SAN JOSE — The expansion draft came and went with the Sharks emerging relatively unscathed, losing a third-pairing defenseman to the NHL’s newest franchise.
The Vegas Golden Knights plucked defenseman David Schlemko off the Sharks roster Wednesday, one of the 30 players they acquired in the expansion draft, which allowed them to select a single player from each NHL team’s unprotected list.
As squads like the Buffalo Sabres, Winnipeg Jets and Columbus Blue Jackets scrambled to make deals with the Golden Knights to hold onto their prized assets, the Sharks got to sit back and allow their new Pacific Division rivals to draft Schlemko, knowing they have the blue line depth to absorb his loss.