Round 2 – NHL Expansion Draft: Would you rather?

Last week we played a game of “Would you rather?,” where we hid team and player names of a few squads participating in the NHL Expansion Draft and then asked the readers to submit their preferred selections based on the information provided. We had an overwhelming response to the post, so we figured we should do it again this week.

For those that missed last week, the game is simple. I am going to lay out three teams and a few of the players that are expected to be exposed in the NHL Expansion Draft from those teams. You will then select the players in a short survey at the bottom of the post. There is no right or wrong answer here; it is just a way to get your preference without the bias of seeing the player names.

Team D

Player 1

• Position: Right Wing
• Age on 10-1-2021: 29.8 years old
• Annual Salary Cap Hit: $2M through the 2022-23 season
• High-Level Scouting Report: Had six goals and 13 assists over 46 games during the 2020-21 season. Solid two-way winger with very good hockey sense. Will never put up big offensive numbers but is reliable defensively.

Player 2

• Position: Forward
• Age on 10-1-2021: 23.2 years old
• Annual Salary Cap Hit: Becoming RFA after receiving $763K/year in 2020-21
• High-Level Scouting Report: Has played in just 38 NHL games; 36 came in 2020-21 season. Only had nine points in those 36 games this season. Had 22 goals and 20 assists in 55 games in the AHL during the 2019-20 season. Offensive-minded player that is likely a second-line forward in the NHL.

Player 3

• Position: Defense
• Age on 10-1-2021: 27.5 years old
• Annual Salary Cap Hit: $5.3M through the 2023-24 season
• High-Level Scouting Report: Fantastic skater. Can play the role of a shutdown defenseman that can log a ton of minutes. Has some offensive capabilities as well. Had 10 points over 52 games in the 2020-21 season.

Team E

Player 1

• Position: Forward
• Age on 10-1-2021: 29.3 years old
• Annual Salary Cap Hit: $1.7M through the 2021-22 season
• High-Level Scouting Report: Heavy-hitting forward that can kill penalties. Not a lot of scoring touch and is likely a career bottom-six forward. Had four goals and seven assists in 41 games over the 2020-21 season.

Player 2

• Position: Defense
• Age on 10-1-2021: 27.3 years old
• Annual Salary Cap Hit: $2.7M through the 2021-22 season
• High-Level Scouting Report: Puck moving defenseman with some offensive upside. Had 10 assists in 30 games played this season in the NHL.

Player 3

• Position: Defense
• Age on 10-1-2021: 24.2 years old
• Annual Salary Cap Hit: Becoming RFA after receiving $793K/year in 2020-21
• High-Level Scouting Report: Smart two-way player that is not afraid to jump into the play to join the rush. Spent this last season split between the NHL and AHL and has only 18 NHL games over the last two seasons. Long-term potential is a little bit unknown due to the small sample size of NHL games.

Team F

Player 1

• Position: Wing
• Age on 10-1-2021: 29.3 years old
• Annual Salary Cap Hit: $1.5M through the 2022-23 season
• High-Level Scouting Report: Undersized depth scoring forward on a cheap contract over the next two seasons. Scored 14 goals in 53 games during the 2020-21 season. Reliable in defensive situations.

Player 2

• Position: Defense
• Age on 10-1-2021: 30.9 years old
• Annual Salary Cap Hit: $3.9M through the 2023-24 season
• High-Level Scouting Report: Big, physical defenseman without a lot of scoring upside. Slots in well on the second defense pairing. Had two goals and 17 assists over 56 games during the 2020-21 season.

Player 3

• Position: Goalie
• Age on 10-1-2021: 25.7 years old
• Annual Salary Cap Hit: Becoming RFA after receiving $717K/year in 2020-21
• High-Level Scouting Report: Great quickness and lateral movement. At 6-foot-2 he is a little small for the position but has shown promise to be a regular goalie in the NHL. During 2020-21 season, he played 37 games with a save percentage of .908 and a goals-against-average of 2.69.

Submit your NHL Expansion Draft selections

If you want to play GM, fill out the questions below and we will share the results in the Weekly One-Timers at the end of the week.