With the trade deadline in the rearview mirror and their playoff hopes growing smaller by the day, the next big event for the Philadelphia Flyers looks to be the pending Seattle expansion draft. The NHL’s 32nd team is set to hit the ice for the first time in the 2021-2022 season, but before doing so will get to select one player from each current franchise, excluding the Vegas Golden Knights.
Teams have two options when curating their protection lists. Most will choose to protect seven forwards, three defensemen, and one goaltender. However, if a team wants to protect four or more defensemen, they can opt to protect eight skaters regardless of position, along with one goaltender.