We haven't had an expansion draft in the cap era yet, so it will be interesting to see what changes are made. A lot of things in the business of the NHL have changed significantly in the last 15 years (hard to believe it's been that long since the last expansion).
How will players with no trade and no move clauses be treated? How will pending UFAs be handled? Which players will be exempt?
Depending on the specific rules used, Monahan, Gaudreau, and Jooris could all be exempt from a 2016 Expansion Draft, or none of them could be exempt. Monahan is the least-likely to be exempt, and Gaudreau is the most-likely. If they end up exempt, it makes Treliving's job a lot easier.
Will we see teams leaving pending UFAs (Hudler, Hiller, Russell for example) unsigned until after the expansion draft, knowing that the expansion team's GM is unlikely to choose a player who will be a free agent a week later? If teams decide to do that, will the players decide they might as well just wait the extra week to hit the open market?
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