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The last thing I expected was for him to come back.
I know there is an phrase expect for. I don't know why there is a "be" between "expect" and "for." If it's me to make this sentence, it would be like,
The last thing I expect was he coming back.
What's the problem with my composition?
It seems that @Brad only answered the second part of your question. For the first part, in the sentence
The last thing I expected was for him to come back.
"expect for" is not the same as in the link you provided. In fact, here "except" and "for" don't even go together. Rather, the sentence should be divided into three parts.
The last thing / I expected / was for him to come back.
The object of "expected" is "thing". And what was the thing that the speaker was expecting? "For him to come back".
A word on the structure "for sb to do sth":
This is frequently used when you need to specify the performer of the action. For example:
It is inappropriate to leave a baby unattended.
It is inappropriate for parents to their baby unattended.
The last thing I expect was he coming back. What's the problem with my composition?
Well firstly the tense, coming is an action being done now. So we would have to write The last thing I expected, was him coming back, but this not correct grammar and also does not sound correct. So I will change it again The last thing I expected, was for him to come back. or The last thing I expected, was that he'd come back. Either of which takes us pretty much back to the supposed problem that you began with.
Alternatively we can change the first part of the sentence. I did not expect that he was coming back. However yet again the be reappears.
