The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to lose a player this week when the Seattle Kraken kickstart their franchise with the Expansion Draft on Wednesday.
Even though it feels like an eternity ago because the Vegas Golden Knights have been a Stanley Cup contender ever since, their Expansion Draft only took place in 2017. In four years, the Toronto Maple Leafs franchise has turned upside down and any fan who’s upset about the current state of this team should take a hard look at their protection list then.
2017 Expansion Draft Protection List:
- Forwards: Tyler Bozak, Connor Brown, Nazem Kadri, Leo Komarov, Josh Leivo, Matt Martin, James van Riemsdyk
- Defencemen: Connor Carrick, Jake Gardiner, Morgan Rielly
- Goaltender: Frederik Andersen
2021 Expansion Draft Protection List:
- Forwards: Auston Matthews. John Tavares. Mitch Marner. William Nylander
- Defense: Morgan Rielly, Justin Holl, Jake Muzzin, T.J. Brodie
- Goaltender: Jack Campbell
It was only four years ago that the Leafs protected Leo Komarov, Josh Leivo, Connor Carrick, Jake Gardiner and Matt Martin! Of those 11 players who the Leafs protected, Rielly, and maybe Kadri, are the only two players who the team would even consider protecting right now.
The Leafs are in a much better situation right now, but it makes things harder because they’re going to lose a player who’s very good. Back in 2017, the team only had to sacrifice losing Brendan Leipsic, which was a blessing in disguise. Although he turned into a serviceable fourth-liner, he said disgraceful things about his teammates off the ice, and eventually got his contract terminated by Washington.
It’s possible that a side-deal is in place so that the Leafs don’t lose a player they value, but it’s more likely than not that one of these three players will be a Seattle Kraken on Wednesday night.
Here are the three most likely players to be picked in the Expansion Draft.