"We had two bags of pucks, seventy-five sticks of graphite and fiberglass, five sheets of high-powered ice, a salt shaker half full of PEDs, and a whole galaxy of multi-colored North American fans... and also a quart of Bud Light, a quart of Miller Light, a case of Budweiser, a pint of raw hotdogs and two dozen buns.

"Not that we needed all that for the trip, but once you get locked into a serious hockey club expansion, the tendency is to push it as far as you can."

-- Hunter S. Thompson, probably.

You heard us right, these are the last days of PPP as you know it, because Travis Hughes has tasked us (as the SBN website most used to a team with growing pains) to become the BRAND NEW FANSITE for the newborn Las Vegas Black Knights. (He also felt that the PPP staff would be familiar with the type of end-of-career salary dumping moves that would build a team of this calibre!)

We'll be transitioning over the course of the next year as the expansion team is built, but for now, please feast your eyes on our speculated brand new lineup, leaked in advance of the draft. Odds are 9-2 that this is the actual lineup. That's right, guys, under the wise guidance of owner Bill Foley, our new team has more or less been selected!

Please note that the salary cap and no-move clauses were duly considered, then tossed out the window. Vegas obviously has house rules.

The Las Vegas Black Knights

Front office

Owner: Bill Foley

President: Tie Domi

GM: Doug Gilmour

Head Coach: Guy Boucher

Team:

Ryan Callahan - Vincent Lecavalier - Joffrey Lupul
Josh Ho Sang - Nail Yakupov - Jonathan Drouin
Phil Kessel - Eric Staal - David Clarkson
Scott Hartnell - Ilya Kovalchuck - Alexander Radulov
Dion Phaneuf - Matt Carle
Stephane Robidas - Dan Girardi
Francois Beauchemin - Andrew MacDonald
Carey Price
Cam Ward

I know that y'all must be fans already just from reading the names of some of the gritty, veteran leaders that have made their ways back to us, through whatever convoluted paths!

And you've spotted it correctly -- while contemplating how to rebuild the Canadiens, Marc Bergevin somehow forgot to protect Price from the draft, and we scooped him right up! Isn't that as good a reason as any to join this elevator on the ground floor? When you get to the rooftop pool, it'll be filled with sad Habs tears!

EPP News

How NHL expansion draft would look if Las Vegas scores a team | Las Vegas Sun
"But if we do see establishment of the Vegas Outlaws, Rat Pack, Rattlers, Wranglers, or whatever the team is called, it should feature a roster of players far superior to previous NHL expansion clubs, which would be only fair, given the $500 million expansion fee new teams may pay." -- Dudes! Mr. Foley already chose the Black Knights!

NHL Rumors: Mueller, Oilers, Preds, Kings, Pens and Expansion Draft | My NHL Trade Rumors
"Agent Igor Larionov has permission to speak with teams about Nail Yakupov, but in the end, the Oilers need to agree with any trade. "

Expiring contracts are the missing piece of the NHL expansion draft puzzle | BSH
"As more information continues to be released regarding the upcoming expansion drafts, one big question remains: what about a team's expiring contracts?"

Projecting Las Vegas’ 2017-18 NHL Expansion Roster | THW
"For this projection, a roster will be generated following the rules stated above, in which each team is able to protect seven skaters, three defensemen and one goalie. Further, no players with less than two years of professional experience can, or will be selected. As a result, a total of 30 players will be selected, of which I will attempt to project into a potential Las Vegas lineup." --- PFFFT totally wrong. Lol.

High price, low loonie handicap Quebec's NHL expansion hopes | Montreal Gazette
Sucks 2 B Quebec eh?

Down Goes Brown: Spicing up a potential expansion draft | Sportsnet
"Let’s take a moment to remember what the NHL was like in 2000. There was no salary cap. Games could end in a tie, but not a shootout, and the standings had four columns. Gary Bettman only had one lockout under his belt. The Thrashers were in Atlanta, the Jets were on hiatus, and the Anaheim Ducks were still Mighty."

So, why is the NHL expanding anyway? | Winnipeg Free Press
Mhm. Haters gonna hate, Winnipeg.

Who would you protect in an expansion draft? | HF Boards
TOO LATE!

From The Branches