Got something against Hammer?

I don't think theres anything against Hammer I would just switch those bottom two D pairings. But other than that this team looks good. Sharp will want more money for sure though.

Seeing that Kempny has his salary doubled, I presume he had a pretty good rookie season. So why is he the 7th dman? Knowing Quenneville's propensity to play Hjalmarsson on his off side, most likely Nik would be top 4 RHD, playing with Kempny or Forsling and Pokka "demoted".

What are you gonna give vegas to get them to pick kruger and not a guy who actually is valuable like Pokka?

Sorry, I hadn't adjusted the D in terms of where they should be slotted in. I focused more on who would make the team.

I think Kruger would be a valuable fit to any team, not just expansion. Granted he has very limited offensive ability, but he is one of the best at what he does defensively.
Sweden had probably the next best roster at the WCH next to Canada, and it's no mistake that Kruger is on that team.
His cap hit isn't very nice for teams like Chicago, but that won't hurt a team like Vegas at all.

Shots Fired! Seriously though, every team needs a shutdown player. Kruger's cap hit is a bit higher than expected because Bowman owed him a solid. With that said you don't pay the cap hit, you pay the salary which would be $5.6 over 2 years so $2.8. Not an earth shattering difference, but I promise the Hawks would want an extra half mill to the cap. With all that said...Vegas is never getting Kruger, the rules per NHL.com don't clarify how much salary needs to be exposed, just the amount of playing time. So the Hawks 100% protect Kruger. Technically, the Hawks have an extra wasted forward slot to protect. Bowman would be wise to trade for another forward that another team can't protect.

It's not just Q - Hjammer specifically said during the WCH that he prefers the right side (probably due to having played there his entire career save for short spans which guys like Keith are out).

Interesting, thanks. I am just a hockey observer; never played competitively. On another site a while back, someone who did play explained the nuances/responsibilities of defensemen. And Hjalmarsson has become one of the best in his own zone despite being a lefty on the right side primarily. That is undisputed. Yet when he and his partner try to lead a breakout, many times I have noticed the first d2d pass to Hjammer is, invariably, a split second off, disrupting a more clean, crisp transition that usually seems to occur when guys are on their natural side.

It is neither here nor there because of the 3 Cups I know, but I actually believe teams, including the Chicago Blackhawks, can have an edge when all three d pairs are handedness balanced. It is (Team Canada) Babcock's stated desire to utilize this tactic in the WCH, although he has gone against this principle, too. I would also offer Keith and Seabrook as examples of a great LHD-RHD pair, who excelled in clearing the puck together while helping to create offense. Bottom line, tho, if it's not broken, don't fix it. (Just imagine how much better it could be).

Protect Pokka instead of Kruger. Vegas needs to take expensive contracts to reach the cap floor. Kero is a defensive center like Kruger and he's stood out in our training camp.

This roster has 24 players, so you need to get rid of 1. I haven't liked Hartman and I want to see no part of him here. Extremely undisciplined. Check Rockford's game logs. Hard to find one without a silly tripping call on Hartman.

It would definitely be nice if Sharpie takes a discount to come back here.

I truly believe if the Hawks have any chance to extend Panarin, one of the beloved (or more) has to be moved. Based on NM/NTC, it puts Bowman&Co in quite a bind.