Dallas Stars: Predicting How Their Expansion Draft List Will Look
By Josh Clark
After all the months of speculating and anticipating, the NHL Expansion Draft is finally here. But before the 72-hour window gets underway, why not make one last prediction for old times’ sake?
It’s finally here, people. This is not a drill. Grab your food supply, get your Twitter feed up and running, and batten down the hatches. There’s no more waiting. The 2017 NHL Expansion Draft has arrived.
Some may have thought that the day would never come, but nevertheless, it is here. At 4 p.m. this afternoon, 30 NHL teams will cast forth the lists of which players they have decided to protect from the draft.
After the lists have been processed, they will be released to the general public as well as the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday morning at 9 a.m. for viewing. And that’s when the real race begins.
From that point, Vegas GM George McPhee has 72 hours to revise the lists of exposed players, make and field calls that could lead to potential deals, and carve out an inaugural roster for the Golden Knights by selecting one player from each team. Needless to say, his life is about to get rather stressful.
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For the Dallas Stars, their work is almost done. Unless they make a trade of some sort today (which almost seems bound to happen, so keep your eyes peeled), the Stars will turn in their list today at 4 p.m. and sit back.
With a roster freeze going into effect, the only action the Dallas Stars could make between now and when the Golden Knights announce their new roster on Wednesday night is a trade with Vegas either to keep them from taking a player or sweetening the deal to take a player. If that doesn’t happen, the Stars will remain quiet until the NHL Awards Show.
It’s a lot to take in at the moment. For many, this is their first expansion draft to experience and the rules have never been set like this before. Over the next few hours, all sorts of crazy trades and moves could (and are expected to) occur. So stay tuned to your Twitter accounts, NHL.com, and here at Blackout Dallas for any and all sorts of trade news.
And whether a trade goes down or not, the Stars’ list will not be an easy one to guess or speculate on. There is plenty of debate about which forwards they should protect and which defenders should receive protection.
It’s been a long haul of speculation, but we will know the final results tomorrow morning.
But considering we have waited months for this and the time is almost up, why not make one more educated prediction at who the Dallas Stars end up protecting?
After much deliberation and studying along with plenty of in-depth analysis, here is a legitimate guess at who will make the Dallas Stars’ protected list, barring any trades or transactions. If something like this does occur over the next few hours, I’ve offered some alternative solutions below.
Forwards
Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Jason Spezza, Radek Faksa, Brett Ritchie, Antoine Roussel, Valeri Nichushkin
Defensemen
John Klingberg, Esa Lindell, Stephen Johns
Goaltender
Ben Bishop
That’s how I see this whole conundrum shaping out. But then again, that’s just me.
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Now, let’s suppose that the Stars trade a Cody Eakin or someone along those lines and receives a top-six forward in return (even though it may be better to make that trade after the expansion draft). If that’s the case, then a name like Antoine Roussel or Brett Ritchie would likely be the next one subbed out.
If the Stars acquire a defender via trade that has significant value, Stephen Johns would be the first one removed from the list. The names in bold are the ones that will likely not move from the Stars’ protected list, regardless of what happens.
Over these next few hours, there could potentially be a whirlwind of stuff to keep up with. It’s imperative that you stay focused and understand all that is happening. Read the list above and either agree or disagree with it. If you agree, fantastic. If you disagree, tell me why!
Next: Will Vegas Take A Stars Forward, Defender, Or Goalie?
Whatever the case may be, the offseason will kick into full gear at any moment now. Might as well buckle up and enjoy the ride.