3 takeaways from the Golden Knights' initial roster
The Vegas Golden Knights clearly aren't done dealing, but that doesn't mean their first real semblance of a roster can't be debated and dissected.
Related: Fleury, Methot, Neal headline Golden Knights' expansion draft roster
There's sure to be more roster movement when the NHL's trade freeze lifts Thursday morning, but at least the Golden Knights now have a foundation in place, and it's an intriguing group.
Here are a few quick thoughts about the first edition of the league's newest expansion franchise:
So many defensemen
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Maybe it is possible to have too many blue-liners.
The Golden Knights possess nearly as many defensemen (15) as they do forwards (19) following Wednesday night's roster reveal.
Some notable names comprise the Vegas defense corps, including Marc Methot, Colin Miller, Nate Schmidt, Shea Theodore, and Brayden McNabb.
There are also plenty of rearguards with deficiencies in one area or another, such as Alexei Emelin, Deryk Engelland, Clayton Stoner, and Luca Sbisa.
One thing's for sure, though. With more than a dozen D-men in the fold, and considering only so many of them can be sent down to the AHL, this position is where general manager George McPhee will likely look to deal from in the coming days and weeks.
There is some talent up front
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Expansion teams don't often get their hands on 30-goal scorers right away, but one of the NHL's worst-kept secrets was confirmed Wednesday night when the Golden Knights took Jonathan Marchessault from the Florida Panthers in the expansion draft.
Vegas also landed James Neal from the Nashville Predators, who weren't able to come up with an adequate side deal to keep the nine-time 20-goal producer from being plucked.
David Perron was also nabbed from the St. Louis Blues, and he's coming off an 18-goal season in which he played all 82 games.
That's not a bad top line for a team starting from scratch.
Getting center Erik Haula and prospect Alex Tuch - a first-round pick in 2014 - in a trade with the Minnesota Wild also gives the Golden Knights some forward depth with upside.
Trading for Gusev was a risk worth taking
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One of the more underrated moves made by McPhee was the acquisition of Nikita Gusev from the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The 24-year-old forward prospect was unsigned by the Lightning, but he's worth the gamble for the Golden Knights, who also boast his countryman and former SKA St. Petersburg teammate, Vadim Shipachyov.
Gusev scored 24 goals in the KHL this past season, and the two Russians lit up the World Championship this spring, combining for 27 points in 10 games.
His agent, Dan Milstein, told Stephen Whyno of The Associated Press that his client has no immediate plans to sign in the NHL, but the Golden Knights could be fun to watch if Gusev is swayed into coming to North America and can duplicate that success with Shipachyov in the NHL.