The Expansion Draft: A Look at Detroit Red Wings Forwards

The 2021 Expansion Draft will take place July 21. The Seattle Kraken will select one player from the current Detroit Red Wings roster. Detroit will most likely protect seven forwards, three defensemen, and one goaltender.

Here is a look at the forwards.

Detroit Players Who Are Exempt

Detroit will have four forwards currently exempt from having to be protected in the expansion draft.  Filip Zadina and Joe Veleno have just completed their second seasons of pro hockey and therefore do not have to be protected.  Recently signed forwards Lucas Raymond and Jonatan Berggren also meet this criteria.

Probable Protected Forwards

General Manager Steve Yzerman has a few tough decisions to make when he protects the forwards.  There are currently 11 forwards who meet the NHL’s criteria for the draft.

Here are the seven forwards Yzerman will likely protect from Seattle:

• • Dylan Larkin
  • Tyler Bertuzzi
  • Jakub Vrana
  • Robby Fabbri
  • Michael Rasmussen
  • Adam Erne
  • Givani Smith

Likely Forwards to be Left Unprotected

Leaving regular players unprotected is a gamble that Yzerman will have to make.

Leaving Frans Nielsen unprotected is an easy choice as the aging veteran, according to spotrac.com, has one year remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $5.25 million.  He is unlikely to be selected by Seattle and could be bought out by the Red Wings this summer.

Evgeny Svechnikov could be replaced by Givani Smith in this category.  Yzerman will gamble with leaving Svechnikov unprotected because he cleared waivers twice in the previous season and will most likely not be selected by the Kraken.

Both Richard Panik and Vladislav Namestnikov will most likely be left unprotected because they become unrestricted free agents (UFA) after next season.  Seattle may select one of these players if Yzerman decides to leave them unprotected.

Final Thoughts

Yzerman and his management team will have some tough decisions to make regarding the forwards that will be protected in this expansion draft.  The Red Wings will likely lose one of the forwards left unprotected, so the decision that is made will ultimately play a role in the forward portion of the roster next season.