from Damien Cox of the Toronto Star,

...McPhee didn’t just pick players who could be more significant players in the NHL than they had been given the chance to be. He hit home runs, the most notable one being William Karlsson from the Columbus Blue Jackets. In two of his last three games as a Blue Jacket, Karlsson didn’t get 10 minutes of playing time from John Tortorella. Columbus saw more value in Josh Anderson and Alexander Wennberg than Karlsson.

Deryk Engelland was better as a Golden Knight than as a Calgary Flame. Alex Tuch delivered more for Vegas than Minny ever thought he was going to deliver for them.

In retrospect, McPhee did a superb job, but not because he was given a list of all-stars and former first-round picks to choose from. He selected well, and more than a few of his selections turned out better than he could possibly have imagined....

It’s a wonderful tale, the hockey story of the year, but also one that detracts from many of the traditional beliefs of the sport. It really shouldn’t be this easy.

But Vegas has made it look easy. No fluke. No special treatment. Lots of sweat and hard work and dedication made it happen.

Still, having a successful expansion outfit is one thing. Having one this successful is quite another.

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