NHL Mock Expansion Draft: Protection Lists, Explanations, & More
By Ryan Ritchie
Calgary Flames
| Available | Age | 17/18 | Automatically Exempt |
| F Johnny Gaudreau | 23 | $6.75M | F Matthew Tkachuk |
| F Sean Monahan | 22 | $6.375M | F Andrew Mangiapane |
| F Troy Brouwer | 31 | $4.5M | F Brett Pollock |
| F Michael Frolik | 28 | $4.3M | F Daniel Pribyl |
| F Mikael Backlund | 27 | $3.575M | F Mark Jankowski |
| F Matt Stajan | 32 | $3.125M | F Morgan Klimchuk |
| F Lance Bouma | 26 | $2.2M | F Hunter Smith |
| F Kris Versteeg | 30 | UFA | F Garnet Hathaway |
| F Sam Bennett | 20 | RFA | F Austin Carroll |
| F Michael Ferland | 24 | RFA | |
| F Alex Chiasson | 26 | RFA | |
| F Freddie Hamilton | 24 | $613K | D Rasmus Andersson |
| F Brandon Bollig | 29 | UFA | D Kenney Morrison |
| F Linden Vey | 25 | RFA | D Oliver Kylington |
| F Hunter Shinkaruk | 22 | $1.076M | D Keegan Kanzig |
| F Emile Poirier | 21 | $863K | |
| G David Rittich | |||
| D Mark Giordano | 33 | $6.75M | G Jon Gillies |
| D Dougie Hamilton | 23 | $5.75M | G Mason McDonald |
| D Dennis Wideman | 33 | UFA | G Nick Schneider |
| D T.J. Brodie | 26 | $4.65M | |
| D Deryk Engelland | 34 | UFA | |
| D Jyrki Jokipakka | 25 | RFA | |
| D Nicklas Grossmann | 31 | UFA | |
| D Brett Kulak | 22 | RFA | |
| D Ryan Culkin | 22 | RFA | |
| D Tyler Wotherspoon | 23 | RFA | |
| G Brian Elliott | 31 | UFA | |
| G Chad Johnson | 30 | UFA | |
| G Tom McCollum | 26 | $613K |
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 Johnny Gaudreau | F Johnny Gaudreau | F Johnny Gaudreau |
| F Sean Monahan | F Sean Monahan | F Sean Monahan |
| F Sam Bennett | F Sam Bennett | F Sam Bennett |
| F Troy Brouwer | F Troy Brouwer | F Mikael Backlund |
| F Mikael Backlund | F Mikael Backlund | D Mark Giordano |
| F Michael Frolik | F Michael Frolik | D T.J. Brodie |
| F Lance Bouma | F Michael Ferland | D Dougie Hamilton |
| D Mark Giordano | D Mark Giordano | D Jyrki Jokipakka |
| D T.J. Brodie | D T.J. Brodie | G Brian Elliott |
| D Dougie Hamilton | D Dougie Hamilton | |
| G Brian Elliott | G Brian Elliott |
The Flames could technically use either protection scheme as they’re bound to lose a decent player regardless. Since they’ve got an abundance of forwards and only three defenders that truly need protection, it makes sense to use the 7-3-1 option.
Protection List:
In terms of locks for protection, Giordano, Brodie, and Hamilton are guaranteed. Up front, Gaudreau, Monahan, Bennett, and Backlund are virtual locks as well. With seven forwards available for protection, that leaves us three spots to work with. Brouwer and Frolik are impact top-six forwards, which make for sensible saves. We’ve gone with Lance Bouma for the final spot serving as an important role player in the bottom-six. One could make a case for Michael Ferland, Alex Chiasson, or maybe even Hunter Shinkaruk.
Alternative Protection List 1:
As mentioned, alternative options exist in the same scheme. Another popular option in place of Lance Bouma might be Michael Ferland.
Alternative Protection List 2:
Not sure why Calgary would choose this option unless they felt some insistence to protect Jyrki Jokipakka. If that’s the case, we’d expect our “virtual locks” to occupy the other seven spots.