1972 NHL Expansion Draft

The 1972 NHL Expansion Draft was held on June 6, 1972. The draft took place to fill the rosters of the league's two then-new expansion teams for the 1972–73 season, the New York Islanders and the Atlanta Flames.

Rules

Each expansion team was to select twenty-one players from the established clubs, three players from each of the fourteen existing teams: two goaltenders and nineteen skaters. Thus, a total of 42 players were selected.

The existing teams could protect two goalies and fifteen skaters. First-year pros were exempt. The existing teams could lose only a maximum of three players, including a maximum of one goaltender. The Seals, Canadiens, Flyers and Blues could exempt themselves from losing a goaltender because they had each lost a goalie in the 1970 Expansion Draft; however, the Canadiens and Blues chose to expose a goalie.

In the first two rounds, goaltenders were selected; skaters were selected in rounds three through twenty-one. After each of the first, third and subsequent rounds in which any of the established teams lost a player, the team in question moved one unprotected player to their protected list.

The draft order was to be determined by two coin tosses: one for the expansion draft and the other for the amateur draft. The two general managers, Cliff Fletcher for the Flames and Bill Torrey for the Islanders, agreed to have a single coin toss for first overall in the amateur draft. The winner would pick first in the amateur draft and the first choice of skaters in the expansion draft. The loser would have the first choice of goaltenders and the first choice in the ''inter-league'' draft (drafting minor-league professionals). The Islanders won the toss to select first in the amateur draft leaving the Flames to pick first in the expansion draft.

Protected lists

Boston: ''goaltenders'' - Gerry Cheevers and Eddie Johnston; ''skaters'' - Don Awrey, Garnet Bailey, Johnny Bucyk, Wayne Cashman, Phil Esposito, Ken Hodge, Don Marcotte, Fred O'Donnell, Ron Plumb, Bobby Orr, Derek Sanderson, Dallas Smith, Fred Stanfield, Carol Vadnais and Mike Walton.

Buffalo: ''goaltenders'' - Roger Crozier and Dave Dryden; ''skaters'' - Steve Atkinson, Mike Byers, Butch Deadmarsh, Al Hamilton, Tim Horton, Jim Lorentz, Don Luce, Ray McKay, Gerry Meehan, Gilbert Perreault, Tracy Pratt, Rene Robert, Paul Terbenche, Jim Watson and Randy Wyrozub.

California ''goaltenders'' - exempt; ''skaters'' - Ivan Boldirev, Gary Croteau, Stan Gilbertson, Joey Johnston, Pete Laframboise, Reggie Leach, Bert Marshall, Walt McKechnie, Gerry Pinder, Dick Redmond, Bobby Sheehan, Paul Shmyr, Rick Smith, Bob Stewart and Tom Webster.

Chicago: ''goaltenders'' - Tony Esposito and Gary Smith; ''skaters'' - Christian Bordeleau, J. P. Bordeleau, Bobby Hull, Dennis Hull, Doug Jarrett, Jerry Korab, Cliff Koroll, Darryl Maggs, Keith Magnuson, Chico Maki, Pit Martin, Stan Mikita, Jim Pappin, Pat Stapleton and Bill White.

Detroit: ''goaltenders'' - Andy Brown and Al Smith; ''skaters'' - Red Berenson, Gary Bergman, Arnie Brown, Guy Charron, Bill Collins, Alex Delvecchio, Gary Doak, Tim Ecclestone, Tom Gilmore, Larry Johnston, Al Karlander, Serge Lajeunesse, Nick Libett, Mickey Redmond and Ron Stackhouse.

Los Angeles: ''goaltenders'' - Gary Edwards and Rogie Vachon; ''skaters'' - Ralph Backstrom, Doug Barrie, Serge Bernier, Bob Berry, Larry Brown, Mike Corrigan, Paul Curtis, Butch Goring, Jim Johnson, Real Lemieux, Bill Lesuk, Barry Long

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