A Wild fan’s guide to the expansion draft
It's finally here. After months of hand wringing, mock drafting and furious speculation, the Vegas Golden Knights will make their picks Wednesday night, when the first NHL expansion draft since 2000 gets underway during the NHL Awards.
Confused by that sentence?
That's OK. It's complicated. Read on for our quick primer on the Golden Knights, the expansion draft, and how it all relates to the Minnesota Wild.
Hold on, they put a team in Las Vegas?
They did. The Vegas Golden Knights will begin play next season with a roster pieced together via the expansion draft, the regular draft, trades and free agency.
They already have two players: Former Wild draft pick Reid Duke and coveted Russian free agent Vadim Shipachyov. The expansion draft will take place during the NHL Awards at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 21.
OK, so how does this draft work?
The Golden Knights will pick one player from all 30 other teams -- just like the Wild did when they entered the league in 2000 -- and are required to select 14 forwards, nine defensemen and three goaltenders.
However, it isn't a free-for-all. The Wild and the rest of the league's non-Vegas teams can protect up to 10 players from the draft via one of two formats: seven forwards, three defensemen and a goaltender, or eight total skaters and one goaltender. All rookies, second-year players and unsigned draft picks are also exempt from the draft.
So they can't have Luke Kunin? How about Joel Eriksson Ek?
Good question.
No and no.
Kunin signed with the Wild earlier this year, while Eriksson Ek will be a second-year player, so neither are eligible.
So who are the Wild going to protect?
The Wild chose the first option: seven forwards, three defensemen and a goaltender.
Minnesota's protected list includes goaltender Devan Dubnyk, defensemen Jonas Brodin, Jared Spurgeon and Ryan Suter, and forwards Charlie Coyle, Mikael Granlund, Mikko Koivu, Nino Niederreiter, Zach Parise, Jason Pominville and Jason Zucker.
Wait, they exposed Eric Staal!?
On the surface, this is cause for alarm. The Wild exposed one of their best -- possibly their best -- center, just a few months after he scored 65 points and led the team in goals. However, they're unlikely to lose him.
No matter what Vegas' roster looks like in October there's little chance of the Golden Knights finishing anywhere near a playoff spot in 2018, and adding a 32-year-old center -- even an effective one -- isn't likely one of their priorities unless they plan to trade him.
So who is Vegas going to take?
All signs point towards Matt Dumba. Scoring centers are hard to find, and bona fide No. 1 centers are rare commodities. The Wild likely didn't expose Staal because they're eager to ditch him, but because they're betting on Vegas taking Dumba instead. Better to snag a young defenseman like Dumba, a player who hasn't quite lived up to his full potential in Minnesota.
A risk-taker on the blue line, Dumba potted a career-high 11 goals and 23 assists last year and remains one of the league's more intriguing young defensemen at just 22 years old.