#i rewrote this to make it more coherent in case anyone actually read it lol

[hockstuff]

expansion draft; Isles Protected List Prediction

this is honestly mainly for me to just have my prediction anywhere that isn’t my notes app lol so read if you want but also pls don’t it’s just me going on nonsense spiels ahahaha (also sorry to the anon from like months ago that asked about my prediction list but i never actually properly answered it yikes take this as a dedication to you)

disclaimer: if you do end up reading this (bruh why) - these are just my guesses, my predictions, and my opinions based on my knowledge of the team and the expansion draft. this is all in good fun!

PROTECTED FORWARDS

Mat Barzal

Anthony Beauvillier

Anders Lee

Brock Nelson

JG Pageau

Josh Bailey

Jordan Eberle

Wahlstrom is exempt from the draft so he does not count towards the protected numbers.

Choosing only 7 forwards is hard enough for any team but with the isles it might be slightly harder, seeing as they have such a strong core and all 4 lines produce results - one of the best fourth-lines in the league imo. ok so my issue here is, i see Eberle as a prime candidate to be taken by Seattle (as much as i hate it) but in saying that, i have him protected purely bc the only other person i would put in his place is Cizikas (maybe Clutterbuck too i can see getting a protected spot). But Cizikas is a UFA going into 2021-22 and probably won’t be re-signed before the draft, which makes him less appealing to seattle lol. if cizikas for some weird reason gets signed before the draft, he’ll be protected and take Eberle’s place - also not to mention getting rid of Eberle would free up cap space. i also wouldnt be surprised if they took Bellows

highly potential forward target(s): Cizikas, Clutterbuck, Martin (pls god no, not my beloved dilf line aka first line of my heart), Bellows

PROTECTED DEFENSEMEN

Ryan Pulock

Adam Pelech

Scott Mayfield

Dobson is exempt from the draft meaning he doesn’t count towards the protected number.

this was a no brainer in protecting Pulock and Pelech - isles top 2 defense pair and are crazy good. if there was any choice it would be between Mayfield and Leddy… and listen, i love leddy - great defenseman, puts up tons of points in the regular season, and sets up amazing plays! but he’s very expensive. he’s very expensive for what he produces in my opinion. and that’s not to say he should be paid less! it’s just he carries a $5.5M AAV cap hit compared to Mayfield’s $1.45M AAV and i think if we lost Mayfield, it’ll be a lot harder to find a replacement for him than Leddy. also same with eberle, getting rid of Leddy clears up cap space

highly potential defense target(s): Leddy

PROTECTED GOALIE

Semyon Varlamov

Sorokin is exempt from the draft meaning he doesn’t count towards protected numbers.

this is pretty simple considering Sorokin is exempt, and i don’t see Lou leaving Varlamov unprotected despite his hefty cap hit.

what i think might happen

out of those left unprotected, Leddy is probably the biggest name and the most appealing. the only thing that might stop seattle from taking him is his cap hit. seattle could also potentially go for younger players like Bellows, and there are other options in Hickey, Dal Colle etc. but they might prefer experience and recent impact.

the only way i don’t see seattle taking Leddy is if Lou negotiates a deal where they take someone else along with younger players and/or draft picks - which i hope doesn’t happen. this team needs to develop its younger players (wahlstrom, Bellows etc.) and deepen their prospect pool imo

in a perfect world: seattle, or literally anyone at this point, takes Andrew Ladd away from us pls and frees the isles of his godforsaken contract and cap hit🔪🔪🔪💀

if you made it this far and actually read any of that (lmao whyyy), let me know what you think! or what your predictions are bc i’m ~nervous but also love talking about the expansion draft 🥲