2017 Expansion Draft

The 2017 NHL Expansion Draft was a special event where the Vegas Golden Knights team was created from scratch. To build their roster, existing teams had to leave certain players unprotected, allowing Vegas to select players they wanted. Each team could protect a set number of their top players, but others became available. Vegas then chose from these unprotected players to form their new team, balancing talent and strategy. The draft helped Vegas assemble a competitive roster while not forcing existing teams to give up their best players outright.