The new NHL season officially started on Wednesday, October 4, and many major events happened this offseason including the addition of a new Expansion Team, the Las Vegas Golden Knights.
The Vegas Golden Knights officially had a roster, which was announced at the 2017 NHL Awards on June 21. In order to complete this roster, the Golden Knights had to go through an Expansion Draft and select a player from each existing team.
In total, Vegas selected 1 player from each team that completed the roster. In the NHL Draft, which was on June 23, the team selected multiple players including Cody Glass, Nick Suzuki, and Erik Brännström in the first round.
Vegas has had their first NHL Regular Season away game on October 6, 2017 against the Dallas Stars. The Golden Knights won the game by a score of 2-1 with James Neal scoring both goals which were the first two goals in Franchise History.
The Golden Knights had their first home game on October 10 against the Arizona Coyotes which the Knights won by a score of 5-2. Now, Vegas finally has a team to root for with the Golden Knights. The team is off to a good start with a record of 12-6-1. Fans are excited for this new team and the fans of the teams will be waiting with baited breath.
Other news around the league include many different players signing elsewhere or re-signing and staying with their original team.
The New York Rangers signed Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk to a 4 year deal worth $26 million. Shattenkirk, who is a New Rochelle native, loved the Rangers as a kid and is excited to start his Rangers career. Shattenkirk will help the powerplay tremendously and will make the Rangers a bigger contender to Raise the Cup in June.
The Toronto Maple Leafs signed Patrick Marleau to a three year contract worth $18.75 million, and he will give depth and leadership to a very young, high powered Toronto team with many superstars already, especially those on the offense.
The St. Louis Blues acquired Brayden Schenn from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a first round pick and Jori Lehtera. Schenn will help the Blues on the powerplay and will be on a line with one of the best players in the game, Vladimir Tarasenko. The Blues offense looks better, and with this change and a couple more years of practice, the Blues will be even more of a contender and could raise the Cup in the near future.
Connor McDavid, who is one of the best players in the world, re-signed with the Edmonton Oilers on a eight year contract extension worth $100 million, making him the highest paid player in the NHL today. His teammate, Leon Draisaitl, re-signed with Edmonton on an eight year contract worth $68 million. Two of the best players are under contract for a long time and will lead Edmonton to success.
Finally, Derek Stepan was traded to Arizona from the New York Rangers with Antti Raanta—who is a goalie—in exchange for Anthony DeAngelo and the 7th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, Lias Andersson.
There is a lot of excitement as the new season begins. The new season looks like it is going to be a blast. The 2017-2018 season is finally here and it is time to get the show rolling and the puck moving around the ice.