from Ansar Khan of Mlive,
Forwards
Protected: Tyler Bertuzzi, Adam Erne, Robby Fabbri, Dylan Larkin, Michael Rasmussen, Givani Smith, Jakub Vrana.
Notable available players: Mathias Brome, Frans Nielsen, Vladislav Namestnikov, Richard Panik, Evgeny Svechnikov.
Notable exemptions: Joe Veleno, Filip Zadina, everyone drafted in 2018 or later.
Analysis: Six protection slots were obvious, and really, even the seventh spot, Smith, was a no-brainer. Smith is young (23) and under club control for several more years. He is big (6-2, 210), physical, forechecks hard, goes to the net and fights, providing a different dimension.