Instead of protecting seven forwards and three defensemen, the Nashville Predators elected to take the other option. This meant protecting a total of eight skaters without position specifications. This was done in order to maintain the team’s core of top tier defensemen (Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis, P.K. Subban, and Matias Ekholm) that guided them to a Western Conference Championship.
The team used its remaining four spots on Ryan Johansen, Filip Forsberg, Viktor Arvidsson, and Calle Jarnkrok. This left James Neal un-protected, and undoubtedly the most enticing option for the Golden Knights in the Expansion Draft.