{"id":4579,"date":"2017-01-24T08:00:43","date_gmt":"2017-01-24T13:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/?p=4579"},"modified":"2017-01-24T16:48:09","modified_gmt":"2017-01-24T21:48:09","slug":"nhl-writers-pick-vegas-golden-knights-east","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2017\/01\/24\/nhl-writers-pick-vegas-golden-knights-east\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Writers Pick the Vegas Golden Knights: Eastern Conference"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first article of a three-part series,\u00a0NHL<\/a> writers at LWOH pick the
\nVegas Golden Knights<\/a>. This series gets the opinion of 30 writers on who will be a Golden Knight after the Expansion Draft. Today, we break down the Eastern Conference and who those teams can lose come the June Expansion Draft.<\/p>\n

NHL Writers Pick the Vegas Golden Knights, The East<\/h2>\n

Boston Bruins<\/h3>\n

Catherine Dore (@LWOSCatherine<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Kevan Miller<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0– Defense<\/p>\n

Despite initial speculation before this season, it is doubtful that Vegas will choose goalie Malcolm Subban<\/a><\/strong>. The netminder has yet to show much of any potential at the NHL level, losing confidence easily.<\/p>\n

The most likely choice would be defenseman Kevan Miller<\/a><\/strong>. He is a strong, physical player who plays the enforcer role when necessary, but has also been known to score goals when he can. Add that to the fact that he is a California native, and it looks like he might be Vegas’s choice.<\/p>\n

Buffalo Sabres<\/h3>\n

John Malloy (@JMall95<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Zemgus Girgensons<\/a>\u00a0– Center<\/p>\n

Vegas doesn\u2019t have a lot to choose from here. There\u2019s a wildcard in the gifted, but troubled, winger Evander Kane<\/a><\/strong>. Though if assumed that\u00a0the Sabres protect him, or neglected by Vegas regardless, Zemgus Girgensons<\/a><\/strong> is the most probable selection. The young, bottom-six center provides shot suppression depth and still has room to grow as a player at the unripe age of 22.<\/p>\n

Carolina Hurricanes<\/h3>\n

Mitchell Jones (@canesfanMI<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Ryan Murphy<\/a>\u00a0– Defense<\/p>\n

Ryan Murphy<\/a><\/strong> is a great candidate for the Vegas expansion team because a fresh start would be good for him. He was a first round pick who has never lived up to the hype. There is no future for him in Carolina and a new team would suit him well.<\/p>\n

Columbus Blue Jackets<\/h3>\n

Nic Hendrickson\u00a0(@RedArmyNic<\/a>)<\/p>\n

William Karlsson<\/a>\u00a0– Center<\/p>\n

The player that Las Vegas is likely to select from the Columbus Blue Jackets<\/a> is going to come down to preference in playing style. The two best options would be William Karlsson<\/a><\/strong> and Boone Jenner<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Karlsson is the more likely option of the two to be selected by Las Vegas. He\u2019s a silky skater and can handle the puck with the best of them. Karlsson offers more consistency offensively than Jenner. And that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s better when Jenner is on his game.<\/p>\n

Who Las Vegas selects will come mainly down to what style of hockey they\u2019re going to want to play. If they opt to build the offensive side of the puck first, Karlsson would be a great fit, and could likely fill the shoes as a bottom-six player quite well for just about anyone. There’s also a high likelihood that Clarkson waives his NMC, meaning Jenner will be protected. The smart money is that they\u2019ll likely go with Karlsson as their selection.<\/p>\n

Detroit Red Wings<\/h3>\n

Griffin Schroeder (@gSchroedes16<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Jimmy Howard<\/a>\u00a0– Goalie<\/p>\n

The Detroit Red Wings<\/a>\u00a0will lose goaltender Jimmy Howard<\/a><\/strong> to Las Vegas. He has come into his own under new goaltending coach Jeff Salajko<\/strong>, posting career numbers that have him in the top six among all netminders in save percentage (.934), and goals-against average (1.96) in 15 starts.<\/p>\n

His record is 5-7-1, but he\u2019s been given the lowest amount of goal support in the league at just over 1.5 goals per game. He will be one of the more highly coveted goalies in the draft despite his age (32) and cap hit (two years, $5.3-million AAV). The Golden Knights will take a flyer, allowing Petr Mrazek<\/a><\/strong> to officially take the reigns as the number one in Detroit.<\/p>\n

Florida Panthers<\/h3>\n

Aaron Hamilton (@aaham17<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Alex Petrovic<\/a>\u00a0– Defense<\/p>\n

Expect Vegas to take Alex Petrovic<\/a><\/strong> away from the Florida Panthers. The 24-year-old defenseman is continuing to improve the more games he plays. His 6’4″, 215-pound frame will make it difficult for his opponents on the physical end, not to mention he’s a useful option on the penalty kill. If George McPhee<\/a><\/strong> wants his team to be seen as tough, Petrovic is his guy.<\/p>\n

Montreal Canadiens<\/h3>\n

Ben Kerr (@LastWordBKerr<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Alexei Emelin<\/a><\/strong> – Defense<\/p>\n

Montreal’s decision will come down to protecting either Alexei Emelin<\/a><\/strong> or Nathan Beaulieu<\/a><\/strong> on defense. At this point Beaulieu is younger, cheaper, and signed for more term. Up front, the decision will be between Torrey Mitchell<\/a><\/strong>, Charles Hudon<\/a><\/strong>, or Tomas Plekanec<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Emelin\u00a0will be the player the Habs lose in the draft. He’s a\u00a0physical, defensive defender whose worth isn’t always seen on the stat sheet. \u00a0He’s still relatively young, and has proven to be capable of playing top 4 minutes, being on the top pairing with Shea Weber all season.<\/p>\n

New Jersey Devils<\/h3>\n

Robert Hazou (@TheMelkman68<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Jacob Josefson<\/a>\u00a0– Center<\/p>\n

The New Jersey Devils will leave Jacob Josefson<\/a><\/strong> vulnerable in the upcoming expansion draft. Beau Bennett<\/a><\/strong> will be a better player down the road for New Jersey, and while both are restricted free agents this summer, Josefson is having a worse season than Bennett \u00a0so far. There won’t be many centers available, and Josefson\u00a0could be a fit for the Golden Knights.<\/p>\n

\n

@drosennhl<\/a> has 5 Questions with Vegas GM George McPhee: https:\/\/t.co\/joEVCDmqbl<\/a><\/p>\n

— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) December 27, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n