Yeah, I really enjoyed that they let him talk about what went into putting the team together, and how he was able to allow teams to "have some input". What a cool job he has.
McPhee and Loathing in Las Vegas: The Expansion Draft
- Thread starter McDrew
- Start date
VGK select Vegas resident Engelland from Calgary, I guess to sell tickets? He's 35
Weird pick
What a haul they got from TBL though
Weird pick
What a haul they got from TBL though
Did someone explain to them that Colin isn't "gritty" or "defendery" looking enough. I mean look at Kevan Millers mustache. Now that's a defenseman! Grrrr.
Chara, Carlo, Krug, Kevan, McAvoy (not necessarily in that order). Looking forward to next year?
I hate to give up on a 24 year old defenseman with tools, because I think most defensemen need a few years in the league to develop. But Kevan is sort of the flip side of that argument. If what he did last year is who he'll be for a while, then he is that guy who took his few years of time to develop and now it is time to cash in. Prior to last year I thought he was a waste of $2.5 million per year, but he was a key playoff guy for them.
EJ, I respect your opinion on KM but he's playing in the bottom pair. He is marginally better than a replacement player on that pair and 2.5X more expensive. I understand people thinking KM was better this year, but this is just plain bad management. Hopefully they have a better rest of the week.
Carlo is a promising player but I don't think he was deserving of the playing time he got last year and I'm puzzled by the unconditional love he's gotten from Bruins management, media, and fans. He was basically McQuaid last season. Which is fucking awesome for a 19 year old, but him stuck on the top pair while Colin Miller was in the doghouse is indicative of the problems this team has identifying NHL talent.
NHL tonight just said that Vegas had acquired the Bruins 5th round pick.
Does anyone know how that came about?
Does anyone know how that came about?
Bruins gave it up to keep them from taking McQuaid.
(I'm joking, this is not a true statement. If it turns out to be a true statement, I in no way, shape, or form had anything to do with this happening).
(I'm joking, this is not a true statement. If it turns out to be a true statement, I in no way, shape, or form had anything to do with this happening).
BOS had previously traded this pick to CAR in the Liles deal. CAR conveyed it to LV.
The Colin Miller hurt is hilarious. For crying out loud the guy isn't a difference maker today and the high odds are he is what he is... an excellent skater with a rocket shot who looks terrible in defense... absolutely clueless.
With all the young defensemen on the team the Bruins need someone who can play competent defense... too bad McQuaid and Kevan are expensive.
With all the young defensemen on the team the Bruins need someone who can play competent defense... too bad McQuaid and Kevan are expensive.
Would everyone be so worried about being haunted by the future greatness of Colin Miller if he was shipped to LV to take Beleskey, Hayes or McQuaid?
It's really not about Colin Miller. I don't care if they trade him today at 901. It's that Sweeney had 3 players for one position and he protected the asset with the least flexibility and sacrificed the one with the most. Put it this way. Is the difference between 86 and Mcquaid greater than or equal to Colin Miller? They clearly said yes but I just don't agree with that. To explain, if You leave Mcquaid and 86 exposed you can almost guarantee one of them is gone. If you don't think Colin is good enough, you play the burly guy and trade Colin for value. Instead they have two very similar guys for one spot and neither has much trade value.
25 minutes per game in the playoffs (3rd on the team), defensive zone starts of 73%. That's something neither McQuaid nor Colin Miller could have given them.
This (Carlo not being ready) might have played into the Bruins' thinking in keeping Kevin Miller. There is some great growth potential for Carlo but he does have a long way to go. But if not him, Kevan is the Bruins' most reliable defense-oriented defenseman after Chara.
I think it's a mistake to equate McQuaid and Kevan Miller. McQuaid pretty much is what he is - a reliable bottom pair guy with a troublesome injury history and little reason to expect that, going forward, he'll ever be anything more than what he has been to date. Miller gave some indications that he is clearly better than that.
To be fair, they were basically pulling people out of the stands to play D for them in the playoffs this year.
I don't think anyone is knocking Kevan Miller as a player.
From a value standpoint, I just think Colin was the more valuable asset. My strategy would've been to protect as many assets as I can and try to steer Vegas to taking a bad contract off my hands (Beleskey, Hayes) or an inconsequential player (Subban). We'll never know for sure, but I think there's a chance that if they kept Colin and left Kevan unprotected, there's a chance both would still be Bruins today.
Edit: He's likely on the move
From a value standpoint, I just think Colin was the more valuable asset. My strategy would've been to protect as many assets as I can and try to steer Vegas to taking a bad contract off my hands (Beleskey, Hayes) or an inconsequential player (Subban). We'll never know for sure, but I think there's a chance that if they kept Colin and left Kevan unprotected, there's a chance both would still be Bruins today.
Edit: He's likely on the move
I'm okay losing Colin. Not what I would have done but I understand their decision.
My issue/question is why didn't they trade Colin themselves? The leafs gave up a 3rd rd pick. Surely they could have gotten a 4th or 5th from another team? To me that was the mismanagement, it also would have forced a Beleskey or McQuaid selection too, which is another positive. Any obvious reason?
Edit- the radio said the leafs gave a 3rd rd pick. A quick google shows the trade details haven't come out yet.
My issue/question is why didn't they trade Colin themselves? The leafs gave up a 3rd rd pick. Surely they could have gotten a 4th or 5th from another team? To me that was the mismanagement, it also would have forced a Beleskey or McQuaid selection too, which is another positive. Any obvious reason?
Edit- the radio said the leafs gave a 3rd rd pick. A quick google shows the trade details haven't come out yet.
I don't think the Bruins traded him because the acquiring team would've been out in the same position the Bruins were in. He would have to go to a team that could afford to use a protection spot on him.
My guess is that you are correct from a talent and long term value standpoint, but wrong that Kevan would have slid through undrafted had the Bruins protected Colin.
I would not have knocked the Bruins for protecting Colin. What I really would have liked to have done is protected both (leaving Backes exposed in an 8 skaters/1 goalie format. Alas, his NMC made that impossible).
Vegas only took 2 defenseman with a contract beyond next season, one of which was part of a trade (Stoner). Kevan has 3 years left. I think there's a good chance Kevan would've been unclaimed.
Anyways, McKenzie is throwing some water on the Miller-to-TOR rumor
Anyways, McKenzie is throwing some water on the Miller-to-TOR rumor
Well, you may be right that they should have risked exposing him, or that they could have "protected" him with a small concession to Vegas. That would be a good argument for protecting Colin.
McPhee put it out there that he wouldn't be trading with any teams that impacted his leverage in the expansion draft. Even if the B's didn't care and wanted to move C Miller it is possible they had not takers due to the McPhee "pledge".
It all comes back to Spooner for me. I know I've already beat that horse but looking at the forwards LVK did select I think he would have been a no-brainer pick for them. Why Don choose to protect a player that was a healthy scratch in the two most important games of the season is beyond my comprehension. Even more so when you consider JFK will likely be taking his role this year.
I hate Spooner probably more than anyone here, and I doubt significantly that McPhee would have taken him over Colin. As discussed up thread, there was no way for them to protect Colin over Spoone. It was a choice between Kevan and Colin. If I have the choice as a GM I take Colin every time.
Also, if they had traded Colin, Vegas likely would have taken McQuaid. That would have been a pretty big hit to their depth
Yeah, Narvy is married to my co-worker's sister. Apparently Jason is a great guy.
So Vegas rallied from a 2-0 hole to beat the Bolts 4-3 last night on a Shea Theodore goal with 2.6 seconds left in regulation.
Vegas is now 22-9-2, 1st place in the Pacific, tied for 1st in the West. They are on pace for 114 points. This is pretty crazy, and fascinating in some ways. They got off to a hot start and everyone sort of thought that it was a good story and but they would regress and fall back. That hasn’t happened, obviously.
If you are George McPhee, how do you handle this? I think it is fair to say they are exceeding any expectations he had, and part of his expansion draft plans was to take the long view and pick some UFA’s that could be flipped at the deadline for future assets to help build Vegas into something sustainable. He can’t really do that now, can he? What kind of message would it send to brand new fan base if he sells off James Neal, Marchessault, etc.? Does he buy?
Vegas is now 22-9-2, 1st place in the Pacific, tied for 1st in the West. They are on pace for 114 points. This is pretty crazy, and fascinating in some ways. They got off to a hot start and everyone sort of thought that it was a good story and but they would regress and fall back. That hasn’t happened, obviously.
If you are George McPhee, how do you handle this? I think it is fair to say they are exceeding any expectations he had, and part of his expansion draft plans was to take the long view and pick some UFA’s that could be flipped at the deadline for future assets to help build Vegas into something sustainable. He can’t really do that now, can he? What kind of message would it send to brand new fan base if he sells off James Neal, Marchessault, etc.? Does he buy?
I listened to a McPhee interview right after the draft and he was adamant that the plan was to stock up for the 2020 draft. GM believes it will be the best draft, talent wise, we may have ever seen. The VGK have 13 or 14 players that do not have a contract after this season so clearly the plan was, as you said, a long term plan. However, those of us hard core hockey fans in Las Vegas are really worried that he will stick to the plan and sell off assets by the trade deadline. I think from a team standpoint that is the best approach. However, from a fan base point of view that might be a bad move.
I can tell you as a season ticket holder with a 10 year commitment, it will be very hard to watch them sell. More importantly, the non-hard core fans, the ones who are latching on to this team and know little about the game, they will be gone in no time. IMO, it is very important to keep those fans through the 2020 season. Those are the fans that just wanted their own team to root for. Could have been baseball, football, or basketball. The city has been begging for their own team and now they have one. In 2020, the Raiders come to town and there will be an exodus from hockey to football. Right now the average attendance, people who actually show up for the games is over 15K. And that is a high number across the league. Not tickets sold, that is in the door. I am afraid if they tinker with the team to much, those "latch on" fans will leave.
Many season ticket holders (I am told as much as 50%) only signed on for a 1 year commitment (plans were 1,3,5, and 10). They certainly will not keep all of those, but will rely on casual fans that have gotten hooked on the team, to pick up the season ticket slack. It was never going to be easy, but the way the team is winning, and connecting with the community, it is as easy as it will ever get. The casino's, (particularly the MGM Resorts properties) put some pressure on their executives to purchase season tickets (1 year commitments). At the beginning of the year those execs gave their seats away or sold them. Now, there are many requests for tickets that are denied. And that goes for some of the high roller requests. This is turning into the perfect storm for this city. I only hope that GM finds a way to make a run at or go deep into the playoffs without selling or compromising the future. What a great problem for them to have, huh?
I know that James Neal is in love with this city. He wants to stay here and does not want to be traded. Perron, Marchessault, Karlsson, its hard to say. They may be finally able to make some serious money but it is hard to see GM straying to far from that long term plan. Nonetheless we are enjoying this fairy tale of a season thus far.
Department of the Army files a notice opposition over use of the name Golden Knights.
Owner Bill Foley is a West Point grad who hasn't been shy about the source of inspiration for Vegas's team name and colors in the past.
Owner Bill Foley is a West Point grad who hasn't been shy about the source of inspiration for Vegas's team name and colors in the past.
And their response is one of a kind (although won't effect the legal case).
"We strongly dispute the Army's allegations that confusion is likely between the Army Golden Knights parachute team and the Vegas Golden Knights major-league hockey team," the statement read. "Indeed, the two entities have been coexisting without any issues for over a year (along with several other Golden Knights trademark owners) and we are not aware of a single complaint from anyone attending our games that they were expecting to see the parachute team and not a professional hockey game."
Why does the Army think this is worth fighting over? Do they believe it hurts recruiting? FCS, they've been lowering their recruitment standards for years and long before the VGK were born.
I'm not a lawyer either, but I would think you would HAVE to defend any and all potential infractions. How could you justify having an objection to one possible infraction, but not another? It seems to me you would have to defend ALL, or none. I think it's merely a formality to get it on record, and some deal will be reached relatively quickly.
