NHL adding 4 teams- including Las Vegas and Seattle?

[guiltyparty]

It's going to be the Black Knights, I think we all realize that... But that Locomotives mock up is sweet.

[Vegas]

Today it became 100% official as Gary Bettman announced Las Vegas is getting a team and will start play in the 2017-18 season.



Las Vegas will get to select players in an expansion draft next June and will also choose somewhere between #1-#6 in the 2017 draft.

Also today in Las Vegas, Thomas Kane won the Hart Trophy at the annual NHL awards show.

[Sinclair Promotions]

I completely forgot the NHL Awards were tonight, other than Deadline Day it's a mini holiday for me lol

Congrats to Vegas on getting the franchise. I'd like to see them competitive as quickly as possible, if they falter out of the gate for a number of years it could make things painful to watch.

[Sinclair Promotions]

Las Vegas awarded NHL franchise
Expansion team will begin play in 2017-18 season
by Dan Rosen @drosennhl / NHL.com Senior Writer
6:36 PM

LAS VEGAS -- The NHL is coming to Vegas baby, Vegas.

Commissioner Gary Bettman announced Wednesday in the ballroom of Encore at Wynn Las Vegas that the League has granted an expansion franchise to Las Vegas that will start playing as its 31st team in the 2017-18 season. The Las Vegas franchise was approved in a unanimous vote conducted during the Board of Governors meeting here Wednesday.

The NHL becomes the first of the four major North American professional sports leagues to put a team in Las Vegas. This will be the NHL's first expansion team since the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild came into the League in the 2000-01 season.

The League will receive a $500 million expansion fee from Bill Foley, the billionaire businessman who spearheaded the Las Vegas expansion bid and will be the franchise's principal owner. The $500 million will be distributed equally among the existing 30 teams.

The approval of the Las Vegas franchise comes two days prior to the one-year anniversary of the NHL announcing the Board of Governors authorized a formal expansion process.

"The name of Bill's website was VegasWantsHockey.com," Commissioner Bettman said. "Starting today, Vegas has hockey, NHL hockey."

Foley said he hopes to have the name of the team and its logo in place by the start of the 2016-17 season so they can start selling merchandise. He said his preference is Black Knights, largely because of his ties to the U.S. Military Academy as a West Point graduate, but the plan is to work with the NHL to come up with the appropriate name for the franchise.

"Our great sports town now has a major league franchise, the NHL," Foley said. "It's the best of the leagues. It's a legendary league. Las Vegas is my home along with 2.3 million other people. We want everyone to be a fan. We're dedicated to it. We'll leave no stone unturned in our dedication and our pursuit of hockey here in Las Vegas, not just for our team, but for the community."

The Board of Governors also voted to defer the application for an expansion team from Quebecor Inc., which maintains the goal of bringing NHL hockey back to Quebec City.

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said there is no formal plan at this point for recycling back to the Quebec City application. Commissioner Bettman said relocation of another franchise to Quebec City is not being considered.

"There is no doubt as to the passion for hockey, particularly NHL hockey, in Quebec City," Commissioner Bettman said. "There is no doubt as to the suitability of Videotron Centre as a home arena for a team. And there is no doubt regarding the ownership credentials or the eagerness to own an NHL team of Quebecor, which has been an outstanding league partner. These components, the ones within the control of the Quebec City applicant, are first-rate. The decision to defer, however, were based on elements over which Quebec City and the Quebec City group had no control whatsoever."

Such factors include the League's geographic imbalance within the conferences, the difficulty of bringing two new teams in at the same time, and the struggling Canadian dollar, which was trading at 78 cents on the U.S. dollar on Wednesday.

Las Vegas will be the eighth team in the Pacific Division and the 15th in the Western Conference. The NHL has 16 teams in the Eastern Conference. Commissioner Bettman and Daly each stressed the importance for balance within the conferences.

"What we have to understand from the words, or being on hold, is that we'll keep a discussion with the NHL," said Pierre Dion, Quebecor's chief executive officer and president. "We're very close to them, we have a great relationship with them, so we'll keep talking. That's how we have to interpret the 'deferred' and 'on hold.'"

The Las Vegas team will play its home games at T-Mobile Arena, which is located just west of the famed Las Vegas Strip. The arena opened in April and can hold 17,368 for a hockey game.

"It is a great venue and it was built with hockey in mind," Commissioner Bettman said.

Las Vegas has received more than 14,000 deposits for season tickets and has sold all of the luxury seats in T-Mobile Arena since Foley launched a season-ticket drive 16 months ago. Foley said they sold roughly 400 more season tickets in the past week.

Foley said he expects 85 percent to 90 percent of the crowds to be season-ticket holders.

"I'm convinced we're going to be full every night, and particularly after a year or two when we've really demonstrated a real winning attitude and we are performing on behalf of the city of Las Vegas," Foley said.

Foley said he will work quickly to establish a hockey operations department. He stressed that he will work with the NHL to understand the rules that are in place so the Las Vegas franchise is in compliance and not tampering.

"You'll see a lot of action here over the next 30 days, 45 days, but we want to be careful on how we do it," Foley said. "We don't want to tamper. We want to work with the League and get a lot of advice."

In addition, the NHL announced the rules for the expansion draft that will take place next summer to create the Las Vegas team. The goal for the expansion draft is to give the Las Vegas franchise the best chance to be successful immediately.

"The team coming into the most competitive league in sports will have a roster that will be competitive more quickly than prior expansions," Commissioner Bettman said.

To get there, Las Vegas must select one player from each of the existing 30 teams, including at least 14 forwards, nine defensemen and three goalies. It must select a minimum of 20 players who have existing contracts that carry through the 2017-18 season and the average annual value of the total contracts it takes on must be at least 60 percent of the 2016-17 season salary-cap limit, which is $73 million.

The earliest Las Vegas can buy out any of the contracts it takes on is the summer of 2018.

The existing 30 teams will have the option to protect seven forwards, three defensemen and one goalie, or eight skaters regardless of position and one goalie, from the expansion draft.

Any player with a "no movement" clause in his contract at the time of the expansion draft must be protected and will count toward his team's protection limits unless the player agrees to waive his no-movement clause.

Teams have to submit their protection lists by 5 p.m. ET on June 17, 2017. Las Vegas has to submit its selections for the expansion draft by 5 p.m. ET on June 20. The results of the expansion draft will be released publicly on June 21.

All forwards and defensemen exposed for the draft must be under contract for the 2017-18 season. Teams must expose a minimum of one defenseman and two forwards who played 40 or more games in the 2016-17 season, or 70 or more games in the previous two seasons.

Goalies exposed for the draft can either be under contract for the 2017-18 season or scheduled to become a restricted free agent in the summer of 2017. In order to expose a goalie entering RFA status, the team must extend him his qualifying offer before submitting its protection list.

All first- and second-year pros and all unsigned draft picks are exempt from the expansion draft and will not have to be protected.

Las Vegas will be inserted into the 2017 NHL Draft Lottery with the same odds as the team that finishes with the third fewest points in the 2016-17 season. It will be guaranteed to have no lower than the No. 6 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft and will own the third pick in each subsequent round.

"This is Las Vegas' team," Foley said. "We have 2.2 or 2.3 million local residents and we sold 14,000 season tickets with season-ticket deposits when we didn't have a team and we didn't have an arena. That is the kind of level of dedication that the people of Las Vegas have shown in support of NHL hockey. It went a long way for us to making progress with the NHL.

"Las Vegas is hockey-ready. We're convinced of it. We know it."

NHL.com Article with video's

[Sinclair Promotions]

Rules for 2017 Expansion Draft
Las Vegas to select 30 players, one from each franchise
NHL.com nhl
4:00 PM

With the NHL awarding a franchise to Las Vegas at the Board of Governors Meeting on Wednesday, an expansion draft will take place after next season.

Las Vegas will be the eighth team in the Pacific Division and the 15th team in the Western Conference. The NHL has 16 teams in the Eastern Conference.

The following rules were approved for the 2017 Expansion Draft:

Protected 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).

Player Exposure Requirements

* All Clubs must meet the following minimum requirements regarding players exposed for selection in the Expansion Draft:

i) One defenseman who is a) under contract in 2017-18 and b) played in 40 or more NHL games the prior season OR played in 70 or more NHL games in the prior two seasons.

ii) Two forwards who are a) under contract in 2017-18 and b) played in 40 or more NHL games the prior season OR played in 70 or more NHL games in the prior two seasons.

iii) One goaltender who is under contract in 2017-18 or will be a restricted free agent at the expiration of his current contract immediately prior to 2017-18. If the club elects to make a restricted free agent goaltender available in order to meet this requirement, that goaltender must have received his qualifying offer prior to the submission of the club's protected list.

* Players with potential career-ending injuries who have missed more than the previous 60 consecutive games (or who otherwise have been confirmed to have a career-threatening injury) may not be used to satisfy a club's player exposure requirements, unless approval is received from the NHL. Such players also may be deemed exempt from selection by the League

Regulations Relating to Expansion Franchise

* The Las Vegas franchise must select one player from each presently existing club for a total of 30 players (not including additional players who may be acquired as the result of violations of the Expansion Draft rules).

* 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.

* The Las Vegas franchise may not buy out any of the players selected in the Expansion Draft earlier than the summer following its first season.

The 30 NHL Clubs must submit their Protection List by 5:00 P.M. ET on Saturday, June 17, 2017. The Las Vegas team must submit their Expansion Draft Selections by 5:00 P.M. ET on June 20 and the announcement of their selections will be released on made on June 21.

2017 NHL Draft Lottery

The Las Vegas franchise will be given the same odds in the 2017 NHL Draft Lottery as the team finishing with the third-fewest points during the 2016-17 regular season.

The Las Vegas franchise's First Round selection in the 2017 NHL Draft will be determined in accordance with the 2017 NHL Draft Lottery and, as a result, the Las Vegas franchise will be guaranteed no lower than the sixth overall selection.

The Las Vegas franchise then will select third in each subsequent round of the 2017 NHL Draft (subject to trades and other potential player transactions).

Alignment

The Las Vegas franchise will begin play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in 2017-18. There will be no other changes to the NHL's alignment.

2017-18 Schedule Matrix

Each club will continue to play an 82-game schedule, with 41 home games and 41 road games.

The schedule matrix, which ensures that all teams play in all arenas at least once each season, will be adjusted to the following in 2017-18:

Eastern Conference (Atlantic and Metropolitan Divisions - 8 Teams)

Within Conference (Division): 28 games
* 7 Teams: 2 Home / 2 Away
* 7 x 4 = 28 games

Within Conference (Non-Division): 24 games
* 4 Teams: 2 Home / 1 Away
* 4 Teams: 1 Home / 2 Away
* 4 x 3 = 12 games
* 4 x 3 = 12 games

Non-Conference: 30 games
* 15 Home / 15 Away
* 2 x 15 = 30

Western Conference (Central Division - 7 Teams)

Within Conference (Division): 26 games
* 4 Teams: 2 Home / 2 Away
* 1 Team: 3 Home / 2 Away
* 1 Team: 2 Home / 3 Away
* 4 x 4 = 16
* 1 x 5 = 5
* 1 x 5 = 5

Within Conference (Non-Division): 24 games
* 4 Teams: 2 Home / 1 Away
* 4 Teams: 1 Home / 2 Away
* 4 x 3 = 12 games
* 4 x 3 = 12 games

Non-Conference: 32 games
* 16 Home / 16 Away
* 2 x 16 = 32 games

Western Conference (Pacific Division - 8 Teams)

Within Conference (Division): 29 games
* 6 Teams: 2 Home / 2 Away
* 1 Team: 3 Home / 2 Away
* 6 x 4 = 24 games
* 1 x 5 = 5 games

Within Conference (Non-Division): 21 games
* 4 Teams: 2 Home / 1 Away
* 3 Teams: 1 Home / 2 Away
* 4 x 3 = 12 games
* 3 x 3 = 9 games

Non-Conference: 32 games
* 16 Home / 16 Away
* 2 x 16 = 32 games


Marquee games for the Las Vegas Franchise first year would probably include when teams like Pittsburgh, Washington (if Ovie is still there), Toronto & Montreal (Huge draws for Canadian Travelers to Vegas) come through for their first game in Vegas. The rest of the Original Six teams as well (Detroit and Boston). Chicago will either have one or two games in Vegas depending on how the schedule works out.

[Sinclair Promotions]

Quebec City remains patient, optimistic
Application for expansion team deferred by Board of Governors
by Dan Rosen @drosennhl / NHL.com Senior Writer
7:54 PM

LAS VEGAS -- Representatives from the group hoping to bring the Nordiques back to Quebec City remain optimistic they will be able to reach their goal despite being disappointed that their application for an expansion team was deferred by the NHL Board of Governors.

The Board of Governors granted an expansion team to Las Vegas and put the Quebec City application from Quebecor Inc. on hold during a meeting here Wednesday.

"We know there are a lot of passionate hockey fans in Quebec City," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "There were a whole host of issues that went into the determination that there should be one team now and it needed to be a team in the west. Las Vegas fit the bill, but we are impressed by the application that was put forward by Quebecor on behalf of Quebec City and that's why the application wasn't rejected, it was deferred at least for the time being."

Commissioner Bettman outlined three chief reasons for why the Quebec City application was deferred:

a) The current geographic imbalance that exists in the NHL with 16 teams in the Eastern Conference and 14 in the Western Conference. Las Vegas will become the 15th team in the Western Conference and eighth in the Pacific Division, but if Quebec City had been granted a team it would have been an Eastern Conference team, leaving the NHL with an imbalance among 32 teams.

b) The volatility of the Canadian dollar, which dipped to 68 cents during the year-long formal expansion process that came to an end Wednesday.

c) The difficulty on the existing 30 teams of adjusting to the addition of two expansion teams coming into the League at the same time. The existing teams will each lose one player in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft.

"We understand the process, we're part of that process," Quebecor president and chief executive officer Pierre Dion said. "We want it to be a win-win as well. We're hockey fans but we're a business company as well, a business corporation that wants to make it a success. All the conditions have to be there if we want it to be a success. That's why we think we need to be patient. Timing has to be right. We lost the Nordiques once, we don't want to lose them twice. That's how we see it."

Commissioner Bettman said the League is not considering relocating a franchise to Quebec City and there is no formal process underway or timetable for when it will re-evaluate Quebec City's application for an expansion team.

He also said the League has not started the process to look for a 16th team in the Western Conference.

"This was the appropriate response now," Commissioner Bettman said. "Were we obviously aware of the interest and capabilities both of Quebec City and Quebecor? The answer is absolutely yes. They're on our radar screen for another time perhaps, another day perhaps when circumstances may allow."

Dion said he believes Quebecor has built a strong relationship with representatives from the NHL that will benefit it in hopefully getting a team to Quebec City soon enough.

"The NHL, I think they like the Quebecor application, I think they like the relationship they have with Quebecor, they like the market, they like the arena," Dion said. "A lot of things can happen in the coming months, so we'll follow that very closely and we'll keep talking with the NHL."

Dion stressed that people in Quebec City still talk about the Nordiques in their daily discussions even though they left 20 years ago, when they were relocated to Denver and became the Colorado Avalanche.

He said he will go to Quebec City on Thursday to explain to the fans through the media why the application was deferred and how serious Quebecor is about bringing the Nordiques back.

"The fans deserve this and I ask them to continue to support us and continue to be patient," Dion said. "We haven't had the Nordiques for 20 years, so we know what patience is."

NHL.com Article with Videos

[Sinclair Promotions]

Frequently asked questions about Las Vegas franchise
Everything you need to know regarding the NHL's 31st team
NHL.com nhl
7:51 PM

The NHL welcomed the Las Vegas franchise as the newest member of the League on Wednesday.

Here is everything you need to know about the NHL's 31st franchise:

Was the Las Vegas franchise the only expansion team awarded?: Yes. The application for Quebec City was deferred and will not be part of this expansion process. The NHL said Quebec City's candidacy could be revisited at a later date.

When will the Las Vegas franchise start play in the NHL?: The Las Vegas franchise will begin play in the 2017-18 season.

Does the team have a nickname or logo yet?: No. Team majority owner Bill Foley said that he hopes to have a nickname, logo and color scheme decided by the start of the 2016-17 season.

Which conference and division will Las Vegas be placed?: The Las Vegas franchise will become the 15th member of the Western Conference and the eighth member of the Pacific Division.

Will the League's conference alignment change with the addition of the Las Vegas franchise?: No. The current lineup of 16 teams in the East will remain; the West will increase to 15 teams and some minor scheduling tweaks will occur, but there will be no wholesale changes to the current alignment.

How will the team stock its roster initially?: The first players for the franchise will come from an expansion draft, which will be held during a 48-hour period in June. The original 30-player roster will be announced June 21, 2017.

What players will be available in the Expansion Draft?: Each of the 30 NHL teams will have two options when it comes to protecting players on its roster. Teams will be able to protect seven forwards, three defenseman and one goaltender or eight skaters (forwards and defense) and one goalie. Players with no-movement clauses in their contracts must be protected by the club holding the contract.

What players are exempt from being drafted by the Las Vegas franchise?: All first- and second-year professionals and unsigned draft choices do not need to be protected.

How many players will each team lose in the Expansion Draft?: Each team will lose one player to the Las Vegas franchise.

Are there limits on how many players at each position Las Vegas can select in the Expansion Draft?: Yes. Las Vegas must select at least 14 forwards, nine defenseman and three goaltenders. Twenty of the players selected in the Expansion Draft must have contracts through the 2017-18 season. Finally, the aggregate salary of the 30 players selected must combined to be at least 60 percent of the prior season's salary cap ceiling.

Can Las Vegas buy out any of the players it selects in Expansion Draft?: The buyout of any player selected in the Expansion Draft can't be executed until the summer after the first season of play for Las Vegas.

When will the Las Vegas franchise take part in the NHL Draft?: Las Vegas will be a full participant in the 2017 NHL Draft in Chicago.

Where will it pick in the 2017 NHL Draft?: Las Vegas will have the same odds in the 2017 NHL Draft Lottery as the team finishing with the third-fewest points during the 2016-17 regular season. The Las Vegas franchise's first round selection in the 2017 draft will be determined in accordance with the 2017 NHL Draft Lottery and, as a result, the Las Vegas franchise will be guaranteed no lower than the No. 6 pick. After the first round, Las Vegas will select third in each round.

[Sinclair Promotions]

Las Vegas plans to name GM by Aug. 1: report
Expansion team wants to identify 3-5 candidates for job
NHL.com nhl
July 2nd, 2016

The Las Vegas NHL franchise wants to "have our general manager on board no later than Aug. 1," owner Bill Foley told the Review-Journal this week.

"We've had a lot of people reach out to us, and we've got some people we're interested in who we've yet to speak to," Foley said before leaving for a staff meeting in Montana. "We hope to identify who we want to speak to from these meetings."

The expansion team will begin play in the 2017-18 NHL season. Foley said he would like to have three to five candidates to become its first GM.

"We talked to the NHL last week and we were explained how the protocol works when it comes to contacting other teams," Foley said. "We want to play by the rules and not make any mistakes. The NHL told us what we have to do, and we're good with that."

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced the NHL's 31st team on June 22. It will be the first expansion since 2000, when the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets were formed.

Las Vegas is without a nickname and logo but is working with the NHL to develop both, along with a color scheme. Foley said he hopes to reveal all this information at a public event at T-Mobile Arena in September or October.

"It's a very long process," he said. "You really can't rush it."

He also said season-ticket holders will be able to choose their seats in late summer or early fall.

"We have to have individual game tickets available," Foley said. "But the response has been overwhelming, and we're going to have to look at capping sales once we clear 16,000."

Full Article w/ Video

[Sinclair Promotions]

Las Vegas franchise trademarks three nicknames
NHL expansion team registers Desert Knights, Golden Knights, Silver Knights
NHL.com nhl
August 29th, 2016

The NHL Las Vegas expansion team trademarked the nicknames Desert Knights, Golden Knights and Silver Knights last week, a team spokesperson confirmed to NHL.com.

Detroithockey.net first reported the names on Aug 23.

Las Vegas was awarded an expansion team on June 22. It will begin play as the NHL's 31st team in the 2017-18 season.

On July 13, owner Bill Foley said he wanted to have a logo and nickname "ASAP," but copyright reasons have been an issue. He later said his goal is to have a logo, nickname and color scheme in place before two NHL preseason games are played at T-Mobile Arena on Oct. 7 and 8 (the Los Angeles Kings play the Dallas Stars and the Colorado Avalanche).

"My goal is to have a name that I can create a culture around and people, the players and the fans will understand the connection and the names of the team and it has to stand for a lot of things that I strongly believe in, perseverance, dedication, honor, never give up, never give in," he said. "All these things I'm trying to put together with a name.

"We want the name to fit our goals and what we're trying to accomplish, and I'm really confident that we're going to hit it and do really well."

Foley, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, said one of his first choices was Black Knights, the nickname used at West Point, but it didn't go over well with hockey fans.

"I do listen to what the fans are saying. Black Knights is not a popular name generally speaking amongst the fans," Foley said. "I think they would have loved it because I had a real plan in place about what the Black Knight would be and how we would promote that logo and that name and that culture. But I believe we'll do the same thing with the names we're coming down to."

Foley said Nighthawks, though not his preferred choice, is still on the table.

"That's still a name, we have it reserved. It's a name we could use," he said. "It's not our preferred name. We have a couple of others that we're working through that are a little bit different, but it's kind of our backup plan. I guess you could say that."

[Sinclair Promotions]

Las Vegas will have Knights in nickname, owner says
Report: Expansion team colors, logos 'need some refinement'
NHL.com nhl September 10th, 2016

Las Vegas will have Knights as part of its nickname, and red as one of its colors, owner Bill Foley said in a radio interview Friday.

"We have our colors picked, we have our basic logo picked, it needs some refinement," Foley said, according to Sportsnet. "We have moved some color schemes around, and the team will be something Knights. K-n-i-g-h-t-s. We have the name."

Foley did not reveal what other word would be connected to Knights, but did admit again it would not be Black Knights, his preferred choice but one used by the U.S. Military Academy, his alma mater, for its sports teams.

Earlier reports said Foley's management group has secured the names Golden Knights, Silver Knights and Desert Knights.

"These are going to be great looking jerseys," Foley said. "The colors will be reflective of the name. It will have certain colors that will be reflective of the Las Vegas environment, like Red Rock, that red color."

Foley said he wanted to announce the expansion team's identity prior to NHL preseason games being played at its T-Mobile Arena on Oct. 7 and 8, but he said that is unlikely to happen. (The Los Angeles Kings play the Dallas Stars then the Colorado Avalanche).

Las Vegas will begin play in the 2017-18 NHL season.