When the NHL opened the door to expansion bids this year they also opened themselves up to a whole host of speculation about an NHL expansion draft. When Quebec City telecommunications company, Quebécor, and a prospective ownership group in Las Vegas successfully submitted first stage bids to the NHL Monday, things heated up.
If either one of these bids makes it through to the final stages, an expansion draft — which hasn’t occurred in the salary cap era — will take place to move depth players around and give the new franchise(s) a foothold in the NHL.
What are the rules surrounding an expansion draft?