end prospect is good process. Really like this deal for MTL even if Pacioretty is the best player today.
Seconded. Habs couldn't do much better. Suzuki 1st rounder who will be NHLer, Tatar will get his G and locked up for 3 seasons - you would have liked 1st round pick but with closure on saga, you take 2nd and move on. https://t.co/uAxevpaliM
So #VGK traded a 1,2,3 for Tatar. Then moved him, Suzuki (a 13th overall pick) and a 2 for Max Pacioretty. So they essentially turned five top picks 1,1,2,2,3 for one year - barring an extension - of Pacioretty. That’s... Bad. Even with an extension. #Habs
#Canadiens get Tatar, who was not able to crack Vegas' playoff roster most of the time, and Suzuki (3rd-best prospect according to The Hockey News), plus a 2nd-rounder that will be really low if Vegas is as good as last year.
Speaking at the Montreal Canadiens annual golf tournament on Monday, general manager Marc Bergevin told reporters that Pacioretty requested a trade last season on more than one occasion, according to TVA Sports' Renaud Lavoie.
Bergevin added that while Pacioretty requested a move, he didn't disclose to the 29-year-old that he had intentions of trading him, according to TSN's John Lu.
Canadiens owner Geoff Molson backed Bergevin's claim, refuting previous assertions by Pacioretty and his agent that he did not ask for a trade, and that he wanted to be a Canadien long term.
On Friday, Pacioretty said on TSN690 he did not ask for a trade (his agent, @walsha, said Max never requested trade a week prior). This morning, Habs GM and owner said Max did ask for a trade. So, that’s that.
Meanwhile, with Pacioretty no longer in the picture, Bergevin says the team will take a few weeks to decide on a new captain, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels.
Pacioretty is coming off a down year with only 17 goals, but he's otherwise been remarkably consistent throughout his career. Over the last seven seasons, he's averaged 33.6 goals, 65 points, and nearly 300 shots per year over an 82-game average.
Early in Pacioretty's career, he earned the top-line left wing spot on the Montreal Canadiens and never let it go. In Vegas, the top unit of Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson, and Reilly Smith isn't likely to be split up, leaving Pacioretty with a reduced second-line role.
That could result in less ice time, likely bringing his shot total down. However, the 29-year-old won't be the primary focus of his opponents, which will lead to easier matchups. He'll also probably get a chance to line up alongside free-agent acquisition Paul Stastny, who would be the best playmaking center Pacioretty has ever played with by quite a wide margin.
As for special teams, the Golden Knights' power play was solid in 2017-18 while ranking 11th. It's possible Pacioretty, a five-time 30-goal scorer, replaces Alex Tuch on the top unit, but it seems more likely he anchors the second power-play line alongside Stastny, Erik Haula, Colin Miller, and possibly former Hab Daniel Carr.
A return to his 35-goal form with around 60 points and 275 shots is within reach for Pacioretty. He can safely be selected between rounds five and seven in standard leagues, depending on the size of your league. In banger leagues, which have hits as a category, he can be taken a round earlier thanks to Pacioretty's willingness to throw his weight around (118 hits in 2017-18).
Tatar's ceiling is capped in Montreal's fantasy wasteland
(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)
Tatar has reeled off four straight 20-goal seasons, and while he may continue that streak in Montreal, prospective fantasy owners shouldn't expect a whole lot more. He should grab a first-line role with the Habs and replace Pacioretty. But he won't be paired with a legitimate center, making 25 goals his likely ceiling.
Tatar doesn't contribute in many other fantasy categories outside of goals. He should contend for the green jacket this year (the league's worst plus/minus), and needs to be a late-round pick in deeper leagues, and nothing more than a streaming option in standard 10- or 12-team leagues.
However, there is still fantasy value to be extracted from this trade for the Habs. Suzuki, the 13th overall pick in 2017, has racked up 196 points over the past two seasons with the OHL's Owen Sound Attack. If he continues to develop, the 19-year-old could become a top-two center in Montreal within a year or two, making him a solid late-round pick in dynasty leagues that carry NA spots.
Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin told reporters Monday that the trade was contingent on Pacioretty signing a long-term deal in Vegas, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels.
Talks between Pacioretty's camp and the Golden Knights are already underway, reports TVA Sports' Renaud Lavoie.
For Golden Knights GM George McPhee, the clause in the deal was necessary. He gave up a first, second, and a third-round pick to acquire Tomas Tatar at last year's trade deadline, then flipped Tatar, top prospect Nick Suzuki, and a second-round pick to get Pacioretty, whose contract expires after this season. Without this contingency, McPhee would be giving up a haul for a rental player.
What Pacioretty's extension will look like remains to be seen, but there are a few interesting comparable contracts that were signed this summer. Evander Kane, 27, signed a seven-year, $49-million deal with the San Jose Sharks in May. James Neal, 31, inked a five-year contract in Calgary worth $5.75 million annually. James van Riemsdyk, 29, returned to the Philadelphia Flyers on a five-year, $35-million contract. Pacioretty's extension could potentially fall somewhere between these three.
