MONTREAL, QC. — The Vegas Golden Knights have selected Montreal Canadiens defenceman Alexei Emelin in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. Emelin was chosen instead of notable Habs left unprotected including Tomas Plekanec, Brandon Davidson, Jacob De La Rose and Charles Hudon.
For the majority of the 2016-17 regular season, Emelin patrolled the Canadiens blueline effectively on the top pairing alongside Shea Weber.
The 31-year old defencemen is signed through the 2017-18 season with a cap hit of $4.1 million.