The list of players that will be exempt from the expansion draft due to long-term injury was sent out today, with Craig Custance of ESPN providing it for us. These are players who will likely never play in the NHL again, and thus will be exempt and not require protection even if they hold no-movement clauses. The list is as follows:
Dave Bolland (Arizona)
Craig Cunningham (Arizona)
Chris Pronger (Arizona)
Cody McCormick (Buffalo)
David Clarkson (Columbus)
Johan Franzen (Detroit)
Joe Vitale (Detroit)
Ryane Clowe (New Jersey)
Mikhail Grabovski (New York Islanders)
Pascal Dupuis (Pittsburgh)
Nathan Horton (Toronto)
Stephane Robidas (Toronto)
While none of these players would have likely been taken, it does allow Toronto, Columbus and New Jersey to officially scratch one of their no-movement clauses off their list and with it the automatic protection. Interestingly, Joffrey Lupul does not appear on the list despite missing more than an entire year and having very little affiliation with the Toronto Maple Leafs at this point. Since the list was agreed upon with the NHLPA, perhaps he maintains that he has plans to play again.
In a similar case, Marc Savard also doesn’t appear on the list for the Devils. Though Savard’s deal comes off the books this year and he’s clearly done with hockey, a similar case could be made for several of the others on this list including Pronger, who is working for the Department of Player Safety and Cunningham who recently lost his leg due to medical complications. Savard is coaching minor hockey while he still struggles with concussion symptoms, years after last playing in the league.
There goes getting a Vegas Chris Pronger jersey…
Is grabovski done in the NHL?
What happened to Franzen?
Nathan Horton is still in the league?
To answer everyone’s questions:
Grabovski is still battling post-concussion symptoms, and has no real timeline for a return. The fact that he (or his rep) signed off on him being included on this list is a bad sign.
Franzen has the same. He’s suffered more than 10 concussions during his career, the last one coming at the hands of Rob Klinkhammer in 2015. He’ll never play again, as his symptoms come back every time he exerts himself physically.
Horton is technically still under contract with the Maple Leafs (though he’s never played a game for them). He has a degenerative back condition that keeps him from doing anything hockey-related. He’ll never play again, but he has three years left on his deal.
Ryan Clowe’s still in the league? Damn
When does Sidney Crosby make this list