2017–18 Vegas Golden Knights season explained

League:	NHL
Season:	2017–18
Year:	2017
Team:	Vegas Golden Knights
Division:	Pacific
Divisionrank:	1st
Conference:	Western
Conferencerank:	3rd
Record:	51–24–7
Homerecord:	29–10–2
Roadrecord:	22–14–5
Goalsfor:	272
Goalsagainst:	228
Generalmanager:	George McPhee
Coach:	Gerard Gallant
Captain:	Vacant
Altcaptain:	Pierre-Edouard Bellemare Deryk Engelland James Neal David Perron Luca Sbisa Reilly Smith
Arena:	T-Mobile Arena
Attendance:	18,042^[1]
Minorleague:	Chicago Wolves (AHL) Quad City Mallards (ECHL)
Goalsleader:	William Karlsson (43)
Assistsleader:	David Perron (50)
Pointsleader:	William Karlsson (78)
Plusminusleader:	William Karlsson (+49)
Pimleader:	Colin Miller (53)
Winsleader:	Marc-Andre Fleury (29)
Gaaleader:	Oscar Dansk (1.78)
Divisionwin:	yes
Conferencewin:	yes

The 2017–18 Vegas Golden Knights season was the inaugural season for the Vegas Golden Knights. They played their home games at T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada.

The Golden Knights enjoyed the strongest debut season for an expansion team in North American professional sports history. On February 1, 2018, they broke the record for most wins by an expansion team in their first season when they earned their 34th win of the season.^[2] On February 21, they broke the record for most points by an expansion team in their inaugural season when they got their 84th point of the season.^[3] Then on March 26, they became the first team to make the playoffs in their inaugural season in the league since the Edmonton Oilers and Hartford Whalers in the 1979–80 season.^[4] Following that achievement, on March 31, 2018, with a 3–2 victory over the San Jose Sharks, the Knights became the first modern-era expansion team from any of the four major sports and the first NHL team since the 1926–27 New York Rangers to win their division in their inaugural season (excluding the 1967–68 Philadelphia Flyers, as all teams in the West Division that year were expansion teams).^[5] The Golden Knights finished the regular season with a .665 points percentage; prior to 2018 the only examples of first year expansion teams joining any of the North American major professional sports leagues after their respective league's first decade and finishing with a winning/points percentage of .500 or better were teams that had joined from another league.

Earning a playoff berth in their first season, the Golden Knights eliminated the Los Angeles Kings in four straight games during the first round, becoming the first team in NHL history to sweep their first playoff series in their inaugural season.^[6] They later defeated the San Jose Sharks in the second round in six games and advanced to the Western Conference Finals.^[7] There they defeated the Winnipeg Jets in five games to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals in their inaugural season where they faced the Washington Capitals,^[8] and lost in five games.

Schedule and results

Preseason

A preliminary preseason schedule was announced in January 2017.^[9] The draft schedule was released in April 2017,^[10] while the final schedule was released in June 2017.^{[11] [12]}

2017 preseason game log: 3–3–1 (Home: 0–2–1 ; Road: 3–1–0)
	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Decision	Attendance	Record	Recap
1	September 17	Vegas	9–4				15,565	1–0–0	Recap
2	September 19	Vegas	4–1				—	2–0–0	Recap
3	September 21	Vegas	2–5				15,071	2–1–0	Recap
4	September 24	Vegas	4–2				15,442	3–1–0	Recap
5	September 26		3–2	Vegas	OT	Fleury	17,101	3–1–1	Recap
6	September 28		4–2	Vegas		Fleury	15,337	3–2–1	Recap
7	October 1		5–3	Vegas		Fleury	16,479	3–3–1	Recap

Regular season

The regular season schedule was released on June 22, 2017.^[13]

2017–18 game log
October: 8–3–0 (Home: 6–1–0 ; Road: 2–2–0) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 1 October 6 Vegas 2–1 18,532 1–0–0 2 Recap 2 October 7 Vegas 2–1 OT Fleury 17,125 2–0–0 4 Recap 3 October 10 2–5 Vegas Fleury 18,191 3–0–0 6 Recap 4 October 13 6–3 Vegas Fleury 17,645 3–1–0 6 Recap 5 October 15 1–3 Vegas 17,562 4–1–0 8 Recap 6 October 17 4–5 Vegas OT Subban 17,617 5–1–0 10 Recap 7 October 21 2–3 Vegas OT 17,883 6–1–0 12 Recap 8 October 24 2–4 Vegas Dansk 18,108 7–1–0 14 Recap 9 October 27 0–7 Vegas Dansk 17,702 8–1–0 16 Recap 10 October 30 Vegas 3–6 11,113 8–2–0 16 Recap 11 October 31 Vegas 4–6 Lagace 17,294 8–3–0 16 Recap
November: 7–5–1 (Home: 3–1–0 ; Road: 3–4–1) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 12 November 2 Vegas 1–2 17,565 8–4–0 16 Recap 13 November 4 Vegas 5–4 Lagace 16,824 9–4–0 18 Recap 14 November 6 Vegas 3–4 SO Lagace 19,398 9–4–1 19 Recap 15 November 7 Vegas 2–3 Lagace 21,302 9–5–1 19 Recap 16 November 10 2–5 Vegas Lagace 18,110 10–5–1 21 Recap 17 November 14 Vegas 2–8 Lagace 18,347 10–6–1 21 Recap 18 November 16 Vegas 5–2 Lagace 18,119 11–6–1 23 Recap 19 November 19 2–4 Vegas Lagace 18,211 12–6–1 25 Recap 20 November 22 Vegas 4–2 Lagace 17,174 13–6–1 27 Recap 21 November 24 4–5 Vegas OT 18,094 14–6–1 29 Recap 22 November 25 Vegas 4–2 Subban 13,226 15–6–1 31 Recap 23 November 28 3–0 Vegas Subban 17,579 15–7–1 31 Recap 24 November 30 Vegas 2–4 Subban 19,084 15–8–1 31 Recap
December: 11–1–1 (Home: 7–0–1 ; Road: 4–1–0) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 25 December 1 Vegas 4–7 15,321 15–9–1 31 Recap 26 December 3 2–3 Vegas OT 17,519 16–9–1 33 Recap 27 December 5 3–4 Vegas SO Subban 17,608 17–9–1 35 Recap 28 December 8 Vegas 4–3 SO Subban 17,125 18–9–1 37 Recap 29 December 9 Vegas 5–3 Lagace 18,532 19–9–1 39 Recap 30 December 12 3–2 Vegas SO 17,520 19–9–2 40 Recap 31 December 14 1–2 Vegas Fleury 18,029 20–9–2 42 Recap 32 December 17 2–5 Vegas Subban 17,593 21–9–2 44 Recap 33 December 19 3–4 Vegas Fleury 17,813 22–9–2 46 Recap 34 December 23 0–3 Vegas Fleury 18,025 23–9–2 48 Recap 35 December 27 Vegas 4–1 Subban 17,444 24–9–2 50 Recap 36 December 28 Vegas 3–2 OT Fleury 18,432 25–9–2 52 Recap 37 December 31 3–6 Vegas Subban 18,118 26–9–2 54 Recap
January: 7–3–2 (Home: 3–1–1 ; Road: 4–2–1) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 38 January 2 0–3 Vegas 18,171 27–9–2 56 Recap 39 January 4 Vegas 1–2 Fleury 18,976 27–10–2 56 Recap 40 January 5 Vegas 5–4 21,933 28–10–2 58 Recap 41 January 7 1–2 Vegas Fleury 18,234 29–10–2 60 Recap 42 January 13 3–2 Vegas OT Fleury 18,351 29–10–3 61 Recap 43 January 16 Vegas 0–1 Fleury 17,150 29–11–3 61 Recap 44 January 18 Vegas 4–1 Fleury 19,092 30–11–3 63 Recap 45 January 19 Vegas 3–4 OT Subban 17,468 30–11–4 64 Recap 46 January 21 Vegas 5–1 Fleury 15,303 31–11–4 66 Recap 47 January 23 3–6 Vegas Fleury 18,231 32–11–4 68 Recap 48 January 25 2–1 Vegas Fleury 18,184 32–12–4 68 Recap 49 January 30 Vegas 4–2 Fleury 19,289 33–12–4 70 Recap
February: 8–5–1 (Home: 5–3–0 ; Road: 3–2–1) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 50 February 1 Vegas 3–2 OT 15,321 34–12–4 72 Recap 51 February 2 Vegas 2–5 19,057 34–13–4 72 Recap 52 February 4 Vegas 4–3 Fleury 18,506 35–13–4 74 Recap 53 February 6 Vegas 4–5 Fleury 18,644 35–14–4 74 Recap 54 February 8 Vegas 5–3 Fleury 17,562 36–14–4 76 Recap 55 February 11 4–1 Vegas Fleury 18,220 36–15–4 76 Recap 56 February 13 2–5 Vegas Fleury 18,085 37–15–4 78 Recap 57 February 15 1–4 Vegas Fleury 18,030 38–15–4 80 Recap 58 February 17 3–6 Vegas Fleury 18,122 39–15–4 82 Recap 59 February 19 2–0 Vegas Fleury 18,267 39–16–4 82 Recap 60 February 21 3–7 Vegas Fleury 18,014 40–16–4 84 Recap 61 February 23 3–6 Vegas Fleury 18,207 41–16–4 86 Recap 62 February 26 Vegas 2–3 OT Fleury 18,230 41–16–5 87 Recap 63 February 27 4–1 Vegas 18,328 41–17–5 87 Recap
March: 9–5–2 (Home: 5–4–0 ; Road: 4–1–2) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 64 March 2 5–4 Vegas 18,269 41–18–5 87 Recap 65 March 4 Vegas 3–2 Fleury 16,514 42–18–5 89 Recap 66 March 6 Vegas 1–4 Fleury 17,402 42–19–5 89 Recap 67 March 8 Vegas 4–0 Fleury 19,515 43–19–5 91 Recap 68 March 10 Vegas 2–1 SO Fleury 19,070 44–19–5 93 Recap 69 March 12 Vegas 3–2 Fleury 19,723 45–19–5 95 Recap 70 March 14 8–3 Vegas Fleury 18,420 45–20–5 95 Recap 71 March 16 4–2 Vegas Fleury 18,295 45–21–5 95 Recap 72 March 18 0–4 Vegas Fleury 18,075 46–21–5 97 Recap 73 March 20 1–4 Vegas Fleury 18,214 47–21–5 99 Recap 74 March 22 Vegas 1–2 OT 17,562 47–21–6 100 Recap 75 March 24 Vegas 1–2 SO Fleury 18,042 47–21–7 101 Recap 76 March 26 1–4 Vegas Fleury 18,326 48–21–7 103 Recap 77 March 28 3–2 Vegas Fleury 18,121 48–22–7 103 Recap 78 March 30 3–4 Vegas OT Subban 18,191 49–22–7 105 Recap 79 March 31 2–3 Vegas Fleury 18,458 50–22–7 107 Recap
April: 1–2–0 (Home: 0–0–0 ; Road: 1–2–0) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 80 April 3 Vegas 5–4 SO 18,865 51–22–7 109 Recap 81 April 5 Vegas 3–4 Subban 18,347 51–23–7 109 Recap 82 April 7 Vegas 1–7 19,289 51–24–7 109 Recap
Legend:

Playoffs

See main article: 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs.

2018 Stanley Cup playoffs
Western Conference First Round vs. (WC1) Los Angeles Kings: Vegas won 4–0 Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Series Recap 1 April 11 Los Angeles 0–1 Vegas 18,479 1–0 Recap 2 April 13 Los Angeles 1–2 Vegas 2OT Fleury 18,588 2–0 Recap 3 April 15 Vegas 3–2 Los Angeles Fleury 18,484 3–0 Recap 4 April 17 Vegas 1–0 Los Angeles Fleury 18,422 4–0 Recap
Western Conference Second Round vs. (P3) San Jose Sharks: Vegas won 4–2 Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Series Recap 1 April 26 San Jose 0–7 Vegas 18,444 1–0 Recap 2 April 28 San Jose 4–3 Vegas 2OT Fleury 18,671 1–1 Recap 3 April 30 Vegas 4–3 San Jose OT Fleury 17,562 2–1 Recap 4 May 2 Vegas 0–4 San Jose Fleury 17,562 2–2 Recap 5 May 4 San Jose 3–5 Vegas Fleury 18,693 3–2 Recap 6 May 6 Vegas 3–0 San Jose Fleury 17,562 4–2 Recap
Western Conference Finals vs. (C2) Winnipeg Jets: Vegas won 4–1 Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Series Recap 1 May 12 Vegas 2–4 Winnipeg 15,321 0–1 Recap 2 May 14 Vegas 3–1 Winnipeg Fleury 15,321 1–1 Recap 3 May 16 Winnipeg 2–4 Vegas Fleury 18,477 2–1 Recap 4 May 18 Winnipeg 2–3 Vegas Fleury 18,697 3–1 Recap 5 May 20 Vegas 2–1 Winnipeg Fleury 15,321 4–1 Recap
Stanley Cup Finals vs. (M1) Washington Capitals: Washington won 4–1 Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Series Recap 1 May 28 Washington 4–6 Vegas 18,575 1–0 Recap 2 May 30 Washington 3–2 Vegas Fleury 18,702 1–1 Recap 3 June 2 Vegas 1–3 Washington Fleury 18,506 1–2 Recap 4 June 4 Vegas 2–6 Washington Fleury 18,506 1–3 Recap 5 June 7 Washington 4–3 Vegas Fleury 18,529 1–4 Recap
Legend:

Player statistics

Final stats^[14]

Skaters

Regular season^[15]

Player					data-sort-type="number"
	82	43	35	78	49	12
	77	27	48	75	36	40
	70	16	50	66	1	50
	67	22	38	60	31	24
	76	29	26	55	−16	37
	71	25	19	44	−11	24
	82	10	31	41	−4	53
	78	15	22	37	3	27
	76	5	31	36	19	16
	61	6	23	29	5	14
	80	11	16	27	−6	22
	79	5	18	23	6	24
	45	3	15	18	−5	6
	72	6	10	16	5	14
	67	7	8	15	6	14
	76	5	10	15	26	52
^†	36	9	5	14	0	9
	30	2	12	14	8	15
^‡	44	2	11	13	−1	4
	63	9	2	11	−11	14
^†	20	4	2	6	−11	10
	2	3	0	3	3	0
	37	1	2	3	−3	19
	10	1	2	3	2	0
	34	1	2	3	7	22
^†	21	0	2	2	2	10
	3	1	0	1	3	2
	8	0	1	1	−2	4
	8	0	1	1	0	0
	1	0	0	0	3	0

Playoffs^[16]

Player					data-sort-type="number"
	20	5	17	22	5	10
	20	8	13	21	8	10
	20	7	8	15	8	2
	20	6	5	11	0	12
	20	6	4	10	0	12
	20	3	7	10	2	8
	20	3	6	9	−3	27
	15	1	8	9	1	10
	20	3	4	7	7	4
	20	3	4	7	5	14
	17	4	2	6	5	8
	20	2	3	5	2	20
	17	0	5	5	5	6
	20	3	1	4	3	4
	12	0	4	4	5	8
	20	0	3	3	6	14
	10	2	0	2	4	18
	8	1	1	2	1	2
	20	0	2	2	2	26
	3	0	1	1	1	2
	10	0	0	0	−1	8
	8	0	0	0	2	10

Goaltenders

Regular season^[17]

Player
style=white-space:nowrap		46	46	2,673:24	29	13	4	100	2.24	1376	.927	4	0	1	6
style=white-space:nowrap		22	19	1,230:11	13	4	2	55	2.68	614	.910	0	0	0	2
style=white-space:nowrap		16	14	873:31	6	7	1	57	3.92	430	.867	0	0	0	0
style=white-space:nowrap		4	3	168:36	3	0	0	5	1.78	93	.946	1	0	0	0
style=white-space:nowrap		1	0	9:14	0	0	0	1	6.50	2	.500	0	0	0	0

Awards and honours

Milestones

Regular season! Player !! Milestone !! data-sort-type="date"

Reached
	1st career goal 1st career assist 1st career point	October 15, 2017
	1st career win	October 15, 2017
	1st career game 1st career goal 1st career point	October 15, 2017
	1st career game 1st career win	October 21, 2017
	1st career assist	October 24, 2017
Oscar Dansk	1st career shutout	October 27, 2017
	1st career game	October 30, 2017
Maxime Lagace	1st career win	November 4, 2017
	200th career point	November 10, 2017
	200th career game	November 14, 2017
	1st career game	November 14, 2017
	100th career point	November 16, 2017
	400th career game	November 24, 2017
	400th career point	December 9, 2017
	500th career game	December 17, 2017
	100th career point	December 19, 2017
Cody Eakin	100th career assist	December 23, 2017
Reilly Smith	400th career game	December 27, 2017
Erik Haula	300th career game	January 2, 2018
Deryk Engelland	100th career point	January 18, 2018
David Perron	700th career game	February 8, 2018
William Karlsson	100th career point	February 15, 2018
	1st career game	February 19, 2018
Tomas Hyka	1st career goal 1st career point	February 23, 2018
	100th career point	February 26, 2018
Tomas Hyka	1st career assist	March 4, 2018
	100th career game	March 12, 2018
	300th career game	March 20, 2018
Jonathan Marchessault	200th career game	March 31, 2018
	700th career game	March 31, 2018
	100th career point	April 3, 2018
	1st career game	April 5, 2018
	300th career game	April 12, 2018
	400th career win	April 15, 2018

Playoffs! Player !! Milestone !! data-sort-type="date"

Reached
	1st career playoff game	April 11, 2018
	1st career playoff game	April 11, 2018
	1st career playoff game	April 11, 2018
Alex Tuch	1st career playoff game	April 11, 2018
Tomas Nosek	1st career playoff game 1st career playoff assist 1st career playoff point	April 11, 2018
Alex Tuch	1st career playoff goal 1st career playoff point	April 13, 2018
Ryan Carpenter	1st career playoff assist 1st career playoff point	April 15, 2018
Alex Tuch	1st career playoff assist	April 15, 2018
Brayden McNabb	1st career playoff goal 1st career playoff point	April 17, 2018
Brayden McNabb	1st career playoff assist	April 26, 2018
Jonathan Marchessault	1st career playoff goal	April 26, 2018

Transactions

The Golden Knights have been involved in the following transactions during the 2017–18 season.

Trades

Date	Details		Ref
	To Florida Panthers 4th-round pick in 2018	To Vegas Golden Knights Reilly Smith	^[19]
	To Buffalo Sabres Expansion Draft considerations	To Vegas Golden Knights 6th-round pick in 2017
	To Carolina Hurricanes Expansion Draft considerations	To Vegas Golden Knights BOS's 5th-round pick in 2017
	To Tampa Bay Lightning Expansion Draft considerations	To Vegas Golden Knights Nikita Gusev 2nd-round pick in 2017 PIT's 4th-round pick in 2018
	To New York Islanders Expansion Draft considerations	To Vegas Golden Knights Mikhail Grabovski Jake Bischoff 1st-round pick in 2017 2nd-round pick in 2019
	To Anaheim Ducks Expansion Draft considerations	To Vegas Golden Knights Shea Theodore
	To Columbus Blue Jackets Expansion Draft considerations	To Vegas Golden Knights David Clarkson 1st-round pick in 2017 2nd-round pick in 2019
	To Winnipeg Jets CBJ's 1st-round pick in 2017 Expansion Draft considerations	To Vegas Golden Knights 1st-round pick in 2017 3rd-round pick in 2019
	To Minnesota Wild 3rd-round pick in 2017 or 2018	To Vegas Golden Knights Alex Tuch
	To Pittsburgh Penguins Expansion Draft considerations	To Vegas Golden Knights 2nd-round pick in 2020
	To Carolina Hurricanes Trevor van Riemsdyk 7th-round pick in 2018	To Vegas Golden Knights PIT's 2nd-round pick in 2017	^[20]
	To Montreal Canadiens David Schlemko	To Vegas Golden Knights 5th-round pick in 2019	^[21]
	To Columbus Blue Jackets TBL's 2nd-round pick in 2017	To Vegas Golden Knights Keegan Kolesar	^[22]
	To Dallas Stars Marc Methot	To Vegas Golden Knights Dylan Ferguson 2nd-round pick in 2020	^[23]
	To Nashville Predators Alexei Emelin	To Vegas Golden Knights 3rd-round pick in 2019	^[24]
	To Chicago Blackhawks Future considerations	To Vegas Golden Knights Marcus Kruger	^[25]
	To Carolina Hurricanes Marcus Kruger	To Vegas Golden Knights 5th-round pick in 2018	^[26]
	To Toronto Maple Leafs Calvin Pickard	To Vegas Golden Knights Tobias Lindberg 6th-round pick in 2018	^[27]
	To Los Angeles Kings Future considerations	To Vegas Golden Knights Zachary Leslie	^[28]
	To Pittsburgh Penguins Tobias Lindberg	To Vegas Golden Knights Ryan Reaves VAN's 4th-round pick in 2018	^[29]
	To Vancouver Canucks Brendan Leipsic	To Vegas Golden Knights Philip Holm	^[30]
	To Detroit Red Wings 1st-round pick in 2018 NYI's 2nd-round pick in 2019 3rd-round pick in 2021	To Vegas Golden Knights Tomas Tatar	^[31]

Free agents acquired

Date	Player	Former team	Contract terms (in U.S. dollars)	Ref
		Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)	3-year, $2.775 million	^[32]
		SKA Saint Petersburg (KHL)	2-year, $9 million	^[33]
		BK Mladá Boleslav (ELH)	1-year, $710,000 entry-level contract	^[34]
			1-year, $650,000	^[35]
			2-year, $1.3 million
			1-year, $650,000
			1-year, $650,000
			1-year, $650,000
			2-year, $1.3 million
			1-year, $650,000	^[36]
		Tri-City Americans (WHL)	3-year, $2.195 million entry-level contract	^[37]
			1-year, $650,000	^[38]
		Bemidji State University (NCAA)	3-year, $4.475 million entry-level contract	^[39]
		Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)	2-year, $1.43 million entry-level contract	^[40]
		EHC Red Bull München (DEL)	1-year, $650,000	^[41]

Free agents lost

Date	Player	New team	Contract terms (in U.S. dollars)	Ref
			2-year, $1.5 million	^[42]
			1-year, $750,000	^[43]
			2-year, $1.8 million	^[44]

Claimed via waivers

Player	Previous team	Date	Ref
			^[45]
			^[46]

Lost via retirement

Date	Player	Ref
		^[47]

Player signings

Date	Player	Contract terms (in U.S. dollars)	Ref
		1-year, $1 million	^[48]
		3-year, $8.25 million	^[49]
		2-year, $3.4 million	^[50]
		1-year, $700,000	^[51]
		3-year, $4.125 million entry-level contract
		3-year, $5.325 million entry-level contract	^[52]
		2-year, $1.3 million
		2-year, $1.6 million	^[53]
		3-year, $4.6265 million entry-level contract
		2-year, $4.45 million	^[54]
		3-year, $2.15 million entry-level contract	^[55]
		3-year, $2.775 million entry-level contract	^[56]
		4-year, $10 million contract extension	^[57]
		6-year, $30 million contract extension	^[58]
		1-year, $1.5 million contract extension	^[59]
		2-year, $2.75 million contract extension	^[60]
		1-year, $650,000 contract extension	^[61]
		1-year, $675,000 contract extension
		3-year, $2.245 million entry-level contract
		3-year, $2.775 million entry-level contract
		1-year, $650,000 contract extension	^[62]
		3-year, entry-level contract	^[63]

Draft picks

Expansion draft

The team filled its initial roster by selecting players in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft on June 21, 2017. They were required to select or sign one player, who was not protected, from each existing team. In return for not selecting certain unprotected players, Vegas made several deals to grant concessions with some teams.

	Player	Drafted from	Notes
1.	Calvin Pickard (G)	Colorado Avalanche	Traded to Toronto on October 6, 2017.
2.	Luca Sbisa (D)	Vancouver Canucks
3.	Teemu Pulkkinen (LW)	Arizona Coyotes
4.	Jon Merrill (D)	New Jersey Devils
5.	William Carrier (LW)	Buffalo Sabres	Sabres traded their sixth-round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for Vegas selecting Carrier instead of Linus Ullmark.^[64]
6.	Cody Eakin (C)	Dallas Stars
7.	Tomas Nosek (LW)	Detroit Red Wings
8.	Jonathan Marchessault (C)	Florida Panthers	Panthers traded Reilly Smith in exchange for Vegas selecting Marchessault and a fourth-round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.^[65]
9.	Brayden McNabb (D)	Los Angeles Kings
10.	Connor Brickley (C)	Carolina Hurricanes	Hurricanes traded Boston's fifth-round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft (previously acquired) in exchange for Vegas selecting Brickley.^[66] Brickley was a pending unrestricted free agent and signed with the Panthers on July 1.
11.	Chris Thorburn (RW)	Winnipeg Jets	Jets traded their first-round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft and a third-round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for Vegas selecting Thorburn and Columbus' first-round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft (previously acquired).^[67] Thorburn was a pending unrestricted free agent and signed with the Blues on July 1.
12.	Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (RW)	Philadelphia Flyers
13.	Jason Garrison (D)	Tampa Bay Lightning	Lightning traded their second-round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Pittsburgh's fourth-round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft (previously acquired) and Nikita Gusev in exchange for Vegas selecting Garrison.^[68]
14.	Jean-Francois Berube (G)	New York Islanders	Islanders traded their first-round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, a second-round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, Mikhail Grabovski and Jake Bischoff in exchange for Vegas selecting Berube.^[69] Berube was a pending unrestricted free agent and would sign with the Blackhawks on July 1.
15.	James Neal (LW)	Nashville Predators
16.	Deryk Engelland (D)	Calgary Flames	Engelland was a pending unrestricted free agent. As a Las Vegas resident, he signed a one-year deal before free agency.
17.	Brendan Leipsic (LW)	Toronto Maple Leafs
18.	Colin Miller (D)	Boston Bruins
19.	Marc Methot (D)	Ottawa Senators	Traded to Dallas on June 26, 2017.
20.	David Schlemko (D)	San Jose Sharks	Traded to Montreal on June 22, 2017.^[70]
21.	David Perron (LW)	St. Louis Blues
22.	Oscar Lindberg (C)	New York Rangers
23.	Griffin Reinhart (D)	Edmonton Oilers
24.	Alexei Emelin (D)	Montreal Canadiens	Traded to Nashville on July 1, 2017.
25.	Clayton Stoner (D)	Anaheim Ducks	Ducks traded Shea Theodore in exchange for Vegas selecting Stoner.^[71]
26.	Erik Haula (C)	Minnesota Wild	Wild traded Alex Tuch in exchange for Vegas selecting Haula and a conditional third-round pick in the 2017 or 2018 NHL Entry Draft.^[72]
27.	William Karlsson (C)	Columbus Blue Jackets	Blue Jackets traded their first-round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, a second-round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and David Clarkson in exchange for Vegas selecting Karlsson.^[73]
28.	Trevor van Riemsdyk (D)	Chicago Blackhawks	Traded to Carolina on June 22, 2017.^[74]
29.	Marc-Andre Fleury (G)	Pittsburgh Penguins	Penguins traded their second-round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for Vegas selecting Fleury.^[75]
30.	Nate Schmidt (D)	Washington Capitals

Entry draft

See also: List of Vegas Golden Knights draft picks. Before the draft lottery, the Golden Knights were given the same odds as the team with the third worst point total from the 2016–17 season, which meant that they would not draft any lower than sixth overall and would draft third in each subsequent round.^[76] On April 30, 2017, the Golden Knights received a sixth overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft during the draft lottery.^[77]

Below are the Vegas Golden Knights' selections at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, which was held on June 23 and 24, 2017, at the United Center in Chicago.

Round		Player	Pos	Nationality	College/Junior/Club team (League)
1	6	Cody Glass	C		Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
1	13^1	Nick Suzuki	C		Owen Sound Attack (OHL)
1	15^2	Erik Brannstrom	D		HV71 (SHL)
2	34	Nicolas Hague	D		Mississauga Steelheads (OHL)
2	62^3	Jake Leschyshyn	C		Regina Pats (WHL)
3	65	Jonas Rondbjerg	RW		Växjö Lakers (J20 SuperElit)
4	96	Maxim Zhukov	G		Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)
5	127	Lucas Elvenes	C		Rögle BK (J20 SuperElit)
5	142^4	Jonathan Dugan	LW		Northwood School (USHS)
6	158	Nick Campoli	C		North York Rangers (OJHL)
6	161^5	Jiri Patera	G		Motor České Budějovice (Czech 1.liga)
7	189	Ben Jones	C		Niagara IceDogs (OHL)

Notes:

1. The Winnipeg Jets' first-round pick went to the Vegas Golden Knights as the result of a trade on June 21, 2017, that sent Columbus' first-round pick in 2017 to Winnipeg in exchange for Vegas selecting Chris Thorburn in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft from Winnipeg, a third-round pick in 2019 and this pick.^[78]
2. The New York Islanders' first-round pick went to the Vegas Golden Knights as the result of a trade on June 21, 2017, that ensured that Vegas selected Jean-Francois Berube in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft from the Islanders in exchange for Mikhail Grabovski, Jake Bischoff, a second-round pick in 2019 and this pick.^[79]
3. The Pittsburgh Penguins' second-round pick went to the Vegas Golden Knights as the result of a trade on June 22, 2017, that sent Trevor van Riemsdyk and a seventh-round pick in 2018 to Carolina in exchange for this pick.^[80]
4. The Boston Bruins' fifth-round pick went to the Vegas Golden Knights as the result of a trade on June 21, 2017, that ensured that Vegas selected Connor Brickley in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft from Carolina in exchange for this pick.^[81]
5. The Buffalo Sabres' sixth-round pick went to the Vegas Golden Knights as the result of a trade on June 21, 2017, that ensured that Vegas selected William Carrier in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft from Buffalo in exchange for this pick.^[82]

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2017-2018 NHL Attendance . ESPN.com . November 7, 2021.
2. Web site: O'Brien. James. Vegas Golden Knights break expansion wins record with 32 games left. ProHockeyTalk. February 2, 2018. February 1, 2018.
3. Web site: Carp. Steve. Golden Knights continue to set records with 7-3 win over Flames. Las Vegas Review-Journal. February 22, 2018. February 21, 2018.
4. News: Vegas first to clinch playoff berth in inaugural season since '79-80 . ABC News . ESPN . Emily . Kaplan . March 27, 2018 . March 27, 2018.
5. News: Golden Knights top Sharks, clinch Pacific Division . NHL . Danny . Webster . March 31, 2018 . April 1, 2018.
6. Web site: Harris. Beth. Golden Knights make history by sweeping Kings. cbc.ca. April 18, 2018. April 18, 2018.
7. News: Vegas Golden Knights beat Sharks 3-0 in Game 6. Lippman. Joyce Lupiani, Ross. 2018-05-07. KTNV. 2018-05-24. en-US.
8. News: Vegas Golden Knights beat Winnipeg Jets to advance to Stanley Cup Final. 2018-05-20. The Denver Post. 2018-05-24. en-US.
9. News: Golden Knights' 'trains' running as team prepares for 1st season. Las Vegas Review-Journal. Steve. Carp. January 24, 2017. March 22, 2017.
10. News: Golden Knights to play compact preseason schedule. Las Vegas Review-Journal. Steve. Carp. April 26, 2017. April 28, 2017.
11. Web site: Carp. Steve. Vegas Golden Knights will host Kings, Avs, Sharks in preseason. Las Vegas Review-Journal. June 15, 2017. June 14, 2017.
12. Web site: Sadler. Emily. Vegas Golden Knights release first-ever pre-season schedule. Sportsnet.ca. June 15, 2017. June 14, 2017.
13. Web site: NHL Announces Golden Knights 2017-18 Regular Season Schedule. NHL.com. June 27, 2017. June 22, 2017.
14. Web site: Vegas Golden Knights Stats - 2017-2018. NHL.com. November 14, 2017.
15. Web site: 2017–18 Regular season – Vegas Golden Knights Stats – Skaters . NHL.com . November 9, 2019.
16. Web site: 2017–18 Playoffs – Vegas Golden Knights Stats – Skaters . NHL.com . November 9, 2019.
17. Web site: 2017–18 Regular season – Vegas Golden Knights Stats – Goalies . NHL.com . November 9, 2019.
18. Web site: 2017–18 Playoffs – Vegas Golden Knights Stats – Goalies . NHL.com . November 9, 2019.
19. Web site: Fleury, Methot, Neal headline Golden Knights' expansion draft roster. thescore.com. June 27, 2017.
20. Web site: Canes Acquire Trevor van Riemsdyk from Vegas. nhl.com. June 27, 2017.
21. Web site: Canadiens acquire defenseman David Schlemko from Vegas. nhl.com. June 27, 2017.
22. Web site: Blue Jackets select seven players on day two of 2017 NHL Draft. June 24, 2017. June 25, 2017.
23. Web site: Golden Knights trade Methot to Stars. tsn.ca. 26 June 2017. June 27, 2017.
24. Web site: Alexei Emelin traded to Predators by Golden Knights. nhl.com. July 2, 2017.
25. Web site: Marcus Kruger traded to Golden Knights by Blackhawks. nhl.com. July 2, 2017.
26. Web site: Marcus Kruger traded to Hurricanes by Golden Knights . nhl.com. July 6, 2017.
27. Web site: Maple Leafs Acquire Pickard from Vegas . nhl.com. October 7, 2017.
28. Web site: Vegas Golden Knights Acquire Zachary Leslie From Los Angeles Kings. NHL.com. February 6, 2018. February 5, 2018.
29. Web site: Penguins Acquire Derick Brassard in Three-Team Trade with OTT and VGK. NHL.com. Pittsburgh Penguins. February 23, 2018. February 23, 2018.
30. Web site: Vegas Golden Knights Acquire Philip Holm From Vancouver Canucks. NHL.com. February 26, 2018. February 26, 2018.
31. Web site: Vegas Golden Knights Acquire Tomas Tatar From The Detroit Red Wings. NHL.com. February 26, 2018. February 26, 2018.
32. Web site: Golden Knights Sign Reid Duke To Entry-Level Contract. Vegas Golden Knights. March 6, 2017. May 8, 2017.
33. Web site: Golden Knights Sign Center Vadim Shipachyov To Two-Year Contract. Vegas Golden Knights. May 4, 2017. May 8, 2017.
34. Web site: Golden Knights sign Czech forward Tomas Hyka. Sportsnet. June 1, 2017. June 1, 2017.
35. Web site: Golden Knights Sign Six Free Agents; Trade Emelin To Nashville. NHL. July 1, 2017. July 1, 2017.
36. Web site: Golden Knights' Oscar Dansk: Signs one-year agreement . . July 3, 2017.
37. Web site: Golden Knights Sign Dylan Coghlan To Three-Year, Entry-Level Deal . NHL . September 20, 2017.
38. Web site: Golden Knights Sign Brandon Pirri To One-Year Contract. NHL.com. October 5, 2017. October 4, 2017.
39. Web site: Golden Knights Sign Free Agent Defenseman Zach Whitecloud. NHL.com. March 8, 2018. March 8, 2018.
40. Web site: Golden Knights Sign Ben Jones, Jake Leschyshyn and Gage Quinney. NHL.com. June 3, 2018. June 1, 2018.
41. Web site: Vegas Golden Knights Sign Forward Brooks Macek. NHL.com. June 12, 2018. June 12, 2018.
42. Web site: Blackhawks sign goaltender Jean-Francois Berube to two-year deal. sportsnet.ca. July 1, 2017.
43. Web site: Florida Panthers Agree to Terms with Five Players. nhl.com. July 1, 2017.
44. Web site: Blues sign 3 players at start of free agency. nhl.com. July 1, 2017.
45. Web site: Golden Knights Announce Several Roster Transactions. NHL.com. October 3, 2017. October 3, 2017.
46. Web site: Ryan Carpenter Claimed Off Waivers From San Jose Sharks. NHL.com. December 13, 2017. December 13, 2017.
47. Web site: Golden Knights, Vadim Shipachyov Reach Mutual Agreement. NHL.com. November 10, 2017. November 9, 2017.
48. Web site: Deryk Engelland playing tour guide for Golden Knights. NHL. June 24, 2017. June 27, 2017.
49. Web site: Report: Erik Haula agrees to multi-year deal with Golden Knights. Sportsnet. June 21, 2017. June 27, 2017.
50. News: Golden Knights sign Oscar Lindberg. Las Vegas Sun. July 4, 2017. July 4, 2017.
51. Web site: Golden Knights Sign Teemu Pulkkinen To One-Year Contract. Vegas Golden Knights. July 6, 2017. July 6, 2017.
52. Web site: Golden Knights Sign Three First-Round Picks To Entry-Level Contracts. Vegas Golden Knights. July 15, 2017. July 16, 2017.
53. Web site: Vegas Signs Forward Brendan Leipsic and Defenseman Griffin Reinhart. Vegas Golden Knights. July 15, 2017. July 16, 2017.
54. Web site: Golden Knights' Nate Schmidt awarded two-year deal in arbitration. Sportsnet. August 5, 2017. August 10, 2017.
55. Web site: Dylan Ferguson Signed To Three-Year Entry-Level Contract. Vegas Golden Knights. September 28, 2017. October 1, 2017.
56. Web site: Golden Knights Sign Nicolas Hague To Three-Year, Entry-Level Contract. Vegas Golden Knights. September 29, 2017. October 1, 2017.
57. Web site: Brayden McNabb Signs Four-Year Contract Extension Worth $10 Million. NHL.com. November 30, 2017. November 29, 2017.
58. Web site: Jonathan Marchessault Signs Six-Year Contract Extension Worth $30 million. NHL.com. January 4, 2018. January 3, 2018.
59. Web site: Deryk Engelland Signs One-Year Contract Extension Worth $1.5 Million. NHL.com. January 16, 2018. January 15, 2018.
60. Web site: Jon Merrill Signs Two-Year Contract Extension, AAV $1.375 Million. NHL.com. January 16, 2018. January 16, 2018.
61. Web site: Golden Knights Sign Tomas Hyka And Zac Leslie. NHL.com. June 1, 2018. May 31, 2018.
62. Web site: Vegas Golden Knights Sign Forward Stefan Matteau. NHL.com. June 12, 2018. June 11, 2018.
63. Web site: Golden Knights Sign Forward Lucas Elvenes. NHL.com. June 15, 2018. June 15, 2018.
64. BuffaloSabres. Buffalo Sabres. 877686620144771072. 22 June 2017. The @GoldenKnights select William Carrier from the Sabres in the Expansion Draft & acquire a 6th-round pick in the…. June 22, 2017.
65. FlaPanthers. Florida Panthers. 877690666607927297. 22 June 2017. We've acquired a 2018 fourth-round draft choice from the @GoldenKnights in exchange for F Reilly Smith. Details …. June 22, 2017.
66. NHLCanes. Carolina Hurricanes. 877693526963826688. 22 June 2017. [NEWS] @GoldenKnights Select Connor Brickley in #VegasDraft → Details: #Canes deal a fifth-round pick to Vegas.. June 22, 2017.
67. Web site: Jets swap first-round picks with Golden Knights . June 21, 2017 . June 21, 2017.
68. Web site: Defenseman Jason Garrison selected by Vegas Golden Knights . June 22, 2017 . June 21, 2017.
69. Web site: Vegas acquires Grabovski, first-round pick from Islanders . June 21, 2017 . June 21, 2017.
70. https://www.nhl.com/canadiens/news/the-canadiens-acquired-defenseman-david-schlemko/c-290060198 Canadiens acquire defenseman David Schlemko from Vegas
71. Web site: Ducks Trade Theodore to Vegas Golden Knights . June 22, 2017 . June 21, 2017.
72. Web site: Erik Haula, Alex Tuch Head to Vegas in Expansion Draft . June 22, 2017 . June 21, 2017.
73. Web site: Columbus sends Clarkson, first rounder to Vegas . June 21, 2017 . June 21, 2017.
74. Web site: TREVOR VAN RIEMSDYK ON THE MOVE HOURS AFTER BEING SELECTED BY VEGAS IN EXPANSION DRAFT . CSN Chicago . June 22, 2017.
75. penguins. Pittsburgh Penguins. 877712131763851266. 22 June 2017. The Golden Knights also get a 2nd round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft from the Penguins.. June 22, 2017.
76. News: Russo. Michael. Las Vegas will be NHL's 31st team; Expansion, entry draft rules. 23 June 2016. Star Tribune. June 22, 2016.
77. Web site: Golden Knights To Pick Sixth In 2017 NHL Draft. NHL.com. May 5, 2017. April 30, 2017.
78. Web site: Jets swap first-round picks with Golden Knights. June 21, 2017. June 21, 2017.
79. Web site: Vegas acquires Grabovski, first-round pick from Islanders. June 21, 2017. June 21, 2017.
80. Web site: Trevor van Riemsdyk acquired by Hurricanes from Golden Knights. June 22, 2017. June 22, 2017.
81. Web site: Vegas Selects Brickley in Expansion Draft. June 21, 2017. June 22, 2017.
82. Web site: Golden Knights select Carrier in NHL Expansion Draft. June 21, 2017. June 22, 2017.