In the event of a new team joining the pool, we will use an expansion draft format . Entering team owners will be allotted seven picks each, in an order to be determined at the time of the draft, and on the eighth round, all team owners will join the draft, until each team consists of 20 players. The deadline to submit protected players is midnight Saturday, September 16. Prior to the season trades can be made, between teams that have confirmed entry in this years pool, and must be completed before the player protecting deadline. Players and 1st to 7th round draft picks can both be traded, to and from existing teams and newly arriving teams, but every player received in a trade must be protected, and every 1st to 7th round draft pick received lowers a player's number of players that can be protected, in any category, assuming that the player fills the vacant spot in that category with the draft pick received in the trade.
All trades are subject to the commissioner's approval.
A player on the IR will not have his salary count towards the cap and any points he scores while on the IR do not count towards the teams points. When the player is reactivated by his NHL club, the pool team owner has two Tuesdays to notify the commissioner of their intent to reactivate the player, and specify which player he will replace on the roster, who must be released.