Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Here are the 66 veteran NHLers that have to be protected at expansion draft

150520-Rick-Nash

The NHL has released a memo to all 30 teams outlining which 66 veteran NHLers are currently exempt from the expansion process -- meaning they have to be protected -- because of their no-movement clauses.

And Sportsnet has the memo.

Per Chris Johnston, the list was finalized late Tuesday evening after the league reviewed “the parameters of each individual contract” with the NHL Players’ Association.

The league was unable to institute a “blanket rule” to all NMCs, because those clauses are entirely negotiable and can be worded in whatever way the club or player -- or, agent -- sees fit.

You can read about some of the more surprising developments (Rick Nash has to be protected, Bobby Ryan doesn’t) here.

As for the list of players, here you go. Chicago leads the way with eight veterans requiring protection while Calgary, San Jose, St. Louis and Washington don’t have any.

Anaheim: Kevin Bieksa, Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler, Corey Perry

Arizona: Alex Goligoski

Boston: David Backes, Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, David Krejci

Buffalo: Kyle Okposo

Carolina: Jordan Staal

Columbus: Sergei Bobrovsky, David Clarkson, Brandon Dubinsky, Nick Foligno, Scott Hartnell

Chicago: Artem Anisimov, Corey Crawford, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Marian Hossa, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Jonathan Toews

Colorado: Francois Beauchemin, Erik Johnson

Dallas: Jamie Benn, Jason Spezza

Detroit: Frans Nielsen

Edmonton: Milan Lucic, Andrej Sekera, Cam Talbot

Florida: Keith Yandle

Los Angeles: Anze Kopitar

Minnesota: Mikko Koivu, Zach Parise, Jason Pominville, Ryan Suter

Montreal: Jeff Petry, Carey Price

Nashville: Pekka Rinne

New Jersey: Ryane Clowe

N.Y. Islanders: Johnny Boychuk, Andrew Ladd, John Tavares

N.Y. Rangers: Dan Girardi, Henrik Lundqvist, Rick Nash, Marc Staal

Ottawa: Dion Phaneuf

Philadelphia: Claude Giroux

Pittsburgh: Sidney Crosby, Marc-Andre Fleury, Phil Kessel, Kris Letang, Evgeni Malkin

Tampa Bay: Ryan Callahan, Valtteri Filppula, Victor Hedman, Steven Stamkos

Toronto: Nathan Horton

Vancouver: Loui Eriksson, Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin

Winnipeg: Dustin Byfuglien, Toby Enstrom

As established earlier this year, teams have two options for players they wish to protect in the Expansion Draft:

a) Seven forwards, three defensemen and one goaltender

b) Eight skaters (forwards/defensemen) and one goaltender

Also, all first- and second-year professionals, as well as all unsigned draft choices, will be exempt from selection (and will not be counted toward their club’s applicable protection limits).