Today, George McPhee held a press conference after practice to discuss the rumors swirling around Vadim Shipachyov's "demotion." He also shed further light on claiming Malcolm Subban and trading Calvin Pickard, along with thoughts about the Golden Knights' short and long-term future.
Also, Jason Garrison is surprised to find out that he's already blocked 12 shots this year and Nate Schmidt laughs about the rare play that he attempted against Arizona.
George McPhee
(HockeyBuzz note: Reporter questions are paraphrased.)
Sinbin.Vegas: Vadim Shipachyov is still not on the roster. Is that a hockey decision or a numbers decision?
George McPhee: That's a numbers decision. As you know, we had three guys who we could assign and we did to give us the room that we needed. I don't have a specific date when that will change. But we're working on things.
Jesse Granger: Have you been surprised by what's transpired because of this roster decision?
GM: No. We knew in the summer that with Theodore and Tuch, we might have to send them down. Because we're going to have a lot of people that we're evaluating. And we're still evaluating. Don't know how long it will take. But I prefer to be this position where we have enough people, rather than not enough.
Reporter: Have you been in contact with Shipachyov throughout this process?
GM: Through his agent.
David Shoen: Has his agent expressed disappointment with the situation?
GM: Yeah. They didn't understand initially, but they do now. That this is a roster move. It's not about performance. The three guys we sent down have all earned the right to be here. We'll get them here at the right time.
HockeyBuzz: Why isn't Shipachyov playing in Chicago?
GM: Because he came back home to be with his wife. Neither one of them speak English. It was hard for her. He reported and then came back. But he paid his own way back; we're not allowed to do that.
Sinbin.Vegas: Do you believe he'll play in Chicago in their next set of games?
GM: No.
Reporter: So he'll be back here?
GM: He's at home right now. He's in Vegas with his wife.
Reporter: So he just won't play any games until everything is resolved?
GM: Well, we'll see. But I don't expect him to be in the next set of games.
Steve Carp: Is he skating on his own?
GM: Working out on his own.
HB: Russian media has reported that Shipachyov wants to go back to the KHL. Is there any truth to that?
GM: There's no truth to that. He's not allowed to go back. He's under contract with us.
Sinbin.Vegas: You have another Russian player via trade. Is there any concern [with how Nikita Gusev will perceive] how this situation was handled?
GM: Nope. Doesn't bother me.
Reporter: Can you talk about the teams' performance so far this season? What have you learned so far?
GM: The one thing you learned that is interesting...it helps you perform well, I guess. Everyone who is dressing for the game is in a role that works for them. The fourth-line players are happy to be on the fourth line. Carrier and Nosek are happy to be in the NHL. Bellemare is a good pro and he knows his role.
So when you go into a game and people aren't worried about minutes and where they fit and everything else and are happy with where they are, performance is pretty good.
Sinbin.Vegas: Any update on Clayton Stoner's injury?
GM: I don't, it's the same thing that bothered him last year. Bothered him all through camp. He's dealing with it, we'll see where that goes.
Nick Cotsonika: Coaches and players focus on the short-term, you are focused on the long-term plan. Correct?
GM: Correct. As I mentioned earlier, we are still evaluating. You don’t really know players until you work with them. You find out they are better than you thought, not as good as you thought. They can play in different roles. So we are still evaluating what we have and trying to figure out what people do.
We're two games into a season, there’s no rush to do anything. We're not in a hurry to do anything. We will do things when it feels right.
We are an expansion club that has to think long term. If we're going to move people, try to get something that makes sense for the club long term. And also be careful because we know how this business goes, we might move someone tomorrow, and Wednesday, two people get injured. Now, you're getting thin. So I don’t mind having a full roster and people that are ready to be called up. It’s better than being shorthanded.
Nick Cotsonika: Could you explain the goalie thinking along those lines?
GM: Yeah. That's a great example of what happens in this business. You have a five-year plan, you have a one-year plan, you have a three-year plan, you have a month-to-month plan. But it changes everyday.
We thought [goaltending] was the one area where we were set. But this opportunity presented itself. We were nimble enough as an organization to do something about it.
We made our move, hoping that Subban one day down the road can a very good number-one goaltender. If it works out, good for us. If doesn't work out, it was a good try.
Sinbin.Vegas: With that, do you expect Subban will get games? You said last time that he was not ready for this level. But there's only two goalies on the roster?
GM: Maybe I could've said that better. In terms of talent and experience, he's ready to play at this level. In terms of getting him to play the way that we want him to play, we need a little more time.
This homestand is actually spaced out well enough that there’s probably no rush to put him in. But between Turk and Dave Prior, when they decide he’s ready for a game, he’ll play and we’ll get him going.
Gary Lawless: You have extra players on your NHL roster. If you put them on waivers, potentially they could be claimed. After just going through the expansion draft, and getting these assets, to turn around and give them back to other NHL GMs because you grew impatient, wouldn't that be counterintuitive?
GM: The point is to try and get some sort of return if we're going to move a player. We're going to have to draft our way to a championship. We're going to have to trade our way there as well.
I like that we have a really competitive club right now. But we want to build a champion. We're going to do it the best way that we know how.
HockeyBuzz: Speaking of plans, Bill Foley has said that he's want to be in the playoffs in three years. These recent moves -- is there any deviation to that plan? Or is three years still the goal?
GM: I have talked about focusing on what and not when. I can't tell you when we're going to make the playoffs. I can't tell you when we're going to be a team that can be considered as a Cup contender. We are going to grow this organically. We've studied other expansion teams. I've been through a re-build with a previous club.
We're going to keep working at trying to make this club better everyday. One day -- and I don't know if that's one year or three years or five years -- we're going to wake up, and it's going to be a good hockey club.
Jason Garrison
Alex Ovechkin started off the season by scoring seven goals in two games. Perhaps just as mindblowing, Jason Garrison has blocked 12 shots in two games, which like Ovechkin, leads the league. Garrison averaged 1.3 blocks/game last season in Tampa Bay.
HockeyBuzz: Did you know that you've already blocked 12 shots this year?
Jason Garrison: That's good. Just try to help out when you can. Just try to get into shooting lanes. Fleury, he's seen enough pucks.
HB: Do you feel all the pucks that you've gotten in front of?
JG: They don't feel nice, that's for sure. Bumps and bruises, but that's part of the game.
HB: The biggest one of them all happened in Dallas, when you blocked an Alexander Radulov attempt at an open net with about three minutes left in the game. Your back was turned, what do you remember about that play?
JG: Yeah, yeah. It was kind of a scramble in front of the net. It's hard to pinpoint guys. Fortunately, he was kind of within reach for me. I saw him last second, so I tried to extend my stick and leg out and it worked out.
Nate Schmidt
Against Arizona, Nate Schmidt tried a fairly remarkable play, as he switched from his natural left-handed stick posture to the right in an attempt to score off an Oscar Lindberg pass.
Schmidt's booming laugh is worth a listen!
HockeyBuzz: I want to ask you about a play against Arizona. It was a 3-on-2 and to accept a Lindberg pass, you switched from your left to your right stick side. Have you ever done that before?
Nate Schmidt: (laughs) I've done it a couple times in summer skate. The reason why I did it is because I was skating forward, and on my backhand, I couldn't see him. So when I switched to my right hand, I could get around the dman. It just happened. I don't why. It wasn't like I consciously thought about it. I just all of a sudden realized I was on my right hand.
HB: Did it work in the summer?
NS: It did! It worked a couple times. That's the reason why I thought maybe I should try this this year. Especially playing the off-side, I'm always screwed up on my backhand.
HB: And how's the new place?
NS: Great. Game room is set up. Super pumped. Things are moving along.
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