Photo: WKRG
The Washington Capitals and the other 29 teams eligible to lose a player to the Seattle Kraken submitted their protection list for the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft by Saturday’s 5 PM deadline to do so and the lists were revealed by the NHL on Sunday morning. Each team had the option of protecting seven forwards, three defensemen, and one goalie or eight skaters (any combination of forwards and defensemen) and one goalie.
Here is the list that the Capitals, who went with the first option, reportedly submited by Saturday’s deadline:
Forwards
- C Nicklas Backstrom (no-movement clause)
- LW Anthony Mantha
- RW T.J. Oshie
- RW Tom Wilson
- C Evgeny Kuznetsov
- C Lars Eller
- RW Daniel Sprong
Defensemen
- RHD John Carlson
- LHD Dmitry Orlov
- RHD Trevor Van Riemsdyk
Goalie
- Ilya Samsonov
Backstrom, 33, was the only player that the team had to protect from the Kraken due to his no-movement clause.
Starting at 3 PM ET on Saturday, a roster freeze came into effect unless teams are trading with the Kraken. The freeze will lift at 1 PM ET on Thursday.
The Kraken will be able to choose from forwards Nic Dowd, Carl Hagelin, Garnet Hathaway or Conor Sheary, defensemen Brenden Dillon, Nick Jensen, Michal Kempny or Justin Schultz and goaltenders Pheonix Copley and Vitek Vanecek.
Screenshot: CapFriendly
The most likely players to get picked included Jensen, Sheary, Schultz, Dillon, and Vanecek.
The Kraken can select just one player from each team but any teams could trade them more to prevent them to take a player one wishes to keep. Though, the price of protecting more players in the expansion draft is “exorbitant,” according to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun. Every player on an entry-level contract is exempt from being taken, though teams could trade them to the Kraken as incentives to protect more players if they wish.
Starting at 10 AM ET on Sunday, when the NHL will make the protection lists public, the Kraken will have a window to negotiate with and sign any (un)restricted free agents who are unprotected from their 2020-21 team. Though, if they do, that will count as their pick from that player’s 2020-21 club. The Kraken could sign them on July 28, when free agency opens, making it unlikely that they will use any of their expansion picks on unrestricted free agents.
In our latest mock draft, we projected the Kraken selecting Jensen from the Capitals.
The Kraken must submit their expansion selections by 10 AM ET on Wednesday. The picks will be announced to the public on ESPN2 starting at 8 PM ET later that day.
NoVa Caps 2021 Expansion Draft Coverage
Ranking The Capitals’ Expansion Draft Scenarios From Best To Worst
Mock Expansion Draft 4.0: The Picture Is Getting Clearer In Seattle
The Capitals’ Outlook For The 2021 NHL Expansion Draft
Mock Expansion Draft 3.0: Who Is Seattle Kraken Bound?
2020 Mock Expansion Draft For The Seattle Kraken
Who Will The Capitals Protect From Seattle In 2021 NHL Expansion Draft?
A Look Back At The Capitals’ 2017 Expansion Draft Protection List
Our First Mock Draft For The Seattle Expansion Franchise In 2021
What the Vegas Expansion Draft Tells Us About What to Expect in the Seattle Expansion Draft in 2021
2017 NHL Expansion Draft – Assessment of the Picks and Trades
2021 NHL Expansion Draft Primer
Mock Expansion Draft 5.0: Before Protection Lists Are Released
Report: Flyers Acquire Ryan Ellis In Three-Team Trade, Part With Nolan Patrick And Philippe Myers (Trades Leading Up To Roster Freeze)
By Harrison Brown
Would hate to lose Sheary, Jensen or Vanecek. Fingers crossed.
I do not like protecting both of the overgrown childern….Kuzy and Sammy, as I think that they feed off of each other negatively. For me Kuzy needed to go and I was hoping for a trade but giving him to Seattle would also have been acceptable.
Yes. I found them on our protected list very, very disappointing.
I am hoping that a deal is already made with someone else for Kuzy and both sides are waiting out the expansion draft.
It would be great to lose a bigger salary like Schultz or Dillon of course, but, in leiu of any deal Bmac could make with the Kraken, I would imagine the Caps have some trade(s) in place depending on whom the Kraken select. For instance, plan A in place if a big salary is taken and then plan B if a small salary is taken. I’m sure they are prepared regardless.
WHY DOES OVECHKIN NOT HAVE TO BE PROTECTED
Pingback: Monday Caps Clips - Baltimore Sports Today