On Sunday morning, the National Hockey League released the protected lists for all 30 teams participating in the Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft, which will take place on Wednesday, July 21.
There are certainly some notable names that have been excluded from the below, meaning the Kraken can have them if they want them. Such players include, but are not limited to, Vladimir Tarasenko (STL), Max Domi (CBJ), Carey Price (MTL), Matt Duchene (NSH), Ryan Johansen (NSH), Mark Giordano (CGY), Jason Zucker (PIT), Jordan Eberle (NYI), James van Riemsdyk (PHI), Nino Niederreiter (CAR), and Gabriel Landeskog (COL), though Landeskog is an unrestricted free agent.
So, legitimate veteran talent is absolutely out there to be had by Seattle. Now it’s just a matter of how many big hits to the salary cap the fledgling organization wants to take on in its inaugural season.
Here is the complete protected list for each team in the Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft:
ANAHEIM DUCKS
Forwards:
Nicolas Deslauriers
Max Jones
Isac Lundestrom
Rickard Rakell
Jakob Silfverberg
Sam Steel
Troy Terry
Defense:
Cam Fowler
Hampus Lindholm
Josh Manson
Goalie:
John Gibson
ARIZONA COYOTES
Forwards:
Lawson Crouse
Christian Dvorak
Conor Garland
Clayton Keller
Phil Kessel
Johan Larsson
Nick Schmaltz
Defense:
Kyle Capobianco
Jakob Chychrun
Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Goalie:
Darcy Kuemper
BOSTON BRUINS
Forwards:
Patrice Bergeron
Charlie Coyle
Jake DeBrusk
Trent Frederic
Brad Marchand
David Pastrnak
Craig Smith
Defense:
Brandon Carlo
Matt Grzelcyk
Charlie McAvoy
Goalie:
Dan Vladar
BUFFALO SABRES
Forwards:
Rasmus Asplund
Anders Bjork
Jack Eichel
Casey Mittelstadt
Victor Olofsson
Sam Reinhart
Tage Thompson
Defense:
Rasmus Dahlin
Henri Jokiharju
Rasmus Ristolainen
Goalie:
Linus Ullmark
CALGARY FLAMES
Forwards:
Mikael Backlund
Dillon Dube
Johnny Gaudreau
Elias Lindholm
Andrew Mangiapane
Sean Monahan
Matthew Tkachuk
Defense:
Rasmus Andersson
Noah Hanifin
Christopher Tanev
Goalie:
Jacob Markstrom
CAROLINA HURRICANES
Forwards:
Sebastian Aho
Jesper Fast
Warren Foegele
Jordan Staal
Andrei Svechnikov
Teuvo Teravainen
Vincent Trocheck
Defense:
Brett Pesce
Brady Skjei
Jaccob Slavin
Goalie:
Alex Nedeljkovic
CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
Forwards:
Henrik Borgstrom
Alex DeBrincat
Brandon Hagel
David Kampf
Patrick Kane
Dylan Strome
Jonathan Toews
Defense:
Caleb Jones
Connor Murphy
Riley Stillman
Goalie:
Kevin Lankinen
COLORADO AVALANCHE
Forwards:
Andre Burakovsky
Tyson Jost
Nazem Kadri
Nathan MacKinnon
Valeri Nichushkin
Logan O’Connor
Mikko Rantanen
Defense:
Samuel Girard
Cale Makar
Devon Toews
Goalie:
Philipp Grubauer
COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
Forwards:
Cam Atkinson
Oliver Bjorkstrand
Boone Jenner
Patrik Laine
Gustav Nyquist
Eric Robinson
Jack Roslovic
Defense:
Vladislav Gavrikov
Seth Jones
Zach Werenski
Goalie:
Joonas Korpisalo
DALLAS STARS
Forwards:
Jamie Benn
Radek Faksa
Denis Gurianov
Roope Hintz
Joe Pavelski
Alexander Radulov
Tyler Seguin
Defense:
Miro Heiskanen
John Klingberg
Esa Lindell
Goalie:
Anton Khudobin
DETROIT RED WINGS
Forwards:
Tyler Bertuzzi
Adam Erne
Robby Fabbri
Dylan Larkin
Michael Rasmussen
Givani Smith
Jakub Vrana
Defense:
Filip Hronek
Nick Leddy
Gustav Lindstrom
Goalie:
Thomas Greiss
EDMONTON OILERS
Forwards:
Josh Archibald
Leon Draisaitl
Zack Kassian
Connor McDavid
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Jesse Puljujarvi
Kailer Yamamoto
Defense:
Ethan Bear
Duncan Keith
Darnell Nurse
Goalie:
Stuart Skinner
FLORIDA PANTHERS
Forwards:
Aleksander Barkov
Sam Bennett
Anthony Duclair
Patric Hornqvist
Jonathan Huberdeau
Mason Marchment
Carter Verhaeghe
Defense:
Aaron Ekblad
Gustav Forsling
MacKenzie Weegar
Goalie:
Sergei Bobrovsky
LOS ANGELES KINGS
Forwards:
Lias Andersson
Viktor Arvidsson
Dustin Brown
Alex Iafallo
Adrian Kempe
Anze Kopitar
Trevor Moore
Defense:
Drew Doughty
Matt Roy
Sean Walker
Goalie:
Calvin Petersen
MINNESOTA WILD
Forwards:
Joel Eriksson Ek
Kevin Fiala
Marcus Foligno
Jordan Greenway
Ryan Hartman
Nico Sturm
Mats Zuccarello
Defense:
Jonas Brodin
Matt Dumba
Jared Spurgeon
Goalie:
Cam Talbot
MONTREAL CANADIENS
Forwards:
Josh Anderson
Joel Armia
Jake Evans
Brendan Gallagher
Jesperi Kotkaniemi
Artturi Lehkonen
Tyler Toffoli
Defense:
Ben Chiarot
Joel Edmundson
Jeff Petry
Goalie:
Jake Allen
NASHVILLE PREDATORS
Forwards:
Filip Forsberg
Tanner Jeannot
Luke Kunin
Defense:
Alexandre Carrier
Mattias Ekholm
Dante Fabbro
Roman Josi
Philippe Myers
Goalie:
Juuse Saros
NEW JERSEY DEVILS
Forwards:
Jesper Bratt
Nico Hischier
Janne Kuokkanen
Michael McLeod
Yegor Sharangovich
Miles Wood
Pavel Zacha
Defense:
Ryan Graves
Damon Severson
Jonas Siegenthaler
Goalie:
Mackenzie Blackwood
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
Forwards:
Mathew Barzal
Anthony Beauvillier
Cal Clutterbuck
Anders Lee
Matt Martin
Brock Nelson
Jean-Gabriel Pageau
Defense:
Scott Mayfield
Adam Pelech
Ryan Pulock
Goalie:
Semyon Varlamov
NEW YORK RANGERS
Forwards:
Pavel Buchnevich
Filip Chytil
Chris Kreider
Artemi Panarin
Kevin Rooney
Ryan Strome
Mika Zibanejad
Defense:
Libor Hajek
Ryan Lindgren
Jacob Trouba
Goalie:
Alexandar Georgiev
OTTAWA SENATORS
Forwards:
Drake Batherson
Connor Brown
Logan Brown
Nick Paul
Brady Tkachuk
Austin Watson
Colin White
Defense:
Thomas Chabot
Victor Mete
Nikita Zaitsev
Goalie:
Filip Gustavsson
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
Forwards:
Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Sean Couturier
Claude Giroux
Kevin Hayes
Travis Konecny
Scott Laughton
Oskar Lindblom
Defense:
Ryan Ellis
Ivan Provorov
Travis Sanheim
Goalie:
Carter Hart
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
Forwards:
Teddy Blueger
Jeff Carter
Sidney Crosby
Jake Guentzel
Kasperi Kapanen
Evgeni Malkin
Bryan Rust
Defense:
Brian Dumoulin
Kris Letang
Mike Matheson
Goalie:
Tristan Jarry
SAN JOSE SHARKS
Forwards:
Rudolfs Balcers
Logan Couture
Jonathan Dahlen
Tomas Hertl
Evander Kane
Kevin Labanc
Timo Meier
Defense:
Brent Burns
Erik Karlsson
Marc-Edouard Vlasic
Goalie:
Adin Hill
ST. LOUIS BLUES
Forwards:
Ivan Barbashev
Jordan Kyrou
Ryan O’Reilly
David Perron
Brayden Schenn
Oskar Sundqvist
Robert Thomas
Defense:
Justin Faulk
Torey Krug
Colton Parayko
Goalie:
Jordan Binnington
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
Forwards:
Anthony Cirelli
Nikita Kucherov
Brayden Point
Steven Stamkos
Defense:
Erik Cernak
Victor Hedman
Ryan McDonagh
Mikhail Sergachev
Goalie:
Andrei Vasilevskiy
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
Forwards:
Mitchell Marner
Auston Matthews
William Nylander
John Tavares
Defense:
TJ Brodie
Justin Holl
Jake Muzzin
Morgan Rielly
Goalie:
Jack Campbell
VANCOUVER CANUCKS
Forwards:
Brock Boeser
Jason Dickinson
Bo Horvat
J.T. Miller
Tyler Motte
Tanner Pearson
Elias Pettersson
Defense:
Olli Juolevi
Tyler Myers
Nate Schmidt
Goalie:
Thatcher Demko
WASHINGTON CAPITALS
Forwards:
Nicklas Backstrom
Lars Eller
Evgeny Kuznetsov
Anthony Mantha
T.J. Oshie
Daniel Sprong
Tom Wilson
Defense:
John Carlson
Dmitry Orlov
Trevor van Riemsdyk
Goalie:
Ilya Samsonov
WINNIPEG JETS
Forwards:
Kyle Connor
Andrew Copp
Pierre-Luc Dubois
Nikolaj Ehlers
Adam Lowry
Mark Scheifele
Blake Wheeler
Defense:
Josh Morrissey
Neal Pionk
Logan Stanley
Goalie:
Connor Hellebuyck
The Seattle Kraken will now draft their team. If you want more background on how this works, take a look at this article dissecting the Vegas Expansion Draft or the official rules on NHL.com.
With the Expansion Draft a mere five days away, the Seattle Kraken’s goaltender selection is anyone’s guess. There are a handful of quality options out there but still no clear favorite at this point.
The rules require the Kraken to select at least three goalies in the Expansion Draft. There are roughly 30 options for the Kraken to choose from on Wednesday, so to make sense of the options, I have tiered all the likely goalies available.
Expansion Draft goalie tiers definitions
Bona fide starter – These are goalies that are proven starters in the league and can still bear the weight of 50+ regular-season games.
Veteran platoon – This is a group that consists of goalies over 29 years old that are best utilized if they can share the goaltending duties at roughly a 50/50 split at this point in their career.
Potential, but with risk – These goaltenders have shown potential to play at a high level but have not played a whole season as a starter or are just breaking into the league. They show promise, but it is unknown if their play is sustainable as full-time starters in the NHL.
Solid backup – Players in this category have proven to be reliable backups in the NHL. They could be used in an expanded role in case of injuries to other goalies on the team but should not be relied upon for extended workloads.
Here is a look at the goalies most likely available by category.
Bona fide starters
Linus Ullmark (BUF) and Philipp Grubauer (COL) are the cream of the crop of available goalies in the Expansion Draft. Both are pending unrestricted free agents with no guarantee they will sign with Seattle, but one of them may be worth pursuing during the exclusive negotiating window.
Grubauer will more than likely attract more suitors in free agency and might be a bit of an overpay for a goalie that will turn 30 next season.
Ullmark, if unprotected, is the most desirable goaltender available to the Seattle Kraken. He is a bit younger than Grubauer and has one of the best high/medium/low danger save percentages at five-on-five across all available goalies. Seattle might be willing to sign him to a longer term. Kraken goalie scout Andrew Allen has a lot of familiarity with Ullmark as well from their time together in Buffalo.
Cam Talbot (MIN) is the only other candidate in this group that would have a reasonable shot at playing for Seattle next year. At 34 years old, he carries some risk, and we still don’t know for sure if he or Kaapo Kahkonen will get protected.
Frederik Andersen (TOR), also a pending UFA, dealt with injuries this year and probably carries too much risk at this point in his career.
Tuukka Rask (BOS) is a pending UFA and will likely re-sign with the Boston Bruins.
Matt Murray (OTT) has had two years of below-average numbers, and the Kraken will have better options out there.
Potential, but with risk
This category gets a lot of media coverage because these goalies showcased well over the last season. The Kraken would be taking a big gamble if they are expecting a goalie from this category to get most of the starts for the 2021-22 season.
Of all these goalies, Adin Hill (ARI) is the most likely candidate to be drafted in the Expansion Draft. Hill is a big goaltender who is just starting to break into the NHL as a regular with 19 games played in the 2020-21 season. There are a few scenarios where he is not even available. The projected protected goalie in Arizona is Darcy Kuemper, who has been rumored to be on the trading block for the last two offseasons. Arizona may trade him before the rosters are locked on Saturday, or they may choose to protect Hill over Kuemper, since Kuemper only has one more year remaining on his contract.
Chris Driedger (FLA) is a trendy pick from the Florida Panthers, but he is a pending UFA and only has 35 games played over the last two seasons. He could pan out, but he could also be the next Scott Darling.
Vitek Vanecek had strong numbers in his first year in the NHL. He played 37 games for the Capitals with a .908 save percentage. There are questions if his long-term upside matches those good numbers, making him a pick with risk.
Joey Daccord (OTT) and Anton Forsberg (OTT) could be even riskier options. Both goalies had limited views playing for a relatively bad team. Forsberg had a heck of a journey this past season, as he bounced across three different teams before ultimately finding a home in Ottawa late in the season.
Veteran platoon
Having a veteran platoon goalie is not a bad bet for year one of the franchise. One of the two can probably do some heavy lifting if the other falters, or they could be a stable support system for some of the younger goalies just breaking into the league.
31-year-old Jake Allen (MON) could fit the bill relatively well. Allen is a good backup goalie that can get a healthy dose of games throughout a season, but he is not a goalie that you want as your primary goalie. He would be a great fit to pair with a younger goalie such as Adin Hill or Vitek Vanecek.
David Rittich (CGY) could also be an option, but he’s an unrestricted free agent.
Solid backup
The only scenario in which I see Seattle drafting a goalie from this category is if their primary goalie is Ullmark, Grubauer, or Talbot. With a solid starting netminder, the Kraken would just need a decent backup that can give the starter a day off from time to time.
Still anybody’s guess
There are a lot of variables at play for the Kraken’s goaltender selections, which still makes forecasting the selections extremely challenging. It is also important to realize that the team could make a post-draft trade or sign another goaltender in free agency to shore up the position. Who Seattle ends up choosing to man its inaugural goalcrease remains anybody’s guess.
The 2020-21 NHL season might have ended last week, but we are headed into two of the busiest weeks on the league’s calendar. We thought it would be a good idea to lay out the key dates and milestones and call out what to look for from a Seattle Kraken fan’s perspective.
Key Dates and milestones from the NHL calendar
Mid-July – There has not been a release day set for the 2021-22 NHL schedule, but we anticipate it will be announced around this time.
What to look for: Rivalry games and road trips. Let’s go!
July 13 – Last day NHL clubs can ask players to waive their no-movement clause (NMC) for the Seattle Expansion Draft.
What to look for: There are a couple teams that would love to have a player waive his NMC. Calgary has already gotten Milan Lucic to waive his, but other teams to watch are the Colorado Avalanche (Erik Johnson), Buffalo Sabres (Jeff Skinner), Florida Panthers (Keith Yandle), and Minnesota Wild (Zach Parise, Ryan Suter). Expect bits of information to leak out about the status of these players and their NMC’s. Colorado and Minnesota are probably the most intriguing from a Seattle perspective because if they do not get these players to waive, someone very talented should be exposed.
July 17 – Rosters freeze at noon PST and Expansion Draft protection lists are due to the league by 2 p.m.
What to look for: News will leak about who is protected and who is not, but the NHL will not publish the official protection lists until the 18th.
July 18 – Expansion protection lists released. The Seattle Kraken can negotiate with any restricted or unrestricted free agents that are unprotected.
What to look for: All the mock drafts and projected protection lists are out the window at this point. It is important to understand that there will be side deals in the Expansion Draft and the Seattle Kraken might not always select the best player available if there has been a pre-arranged side deal with the respective clubs.
July 21 – Seattle Kraken must submit their list of expansion players to the NHL by 10 a.m. PST and the selections will be announced at 5 p.m. PST on ESPN2 that day.
What to look for: Selections will be leaked throughout the day as players are informed of their selection. The mystery will be in the trades and side deals that will happen as part of the Expansion Draft.
July 23 – Round 1 of the NHL Entry Draft begins at 5 p.m.
July 24 – Rounds 2-7 of the NHL Entry Draft
What to look for: Barring any big trades, the Kraken will have at least one pick in the first round, but if the Vegas Expansion Draft was any indicator, they could accumulate a few more first-round picks. Most of the players drafted in the first round will not play in the NHL during the 2021-22 season, but they will be the foundation of the team down the road.
July 26 – The deadline for teams to extend qualifying offers to their restricted free agents.
What to look for: In previous years, this deadline hasn’t been that interesting, but with the salary cap crunch the league is facing right now, teams might be unwilling to extend qualifying offers to players with arbitration rights. If teams extend qualifying offers to players that are eligible for arbitration, players could exercise their rights and potentially force the team to use more cap space on them. Players like Alex Nedeljkovic (Carolina), Andreas Athanasiou (Los Angeles), and Teddy Blueger (Pittsburgh) all fit in this category and could be surprise players to not be extended a qualifying offer. By not receiving a qualifying offer, they will enter unrestricted free agency and could sign with any team.
July 28 – Opening of NHL free agency.
What to look for: The Vegas Golden Knights were not big players in their first year of NHL free agency. We do not expect Seattle to make a big splash in its first year either, but because of the salary cap situation, Seattle could be a great destination for some value players that might not be able to find the dollars they want elsewhere. We anticipate a few players in the second tier of free agents – perhaps guys like Tyson Barrie or Brandon Montour – to be candidates for signing in Seattle.
Early September – No firm date has been communicated, but the Kraken Community Iceplex is expected to open to the public within the first two weeks of September.
Middle of September – Seattle Kraken prospect camp begins. No dates or communications have gone out about this, but Ron Francis hinted at a prospect camp right before training camp to minimize the travel and complications of crossing borders during a condensed offseason.
Mid-to-Late September – Seattle Kraken training camp begins.
What to look for: Expect a healthy number of practices that are open to the public. Open practices are an excellent way to connect with the community and with fans that might not have the ability to attend regular-season games.
Mid-October – 2021-22 Seattle Kraken Regular Season begins
What to look for: Everything!
It goes without saying that the next three weeks will be the biggest three weeks of the Seattle Kraken’s brief history. Anticipate a wide range of national coverage that will speculate wildly about future success or failures of the franchise. Read with caution. Most post-Expansion Draft articles from the Vegas draft picked the Golden Knights to finish dead last in the league. The Golden Knights then proceeded to play in the Stanley Cup Final. It would be foolish to expect the same type of success in year one for the Kraken, but we will not have a great idea about how this team will look until mid-November. No matter what, this is when the fun begins, enjoy it.
Last week the Kraken announced a partnership with the Charlotte Checkers to be Seattle’s temporary affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL). As part of the announcement, the Kraken revealed that they will be sharing the Checkers with the Florida Panthers while they wait for the future home for their own AHL team in Palm Desert to be completed for the 2022-23 season. Sharing an AHL affiliate is nothing new as the Golden Knights shared with the St. Louis Blues in Vegas’ inaugural season in 2017-18.
To understand how the Kraken might use the Checkers next season, let’s take a deep dive into how the Golden Knights used the Chicago Wolves in their first season, 2017-18.
Golden Knights prospects in Chicago
First, let us look at how many Golden Knights prospects played in Chicago during the 2017-18 season.
In his media availability last week, Seattle Kraken general manager Ron Francis stated that the Kraken would be sending between eight and 12 players including one goalie to Charlotte next season. This is close to the range the Golden Knights used in year one with the Wolves. However, there were several games where the Golden Knights had more than 12 prospects suit up and play for the Wolves.
Acquisition type
The maximum number of Vegas prospects that appeared in any one game in Chicago was 16, but there were a total of 20 players that played at least one game that entire regular season. In order to understand how Seattle might acquire AHL players, let us take a look at how the Golden Knights acquired their AHL players.
It’s interesting to see that Vegas signed nine free agents to “two-way” contracts. A “two-way” contract is when there are two different salaries associated with the player that is dependent on where that player is in the organization (either the AHL or NHL).
AHL Player Utilization Categories
When we double-click on the details of these Chicago Wolves players, we can start to see how the Kraken might use these AHL roster spots. I have classified these players into categories.
Just passing through
Alex Tuch and Shea Theodore played a total of 11 games in the AHL in October and were called up to the Golden Knights roster in November, never returning to the AHL.
Goalies
Two of the seven Chicago Wolves players that played in the NHL that season were goalies. Even with two goalies in the NHL and the two in Chicago, the Golden Knights did not have enough goalies for that season. With a whole host of injuries, Vegas actually used five different goalies in the NHL that first season. The fifth goalie used was WHL goaltender Dylan Ferguson who was used in an emergency basis. Seattle will likely need to find a spot for at least one additional goaltender in the ECHL in case of a scenario where injuries require a fourth goaltender to be used, even in a backup role.
Seasoned vets
Jason Garrison, Paul Thompson, Brandon Pirri, Philip Holm, Chris Casto, Teemu Pulkkinen, and TJ Tynan were all over 25 years old when the 2017-18 season started. Garrison and Pulkkinen were drafted in the Expansion Draft. Holm was a mid-season trade acquisition with Vancouver. Of the group, only Garrison played in the NHL that season.
Worth a look
Griffin Reinhart, Zac Leslie, Tomas Hyka, Stefan Matteau, Jake Bischoff, and Tobias Lindberg were all between 22 and 25 years old when the season started. It’s hard to know for sure what the projection was for these players when Vegas acquired them, but none of them would have much more than a cup of coffee in the NHL. This makes you wonder if acquiring those players for the 2017-18 season was worth it and how Seattle might consider minimizing these types of players.
Youngsters
Reid Duke and Keegan Kolesar were both under 22 years old when the season started in 2017-18. Duke was the first player to sign a professional contract with the franchise but has yet to play a game in the NHL. Kolesar played his first NHL game during the 2019-20 season and has emerged as an NHL regular this year, appearing in 44 of 56 regular-season games. Nick Hague joined the Chicago Wolves at the very end of the 2017-18 season for five games when his OHL season wrapped up.
The road ahead for the Seattle Kraken and the AHL
The Kraken’s approach to the utilization of the Charlotte Checkers might be answered in the Expansion Draft. They could pursue younger players that need a season or two in the AHL before expecting to make the NHL. They might also focus on free agents that are more NHL ready, as this would give the team a better chance of backfilling for injuries during the season.
Either way the next 30 days should answer a lot of the questions we have about this team in year one. Buckle up. This is going to be fun.
Whether you are new to hockey, recently adopted the Seattle Kraken as your new favorite NHL team, or just want another angle on how to watch the Stanley Cup Final, I present to you the Kraken Fan’s Guide to the Stanley Cup Final.
Local ties
There are two players in the Stanley Cup Final that have local ties to the region.
Tyler Johnson, forward for the Tampa Bay Lightning, is one of the most locally connected players in the area. Born and raised in Spokane, Johnson played four full seasons for the Spokane Chiefs, including during their run to the Memorial Cup Championship in 2008. Johnson had 282 points in his career for the Chiefs and 115 points in his last season alone, which was the second-most points in the WHL that season.
Johnson went undrafted but eventually signed a free-agent contract with the Lightning. After two years in the minors, he became a regular part of the Lightning’s roster.
His opportunities may be limited in his role as a fourth-line center now, but he is also part of the second power play unit.
Standout goalie for the Montreal Canadiens, Carey Price, played four seasons with the Tri-City Americans in Central Washington. Unlike Johnson, there have always been high expectations for Carey Price. After he was drafted fifth overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, Price played 41 NHL games in his first full year with the Canadiens in 2007-08.
Carey Price is one of the major contributors to the Canadiens’ first trip back to the Stanley Cup Final in 28 years. He is currently second in save percentage behind the Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiy. Should the Habs win the Stanley Cup, Price will be the odds-on favorite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy, given to the most valuable player in the playoffs.
Confirmed: Blondes do have more fun. Good luck to Carey Price in Round Three! pic.twitter.com/QDv7q63WbJ
The Tampa Bay Lightning are the most likely team to have a side deal with the Seattle Kraken in the Expansion Draft, which makes forecasting the protected list almost impossible. The Lightning will need to make some offseason moves to get cap compliant going into next season, and who better to help move salary off their books than a team that is starting from scratch?
Without any assumptions around side deals or trades, this is how the Tampa Bay Lightning look heading into the Expansion Draft:
If I were a betting man, I would say Tampa tries to move somewhere between $5 million and $10 million in cap hit off its roster. This could mean a combination of Alex Killorn, Yanni Gourde, Ondrej Palat, and Tyler Johnson. Ron Francis and team will probably want some draft picks or prospects to offset the salary cap hit if they take on any significant contracts.
Expansion Draft Watch – Montreal Canadiens
Almost the complete opposite from Tampa Bay’s situation relative to the Expansion Draft, Montreal has very little to offer the Seattle Kraken.
Most prognosticators seem to think 31-year-old backup goaltender, Jake Allen, will be the selection in Montreal. But there are a lot of 30-plus-year-old goaltenders that should be available via the Expansion Draft, so Seattle might look elsewhere. Shea Weber could also be available in the draft, but at 35 years old and with five years remaining on his current contract at $7.9 million per year, I do not see the Kraken taking that on.
Free Agents
Projecting who the Seattle Kraken might be interested in during free agency is a bit of a mystery. When Vegas went through its first free agency period, its signings were very underwhelming, with Brad Hunt being the only player that played more than 40 games in the NHL the following season. This may change for Seattle, as cap space comes at a premium. Teams will be less likely to spend, which could create an opportunity for Seattle to get some valuable players on the free agent market.
Let us look at some of the pending free agents playing in the Stanley Cup Final.
Blake Coleman (Forward – TBL): Coleman will be a sought-after player when free agency opens on July 28. He is a third-line winger on the Tampa Bay Lightning but would probably fit right into a second-line role with a lot of teams in the NHL. He is only getting $1.8 million currently and is due for a pay increase when he signs his next deal.
Joel Armia (Forward – MTL): Armia will start the Stanley Cup Final series on the NHL Covid Protocol list. Armia is another player that could fit into a second-line role on the Seattle Kraken. He had a disappointing 2020-21 regular season with only 14 points in 41 games. Armia is currently getting paid $2.6 million, and his next contract should come in right around that same mark.
Phillip Danault (Forward – MTL): Danault has been getting a lot of praise during these playoffs with his smart two-way style of play that usually pits him against the opposing team’s top line. A native of Quebec, most people assume he will re-sign with the Montreal Canadiens in free agency, but the better he plays, the more money he will be able to collect on the open market. There’s a chance he prices himself out of the Montreal Canadiens’ budget.
The NHL distributed the injured reserve exemption list for the NHL Expansion Draft yesterday. We took a peek to identify any surprises and impacts to the Kraken. This list identifies any players with potential career-ending injuries who have missed more than the previous 60 consecutive games (or who otherwise have been confirmed to have a career-threatening injury).
These players are deemed exempt from selection in the Expansion Draft.
The league has identified 18 players that are exempt from the Expansion Draft due to Injury
The one notable callout on the list is Brent Seabrook. The Chicago Blackhawks dodged a bullet with Seabrook announcing his retirement earlier this season. Seabrook had a full no-movement clause (NMC) in his contract that would have required Chicago to protect him in the Expansion Draft. This would have exposed a quality defenseman to Seattle. Seabrook was a wonderful player in his prime, but his most recent quality of play – thanks largely to injuries – would not have warranted protection in the draft.
None of the other names on the list should come as surprises since most of them have either announced their retirement or have not played in the league in several years.
Who is not on the exemption list
Two names we were keeping an eye for the injury exemption list were Jonathan Toews and Oscar Klefbom. What should be considered good news for Seattle, neither of them were on the exemption list.
Jonathan Toews and the Chicago Blackhawks
Toews missed the entire 2020-21 season for the Chicago Blackhawks after announcing that he has an undisclosed condition that leaves him “feeling drained and lethargic.” The fact that he is not on the long-term injured reserve list should be considered good news for his return. Toews also has a full NMC that requires Chicago to protect him in the Expansion Draft.
Here is a look at the Expansion Draft projections for the Chicago Blackhawks:
Chicago does not have many quality options for the Kraken to choose from, so the mandated protection of Jonathan Toews is low impact for the Blackhawks.
Oscar Klefbom and the Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers situation is very interesting. Oscar Klefbom missed the entire 2020-21 season recovering from shoulder surgery. As recent as April, Klefbom has cast a bit of doubt on his ability to recover and play in the NHL again. A healthy Klefbom would be protected, but the Oilers are now forced to decide between protecting a rehabbing Klefbom or a much younger Caleb Jones.
Here is a look at the Expansion Draft projections for the Edmonton Oilers:
I am still projecting Klefbom as protected and feel that the doubt cast by his long-term recovery is a bit of a ruse to get Seattle to steer clear of him, should he be available. If Klefbom is exposed, I believe the risk is well worth the potential reward. Outside of the Klefbom/Jones scenario, I do not feel the Oilers have much to offer the Kraken in the Expansion Draft.
Now that the injured reserve exemption list is published, we are one step closer to the final protection lists and are now less than 30 days away from the Expansion Draft. Buckle up!
