NHL Expansion Draft: 5 best players available for Golden Knights

May 31, 2017; Las Vegas, NV, USA: General overall view of the T-Mobile Arena exterior on Las Vegas Blvd. on the Las Vegas strip. The facility will be the home of the NHL expansion franchise Vegas Golden Knights which will begin play during the 2017-18 season. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

2 of 5

Mar 16, 2017; Raleigh, NC, USA; Minnesota Wild defensemen Matt Dumba (24) skates against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena. The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Minnesota Wild 3-1. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Matt Dumba

The Minnesota Wild are one of the few teams who have to expose good players. Unfortunately, they will likely lose young defenseman Matt Dumba. It was a tough choice between Jonas Brodin and him, but the Wild likely made the right decision. They couldn’t protect four defensemen, so Dumba should start looking into Vegas condos.

However, maybe Minnesota can work something out with Vegas so they don’t lose him. It would cost them a pretty penny, though. And keep in mind the Wild don’t have their first round pick in 2017, as they traded it to the Arizona Coyotes for Martin Hanzal. That said, Minnesota has a surplus of prospects, so maybe they can work something out to keep Dumba.

Should the Golden Knights select the young defenseman, Vegas will get a promising producer. Dumba had a career best 11 goals, 23 assists and 34 points in 2016-17. For the first time in his career, he averaged over 20 minutes a night. Defensemen who can move the puck effectively are coveted in today’s NHL. Dumba would give Vegas one right off the bat. Going to the Golden Knights might be good for him too. Dumba has played well enough to warrant more minutes, but that simply isn’t happening in Minnesota. It can, however, happen with the Golden Knights.

Home/Vegas Golden Knights