Las Vegas GM George McPhee was in Buffalo for the annual NHL Scouting Combine getting a good look at over 100 prospects who were in town for interviews and testing. It was a lot to take in for the expansion Golden Knights GM but as he walked about downtown, discussions with other GM's he met along the way were invariably diverted towards potential deals leading up to the expansion draft. "It seemed the other day we go down to lunch, and I ran into a few GMs and the conversations started," McPhee said, via TSN. "It's been a busy week, but certainly productive."
He would go on to say that he's "far enough along with a few teams that my plan is to sit on the phone all day Monday, Tuesday to see what we can accomplish," according to the TSN piece.
With Buffalo as the host city, of course McPhee would hook up with new Sabres GM Jason Botterill to exchange wants and needs. McPhee was quoted as saying that their first and only discussion went very well and that they would be talking again soon.
The Sabres are in good shape when it comes to potential exposure to the draft. Names like Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, Justin Bailey and Nick Baptiste did not meet the requirements to be exposed and of the ones that do, only a couple would represent a loss to a degree. The key for Botterill will be to entice McPhee into taking on a bloated contract. There are four on the books ranging from $3.9-$5.1 million with terms between one and three years. McPhee intimated that teams looking to either keep their roster intact or looking to ditch a hefty contract will pay a price.
One should expect a deal to be made between Buffalo and Vegas. The Golden Knights have a prospect pool to fill and are looking for as many draft picks as they can get their hands on. Buffalo will be heading into the NHL Draft on June 23, a mere two days after the announcement of Vegas' roster, with an extra second and an extra third rounder. Would one of those be enough of an enticement to take on one of those four contracts?
We'll see. But in lieu of that, here are the top three players whom the Sabres may expose that would be of interest to the Knights.
1. LW, William Carrier
Carrier's speed and quickness are tailor-made for the way the NHL is played these days. He also has size (6'2" 212 lbs.) and a some good scoring instincts. Although he didn't dazzle when he played in Buffalo last season with eight points (3+5) in 41 games, the 22 yr. old second round pick has upside and might just be of interest to McPhee.
Of note: It looks as if Botterill and Co. might have a decision on their hands between exposing either Carrier or F, Zemgus Girgensons, who's a year older and is more versatile up-front in that he could play every position.
2. G, Linus Ullmark
If former Sabres GM Tim Murray was still at the helm, it would be a slam dunk that Ullmark would be exposed. Murray's the one that traded the 21st overall pick in 2015 to Ottawa for goalie Robin Lehner and there's no way he'd expose Buffalo's starter last season. But even though it's not a slam dunk, it's probable that Botterill will opt to protect Lehner.
The Knights may have some pretty good goalies to pick from for a starters role like veterans Marc-Andre Fleury (PIT) and Jimmy Howard (DET.) But they'll have three other slots to fill in the organization. Washington's Philipp Grubauer tops the list of good young goalies who will be on the Knights' radar and Ullmark, who's been progressing nicely and is waivers-exempt, could easily fill in one of the two remaining spots for Vegas.
3. D, Taylor Fedun
Normally an unrestricted free agent like Fedun would still be under contract with the Sabres until July 1. For expansion draft purposes, the Knights will have an exclusive window during the weekend of the expansion draft to negotiate with UFA's. However, if they do sign a team's UFA, that will count as that team's player selected by Las Vegas.
The 29 yr. old Fedun had been wallowing away in the minors for the better part of five year professional career but last season injuries in Buffalo gave him the opportunity to showcase his talents for an extended period. He played a career-high 27 NHL games for the Sabres registering seven assists and a plus-3 rating. As a puck-mover with offensive acumen and the ability to man the point on the powerplay, Fedun fits right into how the game is geared towards more mobile defensemen.
Teams have about 2 1/2 weeks before their finalized lists are submitted for the expansion draft and expectations are that it will be a very active time period. Most Buffalo fans would like to see the Sabres involved in that and the sooner, the better.
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