Hockey in Vegas!
 

Ready or not, the NHL will be rolling the dice on an expansion team in Las Vegas in 2017-18, according to multiple reports. And that means someone from the Capitals’ current roster will be packing his bags for Vegas this time next year.

Under the expansion draft rules that will be announced next week following the NHL Board of Governors meetings in Las Vegas, each of the NHL’s 30 existing teams will be allowed to protect seven forwards, three defensemen and one goaltender in next year’s expansion draft, which is likely to take place shortly after the conclusion of the 2017 Stanley Cup Final.

Teams will be required to protect any players with No Movement Clauses (NMC) and those players will count against the 11 players on the protected list – unless they are pending unrestricted free agents, in which case they do not need to be protected.

Teams may also ask players to waive their No Movement Clauses to allow them to be taken by the Vegas expansion team.

Teams will be required to offer at least one defenseman and two forwards who are under contract for the 2017-18 season and have played a minimum of 40 NHL games in the 2016-17 season, or at least 70 games between the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons.

Teams will also have to offer a goaltender who is under contract for the 2017-18 season or a player who will be an RFA in 2018.

RELATED: REPORT: NHL CHOOSES LAS VEGAS FOR EXPANSION

In the case of the Capitals, here is a list of players likely to be protected and those likely to be exposed: