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Vegas Golden Knights: Expansion Draft Edmonton Oilers

By Michael Joubran |
LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 21: Griffin Reinhart 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: Griffin Reinhart 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 twelfth team we are going to look at is the Edmonton Oilers.

Edmonton Oilers

Last season, the Oilers ended their playoff drought by finishing in eighth in the NHL. Despite having a good team, Edmonton did not have many good options for Vegas to choose from. If the Golden Knights wanted a veteran then they could have went with Kris Russell or Benoit Pouliot.

Russell is one of the best shot blockers in the league, but being a UFA could have led him to leave Vegas for nothing. Pouliot was a good player a couple of seasons ago, but injuries derailed his career and his cap hit was too high for the value he brings to the table. After not being drafted by the Knights, the Oilers bought out the remaining year of his $4,000,000 contract.

Vegas decided to draft Griffin Reinhart. Reinhart was drafted fourth overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. He is widely considered to be a bust, considering he has two points in 37 games those considerations are valid as of now. With defenceman like Morgan Rielly and Jacob Trouba – who were drafted after Reinhart – excelling in the NHL, Reinhart is nowhere close to the potential he once showed in juniors. I do not believe that Reinhart will become anything special but Vegas did not have any good options to begin with.

What Other Options Did They Have?

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The Golden Knights could have went with older options in Russell and Pouliot, but they would not fit into the long-term plans. Vegas had two other younger options that could turn into full-time NHLers. Jujhar Khaira and Laurent Brossoit could have worked out well for the Knights.

Khaira does not have much NHL experience, but he has shown promise to be a bottom six player. He is an average skater with decent stick handling. If he wants to become a full-time NHL player, he will need to improve his skating and defensive game. With that being said, he could have been a good pick for the Golden Knights.

Brossoit was, in my opinion, the best choice for Vegas. Like Khaira, he does not have much NHL experience, but he has shown a lot of promise. He played in eight games last season and had a GAA of 1.99, which is close to elite numbers. While that is on a smaller scale, he showed what he was capable of and could have been a good choice for a backup goaltender.

Considering Reinhart has not done much at the NHL level, Brossoit could have been a more valuable piece to Vegas.

Overview

Reinhart was once seen as a potential elite defender in the NHL. After five seasons of going back and forth between the NHL and the AHL, the assumption is that he is a bust. I believe that the assumption is correct, therefore Reinhart will not add much to Vegas’ defensive core. In my opinion, Brossoit would have been a better choice for the Knights. He has shown a lot of promise and could be a future starter.

Next: At Least Five Years Will Be Needed

With that said, Reinhart could surprise many and have a breakout season, but I highly doubt that will happen.

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