Double Shifted

NHL AIRPORT GATE 5: LAS VEGAS PREVIOUSLY:  The Golden Knights had a pretty solid expansion draft, taking players like Jason Garrison, James Neal, Jonathan Marchessault, and Nate Schmidt. They also found the face of their franchise in Marc-Andre Fleury, and stockpiled draft picks from poor, defenseless teams like Winnipeg or the Islanders. Vegas had three first rounders (acquired from stealing Winnipeg's and New York's) and used them to take Cody Glass, Nick Suzuki, and Erik Brannstrom.  ARRIVING: Vadim Shipachyov: Shipachyov played in the KHL on a line with Blue Jackets star Artemi Panarin and Florida Panther Evgeny Dadonov. He's also played with prestigious players like Pavel Datsyuk and Ilya Kolvachuk. Shipachyov is in a whole new world in the NHL, but the Golden Knights believe he can continue his offensive production. He is projected to be the Golden Knights' first-line center, playing with Neal and Marchessault. Literally Everyone Else Is New: It's a wh...

NHL AIRPORT GATE 4: COLORADO PREVIOUSLY: The 2016-17 Colorado Avalanche finished 21 points back from the second-worst team in the NHL (Vancouver), and that was the third-worst finish in NHL history. Trade rumors surrounded Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog, and Nathan MacKinnon,  but none of the trio left Colorado. The leading scorer was MacKinnon with just 53 points. Mikko Rantanen led the team with just 20 goals-87th in the league. MacKinnon's 53 ranked 73rd, but the next closest Av was Duchene in 157th. Coach Patrick Roy left the team for the second time, and it didn't get any better for Colorado. They didn't get the first pick in the draft, they fell to fourth, where they got a solid defenseman in Cale Makar. (However, he's no Nolan Patrick or Nico Hischier ). ARRIVING: Colin Wilson: Colorado traded a 2019 fourth-rounder for Wilson, who holds the Predators franchise record for most goals in a series and had 35 points in 70 games with Nashville last season. He had ...

NHL AIRPORT GATE 3: NEW JERSEY PREVIOUSLY: To be fair, the New Jersey Devils are playing in a division with teams like the Penguins, Rangers, Capitals, and Blue Jackets, while teams like the Flyers and Islanders also are competitive teams. But also, that's the way the NHL works, and the Devils found out the hard way, posting a 70-point record and getting the first pick in the NHL draft. New Jersey was the worst team in the conference and missed the playoffs for the fifth year in a row. The leading scorers were Kyle Palmeri and Taylor Hall, who tied with 53 points each. ARRIVING: Nico Hischier: The Devils decided to take Hischier ahead of Nolan Patrick in the draft. Hischier had 86 points while playing for the Halifax Mooseheads in the CHL. Hischier could be the first-line center, playing alongside Hall and Palmeri. There won't be much pressure on him, Hall has said he wants to make life easier for the rookie, but if he doesn't outperform Patrick, there'll be p...