2021 Seattle expansion draft. Who do you protect?

[JD1]

But we're not going to go with 8 F because Chabot will be protected.

So why go 7 F and 1 D when we can go 7 and 3? Makes zero sense.

I think he means you can go 8/1 versus 7/3

 

[JD1]

I think we'll sign Zub and protect him, Zaitsev and Chahot

 

[Masked]

I think we'll sign Zub and protect him, Zaitsev and Chahot

No need to protect Zub. He's not eligible to be selected.

 

[YouGotAStuGoing]

Well, let's take a look at what the garbage bin consists of:

1) Nikita Zaitsev (4.5M X 3) - Fantastic if Seattle takes the burden off our hand and he's the expansion draft casualty.
2) Josh Brown (1.2M X 1) - If Ron Francis wants him, he can gladly have him.
3) Christian Wolanin (RFA) - Fringe NHL player at best. Again, perfect if Seattle takes him.
4) Erik Gudbranson (UFA - horrid hockey player), Mike Reilly (UFA - decent hockey player), Brayden Coburn (UFA - no comment)

Why would you protect any of that? The much better idea would be to weaponize the extra D slots instead of protecting our own terrible pieces just because we can.

Example: Team A trades us a good D that they would like to protect for a 7th rounder/future considerations. We protect that D and then trade him back for a 1st/2nd/3rd round pick. Or keep him under a different agreement if it's a player that we covet. There are 2 spots after Chabot to do something like this.

Ah, I see. I misunderstood your position — I was looking at it from the "if we had to pick today" angle and thought you meant we should go in at 7-1-1, wasting the extra spots. If you're pushing for acquiring two defencemen worth protecting from a team who'd rather get something than nothing, then I'm right behind you.

 

[Xspyrit]

Would need time to come up with a full list, but Connor brown is an absolute lock to be protected

Yes. A NHL team protecting Austin Watson over Connor Brown should be relegated to the AHL right away

Also kinda sad that we're going to lose one of Daccord or Gustavsson. Should make a trade involving a goalie

 

[GCK]

Yes. A NHL team protecting Austin Watson over Connor Brown should be relegated to the AHL right away

Also kinda sad that we're going to lose on of Daccord or Gustavsson. Should make a trade involving a goalie

No guarantee they lose a goalie. A lot depends on what’s available from other teams. They need to select minimum numbers of forwards, D and goalies.

Try doing a practice draft, it gets complicated. I honestly think we should send them a 2nd to select Tierney. We need the 4.2M freed up.

 

[Sweatred]

Watson should be protected - he provides way more positive value than many of our the under achieving over paid players.

 

[Xspyrit]

No guarantee they lose a goalie. A lot depends on what’s available from other teams. They need to select minimum numbers of forwards, D and goalies.

Try doing a practice draft, it gets complicated. I honestly think we should send them a 2nd to select Tierney. We need the 4.2M freed up.

Agreed with all this but didn't like the sound of sacrificing 2nd for them to take Tierney. I mean, it could have easily been avoided, just could have traded Tierney wayyyyy before. I have been asking for them to trade him for almost 2 years now.

Expose Matt Murray and Dadonov. If they have enough cap space, they might bite on one of them. Dadonov will only have 2 years left. Murray "only" 3 years and has a great track record except recently.

If not, then they'll just take Daccord or Gustavsson and we'll have to live with it (but yes depends what happens with other teams)

 

[GCK]

Watson should be protected - he provides way more positive value than many of our the under achieving over paid players.

He provides far more value than Tierney. White, Dadonov and Brown are not getting exposed. White and Brown are playing to their contracts and Dadonov is just getting acclimated.

 

[GCK]

Agreed with all this but didn't like the sound of sacrificing 2nd for them to take Tierney. I mean, it could have easily been avoided, just could have traded Tierney wayyyyy before. I have been asking for them to trade him for almost 2 years now.

Expose Matt Murray and Dadonov. If they have enough cap space, they might bite on one of them. Dadonov will only have 2 years left. Murray "only" 3 years and has a great track record except recently.

If not, then they'll just take Daccord or Gustavsson and we'll have to live with it (but yes depends what happens with other teams)

Bad look exposing a freshly signed UFA. Dadonov is going through a season like no other all while on a new team. I think he will be just fine and will produce his 25-30 goals next year.

 

[Alf Silfversson]

It’s not 8F it’s 8 skaters. Chabot is the only d worth protecting

But then you still only get 7 forwards. It's 8 total skaters.

The only way going that route makes sense is if you have 4 D that you need to protect.

 

[Sweatred]

He provides far more value than Tierney. White, Dadonov and Brown are not getting exposed. White and Brown are playing to their contracts and Dadonov is just getting acclimated.

He provides more positive value than all of those players ... Connor Brown isn’t under achieving or overpaid ... there is Zero chance he isn’t protected.

 

[GCK]

He provides more positive value than all of those players ... Connor Brown isn’t under achieving or overpaid ... there is Zero chance he isn’t protected.

Neither is White. 21 goal pace as a centre who is playing 2 way hockey at a high pace, finally, is easily worth his 4M. Good on the forecheck, sensational creating back pressure and improving in his own end. Really good value which was not looking likely last year.

 

[Xspyrit]

Bad look exposing a freshly signed UFA. Dadonov is going through a season like no other all while on a new team. I think he will be just fine and will produce his 25-30 goals next year.

I wish but need a high end center for that

Are Pinto, Norris and Stutzle going to provide that?

 

[DJB]

Speculation: - 2021 NHL Expansion Draft (Seattle)

Already a thread with some good info

 

[GCK]

I wish but need a high end center for that

Are Pinto, Norris and Stutzle going to provide that?

Well he’s been bad this year and is on a full season 21G pace. Not much of a stretch to get to 25-30.

 

[Big Muddy]

Wasn't there a theory that Josh Brown was selected to be the Expansion Draft guinea pig? Wasn't that a popular notion for awhile?

 

[GCK]

Wasn't there a theory that Josh Brown was selected to be the Expansion Draft guinea pig? Wasn't that a popular notion for awhile?

Still is. We need to expose 1 D who meets eligibility and we only have 3. Chabot, Zaitsev and Brown. No matter how much fans want to expose Zaitsev it is not happening.

 

[Crosside]

This week between an intermission, Sylvain St-Laurent said the team told them. Murray would be exposed, but not want to lose him. Just think he would not be pick. The plan was to protect Daccord. But now with his injury and good performance by Gus, and younger. The team don’t know between both

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

This week between an intermission, Sylvain St-Laurent said the team told them. Murray would be exposed, but not want to lose him. Just think he would not be pick. The plan was to protect Daccord. But now with his injury and good performance by Gus, and younger. The team don’t know between both

makes sense.. sucks for Daccord getting injured , and getting injured after so few games. Still my guy. But Gus keeps up his play and I am not stuck on it.

 

[trentmccleary]

Ignoring stats and going strictly by my untrained eye, I protect Daccord over every other goalie I've seen this year.


Apologies to h2 if he hates everything I write from here on out.
Edit:
Alright, I think I got up to speed on this stuff.

Protect: Daccord, Chabot, Zaitsev, *Reilly
Tkachuk, Batherson, White, C.Brown, Paul, Tierney... Dadonov/Watson/L.Brown

Philosophy
Conservative, the team isn't going to go wild with player acquisitions.
The head coach will have a big say.
Will try to maintain with vets and improve with rookies. So vets who play a lot will be kept until youngsters surpass them.
The cap isn't a big deal because the team isn't anywhere near it.

Daccord looks confident and mobile in net. I expect him to try to challenge Murray (who won't be slected) for playing time over the next 3 years.
Reilly will be resigned and would need to be protected. Zaitsev will definitely be protected.
I struggled a little with Tierney, but he's trusted by DJ in defensive situations.
Dadonov/Watson/L.Brown is a tough choice. Dadonov probably won't be chosen, so he might be worth the protection slot to keep him happy. Watson probably won't be picked either, but he's a heart and soul player the team should try to keep. I don't know if the team thinks Logan Brown has a substantive future in the NHL. I'd probably protect Dadonov, expecting him to be a 50+ point winger for the next 2 years.

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

This week between an intermission, Sylvain St-Laurent said the team told them. Murray would be exposed, but not want to lose him. Just think he would not be pick. The plan was to protect Daccord. But now with his injury and good performance by Gus, and younger. The team don’t know between both

Pride and relationships aside, not exposing Murray and his contract would be absurd. It is a no brainer.

 

[ATdaisuki]

I wonder if we can swing a wild, three-way expansion deal.

Dadonov has shown he can perform with other good players, and I think Carolina could use another top six forward. They also look like a team that will need to swing a deal with Seattle to keep key players. Taking a look at potentially exposed forwards, Tierney might be an attractive option, but a player we could easily protect. If Seattle takes a late pick from Carolina in this deal to pick someone like Fast because we only make Tierney available in this deal, we might be able to get rid of players that just aren't a fit here.

If we put everything together, maybe a three way trade looks like this:

To Seattle:

Zaitzev
Fast (draft selection)
Tierney (draft selection)
Tb 2nd 2022 (from Ottawa)
Carolina late pick
Maybe one of our older prospects like Brown

To Carolina:

Dadonov

To Ottawa:

Hamilton with extension

Hamilton probably doesn't fit in Carolina's cap structure, so they are basically getting Dadonov for Fast and a 7th. It would be happening in the off-season, so they will have Hamilton for their run this season.

Values are probably waaaaayyyy off, but I wonder what it would take to make this dream expansion scenario happen.

 

[Xspyrit]

Well he’s been bad this year and is on a full season 21G pace. Not much of a stretch to get to 25-30.

True, not hard to forget he "already" has 9 goals... We'll see anyway but personally I wouldn't mind exposing him, he's 32 and doesn't really fit with the team.

We traded UFA Galchenyuk after 8 games (9:30 per GP). Don't see why it would be a worse look to trade Dadonov after 1 season where he really didn't live up to expectations. Small sample size but AG27 has 3 pts in 4 GP with the Leafs.

This week between an intermission, Sylvain St-Laurent said the team told them. Murray would be exposed, but not want to lose him. Just think he would not be pick. The plan was to protect Daccord. But now with his injury and good performance by Gus, and younger. The team don’t know between both

Dorion more 4-D chess : overpays Murray, builds a really bad defense to be sure Seattle doesn't take him. Protects Daccord

Fixes the defense next year and the Sens enjoy a really strong goalie duo!

I think it's less risky to leave Gus exposed, he hasn't had the chance to play a lot in the NHL so don't think they'd go with him.

 

[saskriders]

I wonder if we can swing a wild, three-way expansion deal.

Dadonov has shown he can perform with other good players, and I think Carolina could use another top six forward. They also look like a team that will need to swing a deal with Seattle to keep key players. Taking a look at potentially exposed forwards, Tierney might be an attractive option, but a player we could easily protect. If Seattle takes a late pick from Carolina in this deal to pick someone like Fast because we only make Tierney available in this deal, we might be able to get rid of players that just aren't a fit here.

If we put everything together, maybe a three way trade looks like this:

To Seattle:

Zaitzev
Fast (draft selection)
Tierney (draft selection)
Tb 2nd 2022 (from Ottawa)
Carolina late pick
Maybe one of our older prospects like Brown

To Carolina:

Dadonov

To Ottawa:

Hamilton with extension

Hamilton probably doesn't fit in Carolina's cap structure, so they are basically getting Dadonov for Fast and a 7th. It would be happening in the off-season, so they will have Hamilton for their run this season.

Values are probably waaaaayyyy off, but I wonder what it would take to make this dream expansion scenario happen.

I really like this idea.

The way I see it the must protects are:

Batherson
Brady
Chabot
Joey/Gus


This not only makes our terrible defence better, but gives us a nothing to worry about at forward. Paul, Watson, White we would definitely be keeping. We could also choose to sign Dzingel and/or Bishop without having to worry about losing them.