How the NHL Expansion Draft Works

With the NHL expansion draft just around the corner, fans are wondering how it works. Here’s a quick primer on how the draft works and what to expect.

Introduction

1. In 1967, the NHL doubled in size from 6 to 12 teams with the addition of the Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota North Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, San Francisco Sharks, and St. Louis Blues.
2. To stock the new teams’ rosters, as well as to provide some parity between the old and new teams, the NHL held an expansion draft.
3. Each of the 12 existing teams was allowed to protect 11 skaters and 2 goaltenders. The remaining 16 unprotected players were available for drafting by the new clubs.
4. In order to ensure that each team would lose only one player, a “snake” draft format was used; this meant that after each team selected one player, that team would not be allowed to pick again until all other teams had had a turn.
5. As a result, each team alternated between making a selection and passing on their turn until all 16 unprotected players had been drafted.
6. This process repeated itself until each of the new teams had a roster of 20 skaters and 2 goaltenders (the same size as the existing teams).

What is the NHL Expansion Draft?

The NHL Expansion Draft is an annual event in which the National Hockey League (NHL) expands its membership by adding one or more expansion teams. The draft is held to determine which players will be protected by the existing teams and which players will be made available to the expansion team(s).

What is the purpose of the NHL Expansion Draft?

An expansion draft is a special draft that is used in order to populate a new team or teams. In the National Hockey League (NHL), an expansion draft occurs when a new team joins the league through either an expansion or a relocation. This most recently happened in 2017, when the NHL added the Vegas Golden Knights. In order to stock their roster, the Golden Knights were able to select one player from every other existing NHL team.

Each team was allowed to protect a certain number of players from being drafted. For example, teams were able to protect seven forwards, three defensemen, and one goalie, or eight skaters and one goalie. Players who were considered “veterans” (defined as players with more than two years of pro experience) were also exempt from being drafted.

As a result of the expansion draft, every NHL team lost at least one player. For some teams, this was not a big deal, as they had plenty of other good players to choose from. However, for other teams this could be devastating, as they might lose their best player to the expansion draft.

The main purpose of an expansion draft is to ensure that each new team has a competitive roster so that they can be competitive right from the start. It is also seen as a way for new teams to get established players that can help them succeed in the league.

How does the NHL Expansion Draft work?

In 1967, the NHL doubled in size from six to 12 teams with the addition of the California Seals, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota North Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, and St. Louis Blues. To stock the new franchises—as well as the existing ones that had to give up some of their best players in an expansion draft—the league held a special amateur draft in June 1967.

The 2017 NHL Expansion Draft will take place on June 21, 2017—exactly 50 years after the first one. But how does it work? Here’s everything you need to know about how NHL expansion drafts work, including when they are and how they work.

An NHL expansion draft is held when a new team joins the league. In order for the new team to have a competitive roster, it is given the opportunity to select players from the existing teams. The existing teams are then able to protect some of their best players from being drafted by the new team.

To be eligible for selection in an NHL expansion draft, a player must have been left unprotected by his team and must have completed at least two professional seasons. In most cases, veteran players with high salaries are left unprotected because it is cheaper for a team to buy them out than to protect them in an expansion draft.

When an NHL expansion team is created, it is given a list of all the eligible players who were left unprotected by their teams. The expansion team then has a certain amount of time to choose which players it wants on its roster.

After an expansion team selects a player from another team’s roster, that team is then allowed to remove one player from its own roster and add him to its “protected” list. This process continues until all 30 teams have protected their rosters and the expansion team has filled its roster with eligible players.

What are the rules of the NHL Expansion Draft?

The NHL Expansion Draft is an annual event in which the NHL expands the number of teams in the league by adding one or more expansion teams. In order to stock these new teams with players, each existing team must make a certain number of their players available to be drafted by the expansion team(s).

The rules of the NHL Expansion Draft are as follows:
-Each existing team must make a certain number of players available to be drafted by the expansion team(s).
-The expansion team(s) will select a certain number of players from each existing team.
-The expansion team(s) may not select more than two goaltenders, three defensemen, and seven forwards from any one existing team.

What is the history of the NHL Expansion Draft?

The National Hockey League (NHL) has undergone numerous expansions and re-alignments throughout its 100-plus year history. As the league has grown, so too has the process of stocking new teams with players. The most recent expansion occurred in 2017, when the league added the Vegas Golden Knights. Prior to that, the last time the NHL had seen an expansion draft was in 2000, when the Minnesota Wild and the Columbus Blue Jackets joined the league.

How has the NHL Expansion Draft changed over the years?

NHL expansion drafts have been used since the league’s inaugural 1917 season to stock the rosters of newly admitted teams. In an expansion draft, each existing team protects a certain number of players from being drafted by the newcomers. Not all players are available to be drafted—unrestricted free agents (UFAs) are exempt, as are players with no-movement clauses in their contracts that prevent them from being exposed to the draft.

The first NHL expansion draft was held on November 26, 1917, when the league admitted the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators. In that draft, each team was allowed to protect one goaltender, three defensemen, and seven forwards. The new teams were then able to draft three non-goaltenders from any team in the league.

The format of the NHL expansion draft has changed numerous times over the years. The most recent expansion was in 2017, when the Vegas Golden Knights joined the league. In that expansion draft, each team was allowed to protect seven forwards, three defensemen, and one goaltender, or eight skaters (forwards/defensemen) and one goaltender. Vegas then selected one player from every team except for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who had recently won the Stanley Cup.

What are some notable expansion draft picks in NHL history?

In the 1967 NHL expansion draft, the Philadelphia Flyers Selected Tim Horton with the fifth pick overall. Horton went on to play 24 seasons in the NHL, winning four Stanley Cups with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1977.

In the 1992 NHL expansion draft, the Tampa Bay Lightning Selected forward Chris Gratton with the third pick overall. Gratton played three seasons with Tampa Bay, scoring 25 goals and 61 points in 149 games. He is currently a member of the Lightning organization, serving as a television analyst on their broadcasts.

In the 1999 NHL expansion draft, the Nashville Predators selected defenseman Kimmo Timonen with the 10th pick overall. Timonen played eight seasons with Nashville, serving as their captain for seven seasons. He was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in 2007 and went on to win a Stanley Cup with them in 2010. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015.

What are the benefits of the NHL Expansion Draft?

An NHL expansion draft is a draft of players that a new team must select when joining the NHL. The draft allows each new team to stock its roster with players from the existing teams in the league. This ensures that each new team has a competitive roster and prevents one or two teams from hogging all the best talent.

In addition to selecting players, an NHL expansion draft also allows a new team to choose its name, colors, and logo. This helps the new team establish its identity and branding before it even hits the ice.

What are the drawbacks of the NHL Expansion Draft?

There are several drawbacks to the NHL Expansion Draft. Perhaps the biggest one is that it can create a lot of parity among the teams in the league. In other words, it can make it harder for the better teams to maintain their superiority, and it can make it easier for the weaker teams to become competitive.

Another drawback is that it can be difficult for fans to follow. With so many new players being drafted, it can be hard to keep track of who is going where. Additionally, if a team loses a star player in the expansion draft, it can be very costly and devastating to the team’s morale.

Conclusion

This is how the NHL expansion draft works.