Here's the breakdown. For the 30 NHL teams: They can protect seven forwards, three defensemen and one goalie OR eight skaters (any combination of forwards and defensemen) and one goalie. Players that do not need to be protected and cannot be selected: first- and second-year players and unsigned draft picks.

All players with no movement clauses at the time of the draft, and who decline to waive those clauses, must be protected and will be counted toward their team's applicable protection limits. All first- and second-year professionals, and all unsigned draft choices, will be exempt from selection and will not be counted toward protection limits.

Teams could protect eight skaters and a goaltender, or seven forwards, three defensemen, and a goaltender; and they had to expose at least two forwards and one defenseman who were under contract for the 2021–22 season and played in at least 27 games in the 2020–21 season, or more than 54 games in the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons combined.

The basic NHL expansion draft rules For teams already in the league, they will have to submit a protected players list that Seattle won’t be able to draft from. To do this, they will have two options. They can either choose to protect: Seven forwards, three defencemen and one goaltender Eight skaters (forwards or defencemen) and one goaltender.