NHL Expansion Draft: Edmonton Oilers Protection Strategy

As part of our long-running series, Puck Prose presents the Edmonton Oilers strategy for the NHL Expansion Draft. Who gets protected cause Connor McDavid is exempt?

Connor McDavid is exempt from the NHL Expansion Draft. That's a deep breath for the Edmonton Oilers, who after McDavid's playoff performance are going to need him. But guess who isn't? Leon Draisaitl, who had more playoff points than McDavid. He's going to need protection. But who else takes up the slots?

Oilers Forwards

Forwards List: Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Milan Lucic, Benoit Pouliot, Mark Letestu, Patrick Maroon, Iiro Pakarinen, Leon Draisaitl, Anton Lander, Tyler Pitlick, Zack Kassian, Henrik Samuelsson, Matt Hendricks, David Desharnais

NMC: Milan Lucic

Edmonton Oilers forward Milan Lucic (27) watches a shot (Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports)

Lucic has a no movement clause. Probably cause he doesn't want to leave the team with Connor McDavid. Probably cause he wants to win another Stanley Cup. The Oilers shouldn't want him to leave either. He had two playoff goals and four assists, and he put up 50 points in the regular season.

Guaranteed: Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Patrick Maroon

When Connor McDavid needs a physical wing, the Oilers go to Patrick Maroon before even Lucic now. It's likely that they keep Maroon around for that very reason, plus the fact that he put up 42 points in the regular season and 8 in the playoffs. Besides Lucic, Maroon is the one with the most playoff experience.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is a great second center for a team with Connor McDavid at #1. He wasn't able to score in the playoffs, but hey, at 24, it was his first time. He was better in the regular season, posting 18 goals in a full season. And he's a young guy, one that only costs 6 million through 2021.

Leon Draisaitl scored the most points out of any Oiler in the playoffs. That includes 6 goals. Draisaitl scored the second-most points for Edmonton with 77 in the regular season. That's only behind Hart and Ross winner McDavid. Draisaitl is able to play on Connor's wing and off, and that's an important ability for the young Oilers. Especially with a young RFA about to be paid.

Highly Likely: Zack Kassian, Mark Letestu

Edmonton Oilers right wing Zack Kassian (44) moves the puck (Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)

Kassian is a restricted free agent who was crucial in the San Jose series. He ended up putting 3 goals on the board, and his physical game represents variety for this Edmonton team. That's going to be necessary for future Cup runs. Because he didn't have a spectacular playoffs performance his new contract should be cheap.

Letestu was one of only two players to have more points in the playoffs than McDavid. He posted 5 goals and 6 assists. That's a lot for a 32-year-old, who will also be cheap, as next year he only costs 1.8 million. His playoff performance may have saved him from the NHL Expansion Draft.

Maybe: Anton Lander

I believe that Jordan Eberle will be traded before the NHL expansion draft. If not, expect him to take up this spot – the Oilers won't want to lose something they can get a return for. Out of all the other forwards who might replace Eberle on this list, I like Lander. Pouliot is too expensive for his production last season. Everybody else played worse than Lander.

Edmonton Defensemen

Available defensemen: Andrej Sekera, Oscar Klefbom, Adam Larsson, Mark Fayne, David Musil, Dillon Simpson, Griffin Reinhart

NMC: Andrej Sekera

Edmonton Oilers defenseman Andrej Sekera (2) moves the puck (Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)

Sekera is the most veteran leader on this Oilers blueline. The Oilers need both his regular season and playoffs experience. It's why they brought him in in the first place. It's also why the Oilers handed Sekera an NMC. They want him to stick around.

Guaranteed: Oscar Klefbom, Adam Larsson

Klefbom is a young defenseman who is turning into the number one guy for the Oilers. He costs just 4.167 until 2023. He scored 5 points in his first playoffs. He'll be around next season.

Larsson was the trade return for Taylor Hall. That's enough of a signal for me to say that he'll also be around for the Oilers next season. If it's not enough for you, though, consider these statistics. Larsson led all Edmonton defensemen in points in the playoffs. He posted 19 in 79 in the regular season.

Goaltenders and Exempt Players

NMC: Cam Talbot

Edmonton Oilers goalie Cam Talbot (33) defends the goal (Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)

Talbot played 73 games for the Edmonton Oilers in the regular season. He started the entire playoffs, even after a 7-0 beating by the San Jose Sharks. Talbot isn't a free agent until 2019, and he's still in his 20's. There are numerous reasons not to let Cam Talbot go, but the main one is that you don't let the goaltender who got you to the playoffs leave in the NHL expansion draft.

Exempt: Connor McDavid, Jesse Puljujarvi, Drake Caggiula, Anton Slepyshev, Matthew Benning, Darnell Nurse, Ethan Bear

Obviously, the most important name here is McDavid. But there's also names important to the future of the Oilers, like Puljujarvi, Caggiula, and Nurse.

Vegas's Selection

Available: Benoit Pouliot, Iiro Pakarinen, Tyler Pitlick, Mark Fayne, Griffin Reinhart, Laurent Brossoit

There's not a lot available for Vegas here. Pouliot is too expensive for Edmonton to keep, but for a team needing to hit the cap floor, Pouliot might be just what the Golden Knights need. Then again, there's a defined reason why Edmonton would let him go.

There's also the young guy in Griffin Reinhart, who's a defenseman. But if Reinhart was going to be good, the defensive-strapped Oilers would have called him up already. Fayne was buried in the AHL for a reason as well, which means the Oilers defensemen should be untouchable.

Edmonton Oilers goalie Laurent Brossoit (1) warms up (Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports)

It's between Iiro Pakarinen and Laurent Brossoit for me. Do you want a young goaltender who posted great stats in a very limited amount of starts? Or do you run with the young forward who also has a small sample size?

I'm saying that Vegas takes a flyer on Brossoit. Those numbers, even in just 8 games, are impressive. For reference, Brossoit posted a 1.99 GAA and a .928 SV%. Really good numbers by a very young goaltender. Even if he's a project, that's worth the pick from Vegas in the NHL expansion draft.

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