Realistically, expansion is likely at some point over the next few years. Four teams, not so much — but two teams would make sense. Stick one in Vegas and the other in Seattle, and you’ve got your 16-16 conference alignment. It’s the easiest option. Does that mean it’ll happen? No. Does that mean it should happen? Maybe not.

MORE: What would you name a Las Vegas team?

In any case, though, it’s worth taking a look at what an expansion draft would look like should it happen, say, tomorrow. So, here we are — Gentille is the G.M. of the Las Vegas Gambling References. Filipovic runs the Seattle Rain Drops.

The rules are essentially ported over from the 2000 expansion draft with a few tweaks: Each existing NHL team must have two players selected — no more, no less. Both expansion franchises, as was the case in 2000, had to use their first 24 selections on three goaltenders, eight defensemen and thirteen forwards. Because there are 30 eligible teams to choose from this time rather than 26, we each drafted four more players than the Blue Jackets and Wild in 2000.

The eligibility requirements are taken straight from 2000: Teams were allowed to protect either one goaltender, five defensemen and nine forwards, or two goaltenders, three defensemen and seven forwards.

For teams protecting only one goaltender, there was no experience requirement for those left unprotected. For teams protecting two goaltenders, each must have appeared in either 10 NHL games in last season or 25 games in the last two seasons combined. A goaltender had to be in net for at least 31 minutes for a game to be counted against these totals.

At least every team needed to make available one defenseman who appeared in at least 40 games last season or 70 games in the last two seasons. At least two unprotected forwards had to have met the same requirements.

Obviously, there was subjectivity involved, but we generally tried to put ourselves in the shoes of each individual team. Two examples: Should the Blues protect goalie Jake Allen over a young forward; and would the Penguins leave Rob Scuderi unprotected in the hopes that someone would pick up his contract? We said yes to both. By the end, we had a generally complete list of available players. If you’re a nerd and want to do this yourself, go for it — we made a few on-the-fly adjustments, but that’s a fine starting point.

MORE: We simulated the season on NHL 15, and the teams were awful

So, away we go. The immediate post-pick analysis is stuff we actually said over GChat.

  1. Justin Abdelkader (LW, Red Wings), Las Vegas 2. Zbynek Michalek (D, Coyotes), Seattle

Dimitri: oh god picking through this list is so painfulSean: this is really terrible

  1. Ben Lovejoy (D, Ducks), Las Vegas 4. Dennis Wideman (D, Flames), Seattle

Dimitri: the reverend!Sean: he’s pretty OK!Dimitri: I like him, useful guyDimitri: I’m gonna take Dennis Wideman’s contract because I have to get to the salary floor!

  1. Dmitri Orlov (D, Capitals), Las Vegas 6. Shawn Matthias (C, Canucks), Seattle

  2. Mike Santorelli (C, Maple Leafs), Las Vegas 8. Magnus Paajarvi (LW, Blues), Seattle

Sean: I foresee some very funny names at center.Dimitri: Zenon Konopka, #1CSean: oh f— you on matthias. fanboy.Dimitri: he just needs a real opportunity!

  1. Eddie Lack (G, Canucks), Las Vegas 10. Ben Smith (RW, Blackhawks), Seattle

  2. Joe Colborne, (C, Flames), Las Vegas 12. Patrick Maroon (LW, Ducks), Seattle

Sean: so we have now swiped the other’s planned pick like 4 times. no more ducks, which sadly means that i won’t be able to pick heatley in round 50

  1. Petri Kontiola (C, Maple Leafs), Las Vegas 14. Thomas Greiss (G, Penguins), Seattle

Dimitri: i wanted booth. ohhhh youuuuuSean: that is seriously part of the reason i picked kontiolaDimitri: classicSean: raiding that vaunted Toronto center depthDimitri: what a chess match

  1. Kevin Klein (D, Rangers), Las Vegas 16. Marc Methot (D, Senators), Seattle

  2. Carl Gunnarsson (D, Blues), Las Vegas 18. Erik Condra (RW, Senators), Seattle

  3. Martin Havlat (RW, Devils), Las Vegas 20. Vern Fiddler (C, Stars), Seattle

  4. Bryan Bickell (LW, Blackhawks), Las Vegas 22. Gabriel Bourque (LW, Predators), Seattle

Sean: gabby!Dimitri: solely for JR Lind’s allegiances I need him on board, writing good things about my squadSean: again, we are thinking on the same wavelength

  1. J-M Liles (D, Hurricanes), Las Vegas 24. Mark Barberio (D, Lightning), Seattle

  2. Matt Bartkowski (D, Bruins), Las Vegas 26. Alex Stalock (G, Sharks), Seattle

Sean: guess whatDimitri: whatSean: we’re going to have to pick oilersDimitri: noooooo

  1. Gregory Campbell (C, Bruins), Las Vegas 28. Blake Comeau (RW, Penguins), Seattle

  2. Kyle Chipchura (C, Coyotes), Las Vegas 30. Joakim Andersson (C, Red Wings), Seattle

  3. Viktor Fasth (G, Oilers), Las Vegas 32. Eric Nystrom (RW, Predators), Seattle

Dimitri: oooh an OilerSean: i didn’t want to get stuck taking … any of the other ones

  1. Cory Conacher (LW, Islanders), Las Vegas 34. Brayden McNabb (D, Kings), Seattle

  2. T.J. Brennan (D, Islanders), Las Vegas 36. Andrej Sustr (D, Lightning), Seattle

Sean: if you don’t have any players picked by now, you are a trash pile of an organization actually i take that backSean: how do the sharks only have four optionsDimitri: they have Hertl, Nieto, and Mueller on ELCs which left absolute garbage at the back end of their roster for the choosing

  1. T.J. Galiardi (W, Jets), Las Vegas 38. Shawn Horcoff (C, Stars), Seattle

Dimitri: Horcoff on the last year of his deal? sign me up!Sean: yeah, i almost took him a while agoDimitri: veteran presenceSean: not sure why i didn’t too many centers that’s whyDimitri: your team is too stackedSean: too good man horcoff has no place here

  1. Dustin Tokarski (G, Canadiens), Las Vegas 40. Dalton Prout (D, Blue Jackets), Seattle

Dimitri: the remaining Defensemen are hurting my brainSean: that’s why i took so many early i don’t have your courageDimitri: maybe Prout is friends with Johansen and will be able to get him to take a hometown discount in Seattle

  1. Jordan Schroeder (F, Wild), Las Vegas 42. Justin Peters (G, Capitals), Seattle

  2. Jeff Schultz (D, Kings), Las Vegas 44. Zac Dalpe (C, Sabres), Seattle

  3. Matt Lombardi (F, Rangers), Las Vegas 46. Jonathon Blum (D, Wild), Seattle

  4. Tuomo Ruutu (F, Devils), Las Vegas 48. Manny Malhotra (C, Canadiens), Seattle

  5. Eric Tangradi (W, Jets), Las Vegas 50. Al Montoya (G, Panthers), Seattle

Dimitri: good lord, these next 10 picks

  1. Nicolas Deslauriers (F/D, Sabres), Las Vegas 52. Matt Hendricks (C, Oilers), Seattle

  2. Nicklas Grossmann (D, Flyers), Las Vegas 54. Jay Harrison (D, Hurricanes), Seattle

  3. Ray Emery (G, Flyers),Las Vegas 56. Cody McLeod (LW, Avalanche), Seattle

  4. Mike Brown (W, Sharks), Las Vegas 58. Colby Robak (D, Panthers), Seattle

  5. Corey Tropp (F, Blue Jackets), Las Vegas 60. Cory Sarich (D, Avalanche), Seattle

LAS VEGAS

Gentille: All told, I think things could’ve gone worse. My plan was to take an American forward with top-line experience at No. 1, then load up on versatile centers and defenseman. That generally worked out — and since some other decent center options were around late, I can shift some of my early picks — Santorelli and Colborne, specifically — to wing if need be. That should cover for missing out on some of the better wings available, though I think Bickell could be fine and needed his contract for cap purposes. Havlat was as close to a top-line RW as I saw and, at minimum, was a good buy-low option for the Devils over the summer.

In the later rounds, I took some players I could flip; lots of teams look for Nicklas Grossmann types, and I’m more than fine moving Ray Emery or Viktor Fasth. Cory Conacher and Jordan Schroeder are short, skilled guys. Worth a shot.

My goal for the bottom-six, especially given the lack of point-producers in the draft, was to fill it out with guys who aren’t possession black holes. Maybe they don’t score a ton, but they’re not detriments, either; Kyle Chipchura, T.J. Galiardi, Tuomo Ruutu, Gregory Campbell, Matthew Lombardi — you can work with that. And, like I said, having them around will let me see what happens with a guy like Petri Kontiola as center on a top-two line. He had 37 points in 53 KHL games last season.

I feel like Lack could be a decent long-term starter, so I had no problem reaching for him a little. Dimitri, unquestionably, was about to pick a second Canuck, and I needed to guard against that.

And for the record, I can’t imagine doing this with four teams in the same year. The end of the process was brutal; concerns about talent dilution are a little overstated, but I feel like two teams entering in the same year is the absolute max.

SEATTLE

Filipovic: This shouldn’t exactly come as a huge surprise seeing as the highest-paid forward on this team following Shawn Horcoff is Eric Nystrom (handily, with no one else above the $2 million/year threshold), but Seattle will have an awfully difficult time putting the puck in the other team’s net. Luckily for them, there’s a reasonable enough plan in place to compensate for those warts:

A) they’ve got who’s who of established backup netminders that should do an admirable job of keeping them in most of the low-scoring contests they’ll surely find themselves in. 

B) they’re built from the middle out, with seven players that have played the position in the lineup. When you can’t have quality, you better have some quantity.

C) the forward group has some years to them, which’ll come in handy when help bringing along what’s otherwise a rather inexperienced blueline corps. 

This team may not be the flashiest bunch, but their blue-collar style will fit right in with the city they’re playing in. If all else fails, Seattle’s well-known coffee will come in handy for waking up a crowd mired in a low-event, grind-it-out game.