The 2027 Expansion Draft: Who Gets Protected?

As the NHL prepares for its next expansion franchise, teams are already gaming out their protection lists and bracing for the difficult decisions ahead. Every GM faces the same brutal calculus - which players are untouchable, and which ones are expendable enough to risk losing to the new franchise? The protection strategies being discussed now will shape rosters for years to come, and some teams are already regretting past contracts they'll have to shield from the expansion draft.