McPhee Answers Fan Questions

It's an important part of transparency.
As the Golden Knights continue to prepare for the team's first NHL season, keeping fans engaged with our building process has been a significant organizational objective.
This recently manifested itself in the form of general manager George McPhee participating in a rare Q&A session with season ticket holders in late March.
Staged via webcast, the Q&A session consisted of several hundred fans interacting with the Golden Knights' general manager to directly ask questions about everything from his drafting philosophy, what he's looking for in players and what traits the team will value in a coach.
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"We want someone who is very current on the game, who is progressive on how the game should be played," McPhee said when asked what he's looking for in a coach. "This game really changes in a year or two's time. There are new ways of checking, news ways of attacking. New ways of lining up in your own zone, believe it or not. It's amazing how quickly coaches can change things, and how quickly other coaches adapt to it.
"We're looking for that progressive guy that can really help us through the early years and help develop our team and our players. And be the same guy that's there with us when we're competing for a championship."
McPhee was equally poignant when asked how his process of adding players to the team's roster will work this summer.
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Reid Duke, a junior forward from the Western Hockey League's Brandon Wheat Kings, is currently the only player that Vegas has under contract.

"We're going to try to get the best base that we can out of the Expansion Draft (June 18-20)," McPhee answered. "We're going to have to draft well through the Entry Draft to find difference makers. And then, we come back right after the Amateur Draft (June 23-24).
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"We're going to leave that night, come back to Vegas and the next day we're going to be talking to free agents. We're going to be running our summer camp with our prospects (a few weeks after). And we'll be working all summer to see if there's anything else we can do to make the hockey club one that you're going to enjoy watching.

"There are no handcuffs on us whatsoever. We're going to do whatever we have to do to make this team a team that you want to watch, a team that you're proud of, a team that's entertaining. And we will build a champion in as short of order as possible."
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McPhee's Q&A with season ticket holders lasted approximately an hour.
Although there are no immediate plans for any additional sessions to be held, the team will continue to explore initiatives that get our fans involved with our general manager, future coach and eventual players.
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Besides being an important part of transparency, the organization feels this is a key aspect of facilitating the most intimate fan experience possible.
Details on future, similar events will be provided at a later date.