Islanders lose Jordan Eberle in way too early mock expansion draft 1.0
By Ed Stein
In our first way too early Seattle (team name TBD) expansion draft, the New York Islanders are projected to lose right wing, Jordan Eberle.
This is our first way too early New York Islanders mock expansion draft forecast Here we predict which player the Isles will lose to Seattle in the 2021 Expansion Draft. The picks were made using capfriendly.com‘s expansion draft tool. I combed through all 30 eligible NHL rosters and conducted a no-trade mock draft, which wasn’t as easy as I anticipated.
It’s challenging to predict players who will be on every team’s protected list, due to the rules of this draft. The exercise gets easier after free agency this summer. One thing to watch for is backup goalie musical chairs. It will be a fun game because so much is at stake.
There is no way to know which players sign where and how much they will get. Therefore I am using current contracts to make decisions. A good example is Taylor Hall. The pending unrestricted free agent wasn’t protected. After he signs his big deal in a few months, the team who signs Hall will undoubtedly put him at the top of their protected list.
If this draft is anything like the Vegas draft, wheeling and dealing will be at a fever pitch. Expansion teams need draft picks. GM Ron Francis will try to acquire as many early-round picks as he can get. By trading draft picks, the established teams can control who they lose from their roster.
Francis has a big job to live up to. George McPhee killed it with Vegas in 2017. First, he built a team that made it to the Stanley Cups Finals in its first season. McPhee also garnered a plethora of picks to ensure the team’s future.