Expansion Game - GeneralFanager

[Pitts]

Here's your new time waster! Submit protection lists for all teams, then conduct your own expansion draft!

http://www.generalfanager.com/teams/expansion" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

They have the Pens locked into 5/11 already protected due to no-trade clauses.

[SubtropicalPenguin]

This is a very difficult exercise. I think we need to find someone who knows something about each individual team to join in a mock. Outside of the Metro, and certainly outside of the eastern conference, I just don't have the knowledge base to make informed selections on who to protect.

The only good news from this expansion draft is the Pens can only lose one player. I found there were at least 4-5 players I had to leave unprotected that I would hate for the Pens to lose.

[Jim]

I found there were at least 4-5 players I had to leave unprotected that I would hate for the Pens to lose.

That is the point. The protection numbers are set to a point where there are still decent players available. Otherwise the new team would just be picking from 4th liners and AHL players.

[FLPensFan]

I'm going to do an in-depth run at the expansion draft this afternoon. I'll follow the rules, but in terms of who I pick from what teams, I might be a bit liberal in making educated guesses.....for example, based on rosters today, Fleury must be protected and Murray would be exposed. I'm not going to take Murray for Vegas, because I don't see that being a true option once expansion draft rolls around. I'll post my protected list for each team, and the final Vegas team as I go in a separate post.

Scratch that, I'll wait......really impossible to make an educated team with UFAs from this year possibly going to be UFAs somewhere else by the draft next year. Doing an expansion mock draft after opening day rosters are set this year would be better.

[FLPensFan]

So, I took my first real effort and running through protecting players, and picking an expansion team. I can tell you.....it isn't easy, and the Las Vegas expansion team may not be as good out the gate as everyone thinks. In fact, the team I chose didn't even follow all of the rules.

There are 4 things that were very noticeable:

1) There is a real shortage of quality forwards available, especially centers. I chose 6 people listed as centers: Mike Fisher, Vladislav Namestnikov, Andrew Shaw, Antoinne Vermette, Ryan Spooner, and Markus Granlund
2) There is an abundance of quality defenseman that will be available: My defense as I picked it.....Fowler, Scandella, Franson, Tyler Myers, Calvin de Haan, Brian Campbell, Eric Gelinas, Jon Merrill, Alex Petrovic, Griffen Rinehart, Derrick Pouliot
3) There is an abundance of UFA/RFAs that I had available. The limit on players without a contract for the 17-18 season is 10.....I took 15, and could have taken more.
4) There is a major shortage of young forward talent. There were very few teams where I went, "Wow, I want this guy.....but this lesser, young player would be good to grab instead."

#2 and #3 could have really interesting impacts on the team that is drafted by Las Vegas. I could see Vegas taking the minimum forwards and goalies (14 and 3), and then loading up on defenseman, and using them to trade for other pieces. Look at the defense above....very easy to pick a solid starting 6, with plenty left over.

In terms of the RFA/UFA thing......Malcolm Subban....RFA.......Matt Murray.....RFA......Phillip Grubauer.....RFA.....Ben Bishop.....UFA......Look at my defense.....Franson, de Haan, Campbell, Gelinas, Petrovic, Pouliot, and Rinehart are all RFA or UFA. That is going to have a big time affect on the players that are taken from each team, and may play into some teams exposing players just because they are UFA or RFA, when they may have otherwise protected that player.

[DelPen]

Not sure when this happened but Sundqvist is no longer exempt and Sheary is on that site.

[Jim]

I didn't want to start a new thread for expansion, so...

I know that Vegas can not trade a selected player back to the team he was selected from (until January), but has anyone seen any restrictions to them trading to other teams?

Every time I do a draft I end up rather D heavy. Vegas could pick D heavy and then trade some rather decent guys to others teams. They could turn one choice into multiple draft picks or multiple mid-prospects to fill out their system, or one protected forward for an upgrade to the D that they took...

[Maestro]

With the lists out and knowing Columbus and Isle have given up #1s to sway picks - here's the team I created:
20 contracts, meets min. cap and pos requirements. Only 5 contracts go beyond first year opening up enormous cap space in 18-19.


Line 1
LW Lupul, Joffrey  C Marchessault, Jonathan RW Neal, James D Pairing 1 L Sbisa, Luca; R Bogosian, Zach


Line 2
LW Perron, David C Grigorenko, Mikhail RW Brown, Dustin D Pairing 2 L Schmidt, Nate; R Dumba, Matt


Line 3
LW Dano, Marko  C Burmistrov, Alexander RW Fast, Jesper D Pairing 3 L Ouellet, Xavier; R Miller, Colin


Line 4
LW McKenzie, Curtis   C Paquette, Cedric RW Chiasson, Alex Goalies: Fleury, Hammond, Andrew; Aaron Dell, Scott Wedgewood


Scratches:

LWs: Nordstrom, Joakim; Hudon, Charles

C Quine, Alan, Weal, Jordan,

D: (L) Reinhart, Griffin; (R) Van Riemsdyk, Trevor
Injured:  Vatanen, Sami

Not resigned:
Sam Gagner (not signed as UFA)