Writer: Tyler Jones
Editor: Brandon Caputo
Photo Credit: NHL.com
Rules for Expansion Draft can be found here: Expansion Draft FAQ
Information and research done through capfriendly.com
Protection lists helped by information from theathletic.com
With the Expansion draft less than a week away, I wanted to post a couple blogs to give some of my opinions on what the roster could look like for the NHL’s 32nd franchise, The Seattle Kraken. With lots of help from CapFriendly.com, The Athletic, and Armchair GM Sports founder Brandon Caputo; I have put together a team that in my eyes has looks towards the future, but can compete right now!
First, let’s take a look at the rules for the draft that the Kraken have to follow:
Projected Cap Ceiling 81.5 Million
Must select 1 player from each team for total of 30 (Vegas is exempt)
Must select minimum of 20 players already under contract
Players selected for the Expansion team must have a total cap hit value of between 60% and 100% of the 2020-21 salary cap upper limit
Minimum players selected per position: 3 G, 9 D, 14 F
I’m doing the blog in two parts, splitting the selections between what the East & West Conferences would normally be. Since we are an Eastern-based network, we will start off with the East side of things!
*The short form "NMC" in this article will show that the player holds a
No Move Clause designation & must be protected by their team,
as a result of negotiating that clause into their current contracts
(unless voluntarily waived by the player)
Photo Credit: NHL.com
Boston Bruins protect:
F Patrice Bergeron (NMC)
F David Pastrnak
F Brad Marchand (NMC)
F Charlie Coyle (NMC)
F Jake Debrusk
F Craig Smith
F Trent Frederic
D Charlie McAvoy
D Matt Grzelcyk
D Brandon Carlo
G Daniel Vladar
The Seattle Kraken select…
Photo Credit: Michael Dwyer/Associated Press
D Jeremy Lauzon 24 RFA(2022)
The decision here realistically came down to 2 guys for me, Jakub Zboril and Jeremy Lauzon. Both are 24 and under contract until 2022 (RFA), so for me it came down to Lauzon being a little faster and showing last season he probably has the higher ceiling. He might end up being a great bottom pair guy, but the risk is worth the reward here.
Buffalo Sabres protect:
F Jack Eichel
F Rasmus Asplund
F Sam Reinhart
F Victor Olofsson
F Anders Bjork
F Tage Thompson
F Casey Mittelstadt
D Rasmus Ristolainen
D Rasmus Dahlin
D Henri Jokiharju
G Linus Ullmark
The Seattle Kraken select…
Photo Credit: Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images
D Colin Miller 28 UFA(2022)
With Jeff Skinner waiving his no movement clause, I think their final protected forward will end up being Rasmus Asplund. That was the player I was leaning towards selecting here, but alas, I believe that idea is gone. I almost another selected expansion veteran Cody Eakin, but I think there are 4th line centers available in free agency. I went with Colin Miller, who is also an expansion veteran that was selected by Vegas in the 2017 draft, to help some of the young defenseman this team will have in the first season. He is a big body who can skate, with only one year remaining on his deal.
Carolina Hurricanes protect:
F Sebastian Aho
F Jordan Staal (NMC)
F Teuvo Teravainen
F Nino Niederreiter
F Vincent Trocheck
F Andrei Svechnikov
F Morgan Geekie
D Jaccob Slavin
D Brady Skjei
D Brett Pesce
G Alex Nedeljkovic
The Seattle Kraken select…
Photo Credit: Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images
D Jake Bean 23 RFA(2021)
Carolina is one of the teams who is going to lose a very good player no matter what. I thought about selecting Dougie Hamilton, but I actually think Seattle could sign him without selecting him. Therefore, I went with Bean who is an extremely talented, young offensive defenseman with a lot of promise. He was selected 13th overall in the 2016 entry draft, who was he selected by? Former Hurricanes, now current Kraken GM Ron Francis. It just makes too much sense.
Columbus Blue Jackets protect:
F Gustav Nyquist
F Max Domi
F Patrik Laine
F Oliver Bjorkstrand
F Cam Atkinson
F Jack Roslovic
F Kevin Stenlund
D Seth Jones
D Zach Werenski
D Vladislav Gavrikov
G Joonas Korpisalo
The Seattle Kraken select…
Photo Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
C Boone Jenner 28 $3.75M UFA (2022)
With good defensive centers on reasonable contracts at a premium, it was a no-brainer to snatch up Boone. He’s a great leader with offensive ability, but he will end up being the perfect 3rd line center once we can get the team where we want. He has had some great face-off percentage numbers in the past and will be the cornerstone of our penalty kill. Very happy with this pick!
Detroit Red Wings protect:
F Dylan Larkin
F Tyler Bertuzzi
F Jakub Vrana
F Robby Fabbri
F Vladislav Namestnikov
F Adam Erne
F Michael Rasmussen
D Dennis Cholowski
D Gustav Lindstrom
D Filip Hronek
G Thomas Greiss
The Seattle Kraken select…
Photo Credit: David Guralnick/Detroit News
D Troy Stecher 27 UFA(2022)
Much like Buffalo, Detroit just did not have a lot to pick from. Erne and Namestnikov were options, but I like the way Troy Stecher plays. He’s a little smaller, but can move the heck out of a puck. He’s on a very cheap contract at one more year of 1.7 million. The hope is that he can help Jake Bean’s development as well as be a defenseman they can move up and down the line-up.
Florida Panthers protect:
F Aleksander Barkov
F Jonathan Huberdeau (NMC)
F Patric Hornqvist
F Sam Bennett
F Frank Vatrano
F Noel Acciari
F Carter Verhaeghe
D Aaron Ekblad
D Gustav Forsling
D MacKenzie Weegar
G Sergei Bobrovsky (NMC)
The Seattle Kraken select…
Photo Credit: Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
G Chris Driedger 27 UFA(2021)
This one was a no-brainer for me whatsoever. Driedger is a hot commodity right now and if he isn’t moved by Florida for someone else to sign him, Seattle should be all over it. He is only 27 and is finally coming into his own. He has the potential to be your day 1 starter and a good one at that. He is coming off a 14-6-3 record with a .927 save percentage, which is very good.
Montreal Canadiens protect:
F Josh Anderson
F Tyler Toffoli
F Brendan Gallagher (NMC)
F Phillip Danault
F Arturri Lehkonen
F Jeperi Kotkaniemi
F Jake Evans
D Shea Weber
D Jeff Petry (NMC)
D Joel Edmundson
G Carey Price
The Seattle Kraken select…
Photo Credit: Allan McInnis/Montreal Gazette
F Jonathan Drouin 26 UFA(2023)
This is the point where I started to question some of the protection lists I had found. A lot of them left Drouin unprotected which I just don’t understand. Has he been the player everyone thought when drafted 3rd overall by Tampa? No, but he still has the value of a top 6 forward! Why would they not trade him for something instead of losing him for nothing? I don’t get it. BUT, if he IS there, Seattle should not hesitate to jump all over Drouin. He’s only 26 and still has a ton of potential.
New Jersey Devils protect:
F Nico Hischier
F Jesper Bratt
F Miles Wood
F Pavel Zacha
F Michael Mcleod
F Janne Koukkanen
F Yegor Sharangovich
D Jonas Siegenthaler
D Damon Severson
D Will Butcher
G Mackenzie Blackwood
The Seattle Kraken select…
Photo Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com
F Nick Merkley 24 RFA(2021)
Nick Merkley. His NHL numbers haven’t been great, but he absolutely tears up the AHL. I think not being stuck behind Hughes and Hischier in the depth chart and some more playing time could see him reach his potential.
New York Islanders protect:
F Matthew Barzal
F Anders Lee
F Brock Nelson
F Jordan Eberle
F JG Pageau
F Josh Bailey
F Anthony Beauvillier
D Ryan Pulock
D Adam Pelech
D Scott Mayfield
G Semyon Varlamov
The Seattle Kraken select…
Photo Credit: Jim McIsaac
F Otto Koivula 22 RFA(2021)
It came down to basically 2 guys for me here, Bellows and Koivula. Otto is a year younger and faster than Bellows with a little more room to grow. This is a pick for the future, but it has some low risk/high reward feels to it.
New York Rangers protect:
F Artemi Panarin (NMC)
F Chris Krieder (NMC)
F Mika Zibanejad (NMC)
F Ryan Strome
F Pavel Buchnevich
F Filip Chytil
F Brett Howden
D Jacob Trouba (NMC)
D Ryan Lindgren
D Libor Hajek
G Alexander Georgiev
The Seattle Kraken select…
Photo Credit: Joe Hrycych/NHLI via Getty Images
F Colin Blackwell 28 UFA(2022)
Blackwell was really good when he was here in Nashville and I was a little surprised when the Preds let him walk. He has been quite a force since signing with the Rangers and could be a great top 9 forward for the Kraken. He can move up and down your line-up and play a lot of different roles needed in today’s NHL.
Ottawa Senators protect:
F Colin White
F Connor Brown
F Logan Brown
F Austin Watson
F Nicholas Paul
F Drake Batherson
F Brady Tkachuk
D Thomas Chabot
D Nikita Zaitsev
D Victor Mete
G Filip Gustavsson
The Seattle Kraken select…
Photo Credit: Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
G Joey Daccord 24 RFA(2023)
I knew when it came to Ottawa that I was picking a goalie, but it was close when it came to who I chose. I settled on Joey Daccord which may surprise a few people. Hogberg and Forsberg are a little older and more experienced, but I think the former 7th round pick being only 24 years old gives him the edge on potential upside. His AHL numbers aren’t stellar, but they aren’t bad. I know he will be coming off an injury, but as long as the medicals look okay, he’s young enough to take a flier on.
Philadelphia Flyers protect:
F Claude Giroux (NMC)
F Kevin Hayes (NMC)
F Travis Konecny
F Sean Couturier
F Oskar Lindblom
F Scott Laughton
F Nolan Patrick
D Ivan Provorov
D Travis Sanheim
D Philippe Myers
G Carter Hart
The Seattle Kraken select…
Photo Credit: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
F James van Riemsdyk 33 UFA(2023)
JVR had a resurgence last season putting up some of his best numbers in a couple seasons. With the lack of top forwards available in this Expansion draft (and in general) I think JVR is a great pick. He is on the older side and makes a ton of money at 7 million a year, but will probably be their top scorer.
Pittsburgh Penguins protect:
F Evgeni Malkin (NMC)
F Sidney Crosby (NMC)
F Jake Guentzel
F Bryan Rust
F Kasperi Kapanen
F Jared McCann
F Jeff Carter
D Kris Letang (NMC)
D Brian Dumoulin
D Mark Friedman
G Casey DeSmith
The Seattle Kraken select…
Photo Credit: Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images
F Jason Zucker 29 UFA(2023)
Much like I stated above, it is going to be hard to find top 6 guys who can put the puck in the net. I know that he makes 5.5 million for 2 more years, but I think Zucker is more than worth it. He is a great 2-way forward who will be a great leader for all the young guys coming up. He has speed, can kill penalties, and is a fairly consistent 20 goal scorer; no brainer.
Tampa Bay Lightning protect:
F Steven Stamkos (NMC)
F Nikita Kucherov (NMC)
F Brayden Point
F Anthony Cirelli
D Victor Hedman
D Ryan McDonagh
D Mikhail Sergachev
D Erik Cernak
G Andrei Vasilevskiy
The Seattle Kraken select…
Photo Credit: NHLI via Getty Images
D Cal Foote 22 RFA(2021)
Tampa Bay was actually a tough one to pick from. Obviously they are a great team coming off back to back Cups, so they have talent to spare. With the forwards, it came down to they were all just a little too old and making too much especially with me taking a few other similar contracts earlier. Foote is only 22 years of age and is 6 foot 4!! I just see way too much potential here to pass him up.
Toronto Maple Leafs protect:
F Auston Matthews
F John Tavares
F Mitch Marner
F William Nylander
D Jake Muzzin
D Morgan Reilly
D TJ Brodie
D Justin Holl
G Jack Campbell
The Seattle Kraken select…
Photo Credit: Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
F Alex Kerfoot 26 UFA(2023)
I know many expect that Travis Dermott will be the pick here, but in my opinion, the defensive depth is much better than the forward depth overall in this Expansion draft. You can get a lot of good defenseman, so to me Kerfoot was the pick here. He is a young, 2-way centerman who isn’t bad in the faceoff dot. I think he makes a good 2nd line center if given the opportunity.
Washington Capitals protect:
F Niklas Backstrom (NMC)
F Evgeny Kuznetsov
F T.J. Oshie
F Anthony Mantha
F Tom Wilson
F Lars Eller
F Connor Sheary
D John Carlson
D Dmitry Orlov
D Justin Schultz
G Ilya Samsonov
The Seattle Kraken select…
Photo Credit: Nick Wass/Associated Press
F Daniel Sprong 24 RFA(2022)
Sprong hasn’t quite been what many thought he would be when drafted, but last season he showed the potential. Putting up 20 points in 42 games, with 13 of those being goals, flashed that offensive skill many know he possesses. At only 24, he has only barely started his NHL career and I see a whole lot of upside on a team where he can get more ice time.
Photo Credit: NHL.com