Vegas Golden Knights Game Plan For 2018 NHL Entry Draft

The Vegas Golden Knights need a plan for the NHL Entry Draft, and we may have a few ideas.

The inaugural season of the Vegas Golden Knights has come and gone. It’s now time to shift our focus to next season and beyond. And the new season officially starts with the NHL entry draft beginning on Friday.

Last year at the 2017 draft, the Golden Knights had 12 picks, with three out of those 12 in the top 15 overall. With those first-round selections, the Golden Knights chose Cody Glass, Nick Suzuki, and Erik Brannstrom. All are on the right path to success, and they should see time with the Chicago Wolves, the Golden Knights minor league affiliate.

However, this year is different for the NHL’s newest franchise. Today, they will not make a first-round selection in the 2018 entry draft. On Saturday, they have just eight picks, and with a very thin farm system, they need to make them count. So how should general manager George McPhee attack this situation?

Yesterday at the media availability, McPhee went talked about this year’s draft and how they’re going to approach it.  It looks like the Golden Knights GM is content even without a first-round pick. Vegas seems like they’ll be making their first selection in the second round on day two. McPhee also said that his staff is “well prepared and we have the player in mind to pick at number 61.”

This is the right call for the Golden Knights. There’s no need to move skilled players off the roster when the team is clearly in a “win now” window. And if the GM of the year thinks he and the rest of the front office know how this draft is going to go, then we have to believe him.

Another thing I got out of this interview is the Erik Karlsson trade rumors to Vegas is all smoke and mirrors. When asked about Karlsson, McPhee basically just shrugged it off saying it’s a bunch of “wild speculation.”  And in my opinion, that’s also the right call.

Trading for Karlsson is a risk cause not only is he a UFA after the 2018-19 campaign, but he’s going to command the most money an NHL defenseman has ever seen. And is giving up Glass, Shea Theodore, Alex Tuch and a first round pick in 2019 worth that risk?

Would you really want to give up all that for one player that may only potentially play one year with the Golden Knights, then walk away if things don’t go his way? Remember this team was three wins away from a championship in their first year of existence. I’m a hard no on acquiring Karlsson in the offseason. I would much rather stay the course with the young group that’s in place and who knows, maybe Brannstrom is the next Karlsson.

McPhee also went on to talk about the growth and development of Zach Whitecloud in the past few months. In March, Whitecloud came into the Golden Knights weighing in at 189 lbs. And by the time he went home, he weighed 206 lbs. That’s impressive growth for a kid that gained 15 pounds of muscle over a short period.

You check out the full interview with GM George McPhee here:

Next: Vegas Golden Knights 2018-19 Regular Season Schedule Revealed

All in all, today should be an exciting day for the Vegas Golden Knights even if they don’t hold a first-round pick. With all the trade rumors swirling around, you never know what’s going to happen when 31 NHL GM”s are on the draft floor. Catch the NHL entry draft from Dallas on NBCSN at 4 PM PT.