The expansion draft isn't until June, 2021 so there is enough time to shake out the roster and determine the direction of the club. However, I think based on the current needs of the club and the unbalanced talent prospect pool we should start making some moves.
In addition, all NHL teams must meet the following minimum requirements regarding players exposed for selection in the draft:
* One defenseman who is a) under contract in 2021-22 and b) played in at least 40 NHL games the prior season or played in at least 70 NHL games in the prior two seasons.
* Two forwards who are a) under contract in 2021-22 and b) played at least 40 NHL games the prior season or played in at least 70 NHL games in the prior two seasons.
* One goalie who is under contract in 2021-22 or will be a restricted free agent at the end of his current contract immediately prior to 2021-22. If a team elects to make a restricted free agent goalie available to meet this requirement, that goalie must have received his qualifying offer prior to the submission of the team's protected list.
The Sabres are required to expose players that have been under contract with experience. This can be satisfied by exposing players like Larsson, Girgensons, Miller, Hutton or veteran UFAs signed to short-term deals.
As it stands right now here is who I would protect.
Eichel
Reinhart
Skinner
Thompson
Mittelstadt
Asplund
Olofsson
Dahlin
Jokiharju
Montour
Ullmark
The notable exposures are Johansson, Risto, Borgen, Pilut.
Johansson is an UFA at the end of 2021 so I'm not sure Seattle would risk selecting him if he can leave after 1 year. This could leave a void at 2C, but hopefully Mittelstadt develops into that role. In 1 year if there is no apparent 2c replacement then I can be talked into protecting Johansson.
Risto has his flaws, but he can eat minutes, run point on the power play and provides some grit.
Losing Borgen would hurt since we have watched him develop into a solid d-man.
Pilut is a wild card. I think we need to see him flourish on the big stage and stay healthy.
When it comes down to roster makeup and direction I am open to trading any player not named Eichel, Skinner, Dahlin or Jokiharju.
In the right deal I would trade Reinhart to shake up the roster. Sam is an RFA after this year and we don't know what his asking price is at this point.
Asplund is groomed to be the 3c of the future, but has he regressed?
Olofsson has a great shot, but can he play effective even strength hockey?
It's obvious we need to trade some defensive prospects for forward help. Keep in mind that any forwards we receive in a trade we may have to protect.
At the end of the day we can only lose 1 player in this draft, but why does it have to hurt? Should we trade some players that would be exposed in this draft for futures?
How about we expose Risto with the hope that he is selected? We have the replacements plus it would free up $5.4M in salary.
The next year is a critical juncture for this team in terms of roster identity. We have a number of pieces, but how do we build a team? There are too many holes that need to be filled through trades and free agency.
