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Flyers should not be hit hard by expansion draft

Flyers general manager Ron Hextall has only a few difficult decisions while putting together his protected list.

Flyers general manager Ron Hextall
Flyers general manager Ron HextallRead moreDAVID SWANSON

Lots of talented players will be available when the Vegas Golden Knights make selections to fill out their inaugural NHL roster.

But the Flyers shouldn't be hit hard by the expansion draft.

For one, they are helped by the fact that first- and second-year pros  —  such as Ivan Provorov, Travis Konecny, and Travis Sanheim, among others  —  are exempt from the draft.

And, unlike teams that are loaded with quality players, the Flyers don't have many difficult decisions on which players to protect.

Teams must submit their protection lists by 5 p.m. Saturday. The NHL will reveal those lists at 10 a.m. Sunday, and Vegas' expansion roster will be announced Wednesday night.

Each team will lose only one player in the expansion draft.

Teams can protect seven forwards, three defensemen and one goaltender, or they can protect eight skaters (any combination of forwards and defensemen) and one goalie.

The Flyers are expected to use the first option.

Here is how their protection list may look:

FORWARDS

Locks (6):  Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds, Jake Voracek, Brayden Schenn , Valtteri Filppula, and Sean Couturier. (Giroux and Filppula have no-movement clauses and thus must be protected.)

If prospective unrestricted free agent Jordan Weal signs, he will undoubtedly be the seventh forward protected. If not…

On the bubble: Michael Raffl, Scott Laughton, Dale Weise, Nick Cousins, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Matt Read, and Taylor Leier.

If Weal is not in the fold, look for Raffl to be protected. In that scenario, it wouldn't be surprising if Vegas selected either Laughton or Cousins.

DEFENSE

Locks (2): Shayne Gostisbehere and Radko Gudas.

On the bubble: Brandon Manning and Andrew MacDonald.

MacDonald had a relatively strong season while paired with Provorov, but with three years left on his contract  —  and an annual cap hit of $5 million  —  it is doubtful the Flyers will protect him over Manning.

If Vegas decides to select a defenseman from the Flyers, general manager Ron Hextall might offer the Knights a draft pick  —  he has stockpiled 11 of them this year  —  to take MacDonald and his hefty contract.

GOALIES

Locks: None.

On the bubble: Anthony Stolarz and Michal Neuvirth. Neuvirth, though injury-prone, is more likely to be protected because Stolarz recently underwent knee surgery and it's doubtful Vegas would select him. That said, Stolarz is six years younger, and the Golden Knights might believe he has more upside.

Preseason schedule. The Flyers announced their eight-game preseason schedule, and all of their matchups are against the Bruins, the Islanders, and the Rangers.

The preseason begins with a Sept. 17 game against the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum, New York's former home. The Flyers will also face the Isles in split-squad games at the PPL Center in Allentown on Sept. 20, and at the Barclays Center the same night.

Three preseason games will be held at the Wells Fargo Center:  Sept. 26 (Rangers), Sept. 28 (Bruins), and Oct. 1 (Islanders).

The Flyers' regular-season schedule will be announced Thursday.