In an article by ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun, he reveals that sources have confirmed that the Las Vegas expansion team will be given a head start in free agency. With revamped, pro-team Expansion Draft rules, as well as the ability to make trades (drafts picks, Expansion Draft exceptions) earlier than ever, Las Vegas will now have the benefit of the first shot at the 2017 free agent class.
According to LeBrun, the ____ Knights will have a 48-hour window prior to the Expansion Draft on June 21st, 2017 to negotiate with free agents left unprotected by their respective teams. This includes both unrestricted and restricted free agents. The purpose of this rule is that if Las Vegas is going to use an Expansion Draft selection on a player no longer under contract, they would first want to be sure that this player is willing to sign with the team. In those 48 hours, Las Vegas can negotiate with any unprotected free agent and sign any that they choose to.
The interesting implication that this has on the Expansion Draft is that any team who has an unprotected free agent signed during this head start window can no longer have a player selected in the draft. For GM George McPhee, this adds a whole new layer to draft and free agency preparation. If there is a team with an unprotected free agent that Las Vegas would like to sign as well as an unprotected signed player they would like to draft, it makes no sense to use the window to sign that free agent. It is likely that they will get a shot on July 1st anyways and do not want to have their opportunity to select a player under contract foreclosed on. The loophole that McPhee will likely exploit, rather than signing numerous free agents prior to the draft, will be to establish negotiations with several impending unrestricted free agents rather than sign them right away, so as to give Las Vegas a leg up on the competition come July 1st and the league-wide beginning of free agency. The team will also be able to avoid RFA holdouts or arbitration battles by speaking with the unprotected players before selecting them, instead of using a pick on a player who wants to be overpaid.
The expansion process continues to become more and more intensive and strategic, and for fans, exciting. Las Vegas will be one of the NHL’s main story lines this season, before the team even takes the ice, all culminating in the Expansion Draft next June. Stay tuned.
I hate this Las Vegas team already
They’ll probably be decent for a few years, but then curl into a ball and die
Spoken like a Canadian. Am I right?
Why? Because they’re getting a head start on free agency? If anything, all this will do is help them be relatively competitive in the beginning instead of being a cellar-dweller right out the gates. This prevents them from wasting a pick on a guy who has no intention of signing there in the first place.
Agree, somewhat. The NHL is definitely trying to keep Vegas from being a flop but I still don’t see this team being very good. It’ll mostly be made up of 3rd and 4th liners, #5,6 or 7 dman and back-up goalies.
Not true. Certain teams have excess in talent in certain areas. I.E. Las Vegas is guaranteed getting a tendy at least as good as Marc-Andre Fleury. Plus as teams lose players they can’t keep, their talent level drops. It all falls into place
If you look at a team like Anaheim, they automatically have to protect bieksa because of a no trade clause. I think that means they can only protect two other d’s. That allows Las Vegas to pick one of fowler, vatanen or lindholm
Wrong. Anaheim can choose to protect 8 players. And protect their dmen
You’re right, they can protect 8 skaters if they choose. Meaning, if they want to protect all of their defence, their protection will be:
Getzlaf
Perry
Kessler
Bieksa
Lindholm
Fowler
Vatanen
They’ll only have one more spot to protect Manson, Silfverberg, Rakell. They’re going to lose a good player.
The 48 hour window is going to be a pitch window. I doubt unless blown away by an offer that a player will sign with them before testing the market.
As an original Capitals season ticket holder, I can only say that Las Vegas should thank its lucky stars for being treated so fairly.
In 1974, the Caps and the former Kansas City scouts were screwed…no other way to say it…in the expansion draft. Add to that the competition from the WHA which further diluted the talent pool, and it’s not hard to see why the Caps didn’t even make the playoffs for eight long years.
Today’s owners seem to understand that having competitive expansion teams is a GOOD thing for the league. They sure didn’t back then.
I think they will be the best expansion team ever in their first season.
I dought that very much a good player on a established team plays with good players take him off that team amd put him with average players………. you get the idea