Around the NHL today, we had some big news as the league prepares for the 2021 Expansion Draft. Minnesota announced that it will buyout both Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. In Colorado, Erik Johnson has waived his no-movement clause. That’s a trio of moves that does, believe it or not, indirectly impact the Rangers as they prepare for the expansion draft.
Starting first with Minnesota, the first thought is to the cap space freed up by buying out both Parise and Suter for this upcoming season. More importantly for Minnesota, it gives them the ability to protect Matt Dumba in expansion. Without buying out Suter, they would not have been able to do so. The move also allows them to protect an additional forward (Ryan Hartman)? Or, perhaps, it gives them the opportunity to use the 7th forward slot as a trade chip, much like the Rangers can with the third protection spot.
For Colorado, Johnson can now be exposed in the expansion draft. Colorado will likely go with protecting eight skaters, instead of the 7F/3D option. This means they will protect their top four defensemen – Cale Makar, Sam Girard, Ryan Graves, and Devon Toews. They will lose a solid forward for sure, but it protects their most valuable assets.
How does this impact the Rangers?
Both Minnesota and Colorado were teams that needed an extra defense protection slot. The Rangers could have targeted both with their extra spot, but now that is unlikely to happen.
There are still teams out there that might need that extra protection spot. Toronto still comes to mind, as does Washington. Depending on how Carolina views Brady Skjei, there’s a chance they might need to be creative as well.
There is still some flexibility with the spot, as the Rangers need to expose just one of Anthony Bitetto or Tony DeAngelo along with Libor Hajek to meet the expansion draft requirements. While a trade is unlikely, it does keep options open to include one in a trade before the expansion draft.
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