[Sylvanfan]

I think that teams should be forced to protect this guys unless the players contract is set to expire within a month of the expansion draft. This is based on the assumption that the expansion draft would have to happen between the end of the season and June 30th. So if you have a player with a NMC and the contract extends into the next playing season...this player takes up one of your protected players.

If a team gave a player a NMC, they should have to honor it. If owners feel that strongly that their team is going to get screwed....they can refuse the expansion money that they'll get and vote to not expand.
So for example, if Dennis Wideman has a full no trade clause on a contract that expires on June 30th of 2017. The Flames would not have to protect him in an expansion draft that happens on June 15th of 2017.