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Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

Devils’ Protection List in Hypothetical 2025 Expansion Draft

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Daniel Amoia | Last updated Aug 10, 2025 1:35 PM ET

As we continue the dog days of summer, fans are anxiously awaiting the New Jersey Devils‘ next move. It has now been 39 days since general manager Tom Fitzgerald claimed extending Luke Hughes was his top priority, but nothing has crossed the finish line yet. One silver lining of these slow-moving periods is some added time to dive into fun ideas and theoretical scenarios.

So, here’s a fun one: Let’s say the NHL fast-tracks an expansion franchise – their 33rd – and the draft is in a week. For this assumption, let’s assume L. Hughes’ contract has been figured out, and the remainder of the roster is left unaffected. Who would the Devils protect?

(This is purely theoretical. Usually, expansion drafts are held prior to the opening of free agency.)

Guidelines

Each team can either choose to protect:

Eight skaters (forwards or defensemen) and one goaltender

Seven forwards, three defensemen and one goaltender

As The Hockey Writers’ Andrew Forbes explains: “Players who currently have no-movement clauses as a part of their contracts at the time of the Expansion Draft (and refuse to waive it) have to be protected by their respective franchise and will count towards the team’s protected list. To add to that, all first and second-year professional skaters (including unsigned draft picks) will not be available for [franchise] to select from and won’t be counted as part of the protected player’s list.”

Who Should be Protected? (7 forwards, 3 defensemen & 1 goaltender)

F Jesper Bratt – Required via No Movement Clause (unless waived).

F Timo Meier – Required via No Movement Clause (unless waived).

F Ondrej Palat – Required via No Movement Clause (unless waived).

F Jack Hughes – The team’s best forward; this is a no-brainer.

F Nico Hischier – The captain and one of the best two-way centers in the world.

F Dawson Mercer – Likely the best offensive production from the remaining forwards. Age is on his side, too. Would be foolish to give up for nothing.

F Paul Cotter – Elite raw tools and age (25) gives him the edge over a few others.

D Dougie Hamilton – Required via No Movement Clause (unless waived).

D Luke Hughes – A budding star. Another no-brainer.

D Jonas Siegenthaler – One of the best defensive defensemen in the league and contract is cheaper than Johnathan Kovacevic and Brett Pesce.

G Jacob Markstrom – The Devils’ clear No. 1 netminder; if they take Jake Allen, Nico Daws can be the new backup.

Who Is Exempt?

Simon Nemec, Seamus Casey, Arseni Gritsyuk & all prospects yet to have played more than two professional seasons.

Who is Unprotected?

F Connor Brown
F Stefan Noesen
F Cody Glass
F Kurtis MacDermid
F Evgenii Dadonov
F Juho Lammikko
F Jonathan Gruden
F Angus Crookshank
F Nathan Legare
F Ryan Schmelzer
F Mike Hardman
F Marc McLaughlin
F Brian Halonen
F Thomas Bordeleau
D Colton White
D Dennis Cholowski
D Calen Addison
D Brett Pesce
D Brenden Dillon
D Johnathan Kovacevic
G Jake Allen
G Nico Daws

Most likely to be selected: Brown, Noesen, Glass, Dadonov, Pesce, Kovacevic, Allen & Daws

There are two ways to look at this. On one hand, it’s a good thing that the Devils have that many talented players available. It means they have a much deeper team than they did just a few months ago. On the other hand, the no-move clauses for Palat and Hamilton prevent them from protecting a couple more players; it’s almost certain that an expansion franchise would skip over both of them if unprotected due to their large contracts.

Based on pure contract value, it would make a lot of sense for the expansion team to select Kovacevic. He could likely fill a top 4 role well for the next five seasons, and with the rising cap, it will barely put a dent into their situation. Similar could be said for Pesce, but Allen and Daws are both intriguing goaltending options.

Again, since this is theoretical, it’s possible the Devils would have approached past offseasons differently if they knew an expansion draft was coming up. But it’s still fun to mull over the intricacies of protecting/not protecting certain players, and its longer term impacts on the franchise.

Furthermore, just because a player is available doesn’t mean they are of no help to the current team. Take a player like Dillon or Noesen, for example, who bring an edge and fill important roles despite lesser ice time.

The Devils most recently lost Jon Merrill (Vegas Golden Knights, 2017) and Nathan Bastian (Seattle Kraken, 2021) in expansion drafts. However, with eight teams in each division, many are opposed to ever adding another franchise. What are your thoughts!?