Golden Knights are getting James Neal, but for how long?

James Neal will reportedly be selected by the Vegas Golden Knights. How long he will remain with them remains to be seen. 

The 2017 NHL Expansion Draft will see some shady shenanigans, including side deals. One underrated aspect of the Vegas Golden Knights and who they pick will be seeing who gets traded from their initial roster. NHL rules dictate a roster can be 23 players, maximum. That leaves no fewer seven players who the Golden Knights pick that will likely be traded. James Neal from the Nashville Predators, who will likely be chosen, might be one of them.

This is an interesting strategy by the Golden Knights. They clearly want future assets, as a team who doesn’t technically have a farm system yet. Draft picks are the best way for an expansion team to build their organization. Neal, whether he stays in Vegas a few days or a few months, should fetch the Golden Knights a very nice return.

He’s a proven goal scorer who has one year left on his current deal. Neal’s cap hit is $5 million. It’s worth noting he has a modified no trade clause, but he might be willing to waive it if he doesn’t want to play for the expansion Golden Knights. In 70 games, Neal had 41 points last season, including 23 goals. He added nine points in 23 postseason games, helping the Predators advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.

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Expect Neal to not play a game with Vegas. He has a lot of value as a trade chip, as teams searching for scoring will inevitably be interested in him. Neal should fetch the Golden Knights at least a second round pick. Depending on how many teams are interested in him, the price could rise to a first round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft.