Expansion details, plus helpful tools

Since the June 22 announcement that the NHL will be expanding to Las Vegas for the 2017-18 season, there have been questions in the comments section about particular players and whether they are eligible to be selected in the expansion draft. Through the help of General Fanager, which is a terrific resource, and the NHL’s own guidelines, it is becoming clearer which properties the Kings will have to protect, and which properties are exempt from selection.

First, the primary details:
-Teams may protect either seven forwards, three defensemen and one goaltender OR eight skaters and one goaltender.
-Those with no-movement clauses at the time of the expansion draft must be protected and will count towards their club’s protection quota.
-First and second-year professionals and unsigned draft choices will be exempt from selection and will not be counted towards their club’s protection quota.

More stipulations:
-Teams must expose at least one defenseman and two forwards under contract in 2017-18 who played in 40 or more NHL games the prior season OR 70 or more NHL games the prior two seasons, as well as one goaltender who is under contract in 2017-18 or who will be an RFA at the expiration of the 2016-17 season.
–Via the NHL, “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.”
-Las Vegas must select one player from each club for a total of 30 players, breaking down to 14 forwards, nine defensemen and three goaltenders. A minimum of 20 players under contract for the 2017-18 season must be selected, while the 30 players chosen must have an aggregate value between 60-100% of the prior season’s salary cap ceiling. Las Vegas will not be allowed to buy out any players selected in the expansion draft earlier than “the summer following its first season.”
-Protection Lists must be submitted by 2:00 p.m. PT on Saturday, June 17, 2017. Las Vegas must submit its selections by 2:00 p.m. ET on June 20, 2017. The announcement of their selections will be released on June 21.

So. Anze Kopitar is the one current King who, by virtue of the rules above, must be protected. This isn’t a controversial shock. He would be protected under any realistic circumstances, but because of a no-movement clause that will remain valid at the time of the draft, he’s automatically one of Los Angeles’ protected players.

Because of the above stipulations, these players are exempt from selection in the expansion draft, via General Fanager: Paul LaDue, Adrian Kempe, Jonny Brodzinski, Michael Amadio, Spencer Watson, Erik Cernak, Alex Lintuniemi, Jacob Moverare, Joel Lowry, Kevin Gravel, Patrik Bjorkstrand and Damir Sharipzyanov.

You can use General Fanager’s Expansion Tool to create each team’s set of protected players and forge your own expansion roster.

More of the nitty gritty, which doesn’t directly involve the Kings:

With @StapeNewsday confirmation on Pulock #NHLExpansion status, we have confirmed the following clarification: pic.twitter.com/N7u4dtr42g

— General Fanager (@generalfanager) July 25, 2016