How exactly does Lindholm end up unprotected?

Oilers are losing either Kassian or Neal, but with a 1st as sweetener I'm willing to bet it's gonna be the latter.

Taking Johnson, JVR, or Gardiner is just doing their teams favours so they’d better be getting picks

The Islanders will protect Beauvillier

There is no way Lindholm, Brown, Beauvillier, Roslovic arent protected

We protect goat u can have your choice of howden or hajek

Ekholm and Dumba too -- either protected or traded.

Elias Lindholm is 100% protected.

Those are maybe's i can see them being exposed

Poile wont protect Ekholm over Ellis, Josi and Fabbro. And with Suter, Brodin and Spurgeon as all have NMCs therefore have to be protected.

Ekholm will either go 4-4-1 and protect him or go 7-3-1 and trade him prior to the draft. No chance a top pairing defenseman will be left available for SEA to take for free.

I think Ingram has a strong chance of being selected by SEA.

So the Wild protect 8 skaters and go with 4 defensemen.

Parise
Zucc
Fiala
Erickson Ek
Suter
Brodin
Spurgeon
Dumba

And that would work if that's what Bill Guerin does.

SEA will likely get 1-2 top pairing defense from around the league. I don't think Nashville will choose 1 year of Ekholm over 5 years of Sissons, as well as Kunin. It is much more likely that he is traded or exposed. Unless Suter waives his NMC Brodin would have to be traded or exposed too.

As for the top pairing guys, I think Burns will almost certainly be a member of the Kraken and maybe Skjei or Gardiner? Also they will probably get someone from Pittsburgh.

Burns as a character to sell ticket? I’m assuming they are looking cheaper longterm and or flip able assets, over anything that has a bunch of guaranteed money on. It would have been one wild offseason, if they tried to do it this offseason. I think there’s a hell of a crunch coming on contracts and internal caps, until there’s a sense of normalcy back.

You're telling me that if San Jose didn't offer Seattle the Fleury deal or similar they wouldn't take it?

Refresh me on fleury deal? I’m assuming a owner putting up a half billion isn’t going to be frugal, so your probably right, but that could be a variety of guys from multiple places, with lesser term, could be one hell of a buyers market. Just a matter of how much he’s got left in the tank?

Why is it so hard for people to understand you can protect 8 skaters and the Wild won't hand over Dumba for nothing over exposing Greenway or (lol) Rask? Unless Greenway has a monster year and Dumba completely flops, they won't lose Dumba for nothing. Seattle will pick Greenway or Soucy from the Wild.

I think the chance of NSH leaving Ekholm exposed is zero. You could absolutely get something decent in return for him without taking on another contract, before it gets to that point. Even with other teams looking to take advantage of NSH's situation, someone would definitely give a 2nd+ for him. Ekholm would be enough of an upgrade to the top four of a lot of teams, for it to be worth it for them.

I believe Fleury had a 2nd attached to him