Optimistic thinking that 4m Hagelin and his 30 points a year and NMC and the 2017 version 5.75m Fleury are going to disappear from the Pens cap.

If hags is available in the draft who do you think Vegas would choose over him?!

and Flower contract is gone whether by trade, waive and claim, or buyout

There seem to be some illusion that Vegas is going to draft the "best" player off the NHL roster regardless of cap cost. I think Vegas would be better to take a $700,000 AHLer from the Pens rather than Hagelin. Let's say they do that for a couple of teams. 3.3m saving for 4 teams gives Vegas 13m to spend on. UFAs. No Vegas is not cap dump heaven for NHL teams.
Fleury: OK he could be gone via trade, but money maybe even bad money coming back to the Pens, a buyout cost Pens money. And no way is this version worth a waive (that would violate his NMC most likely).

Trades might not being showing up but this is a follow-up to fleury being traded to Calgary.

You have a good point with Vegas taking AHLers but with the exemption for players with under 2 pro years that leaves rust, Wilson, kuhnhackl, and sundqvist as guys who have shown that they have Nhl potential.

Wilson and kuhnhackl have been 4th liners and sundqvist has yet to really play at the Nhl level.

I would protect rust (4d, 4o protection) but that does leave hornqvist open. I saw hornqvist and hagelin as the best options, but just used hagelin since he makes .25 less to see if the cap space works out.

You've got a good point but the pens have traded away most of their exposable ahlers with high potential.

You are aware that Vegas does have to meet the cap floor before getting to UFA right? They aren't going to be able to take all league minimum contracts.

Hagelin is a good value at $4 Million and I can't see Vegas passing on him if he's left available.

Also, I see you commenting about Fleury's cap hit a lot. 5.75 isn't a crazy hit for a starting netminder. There's teams that are paying nearly as much for less (Halak with the Isles, for example). There are a lot of teams that would be willing to take on Flower's contract for improved goaltending.

Pens aren't doing 4/4, guarantee that. They will do 7/3, with Letang, Dumo, and Maatta/Schultz as the D-men protected.

They don't value Maatta/Schultz enough to expose 3 additional forwards to protect one of them.

I see the pens protecting 7/3
Malkin, Crosby, Kessel, Hornqvist, Hagelin, Sundqvist and Rust
Letang, Maatta and Schultz
Murray

Fleury won't need to be protected via trade/buyout/waived NMC

We have a lot of UFA at the end of the year and unless they sign with the pens before the expansion draft we don't have to worry about protecting them. Kunitz, Bonino, Cullen, Daley, Kristo, Sestito, Warsofsky, Gaunce, Oleksy, Ruhwedel and Porter. LV can sign one of these players but that will count as their selection from the pens.

This will leave LV a slim group to pick from highlighted by Dumoulin, Pouliot, Kuhnhackl, Fehr and Cole. Doubtful options would include Archibald, S Wilson, Dea, G Wilson, Percy and Erixon.

My guess is Domoulin is taken by LV with the potential to take Fleury if he's still available with a waived NMC

MtDavis: I believe Vegas has to draft 43m in the 30 players they draft. And this silly concept that Vegas is going to have problem reaching the cap floor is absolutely false.
Hagelin at 4m, Plekanec at 6m, Read at 3.6m. Moulsen at 5m. Where does it end.? Seems like so many CapFriendly GM think their overpaid guys are going to picked up by Vegas, "So Vegas can get to cap floor." THINK.

That's also a likely scenario. I could see them trying to see if they could get dumo signed for under maatta's 4.0833 per season prior to the expansion draft. If they can sign him for less, expose maatta. If they can't, expose dumo. Id protect the same forwards if that's the case.

I'm not saying they're going to draft all those players you mentioned, but they'll have to draft some. Hagelin is far from a bad contract. By the time he got to Vegas, 2 years, 4 Mill per for a good 2/3 line LW. Better than Plekanec or Moulson IMO.

It's moot anyway, however, because I don't think the Pens would expose him.