With word yesterday that Quebec City and Las Vegas have been moved into the 2nd phase of the expansion process, I find it only pertinent to begin considering the possibility of an expansion draft and what sort of implications such a thing would have on the Oilers- even though the expansion teams wouldn't likely start playing until the 2017-18 season.
But what exactly would an expansion draft look like? If we're to take from the example of the most recent instance occurring back in 2000 when Columbus and Minnesota joined the NHL, teams (excluding recent expansion teams from Nashville and Atlanta) were allowed to protect either 9 forwards, 5 defensemen, and 1 goalie OR 7 forwards, 3 defensemen, and 2 goalies while prospect still in junior are not included. This same model was followed in the previous two expansion drafts in 1999 and 1998, as well.
Now to the Oilers.
Operating off this model and assuming this were taking place 2 years in the future, I think the Oilers would elect to go the former route as- being frank- goaltending has never really been the team's strong suit. Under that assumption, I see the following players being protected:
9 forwards: McDavid, Hall, Eberle, Nugent-Hopkins, Draisaitl, Yakupov, Lander, and two of Yakimov, Pakarinen, Slepyshev, Platzer, or Chase (depending on their respective impacts within the organization)
5 defensemen: Nurse, Klefbom, Reinhart, Sekera, and- for the sake of chaos- LaLeggia (eat it, Schultz!)
1 goalie: Brossoit (barring Talbot living up to the hype in a big way)
Notable exclusions from my list include Fayne, Pouliot, Ference, and- but not really- Letestu. You might be thinking it's strange to leave out legit NHLers like Pouliot or Fayne in favour of prospects, but this brings me to my next point.
I'll be the first to say I love Pouliot's game. He's brought an element of skilled size that the Oilers have lacked for many years and I'd love him on my team... just not for as long as he's signed for. The expansion draft provides a unique opportunity for teams to potentially shed less-than-stellar contracts like MacDonald in Philly, Carle in Tampa, Orpik in Washington, and Pouliot's $4mil for 2 more years at the time of the draft. That amount could be the difference between being able to hold onto a Hall, Eberle, or Yakupov when McDavid's extension comes knocking the following year.
I'll spare you from going over my thoughts on every other team in the league. I encourage you to discuss your thoughts and ideas in the thread attached as it's always a great chance to get differing perspectives!
Hope you enjoyed!