Vegas Golden Knights Expansion Outlook: Pittsburgh Penguins
Lots of viable options on the Pittsburgh Penguins roster for the Vegas Golden Knights to choose from.
The Vegas Golden Knights have to think as the Pittsburgh Penguins as “the model” right? The defending Stanley Cup Champions are on another crash course for Lords Stanley once again and look like a contender for the next five years at least. That’s exactly what Golden Knights General Manager George McPhee needs to build right out of the shoot.
But Sidney Crosby’s just don’t grow on trees, sorry to burst your bubble.
The Penguins are currently in 3rd place in the Metropolitan division, sitting comfortably in a playoff spot. So does Pittsburgh have what it takes to win it all again? The answer is they absolutely can do it again this year.
The team is once again loaded in-goal with two very capable starting goalies, a great number one defenseman in Kris Letang and a Forward group that is so deep only a few teams that can match up to. But what about the expansion draft? What does this all mean for the roster in 2017-2018 for Penguins General Manger Jim Rutherford?
Well let’s get to some good news. Conor Sheary and Jake Guentzel are exempt from the expansion draft in June. The bad news is everyone else pretty much is exposed.
The Penguins will most likely use the seven Forwards, three defensemen and one goaltender protection list. It wont surprise me if the Penguins go the other route trying to protect an extra defenseman but that would leave too many quality forwards exposed to the Vegas Golden Knights.
There has been no other storyline like the one that’s going on in-goal for the Penguins. The question that gets brought up to me constantly is what are the Penguins going to do for the expansion draft. If Marc-Andre Fleury doesn’t waive his no movement clause, problems will arise in Pittsburgh.
The Penguins could buyout Fleury but if that doesn’t happen they’ll have to expose young goaltender Matt Murray to Vegas. Fleury is 17-8-6 with a 3.03 GAA and a .909 save percentage while Murray is 27-9-3 with a GAA of 2.41 GAA and .923 SV%. It’s anybody’s guess whats going to happen in the cage for Pittsburgh. If I were a betting man, I’d say Murray’s protected and Rutherford somehow finds a way to move Fleury.
Pittsburgh’s defense is also in trouble at the expansion draft as well. Kris Letang, Olli Maatta and Justin Schultz are the sure bets on the protection list. Players like Brian Dumoulin and Ian Cole who have done nothing wrong to lose their spots, will more than likely get exposed to Vegas. They also have Trevor Daley to potentially sign if the team decides to keep him around.
Picking the seven forwards for the Penguins is much more simple this time around. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Patric Hornqvist, Phil Kessel, Nick Bonino, Carl Hagelin and Bryan Rust are the locks at forward. You can make a case for a guy like Chris Kunitz but I don’t see that happening with him being a 37-year-old UFA at the end of the season.
This leaves George McPhee with so many options across the board. McPhee could decide to go with Ian Cole who’s putting up his best offensive season in his NHL career. But it’s probably unlikely he keeps that pace on a new team next season. Keep an eye on Cole moving forward though.
The player that McPhee should make a move on is Brian Dumoulin. Dumoulin has a big 6’4 206 lb frame, the perfect size for a defenseman. The New England born defenseman averages 20 minutes a night and has proved he can be a solid top four defenseman at the NHL level. The former BC Eagle has come a long way and don’t forget he’s a Stanley Cup Champion at the age of 25.
Dumoulin needs to work on his offensive game even though he skates and moves the puck pretty well. This season, he only has 13 Assists to his record this year and no Goals which is a little concerning. He also needs to use more of his 6’4 frame and be more physical. For a defenseman as young as Dumoulin is, there’s a ton of room to develop those qualities into his game.
If McPhee see’s Dumoulin there for the taking (which he should), he needs to pounce and take him. Building a solid defense is crucial in today’s NHL. Dumoulin will be a solid addition on defense for the Vegas Golden Knights and who knows maybe he perhaps develops into a number one/two defenseman someday.
Golden Knights Prediction Brian Dumoulin