Got to take one from each team so there's going to be 30 players from the expansion draft. Plus we'll have at least 6-7 picks from the entry draft.
7 of the players from the expansion draft are going to have to go places other than the NHL roster and some of them might now want to and become trade bait. Once we're all said and done we'll likely have 40 or so players with expansion draft, entry draft, and trades. Sign some unsigned guys and free agents and I think we'll be fine.
Well most of the entry draft picks will go back to their original team to further develop.
Your first round pick might be able to do the team as LV will have a guaranteed a lottery spot for four years.
But the others will go back to their teams.
In 2018 or 2019 you will start to see these picks of 2017 make the team.
So you have 30 coming from the teams.
To have a full NHL and AHL roster you need 46 players + maybe some extra in ECHL.
A minimum of 15 players extra from unsigned players, other leagues (KHL, SHL, etc), UFA.
Should be easy to get at least two average-good goalies for NHL and two others for AHL. Perfectly possible to get a very good backup and a potential top-10 goalie.
Bottom-6 should not be a problem or
even bottom-9.
Bottom-4 d-men should be fine too: most team will protect top-3 d-men.
Actually LV bottom-9 and bottom-4 should be one of the best in the league.
And this will be a young team with players who are ready for NHL.
To get top-3 forwards or top-2 d-men will be more difficult.
But you could find a few over 30 teams.
Add from the UFA pool.
Some teams are stuck with NMC (Columbus with Dubinsky, Hartnell, Clarkson and Foligno for example) add Jones, Murray and Savard in Defense. Leaves three spot for Saad, Boone Jenner, Alexander Wennberg, Cam Atkinson, William Karlsson, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Sonny Milano and Kerby Rychel.
You can get a top-3 right there or one that will be in a year or two.
EDM will protect seven forwards and Sekera (NMC). So after Larsson and Klefborn, you have Reinhart and Davidson available (and a few others LHD).
WAS: Orpik, Schmidt and Orlov in defense. Connelly could be interesting.
TBL can only protect four out of Kucherov, Drouin, Palat, Johnson, Killorn and Namestnikov. Defense is less interesting except Koekkoek: Coburn, Sustr and Nesterov. In the goal: Gudlevskis (assuming Bishop is gone).
STL Pareyko would be available or one of the top-3 (Boom, Pietro, Shatty): his 17 games in AHL at 21-22 years old means they have to protect him. So either Shattenkirk is traded or he goes UFA.
ANA has plenty of D-men: Bieksa, Vatanen and Lindholm leaving (for now) Fowler available. Also Montour, Theodore, etc.
PHI Gotisbehere and Stolarz (if not protected) could be availalble. Hagg also.
CHI: top-3 d-men are protected so every young d-men is fair game.
WIN will have to deal with one of Trouba or Morrissey.
Plenty of choices.
Hoping your management will build a good scouting staff.
Washington could be a great target for McPhee to get scouts
.