The dust is finally settling in the desert.
After a cloud-kicking array of post-expansion draft moves, the Vegas Golden Knights are close to resembling a regular NHL roster. And they're not done yet with their reconstruction -- with Nate Schmidt's recent two-year arbitration award, Vegas is carrying 10 NHL-caliber defensemen.
But with training camp just weeks away, it seems like a decent time to evaluate George McPhee's sometimes-criticized expansion efforts.
How to evaluate? I will weigh two possibilities for each team that the Golden Knights chose from: Who was each unprotected list's best non-UFA "win now" pick? And who was the best "build for the future" selection? Then, I'll pass judgment on McPhee's actual course of action.
Of course, putting together a team isn't as black or white as "win now" or "build for the future." Vegas clearly tried a mixed approach. But examining McPhee's machinations against this dichotomy should illuminate his work -- for better and for worse.
This will be a four-part series: Part One will review McPhee's selections
from Anaheim to Dallas, Part Two
Detroit to New York, Part Three Ottawa to Winnipeg, and Part Four will summarize our findings.
Ottawa Senators
Exposed List: Casey Bailey, Mike Blunden, Alexandre Burrows, Stephane Da Costa, Christopher DiDomenico, Nikita Filatov, Chris Kelly, Clarke MacArthur, Max McCormick, Chris Neil, Tom Pyatt, Ryan Rupert, Bobby Ryan, Viktor Stalberg, Phil Varone, Tommy Wingels, Mark Borowiecki, Fredrik Claesson, Brandon Gormley, Jyrki Jokipakka, Marc Methot, Patrick Sieloff, Chris Wideman, Mikael Wikstrand, Mike Condon, Chris Driedger, Andrew Hammond
Best "Win Now" Pick: 32-year-old stay-at-home defender Marc Methot has been a top-four minutes muncher for a long time. 30-year-old winger Bobby Ryan suffered a tough regular season and has a $7.25 million cap hit for five more years, but a resurgent playoffs put him back in the top-six conversation.
Best "Build For The Future" Pick: Since the Sens didn't offer much in way of up-and-coming players, Methot, with just two years left in his contract, is a fairly moveable asset.
What McPhee Did: McPhee snagged Methot and flipped him to Dallas for a 2020 second-round pick and goaltending prospect Dylan Ferguson.
Verdict: If McPhee had held onto Methot, maybe he could've extracted a first-round pick from a contender at the Trade Deadline. The GM took the safer route, but a second-rounder and a prospect is a solid return. Grade: B.
Philadelphia Flyers
Exposed List: Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Greg Carey, Chris Conner, Boyd Gordon, Taylor Leier, Colin McDonald, Andy Miele, Michael Raffl, Matt Read, Chris VandeVelde, Jordan Weal, Dale Weise, Eric Wellwood, Mark Alt, TJ Brennan, Michael Del Zotto, Andrew MacDonald, Will O'Neill, Jesper Pettersson, Nick Schultz, Steve Mason, Michal Neuvirth
Best "Win Now" Pick: Bad contract be damned, much-maligned 30-year-old Andrew MacDonald has been a heavily-used defender throughout his career in all situations. 28-year-old winger Michael Raffl is a solid third-liner with some scoring touch.
Best "Build For The Future" Pick: Raffl's $2.35 million in each of the next two years might be moveable for a mid-round pick during the Trade Deadline. Netminder Michal Neuvirth may also be a valuable bargaining chip, but the goaltending market is volatile.
What McPhee Did: In something of a surprise, McPhee opted for 32-year-old fourth-liner Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.
Verdict: Bellemare doesn't have a lot of offensive upside, but has led Flyers forwards in SH TOI/Game over the last two years. However, Raffl is clearly the superior talent and probably more enticing trade bait. Grade: D.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Exposed List: Josh Archibald, Nick Bonino, Matt Cullen, Jean-Sebastien Dea, Carl Hagelin, Tom Kuhnhackl, Chris Kunitz, Kevin Porter, Bryan Rust, Tom Sestito, Oskar Sundqvist, Dominik Uher, Garrett Wilson, Scott Wilson, Ian Cole, Frank Corrado, Trevor Daley, Tim Erixon, Cameron Gaunce, Ron Hainsey, Stuart Percy, Derrick Pouliot, Chad Ruhwedel, Mark Streit, David Warsofsky, Marc-Andre Fleury
Best "Win Now" Pick: Marc-Andre Fleury is still a capable workhorse starter. Winger Carl Hagelin endured a poor season, but still appears to have middle-six ability.
Best "Build For The Future" Pick: 2012 first-round pick Derrick Pouliot has developed more slowly than expected, but he's just 23. There's still time for him to develop into a reliable power play contributor.
What McPhee Did: McPhee went with Fleury. To ensure that Vegas took Fleury's contract off their books, Pittsburgh also sent a 2020 second-round pick.
Verdict: Vegas needed a franchise face and Fleury is a perfect fit in this regard. He also demonstrated in the postseason that he could still carry a heavy load. Getting a second-rounder to boot is some good gravy. Grade: A.
San Jose Sharks
Exposed List: Mikkel Boedker, Barclay Goodrow, Micheal Haley, Patrick Marleau, Buddy Robinson, Zack Stortini, Joe Thornton, Joel Ward, Dylan DeMelo, Brenden Dillon, Dan Kelly, Paul Martin, David Schlemko, Aaron Dell, Troy Grosenick, Harri Sateri
Best "Win Now" Pick: Mikkel Boedker had a tough year and is owed $4 million per over the next three seasons, but he's only 27 and scored at a 50-point pace from 2013-16.
Best "Build For The Future" Pick: A revived Boedker would probably be pretty easy to trade for a high draft pick down the road.
What McPhee Did: McPhee netted 30-year-old defender David Schlemko and sent him to Montreal for a 2019 fifth-round pick.
Verdict: Schlemko is worth more than Boedker now, so he certainly was a safer selection. But Boedker would've been a worthwhile gamble. Grade: D.
St. Louis Blues
Exposed List: Kenny Agostino, Andrew Agozzino, Kyle Brodziak, Jordan Caron, Jacob Doty, Landon Ferraro, Alex Friesen, Evgeny Grachev, Dmitrij Jaskin, Jori Lehtera, Brad Malone, Magnus Paajarvi, David Perron, Ty Rattie, Scottie Upshall, Nail Yakupov, Robert Bortuzzo, Chris Butler, Morgan Ellis, Carl Gunnarsson, Jani Hakanpaa, Petteri Lindbohm, Reid McNeill, Jordan Binnington, Carter Hutton
Best "Win Now" Pick: 29-year-old winger David Perron is a three-time 20-goal scorer, who can be used in all situations.
Best "Build For The Future" Pick: Perron has just one year left on his deal at a reasonable $3.75 million, so he will be easy to move.
What McPhee Did: McPhee took Perron.
Verdict: Perron was the obvious pick here. More icetime should mean more production for the winger, which will increase his trade value. Grade: B.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Exposed List: Carter Ashton, Michael Bournival, J.T. Brown, Cory Conacher, Erik Condra, Gabriel Dumont, Stefan Fournier, Byron Froese, Yanni Gourde, Mike Halmo, Henri Ikonen, Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond, Tye McGinn, Greg McKegg, Cedric Paquette, Tanner Richard, Joel Vermin, Dylan Blujus, Jake Dotchin, Jason Garrison, Slater Koekkoek, Jonathan Racine, Andrej Sustr, Matt Taormina, Luke Witkowski, Peter Budaj, Kristers Gudlevskis, Jaroslav Janus, Mike McKenna
Best "Win Now" Pick: Blueliner Jake Dotchin helped soldify Tampa Bay's top-four last year, and at 23, still has some upside.
Best "Build For The Future" Pick: 2012 first-rounder Slater Koekkoek has yet to define his role at the highest level, but the defenseman is just 23.
What McPhee Did: Tampa Bay wanted to get rid of Jason Garrison's contract plus protect both Dotchin and Koekkoek. So McPhee selected Garrison and also received a 2017 second-round pick, a 2018 fourth-round pick, and KHL prospect Nikita Gusev for his trouble.
Verdict: Dotchin or Koekkoek would've been sound expansion selections, but taking one year of Garrison at $4.6 million for a pair of draft picks and a prospect with legitimate top-six potential is an excellent return. Grade: A.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Exposed List: Brian Boyle, Eric Fehr, Colin Greening, Seth Griffith, Teemu Hartikainen, Brooks Laich, Brendan Leipsic, Joffrey Lupul, Milan Michalek, Kerby Rychel, Ben Smith, Andrew Campbell, Matt Hunwick, Alexey Marchenko, Martin Marincin, Steve Oleksy, Roman Polak, Antoine Bibeau, Curtis McElhinney, Garret Sparks
Best "Win Now" Pick: 25-year-old Martin Marincin has yet to establish himself as a regular, but looks like at least a decent bottom-pairing defender.
Best "Build For The Future" Pick: 23-year-old Brendan Leipsic appears to be NHL-ready. However, his ceiling is probably closer to a third-liner.
What McPhee Did: McPhee went with Leipsic.
Verdict: The Maple Leafs' unprotected list didn't offer a lot, but Leipsic looks like a selection with some upside. Grade: B.
Vancouver Canucks
Exposed List: Reid Boucher, Michael Chaput, Joseph Cramarossa, Derek Dorsett, Brendan Gaunce, Alexandre Grenier, Jayson Megna, Borna Rendulic, Anton Rodin, Drew Shore, Jack Skille, Michael Zalewski, Alex Biega, Philip Larsen, Tom Nilsson, Andrey Pedan, Luca Sbisa, Richard Bachman, Ryan Miller
Best "Win Now" Pick: 27-year-old Luca Sbisa can eat minutes and kill penalties.
Best "Build For The Future" Pick: 2012 first-round pick Brendan Gaunce has yet to live up to expectations, capping his ceiling, but he's just 23. He has shown more scoring prowess in the AHL recently.
What McPhee Did: McPhee took Sbisa.
Verdict: McPhee might be able to flip Sbisa for a mid-round draft pick later. Is that worth more than Gaunce? Perhaps. The Canucks' unprotected list was one of the weakest. Grade: C.
Washington Capitals
Exposed List: Jay Beagle, Chris Bourque, Paul Carey, Brett Connolly, Stanislav Galiev, Tyler Graovac, Garrett Mitchell, Liam O'Brien, T.J. Oshie, Zach Sill, Chandler Stephenson, Christian Thomas, Nathan Walker, Justin Williams, Daniel Winnik, Karl Alzner, Taylor Chorney, Cody Corbett, Darren Dietz, Christian Djoos, Tom Gilbert, Aaron Ness, Brooks Orpik, Nate Schmidt, Kevin Shattenkirk, Pheonix Copley, Philipp Grubauer
Best "Win Now" Pick: 25-year-old blueliner Nate Schmidt was on the cusp of taking a top-four role on a stacked Washington team. 25-year-old netminder Philipp Grubauer has starting potential.
Best "Build For The Future" Pick: Schmidt or Grubauer.
What McPhee Did: Schmidt.
Verdict: Schmidt has excelled on the bottom pairing with the Capitals. Will he flourish with more responsibilites? He does appear to be a solid building block for the Golden Knights. Grade: B.
Winnipeg Jets
Exposed List: Marko Dano, Quinton Howden, Scott Kosmachuk, Tomas Kubalik, JC Lipon, Shawn Matthias, Ryan Olsen, Anthony Peluso, Chris Thorburn, Ben Chiarot, Toby Enstrom, Brenden Kichton, Julian Melchiori, Paul Postma, Brian Strait, Mark Stuart, Michael Hutchinson, Ondrej Pavelec
Best "Win Now" Pick: Despite a down season, 32-year-old rearguard Toby Enstrom is still capable of playing top-four minutes in all situations.
Best "Build For The Future" Pick: 2013 first-round pick Marko Dano has yet to capitalize on his promise, but the 22-year-old center-winger has flashed clear top-six talent.
What McPhee Did: Because the Jets wanted to protect both Enstrom and Dano, they induced McPhee to pick Chris Thorburn. In exchange, Vegas and Winnipeg swapped 2017 first-round picks -- McPhee gave up Columbus's #24 for Kevin Cheveldayoff's #13. In addition, the Golden Knights received a 2019 third-round pick. Thorburn was allowed to leave as a UFA.
Verdict: Was missing on Dano or Enstrom worth 11 first-round draft spots and a 2019 third-rounder? This might depend on how much you like Nick Suzuki, who McPhee selected with Winnipeg's pick. But the value seems reasonable. Grade: B.
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