With the NHL announcing expansion to Las Vegas for the 2017-18 season the HFNHL will follow suit. We're going to piggyback off the NHL rules almost completely with a slight deviation/clarification as it relates to our prospects. This thread will serve as our reference point for rules and to answer any questions people may have.
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The following rules were approved for the 2017 Expansion Draft:
Protected Lists
* Clubs will have two options for players they wish to protect in the Expansion Draft:
a) Seven forwards, three defensemen and one goaltender
b) Eight skaters (forwards/defensemen) and one goaltender
* All first- and second-year professionals, as well as all unsigned draft choices on the prospect list, will be exempt from selection (and will not be counted toward their club's applicable protection limits).
Player Eligibility Requirements
*Players will go through two checks to be deemed as eligible for selection in the expansion draft
i) They have played more than 50 NHL games by the end of the 2016-17 NHL season and are a required signing under league prospect activation rules
ii) They meet NHL eligibility requirements based on 3+ years of professional status
*In short, if a player is active on a roster and eligible for expansion in the NHL he will be eligible in the HFNHL. We will use https://www.capfriendly.com/expansion-draft as a resource to determine eligible NHL players.
*Prospect activation's will be required immediately following the conclusion of the HFNHL playoffs. Deadline to complete is TBD.
Player Exposure Requirements
* All Clubs must meet the following minimum requirements regarding players exposed for selection in the Expansion Draft:
i) One defenseman who is a) under contract in 2017-18 and b) played in 40 or more NHL games the prior season OR played in 70 or more NHL games in the prior two seasons.
ii) Two forwards who are a) under contract in 2017-18 and b) played in 40 or more NHL games the prior season OR played in 70 or more NHL games in the prior two seasons.
iii) One goaltender who is under contract in 2017-18 or will be a restricted free agent at the expiration of his current contract immediately prior to 2017-18. If the club elects to make a restricted free agent goaltender available in order to meet this requirement, that goaltender must have received his qualifying offer prior to the submission of the club's protected list.
* Players with potential career-ending injuries who have missed more than the previous 60 consecutive games (or who otherwise have been confirmed to have a career-threatening injury) may not be used to satisfy a club's player exposure requirements, unless approval is received from the NHL. Such players also may be deemed exempt from selection by the League.
Regulations Relating to Expansion Franchise
* The Las Vegas franchise must select one player from each presently existing club for a total of 30 players (not including additional players who may be acquired as the result of violations of the Expansion Draft rules).
* The Las Vegas franchise must select the following number of players at each position: 14 forwards, nine defensemen and three goaltenders.
* The Las Vegas franchise must select a minimum of 20 players who are under contract for the 2017-18 season.
* The Las Vegas franchise must select players with an aggregate Expansion Draft value that is between 60-100% of the prior season's upper limit for the salary cap.
* The Las Vegas franchise may not buy out any of the players selected in the Expansion Draft earlier than the summer following its first season.
*The Las Vegas franchise will begin with a $20,000,000 bank balance.
The 30 NHL Clubs must submit their Protection List by TBD. The Las Vegas team must submit their Expansion Draft picks by TBD and the announcement of their selections will be released on made on TBD.
2017 NHL Draft Lottery
The Las Vegas franchise will be given the same odds in the 2017 HFNHL Draft Lottery as the team finishing with the third-fewest points during the 2016-17 regular season.
The Las Vegas franchise's First Round selection in the 2017 HFNHL Draft will be determined in accordance with the 2017 NHL Draft Lottery and, as a result, the Las Vegas franchise will be guaranteed no lower than the sixth overall selection.
The Las Vegas franchise then will select third in each subsequent round of the 2017 HFNHL Draft (subject to trades and other potential player transactions).
Alignment
The Las Vegas franchise will begin play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in 2017-18. There will be no other changes to the NHL's alignment.
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The following rules were approved for the 2017 Expansion Draft:
Protected Lists
* Clubs will have two options for players they wish to protect in the Expansion Draft:
a) Seven forwards, three defensemen and one goaltender
b) Eight skaters (forwards/defensemen) and one goaltender
* All first- and second-year professionals, as well as all unsigned draft choices on the prospect list, will be exempt from selection (and will not be counted toward their club's applicable protection limits).
Player Eligibility Requirements
*Players will go through two checks to be deemed as eligible for selection in the expansion draft
i) They have played more than 50 NHL games by the end of the 2016-17 NHL season and are a required signing under league prospect activation rules
ii) They meet NHL eligibility requirements based on 3+ years of professional status
*In short, if a player is active on a roster and eligible for expansion in the NHL he will be eligible in the HFNHL. We will use https://www.capfriendly.com/expansion-draft as a resource to determine eligible NHL players.
*Prospect activation's will be required immediately following the conclusion of the HFNHL playoffs. Deadline to complete is TBD.
Player Exposure Requirements
* All Clubs must meet the following minimum requirements regarding players exposed for selection in the Expansion Draft:
i) One defenseman who is a) under contract in 2017-18 and b) played in 40 or more NHL games the prior season OR played in 70 or more NHL games in the prior two seasons.
ii) Two forwards who are a) under contract in 2017-18 and b) played in 40 or more NHL games the prior season OR played in 70 or more NHL games in the prior two seasons.
iii) One goaltender who is under contract in 2017-18 or will be a restricted free agent at the expiration of his current contract immediately prior to 2017-18. If the club elects to make a restricted free agent goaltender available in order to meet this requirement, that goaltender must have received his qualifying offer prior to the submission of the club's protected list.
* Players with potential career-ending injuries who have missed more than the previous 60 consecutive games (or who otherwise have been confirmed to have a career-threatening injury) may not be used to satisfy a club's player exposure requirements, unless approval is received from the NHL. Such players also may be deemed exempt from selection by the League.
Regulations Relating to Expansion Franchise
* The Las Vegas franchise must select one player from each presently existing club for a total of 30 players (not including additional players who may be acquired as the result of violations of the Expansion Draft rules).
* The Las Vegas franchise must select the following number of players at each position: 14 forwards, nine defensemen and three goaltenders.
* The Las Vegas franchise must select a minimum of 20 players who are under contract for the 2017-18 season.
* The Las Vegas franchise must select players with an aggregate Expansion Draft value that is between 60-100% of the prior season's upper limit for the salary cap.
* The Las Vegas franchise may not buy out any of the players selected in the Expansion Draft earlier than the summer following its first season.
*The Las Vegas franchise will begin with a $20,000,000 bank balance.
The 30 NHL Clubs must submit their Protection List by TBD. The Las Vegas team must submit their Expansion Draft picks by TBD and the announcement of their selections will be released on made on TBD.
2017 NHL Draft Lottery
The Las Vegas franchise will be given the same odds in the 2017 HFNHL Draft Lottery as the team finishing with the third-fewest points during the 2016-17 regular season.
The Las Vegas franchise's First Round selection in the 2017 HFNHL Draft will be determined in accordance with the 2017 NHL Draft Lottery and, as a result, the Las Vegas franchise will be guaranteed no lower than the sixth overall selection.
The Las Vegas franchise then will select third in each subsequent round of the 2017 HFNHL Draft (subject to trades and other potential player transactions).
Alignment
The Las Vegas franchise will begin play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in 2017-18. There will be no other changes to the NHL's alignment.
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