It’s going to be a manic Monday for George McPhee.
The Vegas GM announced that today will be the last day NHL clubs can complete trades to protect their players from the expansion draft, per Sportsnet. Once that deadline passes, McPhee and the Golden Knights will turn their attention to selecting players in preparation for Wednesday’s big roster reveal.
A couple of “side deals” are already believed to be in place. The Dispatch reported that Columbus will send this year’s first-round pick (24th overall) and a prospect to Vegas so that McPhee will select either left wing Matt Calvert, center William Karlsson or defenseman Ryan Murray.
There are also rumblings of Ducks GM Bob Murray having a deal in place to protect either -- or both -- of defensemen Sami Vatanen and Josh Manson.
Related: Vegas has plenty of options heading into expansion draft