Vegas GM McPhee: Golden Knights have made ‘at least’ six trades

Vegas Golden Knights GM George McPhee talks about the number of transactions he has with teams, the strength of their lineup and other moves that are still to come.

The Vegas Golden Knights have been busy over the past few days as they build their roster via the expansion draft and continue to make deals with teams ahead of their roster reveal on June 21.

Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston noted some details from Vegas GM George McPhee’s media availability Tuesday, tweeting that McPhee has ‘at least’ six deals in place at the moment — plus a potential deal on the way involving the Toronto Maple Leafs:

A few reports have surfaced around the league as teams negotiate side deals with the brand new franchise in order to either protect specific players (as is rumoured to be the case in Tampa Bay) or ensure Vegas selects certain players via expansion, as the Blue Jackets and Islanders have reportedly done.

It’s no secret that the Maple Leafs need to bolster their blue line, and they have been said to be among the teams who could potentially benefit from the surplus of solid rearguards left exposed for the taking in the expansion draft.

Sportsnet’s Luke Fox took a closer look at this possibility on Monday, listing nine defencemen Toronto could target in a trade scenario with Vegas.

The Golden Knights’ roster — and the official details of these trades — will be revealed on June 21. Until then, the intrigue continues.

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