And now...we wait.
The deadline for NHL teams to submit their final list of protected players was 5 p.m. ET on Saturday, with the lists going first to NHL Central Registry and the NHLPA before being delivered to the Vegas Golden Knights tomorrow morning.
Once the Golden Knights and GM George McPhee receive the lists, the NHL is planning a formal announcement to make those lists available to the public.
Next, the deadline for Central Registry and the NHLPA to sign off and approve all 30 lists arrives at 10 a.m. ET Sunday. It's expected that the NHL will release the protected lists at that time.
The Golden Knights have three days to make their selections (one player will be selected from each club) with a deadline of 10 a.m. ET Wednesday. Here's what happens from there, courtesy of the NHL's public relations department:
June 21, 2017: Deadline for the Expansion Club to simultaneously submit its Expansion Draft Selections to Central Registry and the NHLPA (10 a.m. ET).
Deadline for the Expansion Club to submit SPCs for any pending UFA/RFAs who are selected by the Expansion Club and signed to a new contract (10 a.m. ET). The Expansion Club is permitted to sign a current or pending Free Agent on a Current Club's list of Available Players during the period between 10:01 a.m. ET on Sunday, June 18, and 9:59 a.m. ET on Wednesday, June 21, and in so doing will be deemed to have made its Expansion Draft selection from such Current Club. If the Expansion Club signs a Restricted Free Agent from the Available List of a Current Club during said period, the Current Club will not be entitled to any compensation from the Expansion Club.
Official distribution and announcement of the Expansion Club's Selections in conjunction with the 2017 NHL Awards presented by T-Mobile (8 p.m. ET).
