2000 NHL Expansion Draft

The 2000 NHL Expansion Draft was held on June 23, 2000, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The draft took place to fill the rosters of the league's two expansion teams for the 2000–01 season, the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Minnesota Wild.

Rules
26 of the 28 teams existing in the league at the time of the draft were each allowed to protect either one goaltender, five defensemen, and nine forwards or two goaltenders, three defensemen, and seven forwards. The Nashville Predators and Atlanta Thrashers had their entire rosters protected, as they were the two newest franchises in the league.

For teams protecting only one goaltender, there was no experience requirement for those left unprotected. For teams protecting two goaltenders, each goaltender left unprotected must have appeared in either 10 NHL games in the 1999–2000 season or 25 games in the 1998–99 season and 1999–2000 seasons combined. A goaltender had to be in net for at least 31 minutes in each game for the game to be counted against these totals.

At least one defenceman left unprotected by each team had to have appeared in at least 40 games in the 1999–2000 season or 70 games in the 1998–99 season and 1999–2000 seasons combined. At least two forwards left unprotected by each team had to have met the same requirements.

52 players were chosen in the draft, two from each participating franchise. Only one goaltender or one defensemen could be selected from each franchise. Both the Blue Jackets and the Wild were to use their first 24 selections on three goaltenders, eight defensemen, and thirteen forwards. The final two picks for each team could be any position.

Deals
In return for agreeing not to select certain unprotected players, the Blue Jackets and Wild were granted concessions by other franchises. The trades not involving Blue Jacket or Wild draft picks were booked as being for "future considerations":

Columbus
 * San Jose traded Jan Caloun, a ninth-round pick in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, and a conditional pick in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft to Columbus on June 11, 2000, after the Blue Jackets agreed not to select Evgeni Nabokov.
 * Buffalo traded Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre, Matt Davidson, and two fifth-round draft picks (one each in the 2000 and 2001 Entry Drafts) to Columbus on June 23, 2000, after the Blue Jackets agreed not to select a goaltender from the Sabres.

Minnesota
 * San Jose traded Andy Sutton, a seventh-round pick in the 2000 Entry Draft and a third-round pick in the 2001 Entry Draft to Minnesota on June 11, 2000, for an eighth-round pick in the 2000 Entry Draft after the Wild agreed not to select Evgeni Nabokov.

Post-draft
Several of the players selected by the Blue Jackets and Wild in the Expansion Draft did not stay with the teams long after the draft. In fact, several players were traded later in the same day:

Columbus
 * Turner Stevenson (traded to New Jersey to complete an earlier transaction)

Minnesota
 * Mike Vernon (traded to Calgary for Dan Cavanaugh and an eighth-round pick in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft)
 * Chris Terreri (traded with a ninth-round pick in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft to New Jersey for Brad Bombardir)
 * Joe Juneau (traded to Phoenix for Rickard Wallin)

Other players who were no longer on the rosters of the teams which drafted them for the 1999–2000 season include the following:

Columbus
 * Dallas Drake (signed by St. Louis on July 1, 2000)
 * Mathieu Schneider (signed by Los Angeles on August 13, 2000)
 * Dwayne Roloson (signed with AHL's Worcester IceCats rather than joining Columbus)

Minnesota
 * Jeff Odgers (claimed off waivers by Atlanta on September 29, 2000)