Golden Knights have core players picked out, at least 6 trades in place
There's some serious wheeling and dealing happening in Vegas.
Golden Knights general manager George McPhee had said he has "at least" six trades completed in advance of the expansion draft announcement, per Chris Johnston of Sportsnet.
And there may be more in the works.
Vegas is still talking to a couple teams about trades related to the expansion draft.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) June 20, 2017
One of those teams, McPhee disclosed, is the Toronto Maple Leafs.
"We're going to have to move some defensemen because we're going to claim a bunch," McPhee added.
On Monday, McPhee said he would not be speaking to teams beyond that night, but clearly things changed. Tuesday was going to be spent solidifying selections, and McPhee appears quite happy with what they've been able to assemble.
"There are some players that we think will be core players for a long time."--McPhee on #VegasDraft
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 20, 2017
"We're going to be a good team," he concluded.
The Golden Knights' selections will be announced as part of the NHL Awards in Las Vegas on Wednesday, with trade announcements expected Thursday.