I wonder what Buck would have to say about this?

Detroit Red Wings: Who to Protect in an Expansion Draft?  BRANDON PELESHOK

Buck loved the Red Wings. His viewpoint would have been enlightening and probably amusing on this subject.

"Ever since the first rumblings of Las Vegas getting a team in the NHL, my focus has shifted almost exclusively on which players the Red Wings should protect in a hypothetical expansion draft (and whether or not they will stay in the Eastern Conference). While I have swayed back and forth on a few players, I am fairly certain I’ve got my list of protected Red Wings. For the sake of clarity and simplicity, I will be using the same rules used during the 2000 NHL expansion draft.

After that, things get a bit murky, especially considering there is no precedent concerning players with NTC/NMC. There is also the question of when the expansion draft will actually occur. Again, in order to keep things simple, I am going with the idea that teams will be able to leave players with NTC/NMC unprotected. Also, since I see little sense in using the Red Wings’ 2015-16 roster (since the expansion draft is at least one year away), I am going to take a crack at projecting the roster heading into next season. I know it’s not a perfect science at the moment, but it is fun to speculate."

I am gonna miss those hockey posts....................................................sniff

http://thehockeywriters.com/detroit-red-wings-who-to-protect-in-an-expansion-draft/