Chuck Fletcher may rue the day he allowed Erik Haula and Alex Tuch to leave the Minnesota Wild for the Golden Knights.
The Wild’s former general manager cut a deal with Knights general manager George McPhee to keep defenseman Matt Dumba while allowing McPhee to select Haula in the expansion draft and take Tuch as a bonus for leaving Dumba alone.
It was one of McPhee’s best moves in crafting the Knights’ roster.
Haula crafted a career season with 29 goals and 55 points, while Tuch’s rookie season netted 15 goals and 22 assists. Coach Gerard Gallant played the two on the same line, along with James Neal, late in the season when David Perron was injured.