NHL Mock Expansion Draft: Protection Lists, Explanations, & More
By Ryan Ritchie
Anaheim Ducks
| Available | Age | 17/18 | Automatically Exempt |
| F Corey Perry (NMC) | 31 | $8.625M | F Nick Ritchie |
| F Ryan Getzlaf (NMC) | 31 | $8.25M | F Kalle Kossila |
| F Ryan Kesler (NMC) | 32 | $6.875M | F Kevin Roy |
| F Rickard Rakell | 23 | $3.8M | F Max Jones |
| F Jakob Silfverberg | 26 | $3.75M | F Julius Nattinen |
| F Andrew Cogliano | 29 | $3.0M | F Deven Sideroff |
| F Antoine Vermette | 34 | $1.75M | F Ondrej Kase |
| F Nate Thompson | 32 | UFA | F Kenton Helgesen |
| F Ryan Garbutt | 31 | UFA | |
| F Jared Boll | 30 | $900K | D Jacob Larsson |
| F Nick Sorensen | 22 | RFA | D Andy Welinski |
| F Emerson Etem | 24 | RFA | D Shea Theodore |
| F Mason Raymond | 31 | UFA | D Keaton Thompson |
| F Chris Wagner | 25 | $637.5K | D Marcus Pettersson |
| F Nic Kerdiles | 22 | RFA | D Brandon Montour |
| F Joseph Cramarossa | 23 | RFA | |
| F Corey Tropp | 27 | $625K | G Kevin Boyle |
| F Stefan Noesen | 23 | RFA | |
| F Michael Sgarbossa | 24 | RFA | |
| D Sami Vatanen | 25 | $4.875M | |
| D Cam Fowler | 24 | $4.0M | |
| D Kevin Bieksa (NMC) | 35 | $4.0M | |
| D Simon Despres | 25 | $3.7M | |
| D Clayton Stoner | 31 | $3.25M | |
| D Josh Manson | 25 | $825K | |
| D Hampus Lindholm | 22 | $5.25M | |
| D Korbinian Holzer | 28 | UFA | |
| D Nate Guenin | 33 | UFA | |
| D Jeff Schultz | 30 | UFA | |
| D Jaycob Megna | 23 | RFA | |
| D Andrew O’Brien | 23 | RFA | |
| G John Gibson | 23 | $2.3M | |
| G Jonathan Bernier | 28 | UFA | |
| G Dustin Tokarski | 27 | UFA | |
| G Matt Hackett | 26 | UFA |
Protection List Plus Two Alternative List Options
| Protection List | Alternative Protection List 1 | Alternative Protection List 2 |
| 4F – 4D – 1G | 4F – 4D – 1G | 7F – 3D – 1G |
| F Corey Perry (NMC) | F Corey Perry (NMC) | F Corey Perry (NMC) |
| F Ryan Getzlaf (NMC) | F Ryan Getzlaf (NMC) | F Ryan Getzlaf (NMC) |
| F Ryan Kesler (NMC) | F Ryan Kesler (NMC) | F Ryan Kesler (NMC) |
| F Rickard Rakell | F Rickard Rakell | F Rickard Rakell |
| D Kevin Bieksa (NMC) | D Josh Manson | F Jakob Silfverberg |
| D Hampus Lindholm | D Hampus Lindholm | F Andrew Cogliano |
| D Cam Fowler | D Cam Fowler | F Nic Kerdiles |
| D Sami Vatanen | D Sami Vatanen | D Hampus Lindholm |
| G John Gibson | G John Gibson | D Cam Fowler |
| D Sami Vatanen | ||
| *Bieksa asked to waive NMC | G John Gibson | |
| *Bieksa asked to waive NMC |
Sadly, the Anaheim Ducks are one of the teams in tough with the expansion draft. One way or another, this organization is bound to lose a quality player. If they choose to save an extra defenseman (the likely choice), it will result in exposed top-six forwards. However, if Anaheim wants to save those forwards, it would cost them a quality top-four d-man. Now, don’t be surprised if GM Bob Murray uses draft picks/or players in order to protect an extra body, but his insistence to go for it in 2016-17 will ultimately cost him.
Protection List:
We’ve chosen the 4-4-1 protection scheme for Anaheim. Three of four spots up front are occupied with NMC’s, leaving room for only one of the available forwards (Rakell, Silfverberg, Cogliano, etc.). On the blue line, Murray might be able to convince Bieksa to waive his NMC, in which case Josh Manson is protected. To play it safe, we’ve omitted Manson, claiming the Ducks will seek to protect him even if it means a side deal.
Alternative Protection List 1:
As mentioned, here is what things would look like if Bieksa is willing to waive his NMC.
Alternative Protection List 2:
If GM Bob Murray is confident Bieksa will waive his NMC and thinks he can protect Manson via trade, then a 7-3-1 scheme opens up. This would allow Anaheim to protect the likes of Rakell, Silfverberg, and Cogliano, plus another forward – we’ve decided to go with a quality prospect in Nic Kerdiles.