1991 NHL Expansion Draft
Drafts -> NHL -> Expansion ->
1991
The 1991 NHL expansion draft was unusual in that it involved both an expansion team (the San Jose Sharks) and an established NHL team (the Minnesota North Stars). The North Stars negotiated their way into the draft because their owner, George Gund, was making noise about moving the North Stars to San Jose. To placate him, the NHL granted Gund an expansion franchise in San Jose. Gund was allowed to take a number of North Star players with him to seed the franchise. The North Stars would then restock their team via the same expansion draft that San Jose participated in.
The Minnesota North Stars were first allowed to protect 14 skaters and two goaltenders. The San Jose Sharks then selected 14 skaters and two goaltenders from the North Stars reserve player list. Then the remaining players on the North Stars reserve list were divided among the two teams by alternating picks until San Jose had selected 30 players in total.
Next, each NHL team was allowed to protect 16 skaters and two goaltenders, and the Sharks and North Stars alternated selecting players from the NHL reserve lists. Both the Sharks and the North Stars selected 10 players, and once a NHL team lost a player their reserve list was protected against more selections.
Since the North Stars were the beneficiary of the dissolution of the Cleveland Barons in 1978 - Cleveland players were merged into Minnesota - and since Cleveland was the original California Seals franchise, many people consider this draft to be the"un-merger" of the two franchises, giving the San Jose Sharks a claim to the heritage of the original Seals.
+