NHL Mock Expansion Draft: Protection Lists, Explanations, & More
By Ryan Ritchie
Vancouver Canucks
| Available | Age | 17/18 | Automatically Exempt |
| F Daniel Sedin (NMC) | 36 | $7.0M | F Jake Virtanen |
| F Henrik Sedin (NMC) | 36 | $7.0M | F Yan-Pavel Laplante |
| F Loui Eriksson (NMC) | 31 | $6.0M | F Joseph Labate |
| F Alex Burrows | 35 | UFA | F Michael Carcone |
| F Brandon Sutter | 27 | $4.375M | F Cole Cassels |
| F Derek Dorsett | 29 | $2.65M | |
| F Jannik Hansen | 30 | $2.5M | D Troy Stecher |
| F Sven Baertschi | 24 | $1.85M | D Nikita Tryamkin |
| F Anton Rodin | 25 | RFA | D Olli Juolevi |
| F Markus Granlund | 23 | $900K | D Ben Hutton |
| F Bo Horvat | 21 | RFA | D Jordan Subban |
| F Brendan Gaunce | 22 | RFA | D Guillaume Brisebois |
| F Jack Skille | 29 | UFA | D Ashton Sautner |
| F Michael Zalewski | 24 | RFA | D MacKenze Stewart |
| F Jayson Megna | 26 | UFA | D Anton Cederholm |
| F Michael Chaput | 24 | RFA | |
| F Alexandre Grenier | 25 | RFA | G Thatcher Demko |
| F Borna Rendulic | 24 | RFA | G Michael Garteig |
| D Alex Edler | 30 | $5.0M | |
| D Chris Tanev | 26 | $4.45M | |
| D Luca Sbisa | 26 | $3.6M | |
| D Erik Gudbranson | 24 | RFA | |
| D Philip Larsen | 26 | UFA | |
| D Alex Biega | 28 | $750K | |
| D Andrey Pedan | 23 | RFA | |
| D Chad Billins | 27 | UFA | |
| D Evan McEneny | 22 | RFA | |
| D Tom Nilsson | 23 | RFA | |
| G Ryan Miller | 36 | UFA | |
| G Jacob Markstrom | 26 | $3.667M | |
| G Richard Bachman | 29 | $650K |
Protection List Plus Two Alternative List Options
| Protection List | Alternative Protection List 1 | Alternative Protection List 2 |
| 7F – 3D – 1G | 7F – 3D – 1G | 4F – 4D – 1G |
| F Daniel Sedin (NMC) | F Daniel Sedin (NMC) | F Daniel Sedin (NMC) |
| F Henrik Sedin (NMC) | F Henrik Sedin (NMC) | F Henrik Sedin (NMC) |
| F Loui Eriksson (NMC) | F Loui Eriksson (NMC) | F Loui Eriksson (NMC) |
| F Bo Horvat | F Bo Horvat | F Bo Horvat |
| F Brandon Sutter | F Brandon Sutter | D Alex Edler |
| F Anton Rodin | F Sven Baertschi | D Chris Tanev |
| F Jannik Hansen | F Jannik Hansen | D Erik Gudbranson |
| D Alex Edler | D Alex Edler | D Philip Larsen |
| D Chris Tanev | D Chris Tanev | G Jacob Markstrom |
| D Erik Gudbranson | D Erik Gudbranson | |
| G Jacob Markstrom | G Jacob Markstrom |
We’ve included a 4-4-1 protection list in our second alternate, but it’s highly unlikely the Canucks need to save more than three defenders. Truth be told, basically 10 of 11 slots in the 7-3-1 scheme are accounted for, leaving one lone spot for a forward.
Protection List:
Despite the strong start, it seems veteran Ryan Miller is on his way out with an expiring contract. Vancouver needs to protect Markstrom and future in goal circles around top prospect Thatcher Demko. 2016-17 is simply about making sure Markstrom can handle a large workload. Demko will need support at the start of his career and injuries are always possible.
On the blue line, Edler, Tanev, and Gudbranson are the logical saves at this point. Some speculation has suggested that Vancouver may opt to trade Edler to continue the trend towards a younger team, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Up front, the Sedin twins and Eriksson own no-move clauses and require protection. The next three players that need protection are Bo Horvat, Brandon Sutter, and Jannik Hansen, leaving a single spot. Left available is Alex Burrows, Derek Dorsett, Sven Baertschi, Anton Rodin, and Markus Granlund (among others). Whoever impresses the most from Rodin, Beartschi, and Granlund in 2016-17 is the likely save. Our money is on Rodin at this point.
Alternative Protection List 1:
The only real player that could challenge Rodin for that final spot seems to be Sven Baertschi. He failed to pan out in Calgary, but he continues to show flashes of talent. If he can finally get it together with some consistency, he may force the Canucks hand.
Alternative Protection List 2:
We’re not exactly sure why Vancouver would want to save four defenseman. In this scenario, it’s a longshot hypothetical that Philip Larsen plays so well the Canucks feel the need to protect him. When it means leaving Sutter and Hansen available though, it would have to be one heck of a performance.