The announcement that Seattle will begin play as the NHL’s 32nd team in 2021-22, rather than 2020-21, and with the expansion draft set for June 2021 under the same rules that applied to Vegas, means the Rangers will be unable to claim entry-level exemptions on Filip Chytil, Lias Andersson and Brett Howden.
It also means, however, Henrik Lundqvist’s contract will have expired following the 2020-21 season, so the Rangers could hypothetically protect Alex Georgiev while getting an exemption for Igor Shestyorkin, presuming the Russian goaltender signs a two-year entry level contract next summer at the age of 23.