2021 Expansion Draft

[SterioDesign]

So since there's not much to talk about until there's another move or training camp i guess we can start looking at how Shero should handle the 2021 expansion draft and who we might lose. It's great that we now have a pretty good lineup with depth but that means we'll lose someone we really like too possibly... thats obviously something Shero has been keeping an eye on making moves

So teams have 2 options when it comes to protecting players they can either protect 7 forwards, 3 d-men and 1 goaltender or any combination of 8 skaters and one goalie.

So far Hughes, Boqvist and Smith will be the only players automatically protected cause they will be on their 2nd year. Maybe Walsh will be on the roster by then so he'd be protected too.

Zajac, Palms, Gusev and Coleman will be UFAs then and the draft is in june so im wondering if seattle would want to pick a guy like Palms for example if he may just sign somewhere else on july 1st? not sure if there's a rule for that i can't remember

So basically up front Bratt and Hischier are locks to be protected, Hall would be depending on how that situation goes.

On the D having Walsh making the team would be amazing cause we can only protect 3 Dman with option 1... which would likely have to be Subban, Butcher and Severson... but we'll have to replace Greene and Vatanen's spots for sure with good players by then.. so they will be exposed or we'll have to expose one of Subban, Butcher or Severson... if Walsh could fill one of those role it would be ideal cause we'd only need to expose a 3rd pairing kind of guy then

 

[SterioDesign]

i personally dont think its too early cause its close enough that Shero has to keep that in mind right now. Like i said... would you trade Zacha + wtv for a very good LD ? probably right? but would you do it knowing it means you'd have to expose one of Subban, Butcher or Severson the year after? So that you lost Zacha + one of those? OR you try to set your roster in a certain way.

For example i know some teams didnt sign or bring up some of their good young players last season cause they would have been exposed in 2021. So it's really "there".

and again, this place has been incredibly slow the last few days. We can talk about Subban if you want but i feel the expansion draft would bring better discussions and make fans dig a bit

Edited August 6, 2019 by SterioDesign

[SterioDesign]

2 minutes ago, MB3 said:

Oh I wasn't criticizing you making this thread. I just don't think I have enough information to make an informed post. 

To answer your question, absolutely I do. I'm way lower on Butcher than most. 

Yeah id just hate to see him being taken after he chose us out of any other teams in the league

[Daniel]

Whatever the case, I wouldn’t get cute and try to do all that side wheeling a dealing.  Just protect your best players and let the chips fall where they may.

[MadDog2020]

4 minutes ago, Daniel said:

Whatever the case, I wouldn’t get cute and try to do all that side wheeling a dealing.  Just protect your best players and let the chips fall where they may.

Exactly. Can’t worry about it right now though, it’s two years away.

[Neb00rs]

Now that the Devils have a fairly stacked roster, it'll be hard for them to not lose a real NHL player, but they set themselves up quiet nicely for the expansion draft in the past few years, notably by holding Ty Smith and Jesper Boqvist out of the NA professional ranks. All players who have completed two or less pro seasons following the 2020-21 season will be exempt. Along with Boqvist and Smith, Reilly Walsh and Jack Hughes will, of course, also be exempt. Nikita Gusev could be a UFA by then but if he was re-signed with the Devils before the expansion draft, he would also, be exempt.

Significant Exempt players:

Jack Hughes

Reilly Walsh

Jesper Boqvist

Nikita Gusev

Ty Smith

It is, as has been stated already, too early to have a realistic conversation about the expansion draft, and such will be true until the start of the 2020-21 season, when the Devils roster for that year is set. It's especially too early in the Devils case because the team is locked into few contracts for the 2021-22 season as of today.

That said, let's take a stab anyway.

Teams can protect either 7F, 3D, 1G or 8 skaters + 1G. 

Additionally, "players with no movement clauses at the time of the draft, and who decline to waive those clauses, must be protected and will be counted toward their team's applicable protection limits."

For the purposes of this exercise, I'm going to assume that following the 2020-21 season, all of Zajac, Simmonds, Vatanen, Greene, Coleman, and Rooney are not on the team/not under contract with the Devils. And because I hope it happens, I'm going to assume Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri are both under contract. You can start to seen now why it's way too early to have this conversation - there's so many variables that could change.

Given where the players stand today, the Devils would probably protect the following players

F Taylor Hall

F Nico Hischier

F Kyle Palmieri

F Jesper Bratt

D PK Subban

D Will Butcher

D Damon Severson

G Mackenzie Blackwood

This would leave the Devils with an extra three forward spots. So let's assume that Coleman re-signs and throw in Pavel Zacha:

F Taylor Hall

F Nico Hischier

F Kyle Palmieri

F Jesper Bratt

F Blake Coleman

F Pavel Zacha

D PK Subban

D Will Butcher

D Damon Severson

G Mackenzie Blackwood.

As you can see, even in this scenario the Devils will be in position to protect one more player whether someone on the AHL/NHL brink right now (McLeod, Bastian, Anderson, etc...), or someone that will be on the roster at the time (Wood, random FA signing, etc...).

As of today, them most likely player that we will lose, will be one of Joey Anderson, McLeod, Wood, or a veteran player that will join our team next season. Maybe even Colton White who is projected at this point to be an NHLer. If Vatanen is re-signed, it could be him too. Again, so much stands to change between now and then.

It should be said the following stipulations for making players available also have to be met before we can give away AHL prospects:

* 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.

This doesn't seem to be much of a problem though, we should easily have expendable players who meet those requirements.

More than anything this should go to show, that Shero has carefully been preparing for the expansion draft while building this team. If we made more moves after last offseason or rushed Ty Smith/Jesper Boqvist, we might not be in as good position heading into the expansion draft.

 

 

Edited August 6, 2019 by Neb00rs

[mfitz804]

2 hours ago, MB3 said:

After Zacha wins his second Hart trophy and mfitz combusts in on himself like a dying star, do the Devils trade him for McDavid? 

So many questions.

Like “is the trade one for one”?

[NJDfan1711]

14 minutes ago, mfitz804 said:

Like “is the trade one for one”?

If you think we're trading away our two time, back-to-back Hart trophy winner for just Connor McDavid, you're outta your fvckin' mind!

[mfitz804]

The only way Zacha ever wins a Hart trophy is if they change the criteria to whoever blows the most goats.*

* Except on the penalty kill. 

[SterioDesign]

while i just think it was a combination of Shero sticking to his plan, not much on the market that was worth it, players not interested or really wanting to give a shot to younger guys to see what we had.

But i wonder if this played any role in Shero being real conservative last summer knowing adding players last season would expose them for the expansion draft... actually if Smith would have made the team last year he would have been eligible... so that was smart

[AEWHistory]

On 8/6/2019 at 2:56 PM, mfitz804 said:

The only way Zacha ever wins a Hart trophy is if they change the criteria to whoever blows the most goats.*

* Except on the penalty kill. 

 

On 8/6/2019 at 8:55 PM, MB3 said:

You’ve been killing it with the Freudian slips here.

unless anyone is on their knees in Brodeur’s office at the prudential center, I don’t think anyone is blowing goats. 

 

Leave my private life outta this!