Further to my post earlier today on the forwards (read it here), here are the defensemen and goaltenders for the Vegas Golden Knights.

Vegas loaded up on defensemen with the strategy that they would use them as trade bait and further stockpile draft picks. So much of the below will change.

Defensemen

Theodore – Emelin

Merrill – Miller

McNabb – Schmidt

Garrison – Sbisa

Luca Sbisa (Canucks) – Sbisa had a pretty solid first three NHL seasons, but then he hit a wall. In fact, he probably backtracked in his development. Last season he rebounded somewhat and solidified a place as an NHL bottom-pairing guy who can eat up 19 minutes a game and throw some big hits. But a fantasy asset, he will never be.

Jon Merrill (Devils) – I think Merrill is a big part of Vegas’ plans. (Quickly checks Twitter to see if Merrill has been traded – nope). The 25-year-old has only scratched the surface of what he can do. Unfortunately, he gets hurt a lot and this has stunted his growth as a player. But he could be a secondary PP option and eventually round into a 35-point guy. For this season though, I wouldn’t pin my hopes on more than 20. A full, healthy season is a must for 2017-18.

Brayden McNabb (Kings) – As with Merrill, McNabb has some offensive upside. While McNabb isn’t injury prone like Merrill, he did struggle with getting ice time under Coach Darryl Sutter (who has since been fired). I think the Knights turn to Theodore and Miller before they look to McNabb or Merrill for any PP help.

Jason Garrison (Lightning) – Garrison will ride out the final year of his contract as a veteran dressing room presence and depth minute-muncher. He offers zero fantasy intrigue.

Deryk Engelland (Flames) – He is what he is. That won’t change. Same role, same ice time. In fact, maybe to excite the fans you’ll see his PIM get back up over 100 PIM.

Jake Bischoff (Islanders) – I don’t know much about Bischoff but he had a prolific offensive season in his senior year with Minnesota. And then he posted three points in six AHL games to end the season with Bridgeport. He’s 22 and so I’m sure he’ll be on Vegas’ AHL affiliate in Chicago.

Colin Miller (Bruins) – With minimal ice time (15:49 per game) and little PP time, Miller managed just 13 points in 61 games. But he’s 24, he’s now accrued over 100 games of NHL experience, and he had 50 points at the AHL level. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him flirt with 32 to 35 points.

Marc Methot (Senators) – Rumor has it that Methot will be traded. But if he’s not, we’re all pretty clear on what his role will be here.

David Schlemko (Sharks) – Traded to Montreal before I could even get to him here. He was traded for a fifth-round draft pick.

Griffin Reinhart (Oilers) – Reinhart now has to clear waivers to be sent down. So I fully expect the Knights to trade several more defensemen to make room for Reinhart as their No.6. But he’s still on a steep learning curve so don’t expect miracles. Chances are, he’ll still be a bust in terms of his original fantasy expectations.

Alexei Emelin (Canadiens) – Emelin takes his 127 BLKS and 241 Hits to Vegas. It’s hard to imagine his BLKS not going up, given the team around him.

Clayton Stoner (Ducks) – Just a token scoop as part of the Theodore trade. Stoner played 14 games last year due to injury and then was a healthy scratch once he was ready to return. His $3.25 million (!) contract cannot be bought out – apparently Vegas cannot buy out a contract from one of their picks for one full year. So they’re stuck with him, Grabovski, Garrison and Clarkson.

Shea Theodore (Ducks) – Here is their future No.1 defenseman. It will be a shame if Theodore gets thrust into that role immediately. But so far it looks like that. Still, he should have a real good shot at reaching 40 points in his first full season. The power play will be his.

Trevor van Riemsdyk (Blackhawks) – Traded to Carolina before I could even get to him here. He was traded along with a seventh rounder for a second rounder (plus, I’m guessing, a promise that they would take someone like Brickley).

Nate Schmidt (Capitals) – With sheltered minutes last season, Schmidt managed 17 points in just 60 games. He was impressive in the playoffs as he boasts a lot of speed. He turns 26 next month and enters his prime just in time to take a prominent role with a new team. I could see him flirting with 30 points this year. His blocked shots should get back up over 100 too.

Goaltenders

Calvin Pickard (Avalanche) – Pickard has to clear waivers to be sent down. So does Berube. Berube has played 21 games in the last two years. Pickard played 50 just last year, plus he played extremely well for Team Canada at the Worlds in May. He’ll be Fleury’s backup unless the Golden Knights have him on the trade block. With a good team in front of him, Pickard could be a starter.

Jean-Francois Berube (Islanders) – Berube will again be a part of a three-headed monster unless the Knights trade Pickard.

Marc-Andre Fleury (Penguins) – I can see Vegas winning 30 games this first year and reaching 70 points. So look for Fleury to have a record in the neighborhood of 28-30-7, with the usual 0.915 and 2.50 numbers.

In case you missed my statement earlier in the month about my health, you can find it here. To give you an update – I finished first round of chemo last Saturday, and the second round will begin in early July. So until then, I will be back on the site with the occasional article, such as this one. If you want to register to the bone marrow registry and possibly save a life, please visit here.