How do Zach Parise-Ryan Suter buyouts impact expansion draft?
On Saturday afternoon, Wild general manager Bill Guerin will have to submit his protection list ahead of the July 21 expansion draft. He made that part of his job much easier on Tuesday morning by making the hard decision to buy out veteran stars Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. While the aftermath of that decision will likely be debated for the foreseeable future, theres likely very little debate about which players will be on Guerins protection list now that Parise and Suter are no longer a part of the roster. Its almost a guarantee that the Wild choose the option that allows them to protect seven forwards, three defensemen, and one goaltender from the Seattle Kraken. Lets take a guess. (Remember, star rookie Kirill Kaprizov does not need to be protected.) SEVEN FORWARDS  Joel Eriksson Ek: This is a no-brainer. He just signed an eight-year deal. He isnt going anywhere anytime soon. Kevin Fiala: He still doesnt have a contract. But he will undoubtedly be protected. Hes a legitimate sniper to build around. Marcus Foligno: Hes the heart and soul of the locker room. He has also taken the next step as a scoring threat. No chance hes left exposed. Jordan Greenway: He took a gigantic leap last season. Though he still needs to improve his consistency, hes on the right track for the future. Ryan Hartman: Hes a gritty player that can wear many hats. Theres a good chance he would be plucked if he were exposed. Nico Sturm: He was at risk of being exposed before. Not anymore. Mats Zuccarello: He has a no-movement clause. He has to be protected by rule. THREE DEFENSEMEN  Jonas Brodin: He has a no-movement clause. He has to be protected by rule. Matt Dumba: He was at risk of being exposed before. Now its essentially a guarantee he will be protected. Jared Spurgeon: He has a no-movement clause. He has to be protected by rule. ONE GOALTENDER  Cam Talbot: He was a brick wall throughout the playoffs. If he were left exposed, he would likely get selected. If the protection list actually plays out like this, that would notably leave defenseman Carson Soucy and goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen exposed. While there are a lot of other players the Wild would have to leave exposed, its likely the Kraken would select Soucy or Kahkonen. Both players have proven capable of making an impact at the NHL level early in their respective careers and could grow into a much more prominent role if given the opportunity.