Golden Knights stockpile draft picks to help build foundation

After the NHL Draft, free agency and other offseason moves, NHL.com is taking a look at where each team stands. Today, the Vegas Golden Knights:
Instead of resetting like the other 30 NHL teams, the Vegas Golden Knights are setting their foundation.
They used the NHL Expansion Draft, the 2017 NHL Draft and free agency to work toward twin goals of building a competitive team for their inaugural season and stockpiling assets for the future.

While acquiring a Stanley Cup-winning goaltender in Marc-Andre Fleury, young defensemen like Nate Schmidt and Shea Theodore and scoring forwards like Jonathan Marchessault and James Neal, general manager George McPhee flipped players for draft picks and prospects.
In this case, when it comes to the key departures, the key is what the player brought in a trade. He departed on paper only. Expect a lot more movement before the first game, at the Dallas Stars on Oct. 6.
Here is what the Golden Knights look like today:

Key arrivals

Marc-Andre Fleury, G: A fan favorite, great teammate and three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Fleury lost the No. 1 job to Matt Murray and waived the no-movement clause in his contract to go to the Golden Knights in the expansion draft. He still can excel at age 32. After Murray was injured during warmups before the first game of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Fleury went 9-5 with a .931 save percentage during the next 14 games. … James Neal, F: He has scored at least 21 goals in each of his nine NHL seasons, and as many as 40. Acquired from the Nashville Predators in the expansion draft, Neal turns 30 on Sept. 3 and is set to be an unrestricted free agent after the season. If not re-signed, he could be moved before the NHL Trade Deadline. … Jonathan Marchessault, F: The 26-year-old scored 30 goals in 75 games for the Florida Panthers last season, but had eight goals in 49 NHL games before that and was exposed in the expansion draft. He must keep proving himself. Like Neal, he is set to be an unrestricted free agent after the season and could be flipped before the trade deadline. … Reilly Smith, F: Acquired in a trade with the Panthers for a fourth-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, the 26-year-old is looking to rebound again. He had 20 goals for the Boston Bruins in 2013-14, then 13 in 2014-15. He had 25 for the Panthers in 2015-16, then 15 last season. Who was the Panthers' coach when he scored 25? Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant. … David Perron, F: The 29-year-old, acquired from the St. Louis Blues in the expansion draft, scored 18 goals last season and set an NHL career high of 28 with the Edmonton Oilers in 2013-14. … Vadim Shipachyov, F: The 30-year-old signed a two-year, $9 million contract May 4 to become the first pro free agent with the Golden Knights. A skilled playmaker, he was third in scoring in the Kontinental Hockey League last season with 76 points (26 goals, 50 assists) in 50 games for Gagarin Cup champion SKA St. Petersburg.

Key departures

Trevor van Riemsdyk, D:Traded to the Carolina Hurricanes for a seventh-round pick in the 2018 draft June 22 after being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks in the expansion draft. … David Schlemko, D: Traded to the Montreal Canadiens for a fifth-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft on June 22 after being acquired from the San Jose Sharks in the expansion draft. … Marc Methot, D: Traded to the Dallas Stars for a second-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft and goaltender Dylan Ferguson on June 26 after being acquired from the Ottawa Senators in the expansion draft. … Alexei Emelin, D: Traded to the Nashville Predators for a third-round pick in the 2019 draft July 1 after being acquired from the Canadiens in the expansion draft. … Marcus Kruger, F: Traded to the Hurricanes for a fifth-round pick in the 2018 draft July 4 after being acquired in a trade with the Blackhawks for future considerations July 2.

On the cusp

Brendan Leipsic, F: Acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs in the expansion draft, the 21-year-old had three points (one goal, two assists) in six NHL games and 51 points (18 goals, 33 assists) in 49 games with Toronto of the American Hockey League last season. … Griffin Reinhart, D: The 23-year-old has played 29 NHL games since the New York Islanders selected him with the fourth pick of the 2012 NHL Draft. He was exposed by the Edmonton Oilers in the expansion draft after showing progress last season, his third in the AHL. … Alex Tuch, F:The Golden Knights acquired the 18th pick of the 2014 NHL Draft in a trade with the Minnesota Wild on June 21 as part of a deal not to take other players in the expansion draft. The 21-year-old has no points in six NHL games but had 37 points (18 goals, 19 assists) in 57 games in the AHL last season.

What they still need

Time. To win the Stanley Cup the Golden Knights must draft and develop, and a core must emerge. Thanks to maneuvering in the expansion draft they had 13 picks in the 2017 draft, including three in the top 15 and three in the second round. They turned them into five centers, four wings, two defensemen and two goaltenders. They have extra picks in years to come, including three in each of the second and third rounds in the 2019 draft and three in the second of the 2020 draft.

Pete Jensen's fantasy focus

The Golden Knights' hope for a dynamic No. 1 center on their roster after the NHL Expansion Draft and free agency may be Shipachyov. But unlike recent players to leave the KHL for the NHL like Alexander Radulov of the Dallas Stars and Evgeny Dadonov of the Florida Panthers, Shipachyov has no prior NHL experience. He likely will start the season alongside Neal and either Marchessault or Perron, and how well he adjusts to the pace of play in the NHL could determine how competitive the Golden Knights will be in their inaugural season.

Projected lineup

James Neal -- Vadim Shipachyov -- Jonathan Marchessault
David Perron -- Cody Eakin -- Reilly Smith
Oscar Lindberg -- Erik Haula -- Teemu Pulkkinen
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare -- William Karlsson -- Brendan Leipsic
Jason Garrison -- Luca Sbisa
Nate Schmidt -- Brayden McNabb
Shea Theodore -- Deryk Engelland
Marc-Andre Fleury
Calvin Pickard