Ryan Ellis

Poll: Which Defenseman Is Most Likely To Reach Free Agency In 2019?

November 29, 2017 at 7:40 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 4 Comments

When Craig Custance of The Athletic told Drew Doughty about the “Superclass” of defensemen scheduled to become unrestricted free agents in 2019—a group that includes the aformentioned Kings’ defender along with Erik Karlsson, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Ryan McDonagh and Ryan Ellis among others—all he said was “I didn’t know any of that.”

To be sure, even if Doughty didn’t know about the long list, general managers around the league will have noticed long ago. Obviously, many of these players will be re-signed long before free agency even comes close. Each of them is eligible to sign a contract extension on July 1, 2018 and likely will as soon as they’re able. Others though may take some time with their decision. When you’re talking about contracts that could push eight years and $80MM (or even higher), players often want to know exactly where the team will be when the deal starts.

So which of the those five is most likely to make it to free agency? Each have been core players with their respective teams for many years, but each have different situations surrounding them. Ekman-Larson is in the midst of another disappointing season in the desert, while Ellis has been criminally underpaid for several years. Make sure to explain why in the comments below!

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

Western Notes: Sedin, Predators, Gudbranson, Perron

November 25, 2017 at 7:25 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

Daniel Sedin has a chance to take the spotlight again for the Vancouver Canucks. At age 37, neither Sedin nor his brother, Henrik Sedin, are the focal points of the team anymore. However, after Daniel Sedin picked up a goal and an assist in Friday’s game against the New Jersey Devils, he now just needs two points to join his brother as the 87th NHL player to reach 1,000 points.

His next opportunity will be Sunday against the New York Rangers, according to Ben Kuzma of The Province. Henrik Sedin already accomplished the feat last season and currently boasts 1,032 points.

“It’s exciting,” said Henrik Sedin. “When it happened to me, I didn’t realize how big a thing it was for myself until it happened. I’m sure it’s going to be the same thing for him. He never talks about it or thinks about it and maybe not until today (Friday). But two points away. When it happens, it’s going to be fun for him.”

Adam Vingan of the Tennessean hands out first quarter grades for the Nashville Predators, handing out excellent grades to Filip Forsberg and the Predators’ top three defenders in Roman Josi, P.K. Subban and Mattias Ekholm. He gave Forsberg the MVP award, who has 24 points in 22 games so far this year. He credited the defense for being the backbone of the team and believes that once Ryan Ellis returns from offseason knee surgery in the next few weeks, the team’s defense will be hard to beat. Amongst other notable grades, the scribe hands an incomplete to Nick Bonino who has been hurt for much of the season and hasn’t shown much so far and also hands a below average grade to youngster Pontus Aberg, who many thought could have a breakout year. Instead, he has been a repeated healthy scratch and hasn’t scored a goal yet in 12 games.
Lyle Richardson of The Hockey News writes that while Vancouver Canucks defenseman Erik Gudbranson has been mentioned in trade rumors often, it might be just as equally possible the Canucks bring him back next year. Gudbranson, who is eligible for unrestricted free agency at the end of the season, could be a quality rental candidate with teams such as Toronto and Florida as possible trade targets. However, Richardson writes that Gudbranson loves playing in the team’s up-tempo style of play, is well liked by Vancouver brass and has shown an interest in re-signing with the Canucks. The real question is whether Vancouver would want to pay his rumored $5-6MM price tag.
Vegas Golden Knights winger David Perron, who is not playing in tonight’s game against the Arizona Coyotes, did not accompany the team on the road trip down to Phoenix, according to Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Steve Carp. He is receiving treatment on his upper-body injury and remains day-to-day.

NHL Snapshots: Rangers Offense, Ekholm, Sanheim

October 21, 2017 at 8:43 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

The New York Rangers’s offense has lived on their power play and their top line of Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider and Pavel Buchnevich. They have dominated the early season on offense, while the rest of the team is quiet. However, after a 4-2 victory over the Nashville Predators today, it’s quite obvious that a new line is starting to step in Kevin Hayes, Jesper Fast and Jimmy Vesey.

The trio haven’t been together too long as Fast has only been back from injury for the last four games. However, they seem to have a connection, according to Steve Zipay of Newsday. Hayes, who scored the game-winner today, has had three goals and an assist in the last five games. Vesey recently picked up his first goal and assist of the season, while Fast scored the first goal in today’s game and has a goal and an assist in four games.

“It’s a real hardworking line,” said coach Alain Vigneault. “Simple, north-south, get it in deep, work the corners, work on the forecheck . . . Kevin, with his size and hockey smarts, fits in real well.”

Adam Vingan of the Tennessean writes that Mattias Ekholm has really established himself as the leader on defense. Already on a defense with many big names like P.K. Subban, Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis, it’s Ekholm who leads the team in even strength ice time at 19:03, which is 75 seconds more than any other player on the team. Combined with special teams play, Ekholm is currently averaging 25:52 of total ice time and after scoring a goal today, has one goal and two assists so far this year. Vingan writes that with more responsibility ever since the team traded away Seth Jones and now an injury to Ellis, Ekholm has thrived.
Kurt Rohrbeck of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that for the second straight game, Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim is getting minutes equal to that of a top-four defenseman. Rohrbeck writes that Sanheim’s performance was a mixed bag. Sanheim, who sat out as a healthy scratch often in the first few games of the season, often struggled in the defensive zone, as the scribe points to a moment in the first period in which he allowed Edmonton’s Brad Malone to steal the puck from him and almost score. However, the scribe writes the 21-year-old made up for those rookie mistakes by showing quite a bit of offensive skill, getting off two legitimate shots that could have been scoring chances.

NHL Snapshots: Girard, Flyers Draft, Rosen, Borgman

September 30, 2017 at 3:59 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

The Nashville Predators have some defensive issues to worry about with defender Ryan Ellis out for several more months due to knee surgery. However, one issue the team has is a good one as the play of Samuel Girard has impressed everyone. Suddenly, the issue is whether or not to keep him on their roster to start the season.

Girard, a second-round pick in 2016, is just 19 years old, but the gifted offensive defenseman has worked hard to show that he is ready for the NHL now. And with Ellis’ injury, might there be a place for him? The team has used him heavily in the preseason. He has played in all four games, logging more than 20 minutes in each game. According to Adam Vingan of the Tennessean, Girard is making a strong case to stay. His last game on Thursday against the Columbus Blue Jackets with most of their opening-night starters on the ice, Girard played 24:02, second to Roman Josi.

The team is considering keeping him, knowing full well that if they don’t, he’ll return to his junior team and cannot be recalled until after their season is over. The team could also keep him for nine games without burning his first year of his entry-level deal.

Sam Carchidi of Philly.com writes that the Philadelphia Flyers could get a big break from the St. Louis Blues if their injuries continue to mount. The Flyers, who acquired the Blues 2017 and 2018 first-round picks from St. Louis for Brayden Schenn. They used that 2017 pick on Morgan Frost and were expecting a late first-rounder in next year’s draft. However, with some of the injuries that St. Louis has suffered, it will be Philadelphia that reaps the benefits if the Blues see a drop in the wins column. If it were to turn into a top-10 pick, the Blues would get the pick back. Carchidi writes that would be unlikely, however, as the Blues are still a solid team, but the injuries could improve the chances that their pick will be an even better one.
Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun writes that at least one of the two Sweedish defensemen pair of Calle Rosen and Andreas Borgman are likely to make the team. Both had key moments in Friday’s preseason game and the two little-known blueliners are starting to make a name for themselves. Rosen, 23, is a gifted skater and passing defenseman, coming over from Sweden for the first time, while Borgman, the 2017 SHL Rookie of the Year, is a more physical defensive player.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Nashville Predators

September 10, 2017 at 4:50 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2017-18 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Nashville Predators

Current Cap Hit: $68,913,333 (under the $75MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Kevin Fiala (Two years remaining, $863K)
G Juuse Saros (One year remaining, $693K)

Potential Bonuses

Fiala: $500K
Saros: $183K

Total: $683K

A team that is designed for a Stanley Cup run probably shouldn’t have too many players on entry level contracts and the Predators have just the two. Fiala is the team’s top young potential star as the former 2014 first-rounder found himself getting called up to the Predators and logged 54 games last year, scoring 11 goals. He even managed to cement himself in the starting lineup and played in five playoff games, scoring two goals, but then broke his femur and his playoffs were cut short. Nevertheless, the team is expecting a big year from the young wing and some even have him penciled in on the team’s second line. As for Saros, the 22-year-old goalie had a pretty good showing last year, playing in 21 contests (19 starts) and putting up a 2.35 GAA and a .923 save percentage. He should be able to shoulder the load as the backup and right now looks to be Nashville’s goaltender of the future.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

D Alexei Emelin ($3MM, UFA)
F Scott Hartnell ($1MM, UFA)
F Cody McLeod ($800K, UFA)
D Yannick Weber ($650K, UFA)
D Matt Irwin ($650K, UFA)
D Anthony Bitetto ($613, UFA)
F Miikka Salomaki ($613K, RFA)

The team, already immersed in quality defenders, picked up another veteran defender in Emelin this offseason in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights, who picked him from the Montreal Canadiens in the expansion draft. A solid veteran, Emelin, should fill in for the injured Ellis until he returns in December and then provide some veteran depth throughout the rest of the season, which should keep Nashville’s defensive corps as strong as it had always been and he will likely be allowed to move on when his contract expires next year.

Hartnell returns to Nashville after 10 years. Originally drafted in the first round by Nashville in 2000, the 35-year-old forward played six years for the Predators before being traded to Philadelphia. He has scored 314 goals, but only managed 13 in his last year in Columbus. The team hopes his presence will spark the team for another Stanley Cup run. The rest, including Weber, Irwin and McLeod

Two Years Remaining

G Pekka Rinne ($7MM, UFA)
D Ryan Ellis ($2.5MM, UFA)
F Pontus Aberg ($650K, RFA)
F Colton Sissons ($625K, RFA)

Two years from now, Rinne’s who has been with the franchise since 2005, will be 36 years old and while he’s still playing well, he’s also beginning to slow down. Do they have an heir apparent ready to take over in Saros? It’s too early to tell, but unless he’s playing out of his mind still in two years, the team will most likely have to find a replacement in net. However, the team hopes he can keep it together for another couple of years for another chance at a Stanley Cup run.

Ellis went down with a knee injury during the playoffs, but continued to play. However, after offseason knee surgery, the 26-year-old defender will be out until January. Regardless, the defenseman is an outstanding defender and was listed by NHL.com as one of the top 20 defenseman in the league last year. His offensive numbers continue to improve as well as he had career highs with 16 goals and 38 points. Even with the injury, his $2.5MM deal for two more years is a bargain.

Aberg and Sissons are both restricted, so re-signing them shouldn’t be too big of a problem. Both are depth players with potential as Aberg has had little NHL experience, but scored 31 goals last year for the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. He then got into 15 games for the Predators, scoring two points, but took off in the playoffs, putting up two goals and five points in 16 games. Sissons had just eight goals in 58 games last year, but then put up 12 points, including six goals in the playoffs, so the 23-year-old could be a player who could have an improved year.

Three Years Remaining

F Craig Smith ($4.25MM, UFA)
D Roman Josi ($4MM, UFA)
F Austin Watson ($1.1MM, UFA)
F Frederick Gaudreau ($667K, UFA)

The 28-year-old Smith has been with Nashville from they day he was drafted in 2009 and he developed into a solid 20-goal scorer. In 2015, after scoring 47 goals in two years, he was rewarded with a five-year, $21.3MM deal. After a 12-goal season last year, his deal looks like one of the team’s worst deals. The team hopes he bounces back and returns to form. Josi, on the other hand has been one of the top defensemen in the league and is a bargain at $4MM per year. At 27 years old, Josi puts up big numbers and while last year’s numbers of 12 goals and 37 assists were below his usual standards, he made up for it with strong defense. Watson still has much to prove, but is likely to hold onto a fourth-line position this year. He only had 17 points in 77 games, but was a scorer with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals and at age 25 has time to develop his skills.

Four Or More Years Remaining

D P.K. Subban ($9MM through 2021-22)
F Ryan Johansen ($8MM through 2024-25)
F Filip Forsberg ($6MM through 2021-22)
F Viktor Arvidsson ($4.25MM through 2023-24)
F Nick Bonino ($4.1MM through 2020-21)
D Mattias Ekholm ($3.75 through 2021-22)
F Calle Jarnkrok ($2MM through 2021-22)

Like a high-end general manager David Poile has locked up all his talent long-term with the idea of making long playoff runs the norm in Nashville. While Subban is already half-way through the eight-year, $72MM deal he signed in Montreal in 2014, he is the physical presence the team’s defense needs. He had 10 goals and 40 points, but was always there to shut down the other team’s top offensive player. Johansen just received his eight-year, $64MM deal in July and he did that with 14 goals and 47 assists last year. The team’s number one center added another three goals and 10 assists in the playoffs until he had to undergo emergency thigh surgery.

Forsberg has also been a key scorer for the team as the 23-year-old scored 31 goals last year and 90 goals in the past three seasons. A first-round pick in 2012, he is an integral piece to the team’s top scoring line along with Arvidsson, who is also locked up long-term. The 24-year-old had a breakout season last year, putting up 31 goals and 30 assists. He only had 16 points in 58 games a year ago.

The team went out and stole Bonino away from the Stanley Cup winning Pittsburgh Penguins. The 29-year-old gritty center had 18 goals and 19 assists for the Penguins a year ago, but $4.1MM a year for a 18-goal scorer seems exorbitant, assuming he even can be a second-line center. Ekholm is another quality defender on the team, who will have to pick up the slack with Ellis out, but the defensive defender is a key piece to the team. Jarnkrok’s long-term, short-money deal seems nice for a 25-year-old who has scored 31 goals combined in the last two seasons. If he can take it up one more notch, they will have themselves a steal.

Buyouts

F Viktor Stalberg ($1.17MM in 2017-18 and 2018-19)
F Eric Nystrom ($1MM in 2017-18)
D Barret Jackman ($667K in 2017-18)

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Still To Sign

None

Best Value: Josi
Worst Value: Bonino

Looking Ahead

Poile has done an excellent job of putting together a team that can make a long run at a Stanley Cup. They have the defense and the firepower to do that, as well as the fact that almost everyone is locked up for three years or more. They do have a limited time with Rinne in goal, but besides that the team should prove to be a perennial contender for the next few years.

Ryan Ellis Not Expected Back Until January

September 7, 2017 at 1:55 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

Big news out of Nashville Predators camp today, as GM David Poile met with the media. Poile explained that defenseman Ryan Ellis would be out four to six months after a knee surgery this summer and isn’t expected back until at least early January. It’s a big blow to a team that is looking to follow up their Stanley Cup Finals appearance with another strong season.

When the Predators went out and acquired Alexei Emelin this offseason many people scratched their heads, wondering why they’d bring in a veteran defender making a hefty salary when they already had four rock solid options on the blueline. Emelin will now come in handy and likely move into that top group, though Matt Irwin and several young prospects could also step into an increased role. Samuel Girard’s name was immediately all the rage on Twitter, as the 19-year old has shown that returning to junior hockey might be a worthless endeavor when it comes to his development. The second-round pick has put up 74 and 75 points in the last two seasons, but is still extremely undersized and could have trouble adjusting to the NHL.

Either way, losing Ellis hurts as he had turned into one of the best defensemen in the league and was an absolute bargain for the Predators. The 26-year old makes just $2.5MM per season and scored an impressive 16 goals last season, include 11 at even strength. He’s used in all situations, and logged just under 24 minutes a night for the Predators.

Central Notes: Subban, Josi, Ellis, Steen, Fabbri

August 27, 2017 at 3:52 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

Proving that defense is the key to a Stanley Cup Finals run, the NHL Network released its list of top 20 defensemen in the NHL and the Nashville Predators were stocked full of them. They had the most blueliners on the list, including P.K. Subban (#6), Roman Josi (#7) and Ryan Ellis (#19).

Subban, coming off his first year with the Predators after being traded from Montreal, had a solid season even though his numbers dropped from his previous three years with the Canadiens. Subban finished with 10 goals and 30 assists for the year, but made the all-star team and proved to be a pest to every team’s top scorers.

Josi’s season was also down from previous years, but his numbers also stood out with 12 goals and 37 assists, giving him three straight years with 49 points or more. Ellis leaped into the spotlight this year as he took his game to another level this year with a career high in goals with 16. He also had 11 power play points, three game-winning goals and led the team with 137 blocked shots.

Of course, Ottawa’s Erik Karlsson was first on the list, but only a couple other teams had more than one player on the top-20 list. With the addition of Kevin Shattenkirk (#15), the New York Rangers had two defensemen on the list with Ryan McDonagh at #17. The Calgary Flames also boasted two blueliners in the top 20, Dougie Hamilton (#16) and Mark Giordano (#18).

In his final column, the St. Louis Post Dispatch’s Jim Rutherford writes that while the talk is that Alex Steen has regressed over the past couple of years, he believes that the 33-year-old wing has been cast in the wrong role. He believes that Steen’s 33-goal season in 2013-14 was an anomaly and he should not be considered as a 30-goal scorer. If looked at from a 20-goal scoring point of view, Steen’s numbers (33 goals in the last two seasons) make more sense.
Rutherford in the same piece adds that he does not believe any of the Blues top prospects, Klim Kostin, Jordan Kyrou or Tage Thompson, have much of a chance of breaking with the Blues after training camp. He said Kostin is still recovering from an injury and just moved to the U.S. a couple of months ago. Kyrou is ticketed to go back to his junior team, while Thompson struggled adjusting to the AHL.
Rutherford adds that Robby Fabbri is expected to be ready for training camp after tearing his ACL. He believes he will start the season off as the team’s center, but if the team is not scoring enough, he could easily see Fabbri forced to move back to the wing position.

Predators To Carry Eight Defenseman In 2017-18

July 25, 2017 at 8:28 pm CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

When the Nashville Predators acquired former Montreal Canadiens defenseman Alexei Emelin at the NHL Draft from the Vegas Golden Knights, who had just selected him in the Expansion Draft days earlier, it was clear that the team would have a logjam on the blue line entering 2017-18. The roster already boasts a top four that can rival any in the league in Roman Josi, P.K. Subban, Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm, and adding yet another prominent name to the mix meant another regular for the Western Conference champs could be pushed out.

Instead, GM David Poile told Adam Vignan of The Tennessean that the Predators will carry eight defenseman, at least to start the year. With Josi, Subban, Ellis, Ekholm, and Emelin locked into regular roles – and making up only a modest $22MM of cap space – the final spot in the starting six will belong to one of Yannick Weber, Matt Irwin, or Anthony Bitetto. Weber and Irwin were the team’s bottom pair for much of the 2016-17 season and each signed an extension during the year, while the younger Bitetto skated in 29 games and helped to make up for the loss of Subban while he was sidelined. There’s no clear choice between the three, but by carrying the entire trio, Poile and coach Peter Laviolette have the flexibility to mix and match until they find the best fit.

Making this decision easier are the cap hits for Weber, Irwin, and Bitetto. Despite being regular contributors to a team that nearly won the Stanley Cup, Weber and Irwin are both journeyman veterans who have had up-and-down careers and thus settled for one-year extensions worth the league minimum of $650K. Bitetto, who had only just completed his first real NHL season in 2016, signed a two-year, 1.225MM contract, which will pay him $612.5K in 2017-18, even less than Weber and Irwin. Thus, the entire trio will cost Nashville under $2MM, making the decision to keep a fourth pair all the more simple. How everything shakes out on the Predators’ blue line remains to be seen, but their eight-man group will surely be the envy of most teams in the NHL this season.

Nashville Predators Next Goal Is Locking Up Johansen

July 23, 2017 at 11:55 am CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

The Nashville Predators got a major roadblock out of the way yesterday when they signed 24-year-old wing Viktor Arvidsson to a seven-year deal. The $29.75MM signing locks up another franchise cornerstone at a reasonable price. General manager David Poile has successfully worked out similar deals in the past that have locked up others like Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi, Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Ellis. In fact those five cornerstones on a Stanley Cup finalist team, will only cost them a $20.5MM cap hit combined next season, tweets LNH.com’s Arpon Basu.

However, the work doesn’t end there, according to NBC Sports Cam Tucker, who says the team now must turn their attention to No. 1 center Ryan Johansen. The 24-year-old center had a big year for Nashville, putting up 14 goals and 61 points. If it hadn’t been for a thigh injury in the playoffs, he could have shown his value to the team even more, although he still played in 14 playoff games, putting up 13 points. Despite that injury, Johansen should get quite a raise from a year ago.

Johansen, who was acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets in early 2016 for Seth Jones, signed a three-year bridge deal at $4MM per season while with Columbus. Now, he should be up for an even bigger deal. The Predators should have more than $14.5MM to spend (according to CapFriendly), so money shouldn’t be an issue for Poile.

Early Expansion Protection News: Capitals, Kings, Flames, Predators, And More

June 17, 2017 at 7:58 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 4 Comments

The 2017 NHL Expansion Draft is an exciting process. If you’re too riled up to wait until the lists are officially submitted in the morning, you’re in luck. As could be expected, information leaks are flooding in on who was and wasn’t protected by their teams ahead of the deadline this afternoon. This list will be updated all night long as more news comes in:

Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post was the first reputable source to release her team’s protection list, as she confirmed the Washington Capitals’ names not long after the 5:00 PM ET deadline. The lists includes the expected names: Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Andre Burakovsky, Marcus Johansson, Lars Eller, Tom Wilson, Matt Niskanen, John Carlson, Dmitry Orlov, and Braden Holtby. While not surprising, the list does not include long-time Jay Beagle, promising young players Nate Schmidt and Brett Connolly, and a oft-rumored target of the Golden Knights, backup goaltender Philipp Grubauer.

L.A.-based hockey writer John Hoven got the list of protected players for the Los Angeles Kings, which confirms that they will indeed protect eight-skaters, including four defenseman, rather than the 7/3 protection scheme. Among the safe are Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter, Tyler Toffoli, Tanner Pearson, Drew Doughty, Jake Muzzin, Alec Martinez, and the key decision, Derek Forbort. Star goalie Jonathan Quick was also obviously protected. While the Kings succeeded in protecting the most valuable players on the roster, they still have left defenseman Brayden McNabb and a large assortment of forwards including Trevor Lewis, Nic Dowd, and Nick Shore open to selection.

Sportsnet’s Eric Francis, who covers the Calgary Flames, has some key names for his team as well. Francis confirmed that the Flames did not protect 2016 free agent acquisition Troy Brouwer, but did opt to save younger assets like Sam Bennett, Micheal Ferland, and Curtis Lazar. Although Francis stops there, the rest of Calgary’s list is somewhat self explanatory with newly-acquired goalie Mike Smith, defensive core of Mark Giordano, T.J. Brodie, and Dougie Hamilton, and cornerstone forwards Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Michael Frolik, and Mikael Backlund as obvious choices.

One not so obvious choice has been made in Nashville. Adam Vingan of The Tennessean answered a question on the minds of many, reporting that the Predators did in fact protect forward Calle Jarnkrok. With the rest of the eight-skater list all but set in stone with goalie Pekka Rinne, defensemen Roman Josi, P.K. Subban, Ryan Ellis, and Mattias Ekholm, and star forwards Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen, and Viktor Arvidsson, the final forward spot came down to Jarnkrok, signed long-term, or James Neal, an elite scorer with just one year remaining on his contract. It seems that Neal will be open for selection, alongside names like Colton Sissons, Colin Wilson, and Craig Smith. Vignan adds that no deal has been struck between Vegas and the Predators to protect any of those players, with Nashville especially liking to retain Neal and Sissons.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that, interestingly enough, young Detroit Red Wings defenseman Xavier Ouellet was not protected by his team. This is the first real surprise of the expansion process and the first protection news that doesn’t match up with PHR’s Expansion Primer projections. The 23-year-old skated in 66 games this season for Detroit, third most among defenseman, and his 12 points tied that of top-pair man Danny DeKeyser. Yet, Ouellett will not join DeKeyser and Mike Green in protection, instead beaten out by another teammate. GM Ken Holland, who has gotten the reputation of perhaps being too loyal, possibly chose aging veteran Niklas Kronwall over Ouellet. Hopefully that doesn’t come back to bite the rebuilding Red Wings.

Another name confirmed to be unprotected is young Vancouver Canucks center Brendan Gaunce. Vancouver sports anchor Rick Dhaliwal was told that that Gaunce, a 2012 first-round pick, did not make the protection list for the Canucks, expected to be a 7/3 format, meaning that the team saw him as outside the top seven forwards on the team. The 23-year-old two-way specialist has upside, but after registering just five points in 57 games last season, no one will blame Vancouver for that choice.

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