Three-time Stanley Cup champion Marc-Andre Fleury might be the face of the Vegas Golden Knights, but the 2003 first overall draft-pick wasn’t actually the team’s first selection in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft.
While Fleury was formally introduced as one of the Golden Knights’ original picks at the 2017 NHL Awards, another NHL masked man was selected prior to “Flower” at the expansion draft.
Aside from a team’s protected list for the expansion draft, Vegas was granted access to select one player from all 30 NHL teams. Since the Colorado Avalanche finished in last place for the entire league in 2016-17, the Golden Knights first drafted from the Avs.