Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon stays neutral about June draft
Ever since NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman floated his “trial balloon” of holding a virtual draft in June, quality arguments have come from both sides of the issue. The Golden Knights, however, largely stayed out of the discussion.
“We weren’t a team that had a strong opinion when the notion was first floated,” general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. “I know that there were some teams that were outspoken about wanting it sooner rather than later, or vice versa. We’re fine with whatever decision the NHL makes.
“The one reality is this draft isn’t going to be like any other draft, whether we have it in June or we have it following the conclusion of the ’19-’20 season. This is going to be a stand-alone anomaly with respect to the amateur draft.”
The NHL received pushback from teams after deputy commissioner Bill Daly sent a memo stating the case for holding the draft prior to the conclusion of the season. Bettman spoke Monday about the draft with the Board of Governors.
With the season paused since March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the league would like to provide content to its broadcast partners. The NFL drew record ratings for the first round of its virtual draft.
The Knights’ amateur scouting staff held its year-end meetings via video conference this month and continued its work in anticipation of a draft announcement from the league.
McCrimmon said the team is conducting video interviews with prospects and compiling its draft board as it normally would. The draft was scheduled for June 26 and 27 in Montreal but was postponed.
The Knights would pick No. 24 in the first round of a June draft if the selection order is based on points percentage.
“We’ve had a process in place that’s very similar to what we would have done last year in preparation for the draft, what we would do in any ordinary year for the draft,” McCrimmon said. “We’ve got more meetings lined up for all of the next two weeks, for example. We’ve still got preparation that needs to take place in advance of the draft, and we don’t know when the draft is. We will be more than prepared when that time comes.”
One of the speed bumps to a June draft is settling conditional trades. The Knights are among the teams that will seek clarification from the league.
The Knights received a 2021 fourth-round pick from Winnipeg in exchange for center Cody Eakin that becomes a third-round pick if the Jets make the playoffs or he re-signs before July 5.
“The conditions are on a pick in 2021, so that gives that particular situation a little more runway to unfold than it ordinarily might,” McCrimmon said. “The league will provide clarification on all trades that have any conditions relative to this year’s draft, relative to performance, all of those different variables.”
In addition to their draft preparations, McCrimmon said he continues to hold daily video conferences with the pro scouting staff and coaches breaking down other NHL teams.
Phase Two of the league’s restart plan, which would open team facilities for small group skates, could begin later this month if local government restrictions ease. The NHL has not indicated whether testing for the coronavirus would be required to reopen.
While the plan for resuming the season changes frequently, multiple reports have identified a 24-team postseason (and no more regular-season games) as the latest possibility. That would leave seven teams eligible for the draft lottery,
The format of a 24-team tournament is unclear, but the NHL has looked into using centralized hub cities to host games without fans in the arena. MGM Resorts acting CEO Bill Hornbuckle said in the company’s first quarter earnings call it pitched Las Vegas as a potential host.
“Safety of the fans, safety of the players is first and foremost before we ever start to have a discussion about a restart,” McCrimmon said. “But these are unprecedented times. We are doing everything to be prepared for what lies ahead. We have no more insight to what exactly that will be than anyone else does. But when that landscape is solidified, we’ll be ready to react to whatever the NHL has put in front of us.
“I have a lot of confidence in our coaching staff, and that our medical and training staff would have our team very well prepared.”
McCrimmon did not have anything new to report on contract negotiations with forward Jack Dugan of Providence College or goalie prospect Jiri Patera. Connor Corcoran, Xavier Bouchard and Jordan Kooy remain unsigned from the 2018 draft and normally would be eligible for the 2020 draft if they aren’t under contract by June 1.
“Just with the reality, with the landscape, with the pandemic, there’s a lot of dates that will need to be re-evaluated and determined as critical dates that the NHL will take care of,” McCrimmon said. “That’s as much as I can speak to on that.”
One move that will not happen if the season resumes is the Knights naming a captain.
Coach Pete DeBoer said last month during his appearance on the team’s podcast that he is a “believer in a captain,” but McCrimmon is not prepared to have that conversation during the pause.
“We would take input from the coaching staff on any of these decisions related to our team. I think how we do our business in very general terms is quite collaborative,” McCrimmon said. “I think as the team evolves we’ll always ask along the way what you might do differently. But those are discussions that will happen in the offseason, not while the season is still on. Those discussions will happen down the road, if they’ll happen at all.”
Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.
Golden Knights still nursing injuries
President of hockey operations George McPhee said Friday the Golden Knights are not back to full strength despite being off the ice since March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
McPhee was a guest on Vegas Hockey Hotline on KSHP (1400 AM) and confirmed the team is dealing with at least one injury, though he did not identify the player(s) or severity.
"We're better off now than we were when we finished with respect to injuries," McPhee said. "We're not there yet. But by the time we get going, we're hoping our team will be at 100 percent."
Forwards Max Pacioretty (week to week, lower body), Mark Stone (week to week, lower body) and Alex Tuch (day to day, lower body) were injured when the season paused. Coach Pete DeBoer indicated on the team's podcast last month all three were back to 100 percent.
Forward Chandler Stephenson (upper body) missed the Knights' game March 9 in Edmonton and was a game-time decision for the game at Minnesota on March 12.
