UPDATE 2:35 PM- According to Pierre Lebrun, Las Vegas has indeed selected defenceman Marc Methot in the expansion draft. Best of luck to Methot wherever he ends up.
It’s time to meet the Las Vegas Golden Knights.
Vegas General Manager George McPhee is expected to submit his 30 selections to the league at 10:00 AM this morning and along with those 30 selections, as many as 10-12 trades with various picks, prospects and players on the move.
It figures to be one of the most interesting days of the NHL’s off season and it will have a direct impact on next year’s Ottawa Senators.
Ottawa’s situation is well-known by this point.
They spoke to Vegas at length about a potential side deal but Pierre Dorion deemed the price of a first round pick (possibly next year) to be too rich to protect a certain player. Especially without any sort of guarantee that the player in question is actually the one Vegas has targeted.
Dion Phaneuf’s decision to decline the invitation to waive his no movement clause left Marc Methot vulnerable to expansion and today we’ll find out what’s in store for Methot.
Vegas could pick him and he could become a potential Captain with the Golden Knights. Vegas could pick him and then flip him elsewhere, with teams like Dallas and Toronto showing some interest. Vegas could pass on him and leave him here in Ottawa where he clearly wants to be.
It’s a stressful day for Methot obviously and one that will shape the roster for next season and set the direction for Pierre Dorion’s off-season.
There were rumours that the Senators tried one last pitch to protect Methot yesterday but as of this morning, they still had no reached a deal. And unless there’s a last-minute agreement, Vegas will be free to take whoever they like. It could be Marc Methot but there are a few other players believed to be on their radar including Freddy Claesson, Chris Wideman and Mark Borowiecki.
We should have our answer soon.
The league will officially unveil the selections during tonight’s Award Show but it’s safe to assume details will leak before that.
-While the Expansion Draft steals the show today, there’s also the matter of the NHL Awards to take care of. Three Senators are up for awards tonight including Erik Karlsson (Norris Trophy), Pierre Dorion (GM of the Year) and Craig Anderson (Masterton Trophy). Of those three, there’s a good chance Karlsson and Anderson both come away with some hardware.
-The league also released the new Adidas jerseys which in the case of Ottawa, looked a whole lot like their current jerseys. They’ve made small improvements to the font in the player name on the back and to the numbering but other than that, it’s pretty much the same jersey they’ve had for the last decade. The Senators are going to take a serious look at a re-brand but it obviously didn’t happen in time for this jersey release. Better come soon though because based on the reaction on social media, fans are sick of the current look.
-Another thing to keep an eye on in the next 48 hours is a potential contract for Jean-Gabriel Pageau. The RFA-to-be is a priority for the Senators this off-season and the belief is Pierre Dorion is expected to meet with Pageau’s agent (Craig Oster) while they are in Vegas for the Awards and Expansion.
