Expansion Draft Musings

[Pheebs888]

Latest @hockeyBuzz blog about the upcoming expansion draft: https://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=108173 Mon plus récent blog sur le repêchage d'expansion à venir. #GoHabsGo #CH #Habs #Canadiens

[30ranfordfan]

I think your guesses are pretty accurate.

Without Toffoli, I would have bet on the 8 skaters route.... Weber, Petry, Chariot, Edmunston plus Gallagher, JK, Drouin, and Anderson.

Toffoli is too valuable to leave exposed, even if it costs them one of Chariot or Edmunston - and if I were running Seattle... assuming that the Habs do go the 7 & 3 route, it's one of the defenceman I'd be taking.


Edmonton will have an interesting call to make. McDavid, Draisaitl, Hopkins, Yammamoto, Nurse, Bear are the obvious 6 they have to protect. If Pullijarvi looks good this season, add him to the list. I would have expected Klefbom to be protected, but I'm not so sure at this point... with the injuries. Strong case to protect Caleb Jones too. I'm guessing they go the 7/3 route, and expose Klefbom, and they've got room to add a couple more forwards to that mix.

Of course I'm really hoping that they send some kind of pick and/or prospect to Seattle, and then the Kracken take James Neal.

[chris_brown]

i know theres been some rumblings the Blackhawks might expose Brent Seabrook to get his albatross of a contract off the books,but i just dont see it happening

[canucksfan007]

i know theres been some rumblings the Blackhawks might expose Brent Seabrook to get his albatross of a contract off the books,but i just dont see it happening

Why would Seattle pick him?

[RGM81]

Why would Seattle pick him?

Throw a draft pick and another roster player their way as an incentive. Saw a fair amount of this with the Vegas draft.

[30ranfordfan]

i know theres been some rumblings the Blackhawks might expose Brent Seabrook to get his albatross of a contract off the books,but i just dont see it happening

It would make sense for the Blackhawks to want to do it.... but they'd also have to talk Seabrook into waiving his NMC.

The NMC actually forces the Blackhawks to protect him, unless he's willing to waive it.

[30ranfordfan]

Throw a draft pick and another roster player their way as an incentive. Saw a fair amount of this with the Vegas draft.

Exactly. See my above comments about James Neal. I can't imagine the Krackens wanting him (unless they're going to have a hard time getting to the floor?) but if the Oilers offered up a prospect (let's say William Lagesson. A well regarded defense prospect, that would not be exposed to Seattle) and a 3rd round pick: Would they be willing to do it?

At some point, whatever prospect or pick capital it costs will become too high - but I would expect a handful of teams to make deals like this.

[sparty07]

Exactly. See my above comments about James Neal. I can't imagine the Krackens wanting him (unless they're going to have a hard time getting to the floor?) but if the Oilers offered up a prospect (let's say William Lagesson. A well regarded defense prospect, that would not be exposed to Seattle) and a 3rd round pick: Would they be willing to do it?

At some point, whatever prospect or pick capital it costs will become too high - but I would expect a handful of teams to make deals like this.

Seattle would add an immediate elder statesmen who has been through the ringer. He would add a lot of valuable experience and could still be a 3rd line defender. Give the right offer and Seattle wouldn't be crazy to take him, all assuming the hawks can tell him it's the only way he's skating more than 10-15 games a season like he will in 2021. My understanding is he's going to play back to backers and if someone gets injured.

[30ranfordfan]

Seattle would add an immediate elder statesmen who has been through the ringer. He would add a lot of valuable experience and could still be a 3rd line defender. Give the right offer and Seattle wouldn't be crazy to take him, all assuming the hawks can tell him it's the only way he's skating more than 10-15 games a season like he will in 2021. My understanding is he's going to play back to backers and if someone gets injured.

If he's being relegated to the 7th dman role in Chicago (i.e. only playing on back-to-backs, unless there's an injury) it's hard to see him getting much more than that anywhere else.

If he's being ranked 7th in Chicago, that means the Blackhawks are saying they're rather play Zaradov & Seeler (Zaradov lines up on the same side as Seabrook, so really it's him that's bumped him down..... but I suppose they could have someone switch sides?)

I won't argue against there being some value in having a veteran presence on the team, particularly someone who has won multiple championships - but if Seabrook has fallen down the Chicago depth chart enough that a former 5th round pick, who was waived by a bad Minnesota team last year, has surpassed him: I can't imagine Seattle not being able to get 6 defencemen that are better. Vegas dressed at least 8 defenceman in 17-18 that I'd suggest are better NHLers than Nick Seeler.

That doesn't mean he won't be picked, but I just can't see "more playing time" as the carrot Chicago can dangle in front of him, to get him to waive the NMC. Chicago can't guarantee it anyway (they can only tell him where he sits in their immediate plans).

I'm not trying to bash Seabrook, he's had a great career. It's just obvious he's pretty much done at this point - but has 4 years to go on a huge contract.

He'll have three years left when Seattle could pick him. If he can barely crack the current Blackhawks lineup, I just can't imagine him being a more regular piece in Seattle. If they were to select him it won't be because they see him as an asset to make their team better in the short term, it will be because whatever assets Chicago is willing to give them - they value those. What kind of pick / prospect / player combo do you have to trade to get Seattle to pay Seabrook $15.5 million over 3 years? (or buy him out, for almost the same cost). Assuming that Seabrook likes it in Chicago, I don't see any incentive for him to waive his NMC... unless he's convinced that he can still be a regular NHLer, and it's just that the Blackhawks are no longer giving him a fair shake.

[sparty07]

@30ranfordfan, a couple points without quotes to keep it shorter.

My projected Defense are: Keith, Murphy, DeHaan, Mitchell, Boqvist, Zadorov or Kalynuk or Beaudin, Seabrook. They are obviously trying to go younger (look at the Goalie situation) in a soft rebuild and will want to give Mitchell a chance and possibly the last 2 instead of Zadorov depending on camp.

With regards to the money, they do have to meet minimum thresholds from the expansion draft/league minimums. Depending on who else they pick they might need that $7MM cap hit, even if it comes with $5M of cash. The Hawks might have to entice him with a young talent and/or high draft pick, but it might be worth it to not lose other young talent ala Panarin due to cap issues.