NHL expansion draft rules could make offseason interesting
If the NHL agrees to expand in 2017, the 2017 NHL expansion draft rules could make the 2016 offseason interesting for several teams.
The NHL is looking to expand by at least one team and potentially two. Las Vegas and Quebec have been the two most popular targets. Any expansion proposals will be voted on this summer.
If the general managers agree to proposed expansion, there will be an NHL Expansion Draft in the summer of 2017. Looking at the preliminary guidelines, they could affect teams’ plans this offseason.
A team would only be allowed to lose one player on its 30-man roster if the league expands by one team and two players if the league expands by two teams. Any first or second-year pro would be exempt from the expansion draft. Teams will have two options as far as who they can protect in the potential NHL Expansion Draft.
From National Post:
"In Option 1, a team can protect a total of 11 players — seven forwards, three defencemen and one goalie. In Option 2, a team can protect nine players — eight skaters and one goalie."
This could affect how certain teams deal with their goaltending situations. For example, the Pittsburgh Penguins have Marc-Andre Fleury under contract until after the 2018-2019 season. They also have arguably the best goalie prospect in North America in Matt Murray. If teams vote for expansion, the Penguins might trade Fleury or leave him unprotected him in the NHL Expansion Draft in 2017 in order to protect Murray.
The Anaheim Ducks will also be directly impacted. They have arguably the finest goaltending duo in the NHL in Frederik Andersen and John Gibson. Anaheim has two number one goalies because they split starts. Andersen (who has found himself in trade rumors as recently as this season) could be traded so that the Ducks could protect Gibson and so that they could get something for Andersen, because he would definitely be picked in the NHL expansion draft. The Winnipeg Jets could be affected by that as well, but to a lesser extent.
Option one seems like the obvious choice for teams. However, suppose a team has four defensemen that they don’t want to lose. It might be worth it to them to choose option two in order to protect those four defensemen even if it means they only protect four eligible forwards. These guidelines are only preliminary, but it appears that if there are new teams in the league come 2017, they will likely be in much better shape than previous expansion teams.
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The NHL has some more issues to address regarding an expansion draft. Without a doubt, the biggest one is the issue of no movement clauses. Teams will most likely be allowed to leave players with no trade clauses unprotected since they aren’t getting traded. They are being exposed to waivers. A no movement clause prohibits players from being traded or from being placed on waivers for another team to claim them unless they give their permission. This is an issue that the NHL Player’s Association will likely push to solve sooner rather than later.