NHL Mock Expansion Draft: Protection Lists, Explanations, & More
By Ryan Ritchie
Buffalo Sabres
| Available | Age | 17/18 | Automatically Exempt |
| F Ryan O’Reilly | 25 | $7.5M | F Jack Eichel |
| F Kyle Okposo (NMC) | 28 | $6.0M | F Hudson Fasching |
| F Evander Kane | 25 | $5.25M | F Sam Reinhart |
| F Matt Moulson | 32 | $5.0M | F Alex Nylander |
| F Tyler Ennis | 27 | $4.6M | F Eric Cornel |
| F Brian Gionta | 37 | UFA | F Vaclav Karabacek |
| F Marcus Foligno | 25 | RFA | F Evan Rodrigues |
| F Cody McCormick | 33 | UFA | F Nicholas Baptiste |
| F Zemgus Girgensons | 22 | RFA | F Justin Bailey |
| F Johan Larsson | 24 | RFA | F Jean Dupuy |
| F Nicolas Deslauriers | 25 | $775K | F William Carrier |
| F Derek Grant | 26 | UFA | |
| F Cal O’Reilly | 30 | UFA | D Casey Nelson |
| F Cole Schneider | 26 | RFA | D Brendan Guhle |
| F Justin Kea | 22 | RFA | D Brycen Martin |
| F Daniel Catenacci | 23 | RFA | D Erik Burgdoerfer |
| G Jason Kasdorf | |||
| D Rasmus Ristolainen | 21 | $5.4M | |
| D Zach Bogosian (NMC) | 26 | $5.143M | |
| D Dmitry Kulikov | 25 | UFA | |
| D Josh Gorges | 32 | $3.9M | |
| D Cody Franson | 29 | UFA | |
| D Jake McCabe | 23 | $1.6M | |
| D Justin Falk | 28 | UFA | |
| D Taylor Fedun | 28 | UFA | |
| D Brady Austin | 23 | RFA | |
| G Robin Lehner | 25 | RFA | |
| G Anders Nilsson | 26 | UFA | |
| G Linus Ullmark | 23 | RFA |
Protection List Plus Two Alternative List Options
| Protection List | Alternative Protection List 1 | Alternative Protection List 2 |
| 4F – 4D – 1G | 7F – 3D – 1G | 4F – 4D – 1G |
| F Kyle Okposo (NMC) | F Kyle Okposo (NMC) | F Kyle Okposo (NMC) |
| F Ryan O’Reilly | F Ryan O’Reilly | F Ryan O’Reilly |
| F Evander Kane | F Evander Kane | F Tyler Ennis |
| F Zemgus Girgensons | F Zemgus Girgensons | F Zemgus Girgensons |
| D Zach Bogosian (NMC) | F Tyler Ennis | D Zach Bogosian (NMC) |
| D Rasmus Ristolainen | F Marcus Foligno | D Rasmus Ristolainen |
| D Dmitry Kulikov | F Johan Larsson | D Dmitry Kulikov |
| D Jake McCabe | D Zach Bogosian (NMC) | D Jake McCabe |
| G Robin Lehner | D Rasmus Ristolainen | G Robin Lehner |
| D Jake McCabe | ||
| G Robin Lehner |
There’s a good chance the Sabres will be forced to save an extra defender in expansion. This could ultimately expose some quality forwards. We explore the potential of a 7-3-1 protection scheme, but it leaves a notable UFA for Las Vegas to bargain with that could be a major loss on the back end.
Protection List:
Even though Dmitry Kulikov is slated to become a UFA, it’s important to get him protected. Some fans on social media have suggested the Sabres could circumvent the system with a pre-arrangement ensuring a refusal to sign with the expansion club, but those are the type of curious situations that can get the league involved. No instead, we protect Bogosian, Ristolainen, Kulikov, and McCabe, leaving us four spots up front. Okposo and O’Reilly are locks, but debate could occur on those other two spots. Although it’s unlikely Las Vegas would have interest in Kane’s character issues, it’s too much of a risk to leave him exposed. With the last spot, I’ve chosen to protect a young 1st rounder still looking to reach his ceiling.
Alternative Protection List 1:
If Buffalo wanted to roll the dice with Kulikov, they’ve got a lot of room to protect several key forwards that would otherwise be available. Guys like Girgensons, Ennis, Foligno, and Larsson could all be saved in this scenario.
Alternative Protection List 2:
If Tim Murray truly is ready to turn the page on Kane as past reports have suggested, he could leave Evander exposed. Basically, any way you want to look at it, Buffalo stands to lose someone such as Ennis, Kane, Foligno, or Larsson.