1998 NHL expansion draft


The 1998 NHL expansion draft was an expansion draft held by the National Hockey League to fill the roster of the league's expansion team for the 1998–99 season, the Nashville Predators. The draft took place on June 26, 1998, in Buffalo, New York, U.S.

Rules

The Predators were to select 26 players, one from each of the 26 existing franchises at the time of the draft.
First- and second-year pros were exempt from being selected in the draft. Each of the 26 franchises in the league were allowed to protect either one goaltender, five defensemen and nine forwards or two goaltenders, three defensemen and seven forwards.
Of the unprotected players, each franchise had to include at least one forward and one defenseman who appeared in 40 games in the 1997–98 season. Each franchise also had to include at least one goaltender who appeared in 10 games in the 1997–98 season, and a minimum of 25 games since the 1995–96 season. These minimums for goaltenders were put into place in order to avoid manipulation of rosters, such as what occurred before the 1992 NHL expansion draft, which weakened the talent pool available in the draft.
This draft was interesting in that some of the players the Predators chose were set to become unrestricted free agents on July 1, just days after the draft. The Predators knew they would have little chance to sign these players; however, they received a compensatory pick in the 1999 NHL entry draft for each player they "lost".

Protected players

Eastern Conference">Eastern Conference (NHL)">Eastern Conference

PositionNew JerseyNY IslandersNY RangersPhiladelphiaPittsburgh
ForwardsSergei BrylinMariusz CzerkawskiAdam GravesRod Brind'AmourStu Barnes
ForwardsPatrik EliasJason DaweWayne GretzkyAlexandre DaigleRon Francis
ForwardsBobby HolikTrevor LindenTodd HarveyChris GrattonJaromir Jagr
ForwardsRandy McKaySergei NemchinovAlexei KovalevTrent KlattRobert Lang
ForwardsKrzysztof OliwaGino OdjickPat LaFontaineJohn LeClairMario Lemieux
ForwardsDenis PedersonZigmund PalffyDarren LangdonEric LindrosIan Moran
ForwardsBrian RolstonRobert ReichelKevin StevensMike ManelukPetr Nedved
ForwardsVadim SharifijanovJoe SaccoNiklas SundstromShjon PodeinMartin Straka
ForwardsPetr SykoraBryan SmolinskiMike SillingerGerman Titov
ForwardsTyler Wright
DefencemenBrad BombardirBryan BerardJeff BeukeboomDave BabychKevin Hatcher
DefencemenKen DaneykoZdeno CharaEric CairnsEric DesjardinsDarius Kasparaitis
DefencemenScott NiedermayerKenny JonssonMaxim GalanovJeff LankJiri Slegr
DefencemenLyle OdeleinScott LachanceAlexander KarpovtsevLuke RichardsonChris Tamer
DefencemenScott StevensRich PilonBrian LeetchPetr SvobodaBrad Werenka
DefencemenUlf SamuelssonChris Therien
GoaltenderMartin BrodeurTommy SaloRobb StauberRon HextallTom Barrasso

PositionBostonBuffaloMontrealOttawaToronto
ForwardsJason AllisonDonald AudetteShayne CorsonDaniel AlfredssonLonny Bohonos
ForwardsRob DiMaioMatthew BarnabyVincent DamphousseRadek BonkNathan Dempsey
ForwardsTed DonatoCurtis BrownSaku KoivuPhil CroweTie Domi
ForwardsSteve HeinzeMichal GrosekMark RecchiBruce GardinerDarby Hendrickson
ForwardsDmitri KhristichBrian HolzingerMartin RucinskyShawn McEachernKris King
ForwardsTim TaylorMichael PecaBrian SavageChris MurrayIgor Korolev
ForwardsLandon WilsonDerek PlanteTurner StevensonVaclav ProspalSteve Sullivan
ForwardsWayne PrimeauScott ThorntonShaun Van AllenMats Sundin
ForwardsGeoff SandersonAlexei YashinTodd Warriner
ForwardsMiroslav Satan
DefencemenRay BourqueDarryl ShannonPatrice BriseboisRadim BicanekDavid Cooper
DefencemenKyle McLarenRichard SmehlikVladimir MalakhovIgor KravchukSylvain Cote
DefencemenDon SweeneyMike WilsonDave MansonJanne LaukkanenMathieu Schneider
DefencemenDarren Van ImpeJason WoolleyStephane QuintalStanislav NeckarJason Smith
DefencemenAlexei ZhitnikCraig RivetLance PitlickYannick Tremblay
DefencemenIgor UlanovJason YorkDmitri Yushkevich
GoaltenderByron DafoeDominik HasekJocelyn ThibaultDamian RhodesFelix Potvin
GoaltenderRobbie Tallas

PositionCarolinaFloridaTampa BayWashington
ForwardsNelson EmersonDino CiccarelliMikael AnderssonCraig Berube
ForwardsMartin GelinasRadek DvorakCraig JanneyPeter Bondra
ForwardsStu GrimsonViktor KozlovSandy McCarthyJoe Juneau
ForwardsSami KapanenBill LindsayAndrei NazarovSteve Konowalchuk
ForwardsRobert KronScott MellanbyBrent PetersonAndrei Nikolishin
ForwardsJeff O'NeillDavid NemirovskyMikael RenbergAdam Oates
ForwardsKeith PrimeauRob NiedermayerStephane RicherMichal Pivonka
ForwardsGary RobertsSteve WashburnAlex SelivanovChris Simon
ForwardsRay SheppardChris WellsDarcy TuckerRichard Zednik
ForwardsRay WhitneyRob Zamuner
DefencemenAdam BurtEd JovanovskiEnrico CicconeSergei Gonchar
DefencemenSteve ChiassonPaul LausCory CrossCalle Johansson
DefencemenKevin HallerGord MurphyJassen CullimoreKen Klee
DefencemenCurtis LeschyshynRobert SvehlaKarl DykhuisJoe Reekie
DefencemenNolan PrattRhett WarrenerDavid WilkieMark Tinordi
DefencemenGlen WesleyBrendan Witt
GoaltenderTrevor KiddKevin WeekesBill RanfordOlaf Kolzig

Western Conference">Western Conference (NHL)">Western Conference

PositionCalgaryColoradoEdmontonVancouver
ForwardsValeri BureRene CorbetJosef BeranekTodd Bertuzzi
ForwardsAndrew CasselsAdam DeadmarshKelly BuchbergerDonald Brashear
ForwardsNils EkmanShean DonovanBill GuerinPavel Bure
ForwardsTheoren FleuryPeter ForsbergMats LindgrenBrad May
ForwardsLadislav KohnKeith JonesTodd MarchantMark Messier
ForwardsMarty McInnisValeri KamenskyDean McAmmondAlexander Mogilny
ForwardsMichael NylanderEric LacroixRem MurrayMarkus Naslund
ForwardsDave RocheClaude LemieuxRyan SmythDave Scatchard
ForwardsCory StillmanJoe SakicDoug WeightPeter Zezel
ForwardsJason WiemerStephane YelleValeri Zelepukin
DefencemenTommy AlbelinAdam FooteDrake BerehowskyBret Hedican
DefencemenJamie AllisonJon KlemmGreg de VriesJamie Huscroft
DefencemenSami HeleniusSylvain LefebvreRoman HamrlikJyrki Lumme
DefencemenCale HulseAaron MillerBoris MironovChris McAllister
DefencemenTodd SimpsonSandis OzolinshReijo RuotsalainenBryan McCabe
DefencemenJason Strudwick
GoaltenderKen WreggetPatrick RoyEric FichaudCorey Hirsch

PositionAnaheimDallasLos AngelesPhoenixSan Jose
ForwardsTravis GreenBob BassenMatt JohnsonBob CorkumShawn Burr
ForwardsPaul KariyaMike KeaneIan LaperriereJim CumminsJeff Friesen
ForwardsJosef MarhaJamie LangenbrunnerGlen MurrayShane DoanJohn MacLean
ForwardsJim McKenzieJere LehtinenYanic PerreaultDallas DrakeStephane Matteau
ForwardsJeff NielsenGrant MarshallLuc RobitailleJean-Francois JompheJoe Murphy
ForwardsSteve RucchinMike ModanoJozef StumpelJeremy RoenickOwen Nolan
ForwardsTeemu SelanneJoe NieuwendykVladimir TsyplakovCliff RonningMike Ricci
ForwardsBrian SkrudlandKeith Tkachuk
ForwardsPat VerbeekRick Tocchet
DefencemenDave KarpaShawn ChambersAki BergKeith CarneyBill Houlder
DefencemenJason MarshallSergey GusevRob BlakeGerald DiduckBryan Marchment
DefencemenJamie PushorDerian HatcherMattias NorstromJason DoigMarcus Ragnarsson
DefencemenPavel TrnkaRichard MatvichukSean O'DonnellTeppo NumminenMike Rathje
DefencemenDarryl SydorDeron Quint
DefencemenSergei ZubovOleg Tverdovsky
GoaltenderGuy HebertEd BelfourStephane FisetNikolai KhabibulinSteve Shields
GoaltenderPatrick LalimeJamie StorrMike Vernon