Phew, that wasn’t so bad.
The Vegas Golden Knights have chosen to take 27-year-old defenceman Luca Sbisa as their expansion draft selection from the Vancouver Canucks.
The @GoldenKnights have selected Luca Sbisa from the #Canucks in the Expansion Draft.
Good luck Luca! pic.twitter.com/SXPOxtHaKD
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) June 22, 2017
Many NHL teams were dreading the thought of losing a player to the Vegas Golden Knights in expansion. For the Canucks, a team rebuilding, their lack of depth was advantageous in this situation.
It was rumoured to be either Sbisa or 23-year-old forward Brendan Gaunce selected, and although neither would be a huge loss for the organization, the Canucks likely preferred to keep the young forward.
The team now has a bit more cap space to work with, as Sbisa’s $3.6 million cap hit will come off the books for the 2017-18 season.
A former first-round pick, Sbisa first joined the Canucks as part of the Ryan Kesler trade at the 2014 draft. The 6’2 Italian had 32 points and was a -4 plus-minus rating in 199 games as a Canuck.
Although often criticized for his play on the ice, Sbisa was a genuinely nice guy and great teammate during his days in Vancouver.
Good luck, Luca!
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