[Randall] How the Golden Knights went from risky ploy to model franchise.

[Newsworthy]

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Why wouldn't they? What's the point of expanding, trying to grow the business, with a bottom feeder club that's a whipping boy for ten years? If they start with a half-decent team, they'll make more money and have a stronger fanbase.

So what your saying it is better for the NHL to have as many successful franchises as possible in order to grow the league and fan base.

 

[Tawnos]

The success of the Knights on the ice is evidence of two things: the depth of talent in the league and the prowess of the coaching staff. There are definitely other 5th D and 10th forwards out there who would excel if given the ice time, opportunity, and instilled with a chip on their shoulder. Maybe teams will also be more aggressive about trading players they really don’t want to lose next time around.

That being said, it took the Red Wings making the playoffs for several years and winning Cups before people started calling them a model franchise. Still a ways to go there.

 

[Crede777]

But why? Why do it the same way? Like you said teams are deep, the league realized the old way was bad, and new teams could afford lose some players that were better than AHL level.

Because the league still hasn't said that there was a problem with the way they used to do things.

Instead, it insists on comparing Vegas to those older franchises when it's comparing apples to oranges.

Also, put yourself in the shoes of an owner of one of the teams besides Vegas. Why wouldn't all 30 of them gang up and say "here's the rules - you pay us the expansion fee and then our teams can protect every player on their NHL roster and then some." What's Vegas going to do? Not buy a team after financing T-Mobile arena and creating hype? What do owners get by setting the expansion draft rules the way they did?

 

[GOilers88]

The funny thing is that I am basing my fan base comments entirely on my experience at T-Mobile Arena. And it’s the fact that they were the stereotypical, aggressive drunk people in Vegas trying to start fights; not that I overheard some of them trying to figure out how many games were in a playoff series.

You can say this shit about fans of any of the other 30 teams. Hell you can find this stuff with any team of any professional sports league.

Every single year teams make the post season, people come out of the woodwork to jump on the wagons, many of them who don't even follow the team of sport at all.

You just sound very bitter that a new team has been successful on virtually every front.

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

You can say this **** about fans of any of the other 30 teams. Hell you can find this stuff with any team of any professional sports league.

Every single year teams make the post season, people come out of the woodwork to jump on the wagons, many of them who don't even follow the team of sport at all.

You just sound very bitter that a new team has been successful on virtually every front.

I literally said that my hatred was not based on their lack of knowledge, but rather their violent and belligerent nature; one that I haven’t seen in San Jose, Toronto, Montreal, or Vancouver.

 

[GOilers88]

I literally said that my hatred was not based on their lack of knowledge, but rather their violent and belligerent nature; one that I haven’t seen in San Jose, Toronto, Montreal, or Vancouver.

Did you not see the city of Vancouver burn twice? Hell, riots were going on before the game even ended.

 

[Howboutthempanthers]

This thread is awesome
Like all whiny Vegas is too good threads
My manager is extended and comfortable ****ing benning so the pain is possibly just beginning
You don’t see me whining

Me neither. And I think you know my team's story.

 

[Kranix]

Because the league still hasn't said that there was a problem with the way they used to do things.

Instead, it insists on comparing Vegas to those older franchises when it's comparing apples to oranges.

Also, put yourself in the shoes of an owner of one of the teams besides Vegas. Why wouldn't all 30 of them gang up and say "here's the rules - you pay us the expansion fee and then our teams can protect every player on their NHL roster and then some." What's Vegas going to do? Not buy a team after financing T-Mobile arena and creating hype? What do owners get by setting the expansion draft rules the way they did?

Half a billion dollars and a bigger league.

 

[Crede777]

Half a billion dollars and a bigger league.

They still get both.

Vegas isn't going to walk over a few protection slots.

 

[Kranix]

They still get both.

Vegas isn't going to walk over a few protection slots.

So what's a few protection slots the other way either? They weren't gifted a Stanley Cup roster. The owners probably set it up that way hoping McPhee would select their albatross contracts, which did happen. They were able to select 30 decent players. They got very lucky Fleury happened to be available, hired a good coach and rolled with it. The parity in the league is different than pre 2000, that's part of it too.

 

[KrazyKings]

People seem to overlook the incompetence of the other GMs in the league and the moves they made with Vegas to protect players that they had no business protecting really. The god awful trades made by some of these GMs pretty much made Vegas what they are:

Florida protects guys like Alex Petrovic and expose Marchessault after a 30G season?? On top of that they trade them Reily Smith for a 4th round pick?? Thanks Florida. I guess we'll take your washed up coach as well...

Then theres Columbus and William Karlsson who Vegas agreed to draft as well as getting a 1st round pick in exchanged for Vegas taking on Clarksons contract and not picking Korpisala. Why the big need to protect Korpisala when you have Bobs? Plus no one thought at the start of the year that Karlsson was going to be shit... now look at things

Credit has to be given where credit is due for these young guys to step up. But don't forget that these NHL GMs centered trades around giving up assets for Vegas to pick these "outcasts". If you look back on most of these trades made or guys that were protected over others, you'll be very surprised. There are a lot of managers in this league that really should be out of jobs...

I will admit however that any team with two solid goalies was at a heavy disadvantage. The biggest flaw of the expansion draft IMO was the goalie situation. They were guaranteed to have a top tier goalie and there wasn't much that could be done about it. God damn MAF is a G

 

[aufheben]

This site looks like Buzzfeed for hockey.

Florida protects guys like Alex Petrovic and expose Marchessault after a 30G season?? On top of that they trade them Reily Smith for a 4th round pick?? Thanks Florida. I guess we'll take your washed up coach as well...

I'd be real curious to see where Vegas would have finished this year without those 3. Even if you just remove Gallant, who knows where they'd be right now.

 

[Doyoulikeapples*]

I have never hated a team more than the Vegas Golden Knights and I have never hated hearing about something more than I hate hearing about the Vegas Golden Knights.

How can you hate them ? They are an honest team who give 110% every shift, every game. They are made up of players who were basically abandoned by their original teams and are playing like they have something to prove. And they are. I love it. Truly hope they win the cup.

 

[Menzinger]

How can you hate them ? They are an honest team who give 110% every shift, every game. They are made up of players who were basically abandoned by their original teams and are playing like they have something to prove. And they are. I love it. Truly hope they win the cup.

Yep, every player could have been kept by their original team.

Can’t think of a more likeable group.

 

[RandV]

Yeah I'm confused how people can be upset at this. Vegas got typical expansion rules, the manager and players made the most of it and now here they are. The team could have gone either way, in fact it looked like they were loading up to be sellers and continue to build through the draft, but whatever they win now they fully deserve it.

As for how they got so good, I think a lot of it is simply because of the depth of the league as its been a long time since the NHL expanded and this time it's only by one team. In the past the NHL either did one big expansion, like 6->12, or they kept adding pairs of teams over a short number of years like in the 90's going from 20->30. Now it's been what, 16-18 years since the last expansion?

So lots of depth in the league, only 1 expansion team, and 30 teams to pick from giving lots of room leaving room for mistakes or ignore bad teams that provide nothing.

 

[LickTheEnvelope]

Don't know much about LV. Are there veterans and rookies? Like in most of the teams? Or just players at their prime?

Lots of players in their prime. Lots of fast players. + Veteran goal-tending with cup experience.

 

[redcard]

Vegas got typical expansion rules

People keep saying this, but that's not true.

1998 Nashville: Teams could protect 1 G, 5 D, and 9 F, or 2 G 3 D 7 F. So they were picking the 16th or 13th best eligible player.
1999 Atlanta: Same as above, but considering that each teams 16th or 13th player were taken the previous year.
2000 CBJ & Minn: Same as above, but two teams selecting from teams already been depleted the two previous years and were alternating picks.


2017 Vegas: Teams could protect 1 G 3D and 7 F, or 1 G and 8 skaters of any position.

Teams were able to protect 4 fewer players for the Vegas draft. If teams were able to protect the same amount of players how many of the current Knights would still be left unprotected? None of those trades would have happened. And even then its a far better situation than CBJ and Minn came into the league with sharing an expansion draft after 2 years of expansion drafts.


<As a preemptive response to the inevitable "you're just whining" responses- I'm not. I thought Vegas would suck this year too. I've just heard way too many people falsely claim that they had the same rules and options available to them as other expansion teams>

 

[Critical13]

People will still whine like babies that the expansion draft was unfair despite decreeing that the picks were all bottom players and the teams weren't losing much.

Their success is awesome for the league, and the way their team fits together, they way they are coached, and how they compete will always be a good role model for another team, even if the circumstances cant be.

I am honestly a bit salty that so many franchises have been toiling away trying to make the playoffs or succeed in them, and then Vegas comes and just wrecks house.