Detroit — The Seattle Kraken are joining the NHL next season and they need actual players.
That’s where the Red Wings and the remainder of the NHL — except for the Vegas Golden Knights, who joined in 2017 and are totally exempt — help out.
Seattle will put together its first team — one player from each of the 30 teams — in Wednesday’s expansion draft. Before then, the Wings and the rest of the league must submit their protected lists by 5 p.m. Saturday. The NHL is expected to publicly reveal the lists on Sunday.
For some teams it’s going to be a difficult process, one with deep thinking and shrewd dealing (possibly inducing Seattle not to pick a certain player, in exchange for draft picks).
But for other teams, like the Red Wings, the process should be relatively straightforward.
Each team has the option of protecting either seven forwards, three defensemen and one goalie, or eight skaters (non-goalies) and one goalie.
The 7-3-1 option is much more popular. Teams that have four or more valued defensemen — Tampa and Nashville are possible examples — are likely go the 8-1 format.
For a player to be eligible for the expansion draft, they must have played more than two professional seasons at the conclusion of the 2020-21 campaign. That makes young players such as the Wings’ Filip Zadina, Joe Veleno and Moritz Seider ineligible because they haven’t yet reached that threshold.
Unrestricted free agents, such as Luke Glendening, Jonathan Bernier and Marc Staal, don’t need to be protected.
Seattle must select at least 14 forwards, a minimum of nine defensemen and at least three goalies. The total salary cap hit of the players Seattle takes must be between 60-100% of the 2020-21 cap hit (minimum $49.8 million, ceiling $81.5 million).
So how will the Red Wings’ protected list look when it’s released? Here’s one prediction, using the 7-3-1 protection format:
PROTECTED FORWARDS
► Dylan Larkin: The captain of the team, the face of the franchise, one of the best players on the ice, and he’ll be only 25 on July 30. Yes, this is an easy choice.
► Jakub Vrana: Acquired from Washington in the Anthony Mantha trade, Vrana had eight goals in 11 games with the Wings and showed plenty of game-breaking potential. He showed enough to be considered a building block going forward.
► Tyler Bertuzzi: He’s considered one of the key pieces in the rebuild, but coming off back surgery and the fact he’ll be approaching unrestricted free agency in a couple years, you can understand the trade rumors that are beginning to surface. Still, easy choice to protect.
► Robby Fabbri: He’ll be an unrestricted free agent next summer, but at this point you don’t want to lose Fabbri for nothing. He could be a trade chip at the deadline. Or maybe he shows enough to be a building block for the future and someone who should be re-signed.
► Adam Erne: He, possibly, wouldn’t have been on this list last summer. But after a breakout season in which led the Wings with 11 goals and showed an ability to be used in a variety of roles, including a key figure on the team’s best checking line, Erne is a slam dunk to be protected.
► Michael Rasmussen: The 2017 first-round draft pick had his best pro season, giving the organization a glimpse into the shutdown, tough-minded center he could progress into being. After the progress Rasmussen showed, you can’t afford to lose him.
► Givani Smith: The seventh and final spot goes to Smith, a physical, bruising forward who is out of options and must either stick with the Wings to begin the season or be exposed to waivers. You can’t afford to lose an intriguing prospect whom you have team control over for several more years for nothing.
UNPROTECTED FORWARDS
► Vladislav Namestnikov, Frans Nielsen, Richard Panik, Evgeny Svechnikov: Of these players, Namestnikov might be the most attractive option for Seattle. Panik (age 30, two years at $2.75 million) and Nielsen (37, one year at $5.25 million) are veterans with term on their contracts and don’t fit what Seattle wants to build. Svechnikov has struggled to stay healthy and hasn’t been able to crack the NHL lineup. Namestnikov, 28, has one more year at $2 million and can be a veteran who plays up and down the lineup for Seattle. He can also be a trade chip at the deadline.
PROTECTED DEFENSEMEN
► Filip Hronek: Arguably the Wings’ best all-around defenseman the last several seasons, Hronek is an easy choice to protect.
► Dennis Cholowski: The 2016 first-round selection has struggled to gain a foothold in the NHL. But there were glimpses late last season that Cholowski, 23, was getting closer to be an NHL regular and it would be difficult to just lose him for nothing.
► Gustav Lindstrom: He’s another young defenseman who has actually shown a bit more than Chowlowski at the NHL level in his brief stretches in the lineup. Lindstrom is only 22 and appears to have an NHL future.
UNPROTECTED DEFENSEMEN
► Danny DeKeyser, Troy Stecher: Essentially, the thinking is you keep two younger defensemen over two older ones. DeKeyser is 31 and has one more year at $5 million remaining on his contract. Coming off back surgery, DeKeyser progressed over the course of the season and looked stronger. Still, it’s unlikely DeKeyser would entice Seattle.
But Stecher is another matter. Stecher, 27, has one year at $1.7 million remaining on his contract and is coming off a fine showing for gold medal-winning Team Canada at the world championships (Stecher was an alternate captain). Stecher displayed a competitiveness and tenacity that would make him a plus for any team’s lineup.
PROTECTED GOALTENDER
► Thomas Greiss: The only non-UFA goaltender on the roster, Greiss was one of the NHL’s better goalies the last several weeks of the season after overcoming his early struggles.
SEATTLE SELECTS
► Troy Stecher: Depending on how the Kraken comprise the rest of the roster, Stecher is a good fit. He can be used in a variety of ways, he’d be a good leader for what could be a younger roster, and the fact he’s from nearby Vancouver doesn’t hurt either. It would leave the Wings with a hole to fill.
ted.kulfan@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @tkulfan