5 Players the Chicago Blackhawks Would Make Available in an NHL Expansion Draft

NHL expansion appears to be coming.

The stories have been written throughout the summer, and they have quickly been followed by denials from the league. But men in suits have made trips to Seattle, while Quebec City, Toronto and Las Vegas have also been mentioned as a potential expansion site.

At some point, expansionists will get to poach talented players from established teams' rosters. According to previous expansion practices—which could change in the future—teams got to protect one goalie, five defensemen and nine forwards.

With those parameters in mind, here's a look at five players the Chicago Blackhawks are likely to make available for future NHL expansion teams.

Forward Kris Versteeg

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2013-14 stats (with Blackhawks): 63 games, 10 goals, 19 assists, plus-9

Why he's available: Kris Versteeg would seem to be an obvious expansion candidate. The Blackhawks reacquired him from the Florida Panthers early in the 2013-14 season, and he had the versatility to take a spot on the third line or fill in anywhere that head coach Joel Quenneville wanted him to skate.

Versteeg had injury problems last season, and those issues did not help him establish himself during his second go-round with the Blackhawks. However, even when he was healthy, Versteeg did not have the kind of consistent production Quenneville wanted.

"I thought he was fine the first three games," Quenneville told ESPNChicago.com's Scott Powers. "[In Game 4], I didn't think he had the pace. We're looking for pace."

Versteeg has been a fine skater with excellent instincts and has scored 20 goals or more in a season four times in his career. Nevertheless, he would not be on the Blackhawks' protected list.

Forward Patrick Sharp

2013-14 stats: 82 games, 34 goals, 44 assists, plus-13

Why he's available: Patrick Sharp is one of the Blackhawks' most important players, and while it would not be pleasant for general manager Stan Bowman and Quenneville to sign off on this one, they would almost certainly have to do it.

Sharp, 32, has quite a bit of wear and tear on his body. While he is a first-rate scorer and sniper, he becomes a victim of the numbers game.

The Blackhawks have talented young players within the organization like Teuvo Teravainen whom they will have to protect. While there have been many examples of players in their mid- and upper-30s who have been brilliant scorers and leaders in the NHL, most players see a dip in production as they reach that age group.

Still, Sharp had a plus-17.62 Corsi percentage last season, according to Behind the Net. That was the fifth-best rating of any player on the team.

Sharp's age could play a role in whether an expansion team selects him or not. If that team wants to make an initial splash, it would likely grab a star of Sharp's level. If it wanted to build with youth, it would pass on him.

This would be a controversial move for the Blackhawks, but it would almost have to be made.

Forward Bryan Bickell

2013-14 stats: 59 games, 11 goals, four assists, minus-6

Why he's available: This should be another obvious choice for the Blackhawks, but there is one aspect to Bryan Bickell's game that could make it a difficult one.

One look at Bickell's stats reveal why he would almost certainly be made available. He has the size, strength and skill to be an effective player during the regular season, yet he has lacked productivity on a consistent basis. He has had two poor regular seasons in a row, and he has never scored 20 goals in an NHL season.

Additionally, Bickell does not often use his size and strength to assert himself. He is 6'4" and 233 pounds, but he has had just 53 penalty minutes in the last two seasons combined.

However, there's one reason that would cause the Blackhawks some angst before they let him go. He comes to play in the postseason.

Bickell played a huge role for the Blackhawks when they won the 2013 Stanley Cup. He scored nine goals and eight assists in 23 postseason games, and many of his goals were huge. He scored the tying goal late in Game 6 because he went to the front of the net and converted a pass from Jonathan Toews when it mattered most.

That's precisely the kind of play the Blackhawks want to see from Bickell in the regular season. He can't continue to waltz through the regular season if he wants to remain with the team on a long-term basis.

Defenseman Johnny Oduya

2013-14 stats: 77 games, seven goals, 13 assists, plus-11

Why he's available: Johnny Oduya is vital to the Blackhawks' chances of contending for the Stanley Cup this season.

He is paired with Niklas Hjalmarsson on the blue line, and those two are regularly on the ice when Chicago opponents send their top offensive lines over the boards. Oduya and Hjalmarsson are Chicago's top shutdown pair of defensemen. Oduya had a plus-6.23 Corsi-on rating last season, according to Behind the Net.

That means Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook have a little bit more freedom to let their offensive skills come into play. If Oduya and Hjalmarsson were not so effective, Keith and Seabrook would have more defensive responsibilities against the top scoring lines, and that would cut down on their productivity.

However, Oduya is 32 years old, and he is scheduled to earn $3.375 million this year before becoming a free agent next year. If the Blackhawks wanted to keep Oduya around, they would have to pay him more than $4 million per season. The Blackhawks are more than $2 million over the salary cap this year, and they will have additional cap difficulties in 2015-16 when contract extensions for Toews and Patrick Kane kick in.

Bowman could be forced to move Oduya prior to an expansion draft. However, if the Blackhawks don't take that step, he will not be covered when they have to submit their protected list to the NHL.

Goalie Antti Raanta

2013-14 stats: 25 games, 2.71 GAA, .897 save percentage

Why he's available: Since the Blackhawks can only protect one goalie, it seems obvious they will protect Corey Crawford and make Antti Raanta available.

After all, Crawford was one of the keys to the Blackhawks' 2013 Stanley Cup, while Raanta is merely the team's No. 2 goalie.

But here's the issue. While Crawford has an excellent mental makeup and may bounce back from bad games better than any other goalie in the league, he is not the most consistent goaltender. He regularly gives up one stoppable goal per game, and if the Blackhawks weren't such a high-scoring team, his play might be problematic.

Crawford earns $6 million per season and is under contract through 2019-20. Raanta earns $750,000, but his contract ends after 2015-16.

So, perhaps this is not an easy decision for Bowman and Quenneville. Crawford does have the Stanley Cup victory on his resume, but he is not elite. 

It will likely be a more difficult decision than it appears, but the guess is that the Blackhawks will protect Crawford and make Raanta available.