BLOG: Blackhawks Announce Protected List Ahead of 2021 Expansion Draft

At long last, it's Expansion Draft week as the Seattle Kraken get set to join the NHL for the 2021-22 season.
Before Wednesday's selection of one player from each NHL team (except Vegas) to join the expansion side, the league announced today the list of players each team has selected to protect in the expansion process.

Each team could protect either:
The Blackhawks went with the first option, protecting two more skaters in total while sticking within the 7-3-1 confines.
Any player with two of fewer seasons under an NHL contract was not eligible for the Expansion Draft, meaning names like Kirby Dach, Adam Boqvist, Ian Mitchell and Wyatt Kalynuk, among others, are all protected automatically. With such a young roster, the Blackhawks have one of the longest lists of automatically protected players across the NHL.
Brent Seabrook and Andrew Shaw are also exempt due to long-term injury. Both players announced earlier this year that their playing careers are over because of injury.
In all, 13 players were left exposed by the Blackhawks, meaning one of those names will be taken on Wednesday night when Seattle's picks are announced.
Here are the full lists of who is protected, who is available for selection and who is automatically protected in the 2021 Expansion Draft:
Protected (7-3-1):
Available for Selection (13):
Exempt (28):
Exempt Due to Injury (2):
- Brent Seabrook - Andrew Shaw