Last week the NHL announced it would be expanding the league from 31 to 32 teams, with Seattle being awarded a franchise that would begin play in the 2021-2022 season. The first question that almost all non-Seattle fans thought was: How will this expansion draft affect my favorite team? This is a big question and one on the top of all fans minds, due not only to the prior expansion draft being fresh in everyone’s mind, but also due to the success that Vegas had in their first season.
First, let’s take a look at the rules from the 2017 expansion draft as a refresher per NHL.