Post by Tampa Bay Lightning on Mar 18, 2016 8:12:52 GMT -5
Because, you know, I have to do all the work around here.
THE VHL EXPANSION PROPOSAL
Some pre-amble:
VHL expansion should only happen if NHL expansion happens, and the decision to expand should be decided by a league-wide vote. The biggest challenging facing expansion: finding 1 or 2 new GMs that are long-term and functional. The expansion should only be initiated AFTER GMs are recruited, and THEN the league should vote upon whether expansion should happen or not. It would be a disaster if the league decided to expand, and then wasn’t able to find GMs to run the teams.
Once GMs are recruited, league GMs would vote on expansion.
Expansion teams would play their VHL games at the start of the 2017-2018 season, and the expansion draft would occur at the conclusion of the 2016-2017 VHL season.
Voting Options:
If the NHL expands by 1 team:
1. Expand the VHL by 1 team
2. Do not expand the VHL
If the NHL expands by 2 teams:
1. Expand the VHL by 2 teams
2. Expand the VHL by 1 team
3. Do not expand the VHL.
Expansion locations:
As of now, there are 30 teams in the VHL. 16 teams in the Eastern Conference, 14 teams in the Western Conference. If there is only 1 expansion team, it is natural to place it in the Western Conference. If there are 2 expansion teams, it makes sense to place 1 team in the West, 1 team in the East, and move 1 existing Eastern VHL team to the West.
VHL Expansion Draft:
The rules of the VHL expansion draft should mirror rules of the NHL expansion draft, but due to logistics and VHL variations on rules, it will not be an exact clone.
The VHL expansion draft will occur just after the cup winner of the 2016-2017 season is awarded. At the end of the season, each of the 30 teams will submit a list of players exempt from the expansion draft.
The rules for the list of
1. The list may comprise of 7F 3D 1G, or 9 skaters.
2. The total sum of the cap hits of the players protected must EXCEED 20 million dollars.
Players on non-expiring ELCs will be automatically exempt from the expansion draft. (to mirror the current information that “all first and second year pros are exempt”) To make this clear: At the end of the VHL season, all the players contracts get subtracted one year. Any ELCs that aren’t “zero” are exempt from the VHL draft. So any ELC player in the current VHL season with “3” years left will be exempt from the draft, any players with “2” years left on his ELC will not be automatically protected. Any players created in the following season will automatically be exempt.
Expiring RFAs can be selected as “a player” in the expansion draft, and the expansion team will be expected to negotiate a new contract with the RFA player. Expiring UFAs cannot be selected by the expansion team and will enter the UFA bidding process.
Prospects (players on our prospect lists) are exempted from the expansion draft (but not necessarily from the prospect expansion draft as I will outline in the next section).
Each expansion team will then select players that are not protected. If there is one expansion team it selects 30 players. If there are 2 expansion teams, the teams will select 30 players in a snake-draft order. Each existing VHL team can lose a maximum of 1 player if there is 1 expansion team, 2 players if there are 2 expansion teams.
At the end of the expansion draft, each expansion team must have 3 goalies, and the pro roster of the expansion teams must meet the cap floor standard of the 2017-2018 VHL season.
Expansion Prospect draft:
To make sure expansion teams have some sort of prospect base, each expansion team will get a chance to draft prospects from existing VHL teams.
Each VHL team will submit a list of protected prospects. If there is 1 expansion team, then teams will be allowed to protect 16 prospects. If there are 2 expansion teams, the protected list of prospects will be set at 15.
Each expansion team will be allowed to draft 8 prospects. Each existing VHL team will lose a maximum of 1 prospect if there is 1 expansion team, and 2 prospects if there are 2 expansion teams.
The Entry Draft:
Expansion team (s) will be allowed to participate in the 2017 entry draft. Expansion teams will select in the following places:
1st round: Expansion teams will have picks 15 or 16 in the first round.
2nd round: Expansion teams will have picks 33 or 34 in the second round.
3rd Round: Expansion teams will pick twice each. Once at the beginning of the 3rd round, and again at the end of the 3rd round.
Once all 3 drafts are completed, an expansion team should have 30 players combined on farm/pro and 12 prospects, 8 drafted from existing VHL teams, 4 from the 2017 entry draft. Expansion teams will then be allowed to participate in the UFA bidding process.
THE VHL EXPANSION PROPOSAL
Some pre-amble:
VHL expansion should only happen if NHL expansion happens, and the decision to expand should be decided by a league-wide vote. The biggest challenging facing expansion: finding 1 or 2 new GMs that are long-term and functional. The expansion should only be initiated AFTER GMs are recruited, and THEN the league should vote upon whether expansion should happen or not. It would be a disaster if the league decided to expand, and then wasn’t able to find GMs to run the teams.
Once GMs are recruited, league GMs would vote on expansion.
Expansion teams would play their VHL games at the start of the 2017-2018 season, and the expansion draft would occur at the conclusion of the 2016-2017 VHL season.
Voting Options:
If the NHL expands by 1 team:
1. Expand the VHL by 1 team
2. Do not expand the VHL
If the NHL expands by 2 teams:
1. Expand the VHL by 2 teams
2. Expand the VHL by 1 team
3. Do not expand the VHL.
Expansion locations:
As of now, there are 30 teams in the VHL. 16 teams in the Eastern Conference, 14 teams in the Western Conference. If there is only 1 expansion team, it is natural to place it in the Western Conference. If there are 2 expansion teams, it makes sense to place 1 team in the West, 1 team in the East, and move 1 existing Eastern VHL team to the West.
VHL Expansion Draft:
The rules of the VHL expansion draft should mirror rules of the NHL expansion draft, but due to logistics and VHL variations on rules, it will not be an exact clone.
The VHL expansion draft will occur just after the cup winner of the 2016-2017 season is awarded. At the end of the season, each of the 30 teams will submit a list of players exempt from the expansion draft.
The rules for the list of
1. The list may comprise of 7F 3D 1G, or 9 skaters.
2. The total sum of the cap hits of the players protected must EXCEED 20 million dollars.
Players on non-expiring ELCs will be automatically exempt from the expansion draft. (to mirror the current information that “all first and second year pros are exempt”) To make this clear: At the end of the VHL season, all the players contracts get subtracted one year. Any ELCs that aren’t “zero” are exempt from the VHL draft. So any ELC player in the current VHL season with “3” years left will be exempt from the draft, any players with “2” years left on his ELC will not be automatically protected. Any players created in the following season will automatically be exempt.
Expiring RFAs can be selected as “a player” in the expansion draft, and the expansion team will be expected to negotiate a new contract with the RFA player. Expiring UFAs cannot be selected by the expansion team and will enter the UFA bidding process.
Prospects (players on our prospect lists) are exempted from the expansion draft (but not necessarily from the prospect expansion draft as I will outline in the next section).
Each expansion team will then select players that are not protected. If there is one expansion team it selects 30 players. If there are 2 expansion teams, the teams will select 30 players in a snake-draft order. Each existing VHL team can lose a maximum of 1 player if there is 1 expansion team, 2 players if there are 2 expansion teams.
At the end of the expansion draft, each expansion team must have 3 goalies, and the pro roster of the expansion teams must meet the cap floor standard of the 2017-2018 VHL season.
Expansion Prospect draft:
To make sure expansion teams have some sort of prospect base, each expansion team will get a chance to draft prospects from existing VHL teams.
Each VHL team will submit a list of protected prospects. If there is 1 expansion team, then teams will be allowed to protect 16 prospects. If there are 2 expansion teams, the protected list of prospects will be set at 15.
Each expansion team will be allowed to draft 8 prospects. Each existing VHL team will lose a maximum of 1 prospect if there is 1 expansion team, and 2 prospects if there are 2 expansion teams.
The Entry Draft:
Expansion team (s) will be allowed to participate in the 2017 entry draft. Expansion teams will select in the following places:
1st round: Expansion teams will have picks 15 or 16 in the first round.
2nd round: Expansion teams will have picks 33 or 34 in the second round.
3rd Round: Expansion teams will pick twice each. Once at the beginning of the 3rd round, and again at the end of the 3rd round.
Once all 3 drafts are completed, an expansion team should have 30 players combined on farm/pro and 12 prospects, 8 drafted from existing VHL teams, 4 from the 2017 entry draft. Expansion teams will then be allowed to participate in the UFA bidding process.
