Avalanche protects 11 players in 2021 NHL expansion draft

The Colorado Avalanche is protecting seven forwards, three defensemen and a goaltender ahead of the 2021 NHL expansion draft Wednesday in Seattle, Washington.

Below is the list of Avalanche players who are not selected by the Seattle Kraken expansion.

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The Kraken is the 32nd franchise to join the NHL and the first since the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017-18. The rules for the Expansion Project are the same for the Kraken as they are for the Golden Knights.

Seattle will only select one player from the other 30 teams, unless further exchanges or side deals are made with those clubs. Vegas doesn’t lose any players in the expansion draft, but neither does the franchise receive a portion of the $ 650 million expansion fee Seattle paid the league.

Other than the Knights, each NHL team had the choice of protecting seven forwards, three defensemen and a goalie (11 total) or eight skaters and a goalie (nine total). The Kraken must choose a minimum of 14 forwards, nine defenders and three goalies in the draft.

Among the rules of the expansion project, each team had to exhibit at least two forwards and one defenseman who are under contract for the 2021-22 season and have played at least 27 NHL games during the shortened 2020-21 campaign or 54 NHL games. over the past two seasons. For goalies, a goalie must be exposed who is under contract for next season or whose contract is expiring and will be a restricted free agent.

The Kraken has the exclusive right to negotiate and select unprotected players who are defined as unrestricted free agents, but they can still only make one selection per team.

First and second year pros, long-term injured players and unsigned draft picks are exempt from being selected by Seattle. For the Avs, this includes the goalkeeper Pavel Francouz and skaters Shane Bowers, Bowen Byram, Martin Kaut, Alex newhook, Sampo Beach, Conor Timmins, recently acquired Mikhail Maltsev and others in the organization.

Defender Erik Johnson, who missed 52 of 56 games last season due to an upper-body injury and COVID-19 protocol, has waived his immobility clause for the expansion draft so the Avs can protect a additional defender. According to the draft rules, players with lockout clauses are automatically protected by their respective clubs unless they allow their team to expose them.

In the 2017 NHL expansion draft, Vegas selected Avalanche goalie Calvin Pickard. Colorado also protected seven forwards, three defensemen and a goalie that year.