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Canucks Army Roundtable: Fantasy Drafting
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Matthew Henderson
Jul 10, 2016, 16:09 EDTUpdated:
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It’s Summer, which means it’s time for fun. As the articles fly out awarding teams a Stanley Cup berth before the season even begins, I decided to have a little fun this week with the roundtable. 
I asked “If you could pick any one forward, one defenseman and one goalie to start a team right at this moment, who are you picking?”
See the answers after the jump!
Question: 
If you could pick any one forward, one defenseman and one goalie to start a team right at this moment, who are you picking?

Jackson McDonald

The forward I’m taking is Auston Matthews. He’s a young stud offensive centre that’s guaranteed to give your club six years of indentured service. He’s also a guy I think you can market to the fans in Vegas, seeing as how he’s a native of Scottsdale, AZ, which is about 5 hours from Vegas. There aren’t a ton of players that hail from the Southwestern United States, so I think there’s value in that for any team looking to set up shop in that area.
My defenceman is PK Subban, and again, marketability is key in that decision. I think PK is the one NHLer who just shines in front of the camera. He’s fun, flashy, and bursting with raw energy, which makes him not only perfect for Vegas, but it makes Vegas perfect for him, too. There’s also the fact that he’s still a threat to win the Norris ever year, and at 27, he’s still quite young.
Goaltending is more difficult, because you want someone who’s established, but still young enough that they aren’t going to run off in free agency two years after relocating to Vegas. I don’t think there’s a perfect fit for Vegas like their is with forwards and defencemen, but I’m going to say Martin Jones. Most of the league’s best goaltenders are already nearing or over 30, and the John Gibsons and Matt Murrays of the world are still relatively unproven. Jones is cheap and has looked fantastic for a few seasons now, and he looked great as a starter for the Sharks last year. He’s 26, so I’m going to take the bet that he’s capable of living up to what he’s shown us at the NHL level thus far.

Tyler Horsfall

In honour of the ’96 Monstars, I would target Connor McDavid, Erik Karlsson, and Steve Mason.  McDavid is essentially the face of the franchise for as long as he can be and will likely be a top 10 player in the NHL next year should he stay healthy. He’ll provide his own highlight reel game in and game out, along with a lot of goals and stuff. Speaking of talent, Erik Karlsson is as elite as you can get on the back end. Like McJesus, he will provide ample highlights as well as outscoring the opposition and dominating the game. Finally, Steve Mason is the goalie Las Vegas deserves. While at first, he may seem like a roll of the dice, Steve Mason is a really, really good goalie (besides that whole tip in goal from centre ice thing). He gets the job done and is one of the best NHL starters while also being decently young at 27 years old.
Overall,  acquiring elite offensive talent is the hardest thing to do in the NHL. The duo of  McDavid and Karlsson will provide that for many years for Vegas. While the team will be dominating the play offensively, having Steve Mason for multiple years will provide the team with top goaltending in the league both in the short-term and long-term. Bring on the Cup rings.

Dylan Kirkby

Forward: Connor McDavid. He’s already practically the biggest hockey name on the planet and looks set to be one of the best players in hockey for the next 10 years. He’ll sell tickets and win games, which, sells even more tickets, and for an expansion team (or anyone for that matter) that’s exactly what you’re looking for. 
Defenceman: P.K. Subban. No player in the NHL is more fun, charming, and likable off the ice, and few are as dynamic on it. If you need someone to draw public interest to hockey in the desert, and make headlines for the right reasons, he’s your guy. 
Goalie: Ilya Bryzgalov.

Cat Silverman

For forwards, how do you not pick Auston Matthews? He’ll have two seasons after the expansion draft of cost controlled elite ability to provide top line center talent, and that’s hard to miss. For defensemen, I’d take Oliver Ekman Larsson, because he’s also fairly cost controlled – and for a while – and provides both top pairing talent and supplementary offense, plus it would weaken a divisional rival. For goaltenders? Carey price. Come on now.

J.D Burke

For me, it’s easy. I’m going with Connor McDavid at forward, because he’s maybe one or two years away from being the single best player in the entire league. I’ve heard that’s marketable. After McDavid, I’m going with P.K. Subban. I mean, if you’re trying to grow the game in a new market, could you ask for a better person to do it? Not to mention, he’s probably among the league’s best defenceman year in and year out. In net, I’m going with Carey Price. Just so him and P.K. can do the high-five thing after every win. And I mean it when I say after every win.

Always90Four

This one’s easy: you gotta sell tickets, the game in Vegas and be competitive. On the back-end you have to go with your favourite and mine: Roberto Luongo. There really isn’t any further explanation needed but he’s still as competitive as ever and maybe the fam is cool with a residency for a few years. On D, Zdeno Chara. I’m obviously playing the imaginary rules I’ve been given. He’s big and noticeable. Not a spring chicken, however, but 39 years of age still has produced 37 points. This is an expansion team and he’s a leader as well. He has a Cup he can talk about to fans and again, he’s big…not freak show big but he probably gets free Cirque de Soleil tickets if he wants em.
As a forward, you want goals right away and you want a young stud; who better than Evander Kane? He loves Vegas!  He probably still has that money phone and can Instagram the snot out of the team’s inner circle.
You have diversity of age and marketability, scoring from day one, goaltending that won’t win a Vezina but gets an all star nod and a big, powering defender that plays a bit dirty, hits hard and makes you take notice from the starting anthems.
But that’s just off the top of my head.

Taylor Perry

I hate to agree with the consensus, but being late to the party what else can I do? Connor McDavid is the de facto choice at forward, not only because of his ability but also because of his age. He should be the best player in the NHL for years to come – perhaps even starting this year. On defence, I’m taking Erik Karlsson. Not only is he the best defenseman in the NHL at creating offence, he’s got a great contract that carries a cap hit of only $6.5 million through 2019. Not bad for a blueliner who can put up over 80 points. In goal, I’ll take the pride of Anahim Lake, BC, Carey Price. Injury notwithstanding, Price is the premier netminder in the league and is one of the few players who truly earns the moniker “franchise player.”

Matthew Henderson

For me, the old adage of defense wins championships rings true. That’s why I’m going with noted Norris Trophy winner Drew Doughty Victor Hedman. He can control the back-end, he’s young, and he’s the dependable person you want leading your team.
At forward, it’s hard not to choose Connor McDavid for obvious reasons. He is going to be a superstar in this league. He’s dealt with media for a majority of his life, so becoming the face of a franchise wouldn’t be out of the norm for him.
Finishing off in net, it’s tempting to pick Carey Price, but his injury history is concerning. I’m gonna go with Brayden Holtby, who has impressed me over the past few seasons with his constant playing time and carrying the Capitals in certain games over the past season. We can bring the cup home now. 

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