The Predators were to select 26 players, one from each of the 26 existing franchises at the time of the draft.
Of the unprotected players, each franchise had to include at least one forward and one defenseman who appeared in 40 games in the 1997–98 season.
These minimums for goaltenders were put into place in order to avoid manipulation of rosters, such as what occurred before the 1992 NHL expansion draft, which weakened the talent pool available in the draft.
These results are numbered 1–26 for aesthetic purposes, but the players were not necessarily chosen in this order.
In return for agreeing not to select certain unprotected players, the Predators were granted concessions by other franchises.