Las Vegas Hockey: Draft Scouting First Priority for McPhee

George McPhee was very clear during his introductory press conference that scouting for the draft, not coaching, was his top priority. The new General Manager of the Las Vegas NHL Franchise pretty solidly implied that naming a coach is not high on his to-do list right now.

LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 13: George McPhee (L) shakes hands with majority owner of the Las Vegas NHL franchise Bill Foley after he announced McPhee as the team’s general manager during a news conference at T-Mobile Arena on July 13, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

It is part of the frustrating nature of the beast because there are so many things that Las Vegas fans want to see. A coach? A logo? Jeesh – how about a name for the franchise?

Las Vegas now has McPhee as Bill Foley’s General Manager, and it looks like they both have their heads squarely on their shoulders, and ready to put their shoulders to the grindstone for the long haul.

The list of things that need to be done for the new franchise is endlessly extending, and won’t get any easier the closer we get to the 2017 first training camp.

LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 13: George McPhee (L) talks with majority owner of the Las Vegas NHL franchise Bill Foley after he announced McPhee as the team’s general manager during a news conference at T-Mobile Arena on July 13, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

For Foley, he has to simultaneously build up the business side, marketing, sales, and he desperately needs to finalize the plans and start construction on the Las Vegas practice facility.

For McPhee, he made it clear that the breakdown will be the GM builds the roster and the coach works the players available. True, a good coach should have input on the personnel available since it does effect what he does. But right now we are talking about a six-nine month time where no real decisions on the draft needs to be made, just building a data base of information.

ARLINGTON, VA – SEPTEMBER 11: General Manager George McPhee of the Washington Capitals poses for his official headshot for the 2013-2014 season on September 11, 2013 at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Virginia. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images) /

That means eyes out in the world, looking at NHL players, looking at prospects in the developmental ranks. There needs to be eyes on prospects in Europe and North America, in the colleges and club teams. Thousands of prospects that need to have the measure of them taken, and that means smart bodies who can evaluate talent. The more and better the quality of information developed quickly means a better decision making process when the Expansion Draft and Entry Draft starts coming up in around eleven months.

A coach would be nice, but you are really not going to need a coach, really, really need him, until a month or two before the draft.

McPhee and Foley laid their philosophy bare to the world. They want a team who skates well, scores and is entertaining, and physical. McPhee built his Washington Capitols teams on offense and speed, but after a couple of years out of the grind he openly admires the principles of physical, goal-to-goal pressing offense and defense that won the Pittsburgh Penguins a Stanley Cup this last season.

The General Manager says he can build a good base for the team in the Expansion Draft. But most of those palyers available for the draft are likely to be second and third line players. Maybe there would be an occasional first line veteran on the downside of their career but attached to a hefty contract, but that is risky. No, McPhee, and Foley, are looking to develop the elite players for their team from the Entry Draft.