Seattle Expansion Draft 2.0: Which Wild Forwards to Protect and Why

Just over a week ago, I wrote an article about the failures and lessons learned from the Vegas Expansion Draft and how the Wild will handle the upcoming Seattle Expansion Draft.

I attempted to forecast who will be among the players protected, not who I think should be protected.

It is clear who will be protected for defense and goaltending.

Ryan Suter and Jared Spurgeon are forced to be protected due to their no-movement clauses, meanwhile, whichever of Brodin or Dumba that remains, assuming the Wild acquire a first-line center, will be protected. Kaapo Kahkonen will be the goaltender protected.

Seven forwards can be protected, which is where it becomes difficult deciding who is worth a protection spot and who’s exposed.

Zach Parise and Mats Zuccarello both must be protected due to their no-movement clauses.

Kevin Fiala has made his mark on the franchise and is living up to being a “game-breaker”, a term once used by former Minnesota Wild GM Paul Fenton. Fiala will be protected.

Since I am predicting that the Wild will acquire a first-line center in exchange for one of Brodin or Dumba, I am leaving a spot open for that unknown center.

With Parise, Zuccarello, Fiala, and the unknown center protected, that leaves just three spots remaining.

Joel Eriksson Ek (23), C

The Case For

There was some doubt regarding Eriksson Ek but we are beginning to see more of a well-rounded and developed player. He had a career-year offensively -displaying he does have an offensive side in his game- and is one of the more underrated defensive forwards in the league. He has 344 hits over the past three seasons which ranks second on the Wild. While he is one of the most physical players on the Wild, Eriksson Ek also is known for his forechecking and frustrating opponents.

The Case Against

Eriksson Ek will likely slot in the second-line center throughout his career. While he has shown he does have the capability of chipping in offensively, he will likely not have the offensive production that a first-line center produces. He has similar qualities of Mikko Koivu and could replicate something like his career, but to a lesser degree with how the league has advanced in recent years.

Jordan Greenway (23), LW

The Case For

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I think Jordan Greenway’s frame speaks for itself, Greenway is 6 foot 6 and roughly 225 pounds which is something to take into account whether or not to protect him. This year we saw him elevate his physical game and was apart of the hard fore-checking GEEK line that featured Greenway, Eriksson Ek, and Kunin. He is still young enough that his physical game will most likely get to another level within the next couple of years.

The Case Against

In terms of goal scoring, Greenway has not been as productive as one would hope, but there are still a lot of unknowns about his game. He is not the flashiest and it appears that he is hesitant to shoot the puck at times. There is not much to complain about when it comes to his game except that he is a left-winger, a position the Wild have too much of.

Luke Kunin (22), C/RW

The Case For

Offensively, Kunin had a career-year. He had a career-high in goals (15), assists (16) and points (31). He also had a career-high 128 shots and was 4 hits away from passing his career-high in hits. He has an impressive shot as well.

The Case Against

In terms of value and impact, Kunin did not have a good season. He had negative value this season, which is surprising due to his goal-scoring. Kunin is very dependent on his shot. Without it, he would offer little value. The positive thing is that he is 22 years with only one full season under his belt, so for the most part, there is nothing to worry about, as his game likely improves as he gets older and more accustomed to the NHL.

Ryan Donato (24), C/W

The Case For

Donato had a career-high in goals (14), which ranked 6th on the Wild. He had an average ice time of just over 10 and a half minutes in a fourth-line role, whenever of course he was not a healthy scratch.

The Case Against

Donato is not the fastest skater or strongest player on the puck. He is also older than everyone on the GEEK line. There are very few holes in his game, but because of the Wild depth chart, has already been victimized being pushed down the lineup. It could be inevitable he leaves the organization because of a lack of opportunity- whether it be expansion, trade, or free agency.

Marcus Foligno (28), LW

The Case For

Foligno was the best defensive forward this season for the Wild, he deserves to be a nomination for the Selke Trophy as he was one of the best defensive forwards this season in the entire NHL. Along with his superb defense, Foligno averaged just over 3 hits a game this season, if he had played all 82 games on this pace, it would be his season-high so far in his short stint with the Wild.

Foligno had a career-year offensively with a career-high in points (25) despite playing only 59 games. Foligno was also 2 goals and 1 assist short from career-high in goals and assists. He’s a well-known locker room leader and is a likely candidate for captain.

The Case Against

Foligno is almost 29 and is a bottom-six player, mostly a fourth-line physical grinder. He will also be looking for a long-term contract, likely an upgrade from his current contract. There is no doubt that Foligno carries immense value to the team, but the reality is that he is a bottom-six player, can you justify giving him ~$4M?

Final Thoughts

As you can see, it is more than likely that we will likely see one of these names get drafted, unless Seattle decides to take the young Carson Soucy. In my opinion, although Foligno is a bottom-six forward, his physicality, leadership, and defense is something the Wild need, which takes one more spot away from the young players in the Wild organization.

All Stats & Information Via NHL.com, Hockey Reference, & CapFriendly