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Oilers’ Protected List Includes No Big Surprises

Benoit Pouliot, Griffin Reinhart and Mark Fayne among players available in expansion draft

By Jeff Chapman
Vancouver Canucks v Edmonton Oilers
Available.
Photo by Codie McLachlan/Getty Images

The Oilers have submitted their list of protected players for the upcoming expansion draft. Many of these were no-brainers.

The list includes:

  • Leon Draisaitl
  • Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
  • Milan Lucic
  • Patrick Maroon
  • Jordan Eberle
  • Mark Letestu
  • Zack Kassian
  • Andrej Sekera
  • Oscar Klefbom
  • Adam Larsson
  • Cam Talbot

EXPECTED

  • Benoit Pouliot was probably the most expected player to be left unprotected. With two years at 4MM AAV remaining on his deal, it would probably be a best-case scenario for Edmonton if he was selected.
  • Mark Fayne is available. Thought I’d relay that important piece of information.
  • Griffin Reinhart was left unprotected. That’s not a surprise. Should Vegas select Reinhart, it would leave nothing from a deal that sent the 16th and 33rd overall picks in 2015 to the Islanders.
  • Iiro Pakarinen is also available to be selected. See: Fayne, Mark
  • Laurent Brossoit is also available. There are a handful of goalies available in the expansion draft (Detroit left Petr Mrazek unprotected!) and Brossoit being selected is very highly unlikely.

Expansion selections will be revealed during the NHL Awards show on Wednesday night which means the NHL Awards Show may actually have people watching it this year.