Projected Las Vegas NHL Team Roster

Las Vegas NHL Team Roster

The Las Vegas team will make it’s debut at the start of the 2017-18 season.  With a 31st franchise coming to Las Vegas for the 2017-18 season, hockey fans across North America are planning their next Sin City visit.  Las Vegas will be the eighth team in the Pacific Division and the 15th team in the Western Conference.  As of August 1, 2016 the team still has no nickname; here are some of the potential Las Vegas team name options.

Las Vegas NHL

NHL Expansion Draft Rules

In terms of the NHL expansion draft, teams must expose players based on the following protected player lists:

* Clubs will have two options for players they wish to protect in the Expansion Draft:

a) Seven forwards, three defensemen and one goaltender

b) Eight skaters (forwards/defensemen) and one goaltender

* All players who have currently effective and continuing “No Movement” clauses at the time of the Expansion Draft (and who to decline to waive such clauses) must be protected (and will be counted toward their club’s applicable protection limits).

* All first- and second-year professionals, as well as all unsigned draft choices, will be exempt from selection (and will not be counted toward their club’s applicable protection limits).

* The Las Vegas franchise must select the following number of players at each position: 14 forwards, nine defensemen and three goaltenders.

* The Las Vegas franchise must select a minimum of 20 players who are under contract for the 2017-18 season.

* The Las Vegas franchise must select players with an aggregate Expansion Draft value that is between 60-100% of the prior season’s upper limit for the salary cap.

Full expansion draft rules can be found at nhl.com.

Projected Las Vegas NHL Roster

Ok so give or take a few players, here is what we are predicting the Las Vegas team’s roster composition will look like:

Las Vegas NHL Roster

Will the expansion draft rules, the Las Vegas franchise could be icing a half decent team.  Looking forward to the team joining the Western Conference next season.