Stan Bowman, Chicago Blackhawks (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
The Chicago Blackhawks’ season ended on May 10 with an overtime loss to the Dallas Stars. As expected, the Chicago Blackhawks didn’t make the playoffs. Stan Bowman has Chicago in a rebuild with a focus on youth and building a team that can be competitive for years to come. Will the rebuild factor into whom the Blackhawks leave exposed to the Seattle Kraken in the NHL expansion draft?
Like every team in the league, Chicago must select one of two options to protect players:
Option 1 (most likely)- seven forwards, three defensemen, and one goalie
Option 2 (not likely)- combination of eight skaters, forwards and defensemen, and one goalie
The Blackhawks have a large number of players who are ineligible to be chosen due to Non-Move Clauses (NMC) and age/experience.