With the Las Vegas Golden Knights franchise set to make their NHL debut this upcoming fall, there had been a ton of speculation leading up to the league’s first expansion draft since 2000. Teams scrambled to protect their essential players, but many expected that the Golden Knights would have access to more than enough talent to fill out a competitive roster. The Islanders and Rangers, in particular, had some tough choices to make. Let’s take a look at how each team fared as a result of the expansion draft.
New York Islanders
Leading up to the draft, there had been much speculation over the plans of GM Garth Snow. Initial reports seemed to indicate that Nikolai Kulemin was going to be chosen by Las Vegas, but that was quickly debunked by Arthur Staple of Newsday Sports. Fans then began to worry after young defenseman Calvin de Haan was left unprotected in the draft. However, there was a growing suspicion that the Islanders made a deal to protect de Haan.
J.F. Berube was ultimately the player that Las Vegas elected to go with. The 25-year old goaltender had been in the Islanders organization since 2015 after being claimed off of waivers from the Los Angeles Kings. Berube opened the 2016-17 season with New York, behind both Jaroslav Halak and Thomas Greiss on the depth chart. After Halak’s demotion to the AHL, Berube became the full-time backup goalie, and posting a .889 SV% and 3.42 GAA in 14 games down the stretch.
When the dust settled, the Islanders traded forward Mikhail Grabovski, defenseman Jake Bischoff, their 2017 first-round pick, and a 2019 second-round pick to the Golden Knights to have them select Berube.
Grabovski, 33, signed a four-year, $20 million contract with New York in 2014, but has struggled to reach the ice. He has not suited up for a game since March 2016 after suffering a concussion. Clearly, the Islanders are dumping Grabovski’s salary on the Golden knights in this trade.
Bischoff, 22, was a seventh-round pick in the 2012 NHL Draft. After finishing out his four-year tenure with the University of Minnesota in 2016-17, the defenseman played for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, racking up three points in six games.
Garth Snow had previously been slammed for his lack of activity, but this trade should quiet the doubters a tad. Getting rid of Grabovski, a player with a “dead weight” contract, along with the 15th overall selection in 2017, a 2019 second-round pick, and Bischoff is a small price to pay to ensure that the team can keep their unprotected forwards.
The Islanders are just getting started, as the NHL trade freeze has officially lifted. The team has been connected to the top forwards in the league, including Matt Duchene, Alex Galchenyuk, and Jordan Eberle. It will be interesting to see what the team does to bulk up its roster for 2018 and beyond.
New York Rangers
It is fair to say that most Ranger fans were expecting to lose one of Jesper Fast, Antti Raanta, or Michael Grabner in the expansion draft. Losing Lindberg, however, shouldn’t be a huge surprise, as the 25-year old forward has the potential to emerge as a capable player in the league for years to come. He had been pegged as the Rangers’ fourth-line center going into next season, but will now likely see a larger role with the Golden Knights.
For those who are unfamiliar, Oscar Lindberg was sent to the Rangers in 2011 in a trade with the then-Phoenix Coyotes. He made his NHL debut in 2015, filling in for Rick Nash, who had been out with a fever. Lindberg then slowly climbed his way up the depth chart, and will finish his time in New York with 48 points in 134 games.
The Swedish native will join a group of forwards that feature names such as James Neal, David Perron, Cody Eakin, Teemu Pulkkinen, and Jonathan Marchessault on the NHL’s newest franchise.
The Rangers managed to escape the expansion draft with minimal damage. Now, they absolutely must beef up their forward and defenseman depth, and possibly explore trade options with both Raanta and Grabner, among others.
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