Pre-Game Talk: NHL Expansion Draft (6-18-17 - 6-21-17) VGK Selects James Neal

[AintLifeGrand]

5 p.m. ET | Saturday, June 17: All teams simultaneously submit Expansion Draft protection lists to the NHL’s Central Registry.
The Central Registry will accept these at the same time so that there’s no funny business around leaks or anything. They will spend the night going through the lists and making sure all rules are followed by the 30 teams.

10 a.m. ET | Sunday, June 18: Protection lists are approved and distributed to teams and the NHL Players’ Association.
We’re expecting that the league will make the protection lists public at this time as well. That should be a fun Father’s Day morning.

10 a.m. ET | Sunday, June 18: Vegas’ exclusive window for free agent negotiation opens.
The Golden Knights will be allowed first crack at any pending unrestricted or restricted free agent, as long as that player is not protected in the Expansion Draft. The purpose behind this is to allow the Golden Knights to get a sense of whether or not they will be able to sign a free agent before going ahead and using a pick on them in the Expansion Draft.

10 a.m. ET | Wednesday, June 21: The Golden Knights submit their Expansion Draft selections to the league and NHLPA.
At the same time, Las Vegas must submit contracts for any free agent they’ve signed during their special signing window. Should they select an RFA, the team they are selecting him from will not be eligible for compensation as they normally would be.

8 p.m. ET | Wednesday, June 21: During NHL Awards show in Las Vegas, the league will announce the Golden Knights’ Expansion Draft selections.
The big moment. We’re unsure how this reveal will be done, but we know it will be during the annual league Awards show on NBCSN and Sportsnet.

Anyone else with me that DP should protect Colton over Jarnkork , Smith , Wilson etc ... dude put up .55 ppg in the playoffs and has more size and heft than Jarny- an ideal candidate for 3 C for 2018

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[Viqsi]

We also totally should have signed Joel Ward to a $5m/year contract that one time.

No, of course not. Love him and hope he continues to grow, but there's not nearly enough established performance history.

 

[Jonesey]

Anyone else with me that DP should protect Colton over Jarnkork , Smith , Wilson etc ... dude put up .55 ppg in the playoffs and has more size and heft than Jarny- an ideal candidate for 3 C for 2018

The problem is none of the people you listed will be protected.

Johansen
Forsberg
Neal
Arvidsson

that's it for the forwards unless we make a major trade in the next 3 days.

 

[predfan98]

The problem is none of the people you listed will be protected.

Johansen
Forsberg
Neal
Arvidsson

that's it for the forwards unless we make a major trade in the next 3 days.

this is what I think also.....

what do teams that only protect 3 d get to protect. I forget the number, it's more than 5 forwards though isn't it?

 

[Predsboro]

Anyone else with me that DP should protect Colton over Jarnkork , Smith , Wilson etc ... dude put up .55 ppg in the playoffs and has more size and heft than Jarny- an ideal candidate for 3 C for 2018

I mentioned to a friend at either game 3 or 4 that Sissons' play in the playoffs may just have put him on Las Vegas' radar ...

However, to your question ... no way. Unless Poile pulls some rabbit out of his hat and shocks the world, he will protect 8 skaters. Sissons does not fit into that eight.

Ellis
Subban
Josi
Ekholm
Arvidsson
Forsberg
Johanson
*Neal

* IMHO, you try to extend Neal ... if he doesn't extend I would leave him exposed and protect one of Jarnkrok, Smith, Wilson (Preferably Jarnkrok of the 3).

Of course, I'm not the GM so .....

 

[Legionnaire11]

I'd like to be able to protect him, but as much as he was a feel good story in the playoffs, he's not on the same level as Joey, Arvy, Forsberg or Neal.

But yes, I'm no longer concerned about losing Wilson or Smith, probably not even Jarnkrok. I now believe Vegas will be choosing between Sissons or Aberg. None of the players available to them from the Preds will be impact players, so they might as well go with players who still have a bit more potential long-term.

I think they take Aberg, which really sucks for us, but he has big potential to become a consistent second line scorer in a year or two for Vegas. Unless Poile can use picks to persuade GMGM to take Smith or Wilson instead.

 

[Jonesey]

this is what I think also.....

what do teams that only protect 3 d get to protect. I forget the number, it's more than 5 forwards though isn't it?

Either 8 skaters and 1 goalie or 7 forwards, 3 defense, 1 goalie.

If we can make a deal for Tavares (big stretch) giving up one of our big 4 I'd be ok with the 7-3-1 route.

 

[TheJungleHunter]

Rumor on the main board is that Neal will be exposed to the Vegas draft.

I find that hard to believe since it would be more beneficial to trade rather than lose him for nothing.

However, that would mean we are likely protecting one of Jarnkrök/Sissions instead.

 

[drwpreds]

I also think it is possible (though probably not likely) that we do not protect Neal.

What is interesting to me is where we once thought we only had a couple of guys we might lose, there are now several players who might be attractive to Vegas.

Sissons and Aberg, two guys who were completely off the radar a month ago, are now two guys I would hate to lose.

The entire expansion draft, not just from a Preds standpoint, is going to fascinating to watch play out.

 

[drwpreds]

I'd like to be able to protect him, but as much as he was a feel good story in the playoffs, he's not on the same level as Joey, Arvy, Forsberg or Neal. .

Maybe- maybe not, but who knows? A year ago no one thought Arvidsson was on that level either. I think Sissons has some pretty good upside.

 

[Jonesey]

I'm going to turn this into the pre-expansion thread.

 

[Predsboro]

The entire expansion draft, not just from a Preds standpoint, is going to fascinating to watch play out.

I'm still a bit bitter with how they are conducting the expansion draft. Guess it's the being there since the beginning and going through the struggling years as the franchise grew. They are making it so much easier on the Vegas franchise to get good faster. I realize that's their goal ... they don't want franchises to flounder.

Still doesn't make me happy ... lol

 

[TheJungleHunter]

Either 8 skaters and 1 goalie or 7 forwards, 3 defense, 1 goalie.

If we can make a deal for Tavares (big stretch) giving up one of our big 4 I'd be ok with the 7-3-1 route.

Yeah, I think the only way trading one of the Top 4 is okay is if we get a 2C and go 7-3-1.

Going 4-4-1 we have to expose some good players for free and that is truly unfortunate.

We could make a deal for Vegas to take a player like Wilson/Smith, but then we are losing even more assets while also losing a solid skater for nothing.

Going 7-3-1 after trading for a 2C, we can still protect the Top 3, RyJo, Forsberg, Arvy, the new 2C (Duchene?), Jarnkrök/Sissons, Neal, and one of Wilson/Smith. Whichever of those two left is likely to be taken.

Then, we keep our picks/assets we would have lost by making a deal for the preferential expansion draft pick.

Maybe I have it all wrong, and I probably do, but that sounds somewhat smart to me.

 

[Drake744]

I personally think we protect Forsberg, Joey, Arvidsson and Neal, leaving Sissons as the guy who we try and make a trade with Vegas in order to have them pick someone else. I think Sissons has singlehandedly made Jarnkrok replaceable, despite his contract. And that's a contract that GMGM would have a hard time turning down.

Maybe it's a bit of recent infatuation but I'll be really pissed if the guy we lose ends up being Sissons after all this.

From what I've heard, Neal likes being here, so I'm not so sure we couldn't extend him.

 

[Roman Yoshi]

Can someone please explain the rationale of exposing Neal?

 

[Predsboro]

Can someone please explain the rationale of exposing Neal?

IMHO there is none. However, as I stated above ... I would try to extend Neal now and if he refuses and wants to play out his one remaining year, I would then consider exposing him ... or trade him.

I, however, think Poile is set on his 8 + Rinne and Neal is in that eight.

 

[Legionnaire11]

I don't understand any talk of exposing Neal. Alternate captain, and played with who this season? Get someone decent on the second line with him and he'll score again, but it was pretty easy for teams to key on him for much of this season when his line was out there.

 

[Mortiest Morty]

Can someone please explain the rationale of exposing Neal?

Among the fanbase, it's massive over rating of Jarnkrok. For the GM to actually consider it? I can't think of a reasonable justification.

And as for the extension stuff, Neal can't be extended until July 1st. Expansion lists are due in a couple of days, so there isn't even much time to legitimately discuss the possibility of an extension before then anyway.

 

[Soundgarden]

I could see us protecting Sissons or Jarnkrok over Neal depending on if Poile values Jarnkrok's contract, or Sissons play the spring over Neal. They're both centers and Neal is about to turn 30, not old by any means, but he seems like an outlier on our forward core where most of our best forwards are under 25.

Would I be 100% on board with it, maybe not, but I can definitely envision a scenario where it plays out.

 

[Mortiest Morty]

I could see us protecting Sissons or Jarnkrok over Neal depending on if Poile values Jarnkrok's contract, or Sissons play the spring over Neal. They're both centers and Neal is about to turn 30, not old by any means, but he seems like an outlier on our forward core where most of our best forwards are under 25.

Would I be 100% on board with it, maybe not, but I can definitely envision a scenario where it plays out.

I think it's pretty stupid to be worried about losing one of two 3rd/4th line centers. Neal is a top goal scoring winger in the league. Top 10 in goals among wingers over the past few years, even excluding his 40+ goal year in Pitt. Even if Neal left after next year, Sissons or Jarnkrok is not some big loss. They just aren't.

Multiple times this postseason, Neal has said he hopes Nashville is the last place he ever plays. Yeah, you can't trust what hockey players say publicly, but he volunteered those statements without even being asked about a contract extension or the offseason or anything.

 

[ILikeItILoveIt]

Can someone please explain the rationale of exposing Neal?

He only has one more year. If he's not going to sign longer term, you could choose to give up his remaining year to Vegas so that you can retain Yarny or Sissons or Aberg or Smith or Wilson.

Is one more year only of Neal worth more than long term retention of any of those other players?

Neal and Poile should be able to talk about this without actually doing a contract, so the July 1st threshold for extended people isn't a barrier. I would think the Preds want Neal long term and would think Neal would want to be here. So, given the threat of the expansion draft, protect him now and extend him post-July 1st. If he pulls a Suter and won't commit now, leave him unprotected. Vegas may not take him considering they're only getting one year. No way he stays in Vegas more than a year.

 

[Mortiest Morty]

I would love for someone to explain to me why losing Jarnkrok or Sissons is such a big deal. I feel like I have to be missing something, because I keep seeing it repeated, but I still don't get it.

 

[jumb0]

I would love for someone to explain to me why losing Jarnkrok or Sissons is such a big deal. I feel like I have to be missing something, because I keep seeing it repeated, but I still don't get it.

Posted in the other thread about Jarnkrok. It's because our C situation. Jarnkrok is overvalued because of our lack of a true #2C. We've got RyJo and a bunch of bottom 6 guys.

 

[Armourboy]

It makes absolutely no sense to leave Neal exposed. Now if Poile know a something we don't, and ops to trade because of that, that at least makes some sense. Just losing a 30 goal scorer for nothing would be the single dumbest move I've ever seen.

 

[PredsV82]

I would love for someone to explain to me why losing Jarnkrok or Sissons is such a big deal. I feel like I have to be missing something, because I keep seeing it repeated, but I still don't get it.

Sissons playoff performance is creating outsized expectations of his ceiling, I believe.

Jarnkrok is viewed as being on a super good contract.


I agree with you, losing one of them would not be a huge deal. Gadreau and Kamanev are both centers with the potential to replace either of them.

Losing Neal for nothing would be stupid. Better to trade him for draft picks or prospects if the thought is that hes done here(which is also stupid)