Which Current Vancouver Canucks Players Will Most Likely Be Protected If An Expansion Draft Occurs In 2029

The NHL appears headed for more expansion. In an exclusive interview with David Alter of The Hockey News, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said that the league’s newest franchise could “be able to begin play as early as the 2029-30 season.” While the exact destination has not yet been determined, Daly listed Houston as the priority market and Austin as an alternative.

With a new franchise on the way, the NHL will be preparing for another expansion draft. While the expansion draft is still a few years away, it is never too early to look at which players might be protected in the process. Here is what the Vancouver Canucks protected list could look like. 

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Before diving in, here is a quick reminder of the 2021 expansion draft rules as per the NHL: 

• NHL teams can protect seven forwards, three defensemen and one goalie, or eight skaters (forwards/defensemen) and one goalie

• All players with no movement clauses at the time of the draft, and who decline to waive those clauses, must be protected and will be counted toward their team’s applicable protection limits.

• All first- and second-year professionals, and all unsigned draft choices, will be exempt from selection and will not be counted toward protection limits.

• In addition, all NHL teams must meet the following minimum requirements regarding players exposed for selection in the draft:

• One defenseman who is a) under contract in 2021-22 and b) played in at least 40 NHL games the prior season or played in at least 70 NHL games in the prior two seasons.

• Two forwards who are a) under contract in 2021-22 and b) played at least 40 NHL games the prior season or played in at least 70 NHL games in the prior two seasons.

• One goalie who is under contract in 2021-22 or will be a restricted free agent at the end of his current contract immediately prior to 2021-22. If a team elects to make a restricted free agent goalie available to meet this requirement, that goalie must have received his qualifying offer prior to the submission of the team’s protected list.

• Players with potential career-ending injuries who have missed more than the previous 60 consecutive games (or who otherwise have been confirmed to have a career-threatening injury) may not be used to satisfy a team’s player exposure requirements unless approval is received from the NHL. Such players also may be deemed exempt from selection.

Based on the rules of the last expansion draft and Vancouver’s current contract situation, the only player who needs protection is center Elias Pettersson. This is because he has a no-movement clause for the 2029-30 season. The only way around exposing Pettersson if he is still with the team is if the Swedish center waives his no-movement clause. 

As for the most likely candidates to be protected, they are all currently part of the young core. This includes Zeev Buium, Tom Willander, defenceman Elias Pettersson, Marco Rossi, Braeden Cootes, Liam Öhgren and Nikita Tolopilo. None of these players are currently signed for the 2029-30 season, but they are projected to be part of the roster. 

Shifting to the experienced players, Brock Boeser, Jake DeBrusk, Filip Hronek, and Kevin Lankinen are all signed for the 2029-30 campaign but have no-trade clauses. The big debate is whether the organization elects to protect Boeser or Hronek. While both are key members of the team, Hronek is the more likely of the two to be protected. 

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Based on the projected roster and current contracts, Vancouver will most likely use eight skaters and one goaltender. Once again, this list assumes the same rules as the 2021 expansion draft. Below is the potential protected list. 

Projected Vancouver Canucks 2029 Expansion Draft Protected List:

Forwards:

Elias Pettersson
Marco Rossi
Braeden Cootes
Liam Öhgren

Defenceman:

Filip Hronek
Zeev Buium
Tom Willander
Elias Pettersson

Goaltender:

Nikita Tolopilo

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