Speaking Of… Vegas Baby
7 years ago
The NHL dropped a massive bomb on the hockey world this morning by announcing that Las Vegas is the confirmed destination for the next expansion team. It’s safe to say that nobody saw this coming, and we are still trying to wrap our heads around it.
Yes, the worst kept secret in the NHL was revealed this morning, and by the 2017-18 season, we will have a 31st team in the league (specifically the Pacific Division). From where I sit, having an NHL team in Las Vegas may be the best thing to ever happen to the sport. People always say that player interviews have become stale and boring, and that the persona of the game is too uptight. Well… try interviewing some players who’s pre-game routine now includes taking a tequila belly-shot! The players who actually play for Vegas will probably find the city boring after a few weeks, but for visiting teams, Las Vegas road trips bring on a whole new meaning for pre-game warmups. Getting in a good warm-up? More like getting warm in a hot tub up at the Bellagio.
I would actually bet that there would be some pretty strict team rules implemented for visiting teams though. Maybe a tight 12AM curfew? Only one broadway show per night? Maybe you can only spend 5% of your salary in casinos during the trip? Maybe these professional athletes won’t be phased by the gigantic distraction that is, the Las Vegas Strip. Maybe that’s just me.
One of the most exciting aspects for me, is to see a completely new team formate from little pieces of the other thirty teams in the league. This means that someone who has never captained before will be a captain, a back-up goalie will likely become a starter, and a coach without a job will automatically have one! *cough couch, the return of Dallas Eakins” Will we see Evander Kane become a fresh, new captain? Better yet, how about Stanley Cup champion, Justin Schultz lead this new team through a deep playoff run. The potential is endless!
The Rules
With all that said, here’s a summary of the general rules of how the expansion draft will play out.
- Teams can protect seven forwards, three defencemen, and one goalie.
- Players with no-movement clauses have to be protected, unless they expire before the 2017-18 season (i.e. the Oilers don’t have to protect Andrew Ference).
- Teams can, however, ask players to waive their no-movement clauses for the expansion draft. Sekera, anybody?
- The teams must leave at least two forwards and one d-man who’ve played either 40 games in the previous season, or 70 over the previous two seasons, exposed. These players must also still be under contract for 2017-18.
- Players who’ve played two or fewer seasons (including the AHL) do not have to be protected. For example, Connor McDavid and Darnell Nurse won’t need protecting. But does this count for 75 year old rookie, Panarin? I wish I knew.
- Players who have been traded leading up to the 2017 draft cannot be traded again until Jan 31. This is so teams can’t play tricks and hide players.
Las Vegas ______?
Chris Nichols is reporting that the team is expected to be called The Black Knights. This is very likely, but Bardown is also reporting that fans will have the option in voting on a pre-determined batch of names (Black Knights being one of them).
Since I am the least-creative person in the history of non-creative people, I took to Twitter to come up with some potential team names for Las Vegas. Here’s what we got.
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