s23 - The Vegas Way [WB7]

Vegas, NV - What’s in the special ingredients that makes up the Vegas Golden Knights roster and blueprint?

According to Golden Knights General Manager David Zammit the process has always been about drafting and developing guys internally. 

“We like to turn players drafted in the 2nd round into everyday NHLers,” he said can be a key to filling out his roster. And the usage of AP has certainly allowed that to happen.

Three of the teams top nine forwards fall under 2nd round picks Vegas has exhausted a lot of AP into and now they’re reaping the benefits in Greg Campbell, Maxim Lapierrie, and Patrick Eaves. 

Take it a step further and seven of the 12 forwards have developed from prospects to playing meaningful minutes with the Owen Sound Attack and then onto the big club in Vegas. There’s another wave coming too. This helps keep the teams salary lower, when you can fill spots internally.

“We don’t tend to land massive free agents, or at least we haven’t on my watch since I arrived,” Zammit remarked.

He’s certainly right about that. Although this summer he netted one of the best players on the open market in Marc-Andre Fleury who’s currently in the Vezina conversation and has the team comfortably in a playoff spot.

“That was a signing I was really happy to make,” he said. “We’ve had average to weak goaltending consistently here since my arrival no matter the caliber of goalie I’ve tried. We haven’t had anyone near this good and at only $5.3 million per season I love the deal currently.”

The defence features two Vegas first rounders in Alex Pietrangelo and Roman Polak. The former is the teams top dman and the former is used heavily to shutdown other teams offences.

The recent acquisition of defenceman Zdeno Chara has the team with two players making $7.5 million per season, him and leading point getter Henrik Sedin.

Vegas can afford the two currently given they’ve been very stingy with their cap commitments with only five players making more than $4.65 million per year.

So it appears homegrown talent up front and acquire good defence and goalies in free agency is the current recipe.

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