The Expansion Draft is quickly approaching and the Los Angeles Kings will have some decisions to make.
The Viktor Arvidsson trade did take away some options as to what the Kings could do in terms of their protection slots, and it seems more likely that the Kings will use a 7-3-1 format. But what could the protection list look like and who could the Kings lose to Seattle?
In net, it’s obvious the Kings will protect Cal Petersen. As a result, Jonathan Quick will be left exposed, but it’s unlikely Seattle would go after him.
Things do get slightly more complicated on the back end, as the Kings have four defenders who they’d realistically like to protect. Drew Doughty and Matt Roy will get protected, but the last spot comes down to either Kale Clague or Sean Walker. Clague has a higher offensive ceiling and is still just 23 years old, but Walker has also proven himself in the NHL and is signed to a contract that brings pretty good value.
While I think the Kings probably will protect Walker, personally, I’d protect Clague. At 26 years old, Walker may be a capable defender, but it seems as though we’ve already seen what his ceiling is and realistically, he’s behind both Doughty and Roy on the right side depth chart. As prospects make the jump to the NHL in the coming years, Walker could end up getting pushed out of a spot down the road.
With Clague, on the other hand, we’re yet to determine his ceiling but he does have a high offensive upside. Walker may be the safe option but there’s still a decent chance that Clague could develop into a legitimate top-four defender on the left side, which is what the Kings need. Regardless though, I’d bet they do protect Walker, based on him being a proven defender in the NHL.
Up front, the Kings will certainly protect Anze Kopitar, Viktor Arvidsson, Alex Iafallo and Adrian Kempe. They could then go with a 4-4-1 format in order to protect both Clague and Walker, but this would mean leaving some key forwards exposed. As a result, I think the Kings will protect Trevor Moore, Andreas Athanasiou and either Lias Andersson or Carl Grundstrom with the last three protection slots.
Of Andersson or Grundstrom, my guess would be that the Kings would choose to protect Andersson, but it could go either way. This would leave Dustin Brown exposed as well but it seems unlikely that Brown would be selected, at 36 years old and on an expiring contract.
So here’s the projection:
Forwards (7): Anze Kopitar, Viktor Arvidsson, Alex Iafallo, Adrian Kempe, Trevor Moore, Andreas Athanasiou and Lias Andersson
Defense (3): Drew Doughty, Matt Roy, Sean Walker
Goalie (1): Cal Petersen
Again, while this is my personal projection, there could certainly be some debate about protecting other players over Andersson, Walker or Athanasiou, including a debate about protecting Brown.
Up front, this would leave Dustin Brown, Carl Grundstrom, Brendan Lemieux, Blake Lizotte and Austin Wagner as the notable forwards exposed. While Seattle will have their pick of many solid defenders based on the way in which the expansion draft is structured, I still think the Kraken will likely take whichever defender is left between Clague or Walker over any of the forwards.
Either Clague or Walker would likely provide more long-term value to Seattle than any of the Kings' unprotected forwards, or at least have more potential to do so.
So while there are certainly teams in a worse position for the draft, it does seem as though the Kings will lose a quality piece to Seattle.
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Who do you think the Kings will lose in the Expansion Draft?
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