It appears Marc Methot will be a Vegas Golden Knight, but for how long?
The Ottawa Senators will lose the stay-at-home defenceman in Wednesday night’s NHL expansion draft, according to reports.
A top-four defenceman in Ottawa last season, Methot was left unprotected on Sunday after Senators general manager Pierre Dorion failed to convince blue-liner Dion Phaneuf to waive his no-move clause to make the former Toronto Maple Leaf available to Vegas.
There is talk Dorion attempted to make a side deal with Golden Knights counterpart George McPhee, but it’s believed Dorion wasn’t comfortable meeting the latter’s asking price: Ottawa’s first-round pick in the 2018 NHL draft.
Instead, chose to protect Norris Trophy finalist Erik Karlsson, Cody Ceci, 23, and Phaneuf.
It’s possible Methot, who turned 32 on Wednesday, could be flipped in a trade once the trade freeze is lifted at 8 a.m. ET Thursday. The Ottawa native would have some say in where he is dealt since he has a 10-team no-trade clause.
Methot has two years remaining on a four-year extension signed in February 2015 at $ 4.9 million US.
Last season, the six-foot-three, 230-pound rearguard matched his 2015-16 output with 12 assists in 68 games. Methot was tied for second on the Senators in plus-minus (plus-13) with forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau and fourth in ice time (19 minutes 49 seconds).
