From: simpson@bcrka333.bnr.ca (Scott Simpson)
Subject: The (quasi) official Board Of Gov's ruling for '93 draft...
Originator: simpson@bcrka333
Organization: Bell-Northern Research, Ottawa, Canada
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 08:36:37 GMT

So, it looks as though the Market Competition Committee did as expected and
are going to go ahead with the original expansion plan-- Ottawa, Tampa Bay 
*and* San Jose will pick 1st->3rd if they finish in the bottom three spots
in the league.  Anaheim and Miami will choose no worse that fourth and fifth--
higher if any of OTT/TB/SJ finish out of the bottom three.  So, if the draft 
were held today, Ottawa would pick first, San Jose second, Anaheim (or Miami)
third, Miami (or Anaheim) fourth, Hartford fifth and Tampa Bay sixth.  

Regardless of how they finish next year, Anaheim and Miami will choose 1st and
2nd in 1994.  Both Miami and Anaheim contacts say they will most likely field
a team next year-- they have until March 15th to decide.

This somewhat bittersweet for Ottawa and San Jose (on the [very] bright side,
we get first dibs this year, but on a slight downer, no matter how poorly we
do next year, we pick no better than third).  It was a slight downer for Tampa
Bay, who look to be picking sixth this year, and no better than third next year.
Hartford must be ticked, too.

The best quote from the article has a rather bitter Esposito not wanting to
talk to reporters after the meeting, avoiding the media circle saying "You'll 
have to ask what's-his-face ... Gil Stein".

From a table in today's Ottawa Citizen, a comparison of expansion draft rules
for 1992 for Ottawa/Tampa Bay and 1993 for Anaheim/Miami:

                      |            1992               |         1993          |
Selections per club:  | 21                            | 24                    |
Exempt players:       | 1st- and 2nd-year pros        | 1st-year pros         |
Protected players:    |                               |                       |
Goalies               |  2                            |  1                    |
Skaters               | 14                            | 14                    |
Other restrictions:   | No defencemen to be taken     | None                  |
                      | from 7 clubs who lost a       |                       |
                      | defenceman to San Jose in '91 |                       |
New wrinkle:          | --                            | Ottawa, Tampa and San |
                      |                               | Jose allowed to pick  |
                      |                               | two players each from |
                      |                               | Anaheim and Miami in  |
                      |                               | second "cross-        |
                      |                               | pollination" draft.   |

So, this makes 150 to 200 more young players available this year than were
available last year for Ottawa and TB, since only 1st-year pros are protected.

The whole report was accepted by the board (much to Bill Wirtz's protests), and
once some small loose-ends get settled, it will become official.

And on a side note, rumour has it that the NHL may adopt a "lottery-style" 
draft system by the 1995 entry draft whereby out-of-playoffs teams get their 
selections chosen at random, (the last place team gets more ping-pong balls,
though, thereby having a better chance of drafting first...)


Just in case anyone other than me cares,
Scott
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