Your Hershey Bears Expansion Draft Related Questions Answered

There seemed to be some confusion amongst Hershey Bears fans on Sunday morning when the NHL released the available player lists for the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. So we decided to let you send in any questions you might have to clarify any concerns about your favorite player heading to Sin City.

As a reminder, here is the list of non-protected players that spent some time with Hershey this year:

Judith on Twitter:

Is it only the free agents that are available or is any player even if they have a contract e.i. Nathan Walker

NHL.com has the best explanation for this question, but in simple terms: teams and only protect either seven forwards, three defensemen, and one goalie, or eight skaters (forwards and defensemen) and one goalie. Everybody else under contract (that is not exempt – more on that in a bit) is available to be drafted by Vegas.

Nina on Twitter:

Where’s Travis Boyd on the available list?

This one confused us for a moment. There’s three lists in the expansion draft: protected, unprotected, and exempt. Boyd falls into that third category. The reason for that exemption is due to how many professional seasons he has played. “All first- and second-year professionals, as well as all unsigned draft choices, will be exempt from selection (and will not be counted toward their club’s applicable protection limits)” NHL.com stated. Other players that are exempt include Jakub Vrana, Riley Barber, Madison Bowey, and Vitek Vanecek.

Ben on Twitter:

Who do you think gets called up to the big club once the expansion draft ends and free agency settles down?

That will come down to who is drafted. Most people believe the pick from the Capitals will come down to two players: Nate Schmidt or Philipp Grubauer. If it’s Schmidt that is drafted, that opens up another spot on their roster for a defenseman. With Christian Djoos no longer being waiver exempt, there’s a better chance he stays in the NHL because of that, along with Madison Bowey getting his first look at a full-time NHL spot. If Grubauer heads west, Washington will be looking more for a backup goalie than anything else.

Other general questions that can be answered include:

Does this mean [Player X that played in Hershey] could go to Vegas?
Yes, but more than likely no. Only one player from each team can be picked. If you had the option between Nate Schmidt and a forward who spent most of the season in the AHL, Vegas would pick the player with more NHL experience who can contribute right away.

Why aren’t the Caps protecting any Bears players?
Teams are limited in who they can protect. Between eight and ten players can be protected from the entire organization, so it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to spend seven protections on players who are on the cusp of the NHL vs. players who are playing in the NHL right now.

Why aren’t Ryan Bourque/Hubert Labrie/Dustin Gazley on these lists?
Those players (along with a few others) are under AHL contracts, meaning they were not property of the Washington Capitals. Each of those players are also free agents this summer.

Have a question of your own? Comment down below and we will answer any question you might have!