The Vegas Golden Knights, the NHL's latest expansion team, will begin play next season. The Knights have already signed 30-year-old Russian center Vadim Shipachyov, who scored 26 goals and had 76 points for SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL this season, as well as WHL forward Reid Duke, 21, and Czech forward Tomas Hyka, 24.
The Golden Knights will fill the rest of their roster through the expansion draft, during which they'll select one player from each of the league's other 30 teams. Those 30 teams have already revealed their protected lists -- players that the Golden Knights cannot select. Every team had the option to protect seven forwards, three defensemen and a goaltender, or a combination of eight total skaters and a goalie.
The Golden Knights now have until Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET to select their team from the lists of available players. Vegas will reveal its roster during the NHL awards ceremony on Wednesday night in Las Vegas.
Here's how we see the Vegas Golden Knights' roster shaping up, barring trades or side deals that will deter the Knights from picking specific players:
Forwards
James Neal - Marcus Kruger - Reilly Smith
Mikkel Boedker - Ryan Strome - Michael Grabner
Lee Stempniak - Trevor Lewis - Matt Calvert
Brendan Leipsic - Jay Beagle - Dmitrij Jaskin
Marko Dano - Hunter Shinkaruk - J.T. Brown
Teemu Pulkkinen - Tomas Nosek - Daniel Carr
Defensemen
Goalies
-- Tal Pinchevsky
Forwards
Cody Eakin - Vadim Shipachyov (UFA) - Alexander Radulov
Mikkel Boedker - Dustin Brown - Jesper Fast
Joe Colborne - Ryan Strome - Troy Brouwer
Lee Stempniak - Martin Hanzal - Colton Sissons
Kerby Rychel - Alexander Burmistrov - Marko Dano
Defensemen
Jon Merrill - Trevor van Riemsdyk
Carl Gunnarsson - Jonathan Ericsson
Goalies
-- Chuck Gormley
Forwards
Alexander Radulov - Brock Nelson - Radim Vrbata
James Neal - Jonathan Marchessault - Michael Grabner
David Perron - Brian Boyle - Jimmy Hayes
Matt Moulson - Trevor Lewis - Lee Stempniak
Brendan Gaunce, Marko Dano, Jordan Weal, Mikhail Grigorenko, Hunter Shinkaruk
Defensemen
Trevor van Riemsdyk, Jake Dotchin, Xavier Ouellet
Goalies
-- Andrew Knoll