This week The NHL announced that there will be a new expansion team in Las Vegas.  Other than playing games in Las Vegas, how does that affect the Red Wings?

According to M-Live, the new team will begin play in the 2017-2018 season and will be the 31st franchise in the league.

A brand new team brings an expansion draft,  that means that one player per NHL team will be selected by the new team.    The Red Wings and every team in the league can protect players.

According to another story on M-Live, the draft will happen next June.

Teams will be allowed to protect seven forwards, three defensemen and a goaltender (or a second option of eight skaters regardless of position and one goalie).

Players with two or fewer years of pro experience will be exempt. Players with no-movement clauses (not a less-restrictive no-trade clause) must be protected. Teams must expose at least two forwards and one defenseman who appear in 40 games this upcoming season or 70 total games in 2015-16 and 2016-17.

We are still a year away so many roster changes will take place before hand.  A player that may not even be on a roster now could be chosen in the draft next year.

We will see what happens with the upcoming draft and what the new team will officially be called.

Welcome to the NHL Las Vegas!

 

 

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