The Canucks lost both Christopher Tanev and Troy Stecher this off-season (Tanev was an unrestricted free agent who signed with Calgary; Stecher was not given a qualifying offer and became a UFA, and then signed with Detroit). So adding Schmidt was a necessity. Although he is a left-handed shooter, Schmidt plays right defense well. So, expect him to line up next to Alexander Edler or Quinn Hughes.

The Golden Knights had no choice but to trade a defenseman, since they decided to sign unrestricted free agent Alex Pietrangelo. So, the rest of the NHL knew that Vegas was going to deal a veteran blueliner. GM Kelly McCrimmon was still able to land a third-round pick in return for Schmidt, so the Knights did well under the circumstances. Pietrangelo is a significant upgrade over Schmidt.

Schmidt's numbers should remain steady moving from Vegas to Vancouver, since he figures to see the same amount of ice time as a top-four rearguard. Schmidt is a late-round consideration in most fantasy leagues.