While we await a resolution in the saga that is the Mike Hoffman era, there isn't much else going on, so why not look ahead a year to project who Las Vegas might pluck from the Senators in the expansion draft.

Teams can protect players in 1 of 2 ways: 7 forwards, 3 defensemen and a goalie; or 8 skaters and a goalie.

Since players with no-move clauses must be protected, there might be some consideration to go the second way and protect their top 4 defensemen and just 4 forwards, but that would expose too many names up front so they are certainly going to go with option A.

So as of today, here is my Senators protected list:

Craig Anderson
Erik Karlsson
Dion Phaneuf
Cody Ceci
Bobby Ryan
Kyle Turris
Mark Stone
Mike Hoffman
Derick Brassard
Jean-Gabriel Pageau
Curtis Lazar

That would leave prominent names for Vegas to take like Clarke MacArthur or Marc Methot.

The rules state that Las Vegas must take one player from each team for a total of 30 players. They also have to take on a certain level of salary (between $43 and $73M).

In addition to protected lists, there is nothing to say that teams can't have conversations with the new franchise and offer them certain "incentives" to look the other way on certain players when they are building their expansion draft list.

Obviously given the health issues MacArthur has had, he would be a risky proposition, but if he can get through this season without issue he could be a good add for the expansion team.

However, exposing Methot is the unfortunate necessity and the probable target for plucking, unless Pierre Dorion can convince Vegas to go with MacArthur instead.

The point of the expansion draft is to help the new club be competitive immediately, a far different scenario than back in 1992 and something that would have helped Ottawa in the early years, so it is only fair that a team lose a quality player.

Vegas GM George McPhee will have a lot of interesting conversations next June, but his job is to assemble a team that can compete as quickly as possible. If he can negotiate a side deal or two that makes that process better, then all the better for him.

Protecting Pageau instead of MacArthur dangles a solid forward (health permitting of course) that would give at least some second thoughts instead of making Methot the only reasonable target.

Of course this is very early in the process and there could be lots of player movement between now and when the draft takes place, but it is a fun exercise for the dog days of summer, in which we are now firmly entrenched (and since we can't talk about Hoffman every day!).

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