from Gary Lawless of TSN,
The National Hockey League and the Players’ Association have agreed upon the rules of engagement for an expansion draft.
While the NHL’s executive committee has yet to recommend expansion, this is a major hurdle cleared.
The NHL has hundreds of steps to go through before expansion can potentially become a reality and getting an agreement with the NHLPA was viewed as near top of the list. The executive committee would not have recommended expansion to the NHL’s board of governors for the purpose of a vote without an agreement in place with the NHLPA, and in particular, a resolution on how existing no-trade and no-move clauses will be handled.
An NHL source confirmed the agreement on Friday morning but would not offer specifics on the expansion draft.
Time is getting tight for the NHL if it is going to expand. The league has stated if it is going to expand for the 2017-18 season it would have to inform general managers prior to this year’s upcoming entry draft in late June. A source said Friday if expansion is going to move forward, mid-May is the timetable for an announcement.
Create an Account
In order to leave a comment, please create an account.