Las Vegas Hockey: FAQ, Draft Rules, Alignment & Schedule Matrix

Old Guy

Just waitin' on my medication.
Aug 30, 2015
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Does anyone know at what point one of the 30 existing teams could execute a trade with Las Vegas?

Here are some specifics; The Columbus Blue Jackets have a player - Cody Goloubef - he is a 27 year old - right hand shooting D-man that is probably about 7th on the CBJ depth chart. He is in the last year of a contract paying him $750,000 per year. On July 1, 2017 he will be a UFA. Because of the growth of the Columbus prospects, it is likely he could get squeezed out. He would need to clear waivers before going to AHL Cleveland.

When could the Blue Jackets trade him to Las Vegas for a 5th or 6th round pick? The Jackets would get something of value in return. Las Vegas would get a depth D-man that would build the roster.

As a Columbus fan, I remember when the Blue Jackets came into the league, the final franchise payment was due to the NHL on April 30, 2000. They were able to (and did) sign FA's on May 1st. These were not guys currently under contract, but college and European FA's and the like. Nobody they signed that day played in the NHL. They began to stock the farm system. They participated in the expansion draft in June 2000 along with the MN Wild.

Does anybody know when LV can begin to accumulate player contracts?
 

BattleBorn

50% to winning as many division titles as Toronto
Feb 6, 2015
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To be honest, after the announcement I kind of went brain dead. It was pretty much out of necessity, I was a little crazy for a year or so. So I'm by no means an authority, just to get that out of the way.

I believe the team becomes a real team once the final payment it made in April, after that point I'm guessing they'll be able to do anything a real team could do with a few exceptions in relation to the expansion draft. Meaning they could trade everything any other team could, but they can't trade expansion picks for example.

So to answer your question, I don't know. I do know Foley doesn't get to go to meetings until he's made payment in full and I would assume that once that happens everything else is normal as well.
 

LadyStanley

Registered User
Sep 22, 2004
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Sin City
TBD when they can start trading/signing; I seem to recall Daley indicating it was not yet determined. Definitely after they finish their final payment. (Teams start signing graduating college seniors as early as March. So LV might miss on a few undrafted guys that finish their collegiate career before the Frozen Four is finished.)

Why should they trade for a pending UFA they would be able to sign for "nothing" on 7/1?
 

702

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Jun 6, 2016
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Well, apparently the team needs to be paid off in full the $500 mill before we are allowed to be talked about as a real team. Maybe we can't make moves till then?
 

BattleBorn

50% to winning as many division titles as Toronto
Feb 6, 2015
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Bellevue, WA
Well, apparently the team needs to be paid off in full the $500 mill before we are allowed to be talked about as a real team. Maybe we can't make moves till then?

Seems that way. However, it seems to be the same process as previous expansions and not something unique to Las Vegas. They schedule these payments for certain reasons and I'm sure the logistics of adding a team and the actual answers to questions like these are likely a reason.
 

airbus220

Registered User
Feb 19, 2012
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Teams start signing graduating college seniors as early as March. So LV might miss on a few undrafted guys that finish their collegiate career before the Frozen Four is finished.

I don't think so. Signing players shouldn't be a problem at all if we follow the rules all other teams have to follow too.
Trades are different of course because trades could help other teams. Same with waivers.
Vegas might be the best choice for undrafted college forwards.
 

LadyStanley

Registered User
Sep 22, 2004
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I don't think so. Signing players shouldn't be a problem at all if we follow the rules all other teams have to follow too.
Trades are different of course because trades could help other teams. Same with waivers.
Vegas might be the best choice for undrafted college forwards.

Except that NHL may not allow LV to do so until the last payment is made on expansion fee, which isn't scheduled to occur until April.
 

airbus220

Registered User
Feb 19, 2012
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Except that NHL may not allow LV to do so until the last payment is made on expansion fee, which isn't scheduled to occur until April.

Why should the NHL not allow? Even I could sign players for my backyard and the NHL could do nothing about it.

Of course Vegas should follow the rules which are meant for every other NHL team. For example if other teams want to sign players, sometimes these players need to go through waivers first (when Nabokov was claimed from the Isles). Vegas shouldn't sign those players. But for undrafted college players there shouldn't be a problem.
 

LadyStanley

Registered User
Sep 22, 2004
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Why should the NHL not allow? Even I could sign players for my backyard and the NHL could do nothing about it.

Of course Vegas should follow the rules which are meant for every other NHL team. For example if other teams want to sign players, sometimes these players need to go through waivers first (when Nabokov was claimed from the Isles). Vegas shouldn't sign those players. But for undrafted college players there shouldn't be a problem.

LV won't "be" a NHL franchise until they complete their $500mm expansion fee. And the last payment is due in April.

So, why would the NHL allow LV to sign any player before that final payment?
 

MrLouniverse

frontline internet hero
Sep 19, 2012
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LS, my guess would be that his implication is that Vegas could tenably offer contracts to NCAA players that aren't SPCs, but they could do that now if that was their intention; I agree to the extent that I can't imagine the league would either consider the contract to be valid in the eyes of their governing bodies or be ok with accepting a team into their brethren that was already flaunting their CBA regulations that allow the center to hold in their tenuous above-anti-trust situation before admission, though.

That being said, and I'm perfectly willing to defer to knowledge rather than speculation here, are we sure that full member status is contingent on being fully "paid up"? If I took a mortgage out on my house, I would still be a member of my HOA and I still would hold responsibility for the liability related to a car I have a note out on. If they never make the payment, they're not a team, contracts become void; if they do make the payment, (anything else, frankly, would be an enormous shock to the NHL,) I can't see a great argument for curtailing their ability to act as a team as relates to an upcoming season where all parties overwhelming believe full membership will be an entirely non-issue.

Again, I don't know the answer, but I can't think of a reason that the NHL *couldn't* grant them full rights, or many compelling reasons as to why they wouldn't as relates to business that will be effecting future seasons where BKS will be a full governor or (way less likely) a non-factor.

Whether or not the last payment has been made on a team by a group that, at that point, will have paid *far* past the point of plausible retreat on their investment seems like a fairly hostile and pedantic sticking point, from my standpoint.
 

LadyStanley

Registered User
Sep 22, 2004
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FTR, I have not seen any NHL announcement WRT when signings can begin. And no authoritative pundit (e.g., LeBrun, Dreger, et al) has shared that information either.
 

jwhouk

Former Cheesehead, Always a Preds Fan
Apr 19, 2004
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jwhouk.net
(rolls eyes, looks back up thread)

The Las Vegas franchise will probably not be allowed to sign players to contracts until the end of the 2017 season. Minor league free agents would be allowed to sign as soon as their seasons are complete; NHL free agents would have to wait until after July 1st - by which time the league would have already held its expansion draft.

May would probably be the earliest that the _____ Knights would be able to sign anyone.
 

LadyStanley

Registered User
Sep 22, 2004
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http://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/nhl-vegas/nhl-wants-seattle-what-price

Las Vegas owner Bill Foley confirmed Friday what ESPN.com first reported last week that Las Vegas will get an early opportunity to court unrestricted free agents before the June 20 expansion draft and the traditional July 1 start of free agency.

“We’re going to look very hard at that,” Foley said of pursuing unrestricted free agents as well as restricted free agents. “If we were to do so, it would be a long-term contract.”

If Las Vegas signed an unrestricted free agent or restricted free agent and that team didn’t match the RFA’s deal, that player would satisfy his former team’s loss of a player in the expansion draft. If Las Vegas doesn’t sign anyone prior, it would have a second opportunity July 1.

“It will be like getting a second bite of the apple,” Foley said. “But it’s going to be interesting over the next six, seven months, and we’ll be talking to the league to follow up with some of the legal questions and make sure we’re in compliance with the rules.”

Foley said the team’s next mock expansion draft will be in late January just before NHL All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles.

It may depend on which pending RFAs and UFAs are exposed that would make sense to be a significant cornerstone of the franchise going forward.
 

airbus220

Registered User
Feb 19, 2012
3,872
56
Whoa. The ability to sign a FA before July 1st, with the only penalty the loss of a expansion draft pick? I'd take that.

Yes it's good, but it will change the philosophy. Teams now will sign their UFA they want to keep. But still good for us, better quality will be exposed.
 

ronthemailman

Registered User
Oct 23, 2016
64
9
Las Vegas
Section 210..Row L...$25 seats were gone...$35's, but as far left to the players bench side as P6 covers...wanted either 218 or 210, so happy... website didn't work and had to call in...agent said pretty much everybody had trouble...no 3-D views till next month when new software is installed
 

Neiler

Registered Loser
Jul 16, 2006
2,195
786
Question regarding player exposure that I can't seem to find a solid answer for.

Are players that don't meet the minimum requirements (40/70, contract) still exposed?

The way the expansion tool on CapFriendly looks it seems like they are. However the wording of the minimum requirements for teams kind of make it appear that they only need to expose 4 players (2F, 1D, 1G).
 

Mike Jones

Registered User
Apr 12, 2007
12,485
2,875
Calgary
Question regarding player exposure that I can't seem to find a solid answer for.

Are players that don't meet the minimum requirements (40/70, contract) still exposed?

The way the expansion tool on CapFriendly looks it seems like they are. However the wording of the minimum requirements for teams kind of make it appear that they only need to expose 4 players (2F, 1D, 1G).

As I understand the rules to this point a team can expose any eligible player they want but they are required to ensure that at least four of them meet certain contractual and on ice requirements. I think this is consistent with previous expansions.
 

airbus220

Registered User
Feb 19, 2012
3,872
56
Question regarding player exposure that I can't seem to find a solid answer for.

Are players that don't meet the minimum requirements (40/70, contract) still exposed?

The way the expansion tool on CapFriendly looks it seems like they are. However the wording of the minimum requirements for teams kind of make it appear that they only need to expose 4 players (2F, 1D, 1G).

Yes, the minimum is 2F, 1D with 40/70 games played and 1G with contract or qualifying offer. But that doesn't mean that all others are exempt, only exempt are players with less than 3 pro years. And then there are UFA Vegas can sign as a draft choice too.
 

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