It’s officially expansion draft season in the NHL! The Seattle Kraken are set to take their place as the 32nd NHL team this fall, but first they have to assemble a roster to put on the ice.
Enter: the expansion draft. On Wednesday, July 21 at 8 p.m. ET, the Kraken will pick one player from each of the 30 NHL teams — minus the previous expansion team the Vegas Golden Knights, who are exempt. Seattle, however, can’t pick any player they want, as teams will protect a handful of players on their roster and the Kraken can choose from the rest.
Here’s a breakdown of the basic NHL expansion draft rules, for your convenience:
- Teams must protect either seven forwards, three defensemen, and one goalie or eight skaters (forwards and defensemen) plus one goalie.
- Players with no-move clauses must be protected, though a player can waive it and be unprotected if they choose.
- Rookies, second-year players, and unsigned draft picks cannot be selected by Seattle.
With the basics out of the way, here are all 30 NHL team’s protected lists as they are revealed.
