After months of anticipation, the Vegas finally find out what spot they’ll be picking in the NHL Entry Draft.
Vegas Golden Knights General Manager George McPhee knows from his Washington Capitals days that the draft is very important. That’s where he drafted the likes of Alexander Ovechkin , Evgeny Kuznetsv, Nicklas Backstrom, Braden Holtby, Phillipp Grubauer, John Carlson etc. And for an expansion franchise, entry drafts are even more crucial in the beginning years.
In McPhee’s full tenure as the Caps GM, McPhee has only earned two top five picks. However, those players ended up being Ovechkin and Backstrom in 2004 and 2006 respectively. Not to mention those players are still the faces of that franchise today. Golden Knights fans will only hope that McPhee hits big like he did on those two players.
When the day arrived though, the Golden Knights had the unfortunate news that their GM couldn’t make it to Toronto in time for the lottery. As soon as I heard this news, I knew this night wasn’t going to go well. Sure enough, Vegas found out they’ll be picking sixth, the worst possible position the NHL’s newest franchise could pick from.
Let’s see how the Vegas Golden Knights will do picking from the sixth spot in this years draft. Even if this is considered a “bad draft”, it’s important McPhee nails the first pick in franchise history. Getting that high-profile star at an NHL Entry Draft is a game changer no doubt.
Now that we know when the Golden Knights will be picking, just who will McPhee take with his selection? Lets face it, with the sixth overall pick, the Nolan Patrick and Nico Hischier ships have set sail. Gabriel Vilardi, Casey Mittelstadt and Cody Glass are options if things fall in the right places. Picking a Defenseman like Timothy Liljegren considering how much he has dropped may not be the smartest decision. Michael Rasmussen could be a sleeper pick for Vegas if they decide to go with a big Center.
We still have to wait a little bit to see just how the draft lists fall as they often change the last-minute. That’s due to the fact that players suffer injuries just before the draft, combine results and extensive player interviews with all 31 NHL teams. A complicated process awaits all 18 year old’s eligible for this years draft, but its an experience they will never ever forget.
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We may not know who George McPhee has in store for his first selection but one thing is for certain. The first Vegas Golden Knight draft pick will go down in the history books. And Vegas hockey fans hope that player will play a big part in the teams long-term success.