The 27-man roster contains 15 forwards, but Pacioretti is one of them, and he is likely to be on LTIR at the start of the season and doesn't figure to be back for awhile. So there are really only 14 viable forwards at this moment. If the team chooses to carry 13 forwards, as they ordinarily do, that means only one of Protas/McMichael/Phillips/Mirosnichenko/Malenstyn would get cut.
There are 9 defensemen, but again, there is an injury to the new guy, so maybe only 8? That could mean one of Johansen/Haman Aktell stays.
I presume Gibson eventually gets cut.
Then there is the salary cap situation, which I am NOT on top of at the moment.