Expansion Draft: 2 Anaheim Ducks Who Could Be Left Unprotected

The Seattle Kraken have July 17 marked on their calendars.as the deadline looms for every team in the NHL to submit their protected list for the expansion draft. From there the fun begins and the Kraken will announce their roster on July 21. There's going to be some tough decisions across the league, including who to select from the Anaheim Ducks:

For educational purposes:

• Teams must submit their protected lists to the league by July 17
• Each team must submit a protected list of seven forwards, three defensemen, and one goalie OR eight skaters and one goalie
• Any player with a no-movement clause must be protected unless the player waives it
• Each team must expose two forwards, one defenseman, and one goalie who are under contract and played at least 40 games this past season or 70 combined games over the last two seasons
• Any player with a career-ending injury is exempt from selection
• All first- and second-year players, as well as unsigned draft picks, are exempt from selection

Ducks Players to Watch:

Jakob Silfverberg: This pick reminds me of when James Neal was selected by the Vegas Golden Knights. A winger who can score, is trying to stretch out his prime and someone who could pan out for the team. It's going to take some bouncing back. After a down season where he only recorded 16 points in 47 games, it's likely Anaheim exposes Silfverberg and his three years remaining on his deal at $5.25 million per season. It's all up to the Kraken to take the gamble.

Sam Steel: The former first-round pick is just 23 years old and could find his game if the right opportunity presents itself and at this point it's hard to say if that would be Seattle. A native of Western Canada playing a little closer to home would be a nice touch. Last season in 42 games, Steel recorded 12 points. We'll see if Kraken general manager Ron Francis believes in Steel's potential.