Expanding dynasty leagues can be a precarious situation. Here’s how to do it seamlessly.

Expanding your fantasy hockey league is, undoubtedly, a daunting proposition. Trying to find the incredibly fine balance between giving the expansion teams enough to be competitive without pillaging the current teams of all of their talent is nearly impossible, and with very little room for 'trial and error', you, as commissioner, may be risking a lot to make it happen. When we first considered expansion in 2009, it brought about some of the most heated debate our gentlemanly league had ever seen. As commissioner, a lot was riding on the decisions I made at that time. Decisions which, realistically, were just guesses. Now, after five full seasons, our two expansion teams are an interesting case study and, in my opinion, an absolute success. If you're considering expansion, I hope that you can use some of what you read below to assist you so you're not just flying blind.

First, some basic details about the league as it was in 2009. We were a 12-team, salary cap dynasty league. We used real NHL salaries and contracts – when a player became a UFA in the NHL, he became a UFA in our league. Otherwise, you had a guy for as long as his contract lasted.