SBN Expansion Draft: Protected Players

by BReynolds on Aug 30, 2010 11:58 AM CDT

HOCKEY WILDERNESS, An SBN Minnesota Wild Blog

Memorandum

To: All Hockey Wilderness Readers

Date: August 30, 2010

RE: Protecting players in SBN Expansion Draft

To All:

We have reached a stand still in the negotiations with the league, and despite our best efforts to prevent expansion, they insist that the plans will go through, and that our list of protected players is due by Thursday. The Commissioner's Office informs us that if we choose to continue our protest, and do not submit our list, we will lose prime talent in the expansion draft.

For the record, the rules are as follows:

- Teams can protect either "1 goalie, 5 defensemen and 9 forwards" OR "2 goalies, 3 defensemen and 7 forwards."

- If you go the two goalie route, at least one goalie left unprotected must have played in at least 10 games last season OR 25 games in the last two seasons combined. One game = at least 31 minutes.

- Each team must leave unprotected at least one defenseman who appeared in 40 games last season OR 70 games in the last two seasons combined.

- Each team must leave unprotected at least two forwards who appeared in 40 games last season OR 70 games in the last two seasons combined.

- Players who have played in 49 or fewer games are automatically exempt and do not need to be protected.

Please note that the franchise is not required to protect the full number of players. Please make your recommendations below, and we will take your suggestions into consideration. If possible, please provide reasons for your selections for the list, or non-selections. Also note that you are, indeed, allowed to protect James Sheppard.

Thank you all for working with us to convince the league that expansion was not needed, but we must now move forward or risk losing much needed talent.

Remember, we need to have our list in to the league by Thursday. No late submissions will be accepted.

Eternally yours,

Hockey Wilderness Office of Vengeful Beatings

Tweet Comment 6 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

I was just reading PPP's thread on this

so I’ve come prepared. I’m going the 1-5-9 route.

Protected List
Goalie: Backstrom

D-men: Zids, Burns, Schultz, Barker, Stoner(?)

Forwards: Koivu, Havlat, Bouchard, Cullen, Lats, Clutterbuck, Nystrom, Brunette, Brodziak

Unprotected: Harding, Zanon, Kobasew, Miettinen, Madden, Sheppard (SURPRISE!), Staubitz

Explanation: I had a hard time coming up with this list, and I’m still making changes as we speak. I had to keep Backs, even though I would want to keep Harding as well. I don’t think the Wild can even go the 2 goalie route if they wanted to because of the 2nd rule, so Harding had to be left up. I would assume he’d be promptly taken by one of the two teams.

I also struggled a bit between the defense. What made up my mind was the contracts. Burns and Barker were easy choices because they’re young and talented. Schultz has done a good job as a defensive dman. The hard part was choosing between Zids and Zanon. I chose to protect Zids because of his contract length, but you could also make the same argument against protecting zids. Zanon is great, but he’s aging and only has 1 year left on his contract. I’d rather not lose Zids and then have Zanon walk away later in the year. Stoner didn’t really need to be protected, but we had no other defensemen that reached the criteria of needing protected.

Forwards: There were some really easy choices in here (Koivu, Havlat, Cullen, Lats, Clutter, etc.). Easy choices to be left unprotected were Sheppard and Mittens. However, Kobasew, Madden, and Staubitz all have legitimate reasons to be on the protected list, and players like Nystrom, Brunette and Brodziak all have about as equal reasons to be on the unprotected list. I felt like getting rid of Brunette, even though old and in his last year of the contract, would be a mistake because of his contributions to the 1st line. I still don’t know a whole lot about Nystrom or Staubitz, but I think Staubitz is more expendable than Nystrom because of what Nystrom could bring leadership-wise. Kobasew would be nice to keep, but falls onto the unprotected list because of his injury issues and the unknown (does he have a role on the team?).

That’s my take on things. I’m sure I’ll probably change my mind about some of these things, but this is what I have right now.

by ADN on Aug 30, 2010 12:36 PM CDT reply actions

My list

In case anyone cares:

1 goalie
Backstrom

5 defensemen
Burns
Barker
Schultz
Zanon

9 Forwards:
Koivu
Havlat
Latendresse
Clutterbuck
Cullen

This is a great opportunity to potentially get rid of some bad contracts, so I’m not going to protect the whole list.

Proprietor of Hockey Wilderness - We take Minnesota hockey WAY too seriously.

by nathaneide on Aug 30, 2010 1:06 PM CDT reply actions

Question

Hypothetically, if everyone got taken on our unprotected list, how would we fill the roster spots? With AHL players and other signings?

by ADN on Aug 30, 2010 1:34 PM CDT up reply actions

Yep.

And we’d have all-kinds of cash.

Of course, the rules are, I believe, nobody can have more than 2 players taken.

Proprietor of Hockey Wilderness - We take Minnesota hockey WAY too seriously.

by nathaneide on Aug 30, 2010 1:39 PM CDT up reply actions

Ok, I was a little confused on the draft limit per team. Having Bouchard and Zids taken would be pretty favorable for the cap.

by ADN on Aug 30, 2010 1:49 PM CDT up reply actions

Actual expansion drafts are held before free agency begins, giving teams a chance to fill their ranks that way. You can also make trades of players to protect more players than are allowed, such as the Sharks did with Nabokov when the Jackets and Wild participated in 2000.

Nathan is also correct in that only two players may be selected from one team, including only one defenseman and one goalie.

Hockey Wilderness
Assistant Editor:SBN Minnesota

Rule #17: You may not impersonate representatives of Hockey Wilderness and handout NHL themed wrist bands.

by BReynolds on Aug 30, 2010 2:32 PM CDT up reply actions