John Locher / AP
Wednesday, June 21, 2017 | 9 p.m.
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NHL’s biggest superstars took the stage Wednesday night at the NHL Awards Show.
Current players Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid accepted awards while legends such as Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux presented them.
But no one took the stage to a louder ovation than former Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.
The three-time Stanley Cup champion brought T-Mobile Arena to its feet as he was announced as one of the final selections in the Golden Knights expansion draft.
“I wasn’t expecting that at all,” Fleury said. “I’m excited to be with a new team and a new organization. By the way the crowd was tonight and the way the team is looking, I am excited.”
Fleury is one of the most respected players in the league and will undoubtedly be the face of the franchise early on. But the same features that make him that person won’t allow him to admit it.
“I’m not looking to be the face of much — I just want to come in and play hockey,” Fleury said. “I will give everything I’ve got to win some games as well as getting into the community to meet people and spread the word about the Vegas Golden Knights.”
Fleury quieted the questions of the permanency of his time as a Golden Knight, saying he and his wife will be house shopping in Las Vegas over the next couple of days.
One expansion selection who won’t have to go house shopping is former Calgary Flames defenseman Deryk Engelland. The 35-year-old has lived in Las Vegas for more than a decade and played with the Las Vegas Wranglers at one point.
“I started here as a Wrangler,” Engelland said. “To be here and put this jersey on is an honor.”
Fleury headlined a strong group of players chosen by General Manager George McPhee, including Predators’ winger James Neal and Panthers center Jonathan Marchessault.
Neal has 238 career goals and Marchessault finished this season tied for eighth in the NHL with 30 goals.
The team also stacked up on the blue line, taking defenseman Brayden McNabb from the Kings, Marc Methot from the Senators and Nate Schmidt from the Capitals. And behind Fleury in goal will be two young goaltenders with potential in Calvin Pickard from the Avalanche and Jean-Francois Berube from the Islanders.
More important for the long-term success of the Golden Knights franchise, McPhee was able to acquire 11 future draft picks including multiple first-rounders.
“We had two objectives,” McPhee said. “One was to put an entertaining team on the ice that the NHL and Las Vegas can be proud of. The second was to acquire prospects and draft picks that can help us build our team in the future.”
The year of preparation by McPhee and his team appear to have paid off, as they made out of the expansion draft like bandits. However, all of those draft picks mean nothing unless McPhee can turn them into great players.
That process starts almost immediately. McPhee and his team fly to Chicago Wednesday night for the entry draft where they hold 12 picks, including three first-rounders.
They currently pick sixth but there have been talks of them possibly moving into the top two for a chance at Nolan Patrick, who assistant general manager Kelly McCrimmon worked with at the Canadian junior ice hockey team Brandon Wheat Kings.
What the future holds for the Golden Knights is anyone’s guess, but tonight was a win for McPhee.
Here are the expansion-draft picks:
Colorado Avalanche — Calvin Pickard, Goaltender
Vancouver Canucks — Luca Sbisa, Defense
Arizona Coyotes — Teemu Pulkkinen, Left Wing
New Jersey Devils — Jon Merrill, Defense
Buffalo Sabres — William Carrier, Left Wing
Detroit Red Wings — Tomas Nosek, Left Wing
Dallas Stars — Cody Eakin, Center
Florida Panthers — Jonathan Marchessault, Center
Los Angeles Kings — Brayden McNabb, Defense
Carolina Hurricanes — Connor Brickley, Center
Winnipeg Jets — Chris Thorburn, Right Wing
Philadelphia Flyers — Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Right Wing
Tampa Bay Lightning — Jason Garrison, Defenseman
New York Islanders — Jean-François Bérubé, Goaltender
Nashville Predators — James Neal Right Wing
Calgary Flames — Derek Engelland, Defenseman
Toronto Maple Leafs — Brendan Leipsic, Left Wing
Boston Bruins — Colin Miller, Defenseman
Ottawa Senators — Marc Methot, Defenseman
San Jose Sharks — David Schlemko, Defenseman
St. Louis Blues — David Perron, Left Wing
New York Rangers — Oscar Lindberg, Center
Edmonton Oilers — Griffin Reinhart, Defenseman
Montreal Canadiens — Elexei Emelin, Defenseman
Anaheim Ducks — Clayton Stoner
Minnesota Wild — Erik Haula
Columbus Blue Jackets — William Karlsson
Chicago Blackhawks —Trevor van Reimsdyk
Pittsburgh Penguins — Marc-Andre Fleury
Washington Capitals — Nate Schmidt
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