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Vegas Golden Knights: Expansion Draft Dallas Stars (10/30)

By Michael Joubran |
LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 21: Cody Eakin is selected by the Las Vegas Golden Knights during the 2017 NHL Awards and Expansion Draft at T-Mobile Arena on June 21, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 21: Cody Eakin is selected by the Las Vegas Golden Knights during the 2017 NHL Awards and Expansion Draft at T-Mobile Arena on June 21, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

The Vegas Golden Knights are the newest NHL team. Over the next month I will take a look at why they took who they did from each NHL franchise.

The Vegas Golden Knights are the 31st NHL franchise. As an expansion team they were allowed to take one player (who was eligible to be drafted) from the other 30 NHL teams. Each team was able to protect either seven forwards, three defenceman and one goaltender or eight skaters and one goaltender. The full rules can be found here. The tenth team we are going to look at is the Dallas Stars.

Dallas Stars

The Stars, like the Columbus Blue Jackets, had a couple of good options for the Knights to choose from. There were a couple of pending free agents in Patrick Sharp and Dan Hamhuis that Vegas could have went with. Both players are good but their ages do not match what Vegas is trying to do. On top of that, being pending free agents meant that they could have left the team. Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen were also available but their cap hits are too high for a backup goaltender.

Vegas decided to take Cody Eakin which could be a very good or very bad pick. Last season, Eakin had a career low 12 points in 60 games. With a cap hit of $3,850,000, those numbers are way below average and this could result in this move being a bad one by the Knights. I think Eakin will have a bounce back season this year and show that this pick was a good one for Vegas.

What Other Options Did They Have?

While they had older options and players that were free agents available to take from Dallas, there were a couple of younger players available. Two of those players are Jamie Oleksiak and Gemel Smith.

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Oleksiak is a 24-year-old, 6’7 defenceman, who could have been a good draft pick for the Knights. He could have been a great addition to their penalty kill and could grow into a top four defenceman for the team. Though he has not met his potential – he was drafted 14th overall in 2011 – he still has time to get better. With all of the defenceman that Vegas took in the draft, it was probably a smart idea to take Eakin over Oleksiak.

Smith made his NHL debut last season, producing 6 points in 17 games. For a rookie, those numbers are decent, but he did not play a full season. That means he most likely would not have been able to keep up that production. Smith could have become a bottom six player for the Knights. Eakin can do what Smith would have become, so why take the chance on Smith when you already have a developed player in Eakin?

Overall, I believe that Eakin was the best choice for the Knights.

Overview

The Stars had a couple of good options for Vegas to take. While they had older and younger options, the Knights chose the middle option in Eakin. He is 26 and still has a couple of seasons in his prime. While he had a down year last season, playing in a top six role with Vegas should help him get his game back.

Next: Should Vegas Tank For First Overall?

Overall, I believe that Eakin was the best choice for the Knights to take. He can play on the penalty kill and can handle a bigger role until their younger players develop.

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