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Originally Posted by Jacks
People have this ridiculous idea that Vegas was handed a playoff team when in reality it was idiot GM's who gave them top 6 players and high draft picks to not select botton 6 players, it was bizarre. Florida gave them 2/3 of a top line for nothing, just ridiculous. There is nothing wrong with the expansion rules.
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Aeneas and I are debating this - for sure, LV made some shrewd trades and picks and other GMs made big mistakes, but I would argue they had some significant advantages - they had no expansion partner to compete with for picks and trades (ex. Minny and Columbus entered at the same time). They were the first expansion team to enter when the other teams had to manage a salary cap (which could explain "bad" trades some GMs made). LV is an attractive destination for free agents.
The rules will be the same for Seattle (BTW, Vegas is exempt from getting picked by Seattle. Vegas wins again).
Of course people are jealous - they are a contender right out of the box, while long-standing franchises have struggled for decades. It is fair to wonder if the expansion rules are too generous (Seattle has #3 seed in draft lottery). Sure, they pay a large fee for entry ($500 M)- but Forbes valued the Knights at $570 M in December.
https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl...cess-1.4668055
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The NHL allowed its teams to protect only seven forwards, three defencemen and one goalie, or eight skaters and one goalie. By way of comparison, when the NHL last expanded in 2000, teams were allowed to protect a whopping nine forwards, five defencemen and a goalie, or seven forwards, three defencemen and two goalies.
The league also required teams to expose players with significant NHL experience who were under contract through next season, closing loopholes and helping Vegas even more. Third-line forwards and top-four defencemen were available from almost every team.
And the expansion draft terms allowed McPhee to get creative in trades with teams hoping to keep players who couldn't fit under the protection umbrella. For instance, the Knights ended up with Reilly Smith in a trade because Florida wanted them to draft Jonathan Marchessault — and the two ex-Panthers became two of the Knights' top four scorers.
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