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Post by Vegas on May 6, 2016 2:07:53 GMT -5
regarding the goalies, I believe I read that the teams will only be able to protect 1 goalie on their team
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Post by Sinclair Promotions on May 6, 2016 5:55:05 GMT -5
regarding the goalies, I believe I read that the teams will only be able to protect 1 goalie on their team That will probably be the case. It'll be interesting to see how goalies get moved around this season. Just before the last expansion draft a lot of goalies got moved around during the season. From the sounds of things right now it is not a matter of if but when the NHL will announce the expansion into Las Vegas. Without saying so the Winnipeg Jets GM said that teams are quietly being told to prepare for the possibility of expansion. The clip was on the Jets App (haven't found it yet on Youtube), and one of the questions was about the expansion draft. Some quick points, as I mentioned before and clarified slightly after a second viewing. 1 - While teams will be able to protect players from the draft they also have make available players with a slightly higher cap hit, from this I'm guessing that each teams protected players list will be somewhere around the league minimum in salary. 1a - The Vegas team will have to select enough salary to probably meet the cap floor (this is where it gets bad for Vegas - as teams will leave players who are way under performing based on their cap hit) 2 - Players in their entrance contract will be protected. That means that guys like Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel won't be available for Vegas to select (not sure but this rule may also apply to goalies) 3 - Nothing was mentioned by the GM about No Movement Clauses and if those players would be protected, from the sounds of post by EventHorizon NHL Teams will be forced to protect those contracts first and foremost. Where this ruling might get interesting is if a team ends up protecting more than the cap limit for protection, would players with No Movement Clauses on a team like Chicago then become available? |
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Post by Sinclair Promotions on May 19, 2016 23:08:55 GMT -5
NHL commissioner says Las Vegas expansion is still not a guarantee
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
April 22nd, 2016
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told a group of sports editors Friday that there was nothing new on expansion, which he again repeated wasn’t a guarantee for 2017-18 or at all.
Las Vegas and Quebec City are the only cities in consideration for expansion, which has no timetable. Bettman also said there isn’t an opportunity for Seattle to join the fray at this time.
“What’s new in Seattle on a building?” Bettman said in addressing The Associated Press Sports Editors group in New York. “Even if you told me they were under construction tomorrow, it wouldn’t impact this process.”
The owners have been studying for several months whether to expand to Las Vegas and/or Quebec City for the 2017-18 season.
However, a decision is expected before the owners come to Las Vegas in June. If it’s made before June, it would be done through a special meeting called by Bettman.
Billionaire businessman Bill Foley, who has been leading Las Vegas’ bid for an expansion franchise, has said he is being patient in waiting for a team, especially considering he has 14,000 deposits for season tickets. He has plans to build a practice facility in Summerlin once he is given a green light.
In other league matters, Bettman is not in favor of fans throwing anything on the ice besides hats after a player scores a hat trick. That includes playoff traditions of faux rats in Florida and real octopi in Detroit.
Days after fans in Philadelphia threw light-up wristbands onto the ice during a Flyers playoff loss, Bettman said the league strongly discourages throwing anything onto the ice except for hats to celebrate a hat trick.
“Putting aside the hat trick, we don’t think it’s a good idea for fans to be throwing things on the ice for a whole host of reasons.” Bettman said. “We don’t think it’s appropriate, other than the case of the hat trick, to throw things on the ice. Not only is it disruptive to the game, it’s potentially dangerous.”
Bettman was at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Monday when fans threw hundreds of wristbands on the ice during the third period of a 6-1 loss to the Washington Capitals. The commissioner called it an unfortunate incident, especially considering the wristbands were part of a pregame tribute to late founder Ed Snider.
When Panthers fans threw rats onto the ice during a March 31 game against the New Jersey Devils, the team was given two minor penalties for delay of game, a rule the NHL put in to cut down on such events. Bettman said he spoke to the team’s executive chairman, Peter Luukko, immediately to express his concern about a tradition that dates to Florida’s Stanley Cup Final run in 1996.
Detroit’s octopus tradition goes back much further, but that doesn’t mean it’s league-approved.
“An occasional octopus, I’m not justifying it, is certainly different than 10,000 rats,” Bettman said. “They do a good job at Joe Louis (Arena) of getting the octopi off the ice as quickly as possible. And they don’t swing it around anymore because you can get octopus goop on the ice or on a player’s jersey.”
That won’t be a problem until at least next spring, as the Red Wings were eliminated Thursday night. The NHL told the Panthers that fans can throw toy rats on the ice only after a game.
Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly touched on other topics during the hourlong meeting:
On other topics:
* After Chicago Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw was suspended a game for using a gay slur, Bettman said the league has tried to “raise the consciousness” about those kinds of issues. Daly said the league educates players and specifically rookies about the subject and sent out a memo before the season to make them aware of what’s not appropriate to say. Shaw apologized the next day.
“If you focus on the quotes that the players gave after the incident, there’s an awareness and a greater awareness on the subject than ever before,” Bettman said. “And I think even Andrew’s response was an acknowledgement of that. Perhaps this was a teaching moment.”
* Bettman defended the league against criticism of the new coach’s challenge system that has been at the center of controversy in a handful of playoff games. Bettman believes plays that are offside by even the slightest amount should be subject to review.
“We’re trying to get it right,” Bettman said. “And in the playoffs, you look at how close the games are. The Chicago-St. Louis series, they’ve played 96 percent of the time either tied or within a goal. Every goal matters.”
* At playoff time, seemingly every banged-up player is day-to-day with an upper- or a lower-body injury. Don’t expect that to change.
Bettman and Daly said neither the league nor the players’ union has any interest in altering the injury disclosure policy. Teams must report all injuries, including concussions, to the NHL, but Bettman said it’s not in players’ interests to open themselves up to in-game harm from opponents knowing what’s wrong with them.
Review-Journal sports editor Bill Bradley contributed to this report
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Post by Vegas on May 30, 2016 22:10:46 GMT -5
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Post by guiltyparty on May 31, 2016 9:26:09 GMT -5
I'll keep my fingers crossed for you, Vegas. Not literally though, because I've got typing to do.
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Post by graymar on May 31, 2016 9:51:46 GMT -5
I'll keep my fingers crossed for you, Vegas. Not literally though, because I've got typing to do. HA! |
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Post by Vegas on Jun 6, 2016 11:52:46 GMT -5
Instead of June 24th, it now sounds like the announcement will be made on June 22nd: Dream of NHL coming to Las Vegas is nearing realityWhen NHL commissioner Gary Bettman addressed the media Monday in Pittsburgh before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, he was vague, almost evasive, about expansion.
But if you look closer at his comments, Bettman said a lot more than it seemed.
When Bettman explained the three scenarios the league was contemplating — expand by one or two teams, wait a year or put expansion on hold indefinitely — he covered both ends of the rink as far as Las Vegas and Quebec City are concerned.
The league’s nine-member executive committee meets this week, likely on Tuesday, though NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly refused to confirm the date. The group is expected to recommend Las Vegas to join the league for the 2017-18 season while deferring Quebec City until 2018-19.
When the NHL’s Board of Governors meets June 22 in Las Vegas, it is expected to rubber stamp the recommendation, culminating in a historic day, as the city will get its first major league sports franchise after decades of campaigning.
If you think Bettman doesn’t already know the end game of this process that began in July, skate yourself over to the penalty box and serve your two minutes for being ignorant.
Why let Las Vegas launch in 2017 with only 15 to 16 months to prepare instead of two years, as the last two expansion teams — Minnesota and Columbus — did in 2000? Because billionaire businessman Bill Foley and his group are way ahead of the game in terms of preparation.
• The core of the fan base is established with 14,000 season-ticket deposits secured.
• He has a lease agreement with T-Mobile Arena that is favorable and gives him a chance to turn a profit.
• His practice facility in Summerlin has the OK to get built in time for 2017.
• He has had talks about a regional TV contract.
• He has passed the NHL’s extensive vetting process with no issues.
In the short time Foley has been involved in the process, he has impressed most owners with his persona. He’s a regular guy who just happens to be a billionaire. To date, not one NHL owner has publicly spoken out against Foley specifically or his bid. Plus, for a league that has several teams operating in the red, the millions each team will receive from Foley’s $500 million expansion fee to join the NHL no doubt will come in handy.
Also, NHL officials said the league is not worried about the NFL possibly coming to Las Vegas; on the contrary, a move by the Oakland Raiders shows the strength of Foley’s expansion application. It stands on its own, and he’ll have the jump when it comes to corporate sponsorships for this team. In fact, Foley is ready to broker deals with numerous companies, locally and nationally, once he gets approved, something the NHL has seen as a positive for the market’s ability to support hockey.
As Bettman said Monday, “We’re judging the application we have before us on the merits of that application.”
So why wait on Quebec City? For starters, the Canadian dollar continues to fluctuate wildly, and the owners are concerned about inflation and putting another team in Canada at this point. By waiting until 2018, the NHL buys time in the hopes the Loonie stabilizes itself. On Friday, the Canadian dollar was worth 77 cents in U.S. currency.
Quebecor chairman Brian Mulroney, who heads the city’s expansion bid, acknowledged as much Friday, pointing toward the future in his remarks for hockey to return to Quebec City.
But there’s another possibility for Quebecor — relocation — which could come sooner than 2018. The Carolina Hurricanes could be available in light of the recent news that owner Peter Karmanos is having legal issues with his sons, along with the fact the team has been losing money. The Hurricanes lost $13 million in 2014-15 and had the lowest home attendance in the NHL.
By selling, Karmanos recoups most of his losses, Quebec City gets its team, probably for less than $500 million (Forbes Magazine put the value of the Carolina franchise at $225 million in November), and the NHL probably would impose a relocation fee of $50 million to $75 million for the owners to divide.
It keeps the Eastern Conference at 16 teams, and it also gives the NHL time to reopen the expansion process in the hopes that a city west of the Mississippi might apply.
At the top of the wish list is Seattle. But that city doesn’t have a suitable place to play, and until the arena issue gets sorted out, Seattle is on the back burner.
Kansas City, Houston and Portland have NHL-quality buildings, and if there are ownership groups willing to invest, it could lead to a 2018-19 expansion and give the West 16 teams after Las Vegas becomes the conference’s 15th team.
What about Las Vegas’ big day? Don’t expect a party in Toshiba Plaza on June 22. Foley is likely to be low-key that day, opting to delay a public celebration until later in the summer when the team’s nickname and logo are announced.
Dan Quinn, general manager of T-Mobile Arena, said he has not received a request from Foley or the NHL to use Toshiba Plaza on June 22, adding that one could be honored on short notice. He also said the area could easily hold 10,000 people for an event such as an announcement.
But June 22 will be a day for Las Vegas to celebrate. And who knows? Maybe Bettman won’t get booed as is normally the case when he visits an NHL city.www.reviewjournal.com/sports/hockey-vegas/dream-nhl-coming-las-vegas-nearing-reality |
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Post by Tournament Master on Jun 6, 2016 13:04:38 GMT -5
Love the last line of that article about being the one city Bettman doesn't get booed in. Sounds great for Las Vegas, and I really really hope the Raiders move there too.
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Post by EventHorizon on Jun 6, 2016 16:44:38 GMT -5
What really stinks is that apparently if a NMC expires at the end of next year teams will still be forced to be protect the player. You know whose NMC's expire at that time? Girardi and Staal. Which means the Rangers are stuck with those contracts forever. Yuck. So unless they buy 'em out or find a sucker of a trade partner they're going to lose a good young defender most likely.
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Post by Vegas on Jun 11, 2016 11:47:49 GMT -5
It is now June 11th, 1/2 way through the month until the announcement by June 22nd.
Interesting article I read about the expansion draft:
For a League that hasn’t formally declared that it’s expanding, there’s sure been a lot of groundwork laid for a potential NHL expansion draft, huh?
We’ll find out before the NHL Awards on June 22 if the Board of Governors approves Las Vegas for a new franchise, with Quebec City basically stating they’re a relocation spot recently. But in the meantime, the rules for the draft that could accompany expansion have been fine-tuned, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet and James Mirtle of the Globe & Mail.
While we’ve known much of the details for weeks, a few new tidbits from the report
* There is an “experience criteria” for the draft. “A minimum of two forwards and one defenseman must be exposed who have played 40 games the previous season, or a total of 70 over the previous two,” writes Johnston. In addition, those players must be under contract for the team’s first season.
This is obviously an insurance policy against teams playing games by exposing only players with little experience in the draft while protecting all its veterans.
* According to Johnston, “Players holding no-movement clauses – including those modified by limited no-trades, such as Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury – count against the protection limit, provided that those contracts and clauses extend through the 2017-18 season.”
Fleury’s deal is a bit of a hybrid, in the sense that his limited no-move clause prevents his being demoted or waived while his limited no-trade addresses the places where he could be traded. In the even there’s a player with that kind of deal, apparently they have to be protected.
(Keep in mind that if the Penguins have to protect Fleury, Matt Murray’s status will be determined by how the NHL defines “pros.” Do they mean first or second-year NHL players, or will AHL experience count? If so, then Murray would potentially be exposed.)
* Mirtle reports that “teams cannot reacquire players they trade after Jan. 1, 2017 prior to Jan. 1, 2018. In other words, no handshake agreements to stash away players with other franchises to hide them from the expansion draft, which is the kind of loophole you have to close as long as Lou Lamoriello walks this Earth.
* Mirtle also reports that the draft lottery rules have been established for Las Vegas, uh, the “expansion team” for the 2017 draft. “The expansion team will be given the same draft lottery odds as the team that finishes third last in the league and cannot pick later than sixth in the 2017 NHL entry draft. It’s possible the expansion team could end up with the first overall pick, if it wins the lottery.”
Keep in mind that in the past, before the draft lottery, teams were just gifted a high pick, usually No. 2 overall.
* Finally, Johnston solves an expansion draft mystery: “Teams will also be permitted to ask players to waive their no-movement clauses for inclusion in the expansion draft.”
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