On Sunday morning, the NHL released protected lists from the 30 eligible NHL teams regarding the Seattle Kraken expansion draft (reminder: Vegas is exempt and will not have a player plucked from its roster). And while those protected have certainly been strategized over, the unprotected players bring their own sense of planning and intrigue. Here’s some of the surprises and eyebrow-raising names left unprotected by their teams ahead of Wednesday night’s expansion draft.
CAREY PRICE, GOALTENDER, MONTREAL CANADIENS
The big news trending all over social media Saturday was the report that Montreal netminder Carey Price would not be protected by the Canadiens. Instead, the Habs would protect Jake Allen in hopes that the Kraken wouldn’t pull the trigger on the 33-year-old Price’s substantial $10.5 million per year contract (plus $11 million signing bonus due in September). Why else would you leave last season’s Campbell trophy winning goalie available?
-
Ep 61: Stanley Cup Final, Coaching Changes, and More
by Full Press Coverage on June 9, 2023 at 12:16 am
Jim and Chris take stock of the Stanley Cup Final to this point, the […]
Come Sunday, Allen was indeed protected by the Habs and Price was not. Price also waived his no-move clause (NMC) so that he could be exposed in the draft, leaving Seattle with the sole option to select Price to keep him and not flip him without his consent. It’s one of the most fascinating storylines to pop up this weekend, and the tie-in to Price’s former WHL team out in eastern Washington would of course be front and center should he actually get selected (also, just for kicks, please don’t forget that this photo exists).
Loading...
VLADIMIR TARASENKO, RIGHT WINGER, ST. LOUIS BLUES
Another notable name coming out of the unprotected lists this weekend was that of Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko. The 29-year-old alternate captain for St. Louis was already in the news cycle earlier this month for reportedly requesting a trade from the Blues, with a list of desired destinations popping up this last week. St. Louis then officially left Tarasenko and his $7.5 million per year contract exposed as the Blues dropped their protected list.
It’s another case of a team trying to call Seattle’s bluff, believing the Kraken won’t take on such a sizable contract and instead possibly opting for signing UFA forwards like Jayden Swartz or Mike Hoffman. This, however, is more of a head-scratcher than Price’s situation. Why not try to deal Tarasenko before the transaction freeze went into effect, a la Colorado sending Ryan Graves to New Jersey? You’d think the Blues would want a return for Tarasenko if he desired a trade. Perhaps St. Louis can swing a deal with the Kraken if and when the time comes for the Russian winger to pack up and head to the Pacific Northwest.
GABRIEL LANDESKOG, FORWARD, COLORADO AVALANCHE
Speaking of the Avalanche, captain Gabriel Landeskog did not make the list of protected Avs forwards come Sunday. Landeskog’s name has drawn some unexpected drama this offseason, with Colorado and the Swede reportedly “very far apart” regarding negotiations on a new contract. His seven-year, $39 million deal signed in August 2013 ranked as one of the more favorable contracts in the league in regards to talent, now with $9-$10 per season being floated as a desired amount for the 28-year-old winger.
Even with all the conjecture and supposed posturing, Landeskog left unprotected doesn’t mean the Avs believe he’s a lost cause. Again, there’s strategy in both the protected list AND the unprotected players, balancing out the projected contract amount for a high-end UFA and Seattle’s requirement to choose a minimum of 20 players under contract for next season. Defenseman Erik Johnson waiving his NMC and the availability of both Joonas Donskoi & J.T. Compher shifts the narrative away from Landeskog as Seattle’s choice from Colorado.
Also, remember when Joe Sakic signed a three-year, $21 million offer sheet with the New York Rangers back in 1997? Pepperidge Farm remembers.
MATT DUCHENE, FORWARD, NASHVILLE PREDATORS
We now jump over to a former Avalanche skater in 30-year-old Matt Duchene, who has been on four teams in four seasons since first being dealt by Colorado in 2017. His $8 million per year contract for the next five (!) seasons is certainly concerning for Seattle to pick up. Nashville also left forward Ryan Johansen exposed, unorthodoxly protecting three forwards and five defensemen as one of three teams opting for the eight skaters and one goaltender option for their protected list.
Nashville made some savvy moves ahead of Saturday afternoon’s roster freeze, dealing Viktor Arvidsson to the Los Angeles Kings for two draft picks on July 1 while shipping Ryan Ellis and his $6.25 million a year contract to the Philadelphia Flyers on July 17 for essentially Phillipe Myers and Cody Glass. Leaving the big money contracts of Duchene and Johanson available for the Kraken to choose over prospects like Alexandre Carrier and Tanner Jennot seems like a great move, especially after Duchene’s slump last season of just six goals and seven assists in 34 games played.
Latest Expansion Draft News
- With The Sale Of The Senators Moving Closer, Gary Bettman Pays A Visit To Ottawa
- Full Press NHL Player Movement Tracker
- “It Was Real Tough” – Kevin Cheveldayoff on Losing Mason Appleton
- Building Seattle: Projecting The Kraken’s 2021-22 Opening Night Lineup
- 5 Questions Bruins Must Answer After Losing Lauzon To Kraken
MAX DOMI, CENTER, COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
Columbus exposing a young centerman in an expansion draft? Hmm, a familiar scenario that didn’t work out so well for the Blue Jackets four years ago. In all fairness, a 26-year-old Max Domi, who has suited up for three different teams over the past six seasons, seems to be a more known commodity than William Karlsson was when he was left unprotected by CBJ in 2017. So, why leave the fourth-highest point scorer on your team last season free for Seattle’s taking?
It’s a little surprising that Columbus has exposed the left-handed winger after sending Josh Anderson and his signing rights to Montreal for Domi in October 2020. Again, money comes into play, with Domi set to make $5.3 million in 2021-22 on the final season of a two-year contract. While nearly $3 million less than some of the higher-end contracts already mentioned on this list, Domi could be a more likely addition to Seattle should the Kraken not want to take on such financial heft. Still, over five million dollars is a big contract, especially for someone rumored to have problems with previous coaches and criticized for sometimes being a loose cannon on the ice (no pun intended).
BEN BISHOP, GOALTENDER, DALLAS STARS
We started with a netminder whose unprotected status was a shocking tidbit this past weekend, and we’ll end it the same way. Dallas goaltender Ben Bishop hit the news rounds on July 15, doing the same as Price did for Montreal in waiving his no-move clause for expansion draft purposes. Multiple reports from Bishop himself stated he wanted to do what’s best for the team.
“The situation I’m in, the situation the team is in, it just made sense,” Bishop stated to NHL.com’s Mike Heika in a recent interview. “It wasn’t a hard decision to make, I know they wanted to protect (Anton Khudobin).”
The 34-year-old goalie, who didn’t play a single game last season and has fought with injuries the past two years, perhaps saw the writing on the wall as well (Khudobin leading the Stars to the Stanley Cup Final in 2020 can qualify, too). His cap hit for both 2021-22 and 2022-23 will be just shy of $5 million a year, and Dallas didn’t have to protect up-and-coming netminder Jake Oettinger (he’s exempt as a second year pro). With Seattle rumored to take current Florida netminder Chris Driedger — and if the Kraken don’t grab 31-year-old Braden Holtby and his $4.3 million contract that expires after 2021-22 — Bishop could very well be wearing an “S” on his chest come next season.
-
Ep 61: Stanley Cup Final, Coaching Changes, and More
by Full Press Coverage on June 9, 2023 at 12:16 am
Jim and Chris take stock of the Stanley Cup Final to this point, the […]
-
Ep 60: Vegas Takes Game 1; Panthers Set For Game 2; Cole Caufield
by Full Press Coverage on June 5, 2023 at 11:43 pm
Jim and Chris look at the Golden Knights Game 1 win and look ahead to Game […]
-
2023 Stanley Cup Final and Los Angeles Kings Talk with Dennis Bernstein
by Full Press Coverage on June 8, 2023 at 3:59 pm
Jim Biringer speaks with Dennis Bernstein of the FourthPeriod.com, Host of […]
-
2023 Stanley Cup Final Talk - Vegas Golden Knights with Willie G. Ramirez
by Full Press Coverage on June 5, 2023 at 12:39 am
Jim Biringer speaks with Willie G. Ramirez of ESPN Las Vegas, The Sporting […]
-
Ep 83: Stanley Cup Playoffs Are Here; Can Bruins Keep Up Pace?
by Full Press Coverage on April 17, 2023 at 4:06 pm
Ian and Chris are back to give their thoughts on the Stanley Cup Playoffs, […]
-
Ep 82: Bruins Set Wins Record, Pasta Hits 60, Playoffs Around The Corner
by Full Press Coverage on April 10, 2023 at 2:27 pm
Ian and Chris react to the Bruins 63rd win of the season, David Pastrnak's […]
-
The Hockey World Revolves Around Toronto
by Jim Biringer on May 23, 2023 at 12:00 pm
Jim is back for a fourth season of the Final Word on Hockey as he is […]
-
S4Ep28 - Stanley Cup Playoffs - Conference Final Preview
by Jim Biringer on May 16, 2023 at 7:28 pm
Jim is back for the fourth season of the Final Word on Hockey previewing […]
-
Golden Knights at Panthers
by Broken Controller Media on June 8, 2023 at 5:00 pm
Stack the Pucks gives a breakdown of every NHL Game on the card. For more […]
-
Panthers at Golden Knights
by Broken Controller Media on June 5, 2023 at 5:00 pm
Stack the Pucks gives a breakdown of every NHL Game on the card. For more […]
-
Panthers at Golden Knights
by Broken Controller Media on June 3, 2023 at 4:00 pm
Stack the Pucks gives a breakdown of every NHL Game on the card. For more […]
-
Golden Knights at Stars
by Broken Controller Media on May 29, 2023 at 4:20 pm
Stack the Pucks gives a breakdown of every NHL Game on the card. For more […]
-
Episode #142: Col. Mustard in the Conservatory
by Full Press Coverage on June 9, 2023 at 4:20 pm
On this edition of The Calder Farmstead, Sean and Sarah have a ton of […]
-
Episode #141: Tend The Goal
by Full Press Coverage on May 25, 2023 at 2:24 pm
The 2023 AHL Calder Cup Playoffs have reached its final four teams, and […]
-
Renegades Of Puck Ep 771
by Charlie Saunier on June 9, 2023 at 9:19 pm
Ep 771 The Renegades Of Puck Recap Milwaukee Admirals Regular Season & […]
-
Full Press Blackhawks - Thursday, June 8th
by Full Press Coverage on June 8, 2023 at 4:00 pm
After Connor Bedard going #1, who are some prospects to look at for the […]
-
Full Press Kraken - Thursday, June 8th
by Full Press Coverage on June 8, 2023 at 4:00 pm
Areas of improvement, prospect look and AHL playoffs. Learn more about […]
-
Full Press Islanders - Wednesday, June 7th
by Full Press Coverage on June 7, 2023 at 4:00 pm
Lou Lamoriello holds a press conference yesterday we talk about what was […]
-
Renegades Of Puck Ep 770
by Charlie Saunier on June 6, 2023 at 7:13 pm
Ep 770 The Renegades Of Puck Recap Game 6 & Preview Calder Cup Final […]
-
Full Press Hurricanes - Tuesday, June 6th
by Full Press Coverage on June 6, 2023 at 5:20 pm
A brief look at game one of the Stanley Cup Final and potential draft […]
-
6/9 - NBA Finals, DeAndre Hopkins, Panthers Take Game 3
by Full Press Coverage on June 9, 2023 at 1:38 pm
Ian and John preview Game 4 of the NBA Finals, discuss the possibility of […]
-
6/8 - Nuggets Dominate; PGA/LIV Merge
by Full Press Coverage on June 8, 2023 at 12:38 pm
Ian and John discuss the Nuggets Game 2 win over the Heat and the recent […]
-
6/6 - Golden Knights Cruise; NBA Final Heads To Miami
by Full Press Coverage on June 6, 2023 at 2:36 pm
Ian and John discuss the Golden Knights dominating win and look ahead to […]
-
6/5 - Heat Take Game 2; Golden Knights; Aaron Rodgers/Jordan Love
by Full Press Coverage on June 5, 2023 at 2:28 pm
Ian and John discuss the Heat's win over the Nuggets, the Golden Knights […]
Awesome article sir!!!!
Thanks for reading, Shawn!
Jake Ottinger: Boston University fellow alumnus! XD