*This is purely opinion based. No trades assumed. Only RFAs Vegas has the rights to are signed.
Welcome to the NHL Vegas! I, along with many others, do believe Vegas could've done way better in the expansion draft but after doing their lines and looking at the depth they have, their future talent they just drafted, and their slew of picks the next few years, it's way better than I envisioned. The downside is most of these guys haven't played with each other before so who knows how this will all play out. Shipachyov has never played an NHL game and is centering their top line in my lineup so that's a question mark but if he can carry over some of that KHL talent, it shouldn't be an issue for an expansion club. Perron, Neal, Marchessault, and Smith all put up a good number of points last year so if they can find some chemistry, that will be a fun top 6 to watch. The bottom 6 has a mix of speed and effective penalty killers but lacks that grit factor a lot of great teams have in their bottom 6. There are many players than can jump in and take a draw but the lack of bottom 6 grit and current chemistry and an nhl inexperienced top line center are all big question marks. On defence, I like the blend of offensive and stay-at-home d-men but they lack that oomph from an impact d-man. Maybe Theodore will become that d-man one day but right now, he's a good offensive presence. McNabb, Schmidt, Merrill, Miller, and Garrison are all capable d-men in the top 6 but can a couple of them take a leap to a good top 4 dman? Only time will tell. I love the goaltending tandem with Fleury and Pickard and that is a huge reason why Vegas is not in my bottom 5 teams. Fleury has a load of experience, wins, and cup rings to prove his worth as a starting goaltender and Pickard can play a good amount of games as he did in Varlamov's absence in Colorado last year. Too bad he had bad d-men in front of him last year. Hopefully the d-men here play way better for him. Do I expect Fleury to continue his prestige in Vegas? I don't but I hope he can still play well. If he falters, there are no worries about playing Pickard.
Offence (Top 6) - B-
Offence - C+
Defence (Top 4) - C
Defence - C
Goaltending - A
Depth - B-
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