On June 21st, the Las Vegas Golden Knights will hold the NHL’s first expansion draft since the year 2000. All 30 NHL teams have the option to protect certain positions with two options:

1) Protect 7 forwards, 3 defensemen, and 1 goalie

2) Protect any combination of 8 players (forwards/defenseman) and 1 goalie.

While players with no movement clauses in their contract must be selected as a protected player, players in their first two years of NHL play are exempt (automatically protected) and will not count towards the protected maximum. Any skater not protected is open for selection by Las Vegas. The Golden Knights will have to pick one player from each team totaling 30 players. The combination must include at least 14 forwards, 9 defenseman and 3 goaltenders. So who will Vegas pick? Here is breakdown of expected protected players and possible selections by Las Vegas in the Metropolitan Division.

Carolina Hurricanes: 7-3-1

Forwards Protected:

Jordan Staal, Jeff Skinner, Viktor Rask, Elias Lindholm, Viktor Stahlberg, Teuvo Teravainen, Phillip Di Giuseppe

Defensemen Protected:

Justin Faulk, Ryan Murphy, Klas Dahlbeck

Goaltender Protected:

Cam Ward

Vegas Selection: Andrej Nestrasil

Nestrasil was not happy member of the Hurricanes last season. In March, he said he did not want to stay in Carolina because he claimed the Hurricanes didn’t want him. A simple claim from the Golden Knights would really boost his morale giving him a second chance with a team that could use a Centerman. Nastrasil has had a decent career so far considering he has been playing part time for the sub par Hurricanes, tallying 48 points in 115 games.

Columbus Blue Jackets: 7-3-1 Option

Forwards Protected:

Brandon Saad, Brandon Dubinsky, Nick Foligno, Scott Hartnell, Boone Jenner, Cam Atkinson, Alexander Wennberg

Defensemen Protected:

Seth Jones, Ryan Murray, David Savard

Goaltender Protected:

Sergei Bobrovsky

Vegas Selection: William Karlsson

Karlsson, a Centerman, continues to get better each year in the NHL. He finished this season with 25 points in 81 games but what was more impressive was his play in the playoffs. He finished the postseason with 2 goals and 1 assist in 5 games and +/- rating of 4in a playoff series where Columbus was dominated by the Penguins. Karlsson was also a member of Team Sweden who won gold in the IIHF Tournament.

New Jersey Devils:7-3-1 Option

Forwards Protected:

Taylor Hall, Kyle Palmieri, Adam Henrique, Travis Zajac, Mike Cammalleri, Devante Smith-Pelly, Beau Bennett

Defensemen Projected:

Andy Greene, John Moore, Damon Severson

Goaltender Protected:

Corey Schneider

Vegas Selection: Jacob Josefson

Jacob Josefson is another “prospect does not develop well” story. He was a first round pick in 2009 and has not turned out the way the Devils were hoping. This past season he had 10 points in 38 games and could be used as a utility forward for Vegas when someone gets injured. Josefson is also 11-21 in shootouts which gives the Golden Knights a go-to guy for games deadlocked after overtime.

New York Islanders: 7-3-1 Option

Forwards Protected:

John Tavares, Andrew Ladd, Anders Lee, Brock Nelson, Casey Cizikas, Josh Bailey, Ryan Strome

Defensemen Protected:

Travis Hamonic, Johnny Boychuk, Nick Leddy

Goaltender Protected:

Thomas Greiss

Vegas Selection:Calvin De Haan

Calvin De Haan has improved with each season played so far. In the 2017 season, De Haan recorded 25 points in 82 games and was the only defensemen on the Islanders to play 82 games. He also came in fourth for the most blocked shots in the NHL with 190 and was also a member of the 2017 Canadian National team at the IIHF Tournament. If he is unprotected, he could end up a smart pick for the Golden Knights.

New York Rangers: 7-3-1 Option

Forwards Protected:

Rick Nash, Mats Zuccarello, Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, J.T. Miller, Kevin Hayes

Defensemen Protected:

Ryan McDonagh, Dan Girardi, Marc Staal

Goaltender Protected:

Henrik Lundqvist

Vegas Selection: Antti Raanta

Antti Raanta has been the backup net minder for the Rangers over the past two seasons. He has been arguably one of the best back up goalies in the league. When Lundqvist was benched in favor of Raanta, he demonstrated prowess for being a starter in November of 2016. In March 2017,Lundqvist suffered an injury which required Raanta to replace him for a few weeks. During the season Raanta posted 16 wins in 30 games with a goals-against-average of 2.26 and a save percentage of .922. If Antii Niemi can’t get the job done as the starter, Raanta will be a welcoming replacement. Raanta could also potentially be a franchise goaltender for Las Vegas ready to make the leap into becoming a full-time starter.

Philadelphia Flyers: 7-3-1 Option

Forwards Protected:

Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds, Jacob Voracek, Brayden Schenn, Sean Couturier, Matt Read, Michael Raffl

Defensemen Protected:

Shayne Gostisbehere, Radko Gudas, Brandon Manning

Goaltender Protected:

Steve Mason

Vegas Selection: Scott Laughton

Laughton is currently a prospect in the Philadelphia system. He has played center in 109 NHL games and has 27 points. At the age of 22, he is still developing and would likely start the year for Vegas in the AHL. Nevertheless, he could be a long term player for the Golden Knights.

Pittsburgh Penguins:7-3-1 Option

Forwards Protected:

Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel, Patric Hornqvist, Nick Bonino, Bryan Rust, Scott Wilson

Defensemen Protected:

Kris Letang, Brian Dumoulin, Olli Maatta

Goaltender Protected:

Matt Murray

Vegas Selection: Carl Hagelin

Hagelin has always been a second or third line player most of his career. He did not have the best season of his career this year registering 22 points in 61 games, but he provides other benefits. He is a great two-way player and is a great penalty killer. He is also fast and speed is always a good thing to have.

Washington Capitals: 7-3-1 Option

Forwards Protected:

Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Andre Burakovksy, Marcus Johanssen, T.J. Oshie, Lars Eller

Defensemen Protected:

Matt Niskanen, John Carlson, Kevin Shattenkirk

Goaltender Protected:

Braden Holtby

Vegas Selection: Philipp Grubauer

Grubauer was another one of the best backup goalies in the NHL this season. He finished with 13 wins and 6 losses with a goals against average of 2.04 and save percentage of .926. He would likely be the third string goalie behind Niemi and Raanta but could be an asset down the road if Niemi is not resigned.