Let's Go To Vegas, Hossa, Doan, plus more…

It’s the eve of an event that I’ve eagerly been awaiting all season. Players will be flying into Vegas while the hockey world holds its breath. Who will be the chosen ones?

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to hear what crazy jokes Joe Manganiello will tell when he hosts the NHL Awards!

Oh, you mean that other event? The one that a lot more people are talking about? Right, the expansion draft. An event in which you will witness your favorite team’s roster reduced by one. Or in my case, hoping that Jim Benning did not trade away the fifth overall pick just so that Vegas would not select Luca Sbisa.

Everything will be happening at once. An entire roster will be chosen. Gary Bettman will proclaim, “We have a whole bunch of trades to announce!”
 

We in media have all been speculating those teams likely to incl ANA, CBJ, CHI, NYI, PIT, TB but now belief is MIN and FLA may be added.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) June 20, 2017

Of course, McKenzie is referring to the side deals that Vegas has made with other teams in order for those teams to protect certain players that were left unprotected.

That Minnesota deal could involve Erik Haula, who the Knights may pick instead of Eric Staal or Matthew Dumba. That would be a win for the Wild if that’s true, although I’m sure the cost won’t be cheap.

Many fantasy owners are no doubt also wondering if the Florida deal involves the Panthers keeping Jonathan Marchessault. I guess we’ll find out in a matter of hours.

So with this sensory overload of hockey happenings, Dobber Hockey will have extensive coverage of the Vegas Golden Knights draft. Which players will be putting on these snazzy-looking jerseys? More importantly to this site, which of these players may have notable fantasy value? And how will the other 30 teams be affected by losing a player?
 

Both jerseys that we will wear in our inaugural season. #VGKFirstJersey pic.twitter.com/NYj3zDQmdZ

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 21, 2017

By the way, these jerseys are very Vegas-looking (will the Excalibur Hotel be doing any promotions?) I think they hit a home run with these. Best expansion team jerseys in a while, maybe even going all the way back to the San Jose Sharks.

And oh yeah, those awards. Some hardware will be handed out as well. Is anyone even discussing whether Sidney Crosby or Connor McDavid wins the Hart? Brent Burns or Erik Karlsson for the Norris?

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Elliotte’s 30 Thoughts this week sure has some nuggets in it. The real attention-grabber to this article was about Marian Hossa possibly being forced to retire because of an allergy to his equipment. Crazy, I know, but true. You think about how many people play hockey, yet how little (it seems or is reported) that one would develop a severe allergy to equipment. The salary cap ramifications, which Friedman also explains, are also interesting.
 

Pre-expansion draft 30 Thoughts: https://t.co/XYOiPSbLXF

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 21, 2017

As a Hossa keeper owner this past season, I was pleasantly surprised by what turned out to be a bounce-back total of 26 goals. A spike in shooting percentage from 6.8% in 2015-16 to 15.6% in 2016-17 certainly helped. Hossa also played in nine more games than the previous season, which is also a victory if you own him. It would be unfortunate if he went out this way, as he still appears to be a productive NHL player, if no longer a star player. If you’re wondering why I would have Hossa on a keeper team, he probably won’t be back on my team in 2017-18, unless he decides to play and I can add him at the right price.

A potential Hossa retirement makes the two-year contract (at $2.8 million per) that Richard Panik signed last month seem that more important to the Hawks. Panik would also be cemented as a top-6 forward with the Hawks going forward, while Ryan Hartman’s role would also expand. 

UPDATE: Hossa will miss the entire 2017-18 season due to a progressive skin disorder (CTV). 

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Other 30 Thoughts news:

Jarome Iginla does not plan to retire.

Not a secret, I know, but Friedman affirmed that Marc-Andre Fleury will be taken by Vegas. I guess my 1 percent chance of him staying in Pittsburgh isn't coming true. 

Putting two and two together, Brian Elliott will not be returning to Calgary next season.

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Friedman also brought up the somewhat surprising news about Shane Doan not returning to Arizona. Surprising in the fact that it seemed as though Doan would be with the Coyotes forever. It doesn’t sound as if Doan plans to retire, but he’ll probably have a tough time trying to find a team to sign him. I wonder if a professional tryout would be a possibility if he’s ready to move on.

It’s difficult to picture him in anything other than a Coyotes jersey, although I remember him playing for both the Jets and the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL way back when. On a team that has been rumored to be moving for probably a decade now, Doan was the one constant. A jersey retirement one day is a certainty.

The Coyotes’ power play was hardly a stable unit or a force to be reckoned with last season, but Doan saw minor power-play time (5 PPP averaging 1:33 PPTOI in 2016-17). With just 27 points overall – his lowest total since his early days with the franchise – his absence won’t create a huge fantasy ripple. But it will create a huge void leadership-wise in the dressing room. Expect Oliver Ekman-Larsson to be named captain on what is now an even younger Coyotes team with no Doan or Mike Smith.

The most important fantasy implication of Doan’s departure is that it officially signals the changing of the guard to the top prospects. Dylan Strome and Clayton Keller should both make the team in 2017-18. Both will also have the opportunity to play major minutes on a Coyotes’ roster that lacks experienced NHL talent. Keller and Strome are one and two on Dobber’s latest Fantasy Hockey Prospects Forwards list. Talent is a major reason here, but so is opportunity.

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An under-the-radar signing, but one that I think is worth mentioning is that of Darren Raddysh signing a one-year AHL contract with the Blackhawks’ organization. In case you don’t know much about Raddysh, he was an undrafted 21 year old who was named the OHL’s defenseman of the year after posting 81 points in just 62 games. This report from Second City Hockey mentions that the signing of right-handed Raddysh is a sign that Trevor van Riemsdyk will be lost in the expansion draft.

I was recently asked how Raddysh would be ranked relative to those in the 2017 draft class. There’s a chance that Raddysh (with his high point total) could hold real fantasy value one day, and he may even appear in the NHL before some who are about to be drafted. But long term, I would rank at least the top half of the first round ahead of Raddysh, possibly more. I’m sure you’ll see him on Dobber Prospects very soon with a more in-depth analysis.

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Enjoy the expansion draft announcement, and of course the NHL Awards!

For more fantasy hockey information, follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding.