It appears as though the prospective expansion team, or teams, for the 2017-18 season won't be able to pluck too many premier skaters from the other 30 outfits.

A working framework of the expansion process was presented to NHL GMs at their annual meetings in Boca Raton, Fla., this week, and they were told to expect protection for between eight-to-10 skaters, based on composition.

The most interesting dynamic, though, surrounds the goaltenders. As of now, teams, unlike last time, will only be able to protect one, meaning an array of quality backups, veterans, and prospects into their third seasons could be exposed.

Here are five goaltenders that could anchor the NHL's next expansion team:

Ben Bishop/Andrei Vasilevskiy

Unflinching and now with understanding, there's little doubt Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman will decide between his massive, ultra-talented netminders before exposing one to the expansion process in a little more than a year's time.

But if by the odd chance Bishop and Vasilevskiy are on the same roster, or are sharing a crease with another talent elsewhere, either goalie would be a massive coup for a startup.

Bishop, currently having a campaign worthy of end-of-season hardware, has been one of the NHL's best and most durable goaltenders since becoming a starter. His 106 wins over the last three seasons are tied with Braden Holtby for the most, and in the same amount of starts.

That said, Vasilevskiy, who like Bishop will need a new contract at the end of next season, has long been considered the future of the position. And his performance through his first 36 appearances has exceeded the first minutes of Bishop's career.

Michal Neuvirth

The Philadelphia Flyers signed the very best deals this summer in brokering a modest two-year agreement with a goaltender that had bounced around the league in the years leading up to this past summer.

With 17 wins and a .925 save percentage (that slots him ahead of Petr Mrazek, Cory Schneider, Holtby, Henrik Lundqvist) in 28 starts, Neuvirth has provided greatly effective bench minutes, and with Steve Mason, helped the Flyers establish one of the very best tandems in the NHL.

Though his deal, too, will expire next summer, Neuvirth could be of titanic value to an incoming general manager whether it's in a backup role or as a low-risk potential starter to pair with a capable veteran.

James Reimer

It would be a roll of the dice for Las Vegas (or Quebec, we suppose), to take on the talented, but still, and even after six seasons, unproven San Jose Sharks backup.

The oft-injured Reimer has a chance to stop pucks at a career-best rate (he's currently ranked fourth in 5-on-5 save percentage) while establishing a personal best for appearances. And yet, and partly because everything he's accomplished, even this season, has been at a reduced sample, his value on the open market leading up to the trade deadline was a mere fourth-round pick.

He's still No. 2 on his depth chart, but Reimer has an opportunity over the final few weeks - and this summer when he actualizes free agency - to audition for an opportunity he hasn't shied away from speaking out about previously.

Jimmy Howard

Howard hasn't looked the part of a capable starter for the last 14 months, since suffering a groin injury, failing to return to form, and losing his job to Mrazek in a season in which he was named an All-Star. He has 16 wins in 46 appearances since, and a most-recent stretch that includes 11 consecutive spots to which the Detroit Red Wings have failed to grab two points.

His departure would be as much a benefit to the Red Wings as it would a potential expansion club, as Howard's $5 million-plus cap hit is scheduled to be on the books through 2019. But for an expansion club who can house that contract and who will have to choose a veteran, there likely won't be another with a better pedigree.

Howard is expected to see time in an historical stretch run for the Red Wings, whose 24-season postseason streak is at serious risk. Let's see how he does in his audition.

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