On Tuesday, the Seattle Kraken were kind enough to make general manager Ron Francis available to the media.
Francis kept things relatively diplomatic and unsurprisingly avoided any earth-shattering revelations. However, we did get some interesting nuggets out of the presser surrounding the Kraken’s plans for the NHL Draft, their goaltenders, their first head coach, and their AHL affiliate for the upcoming inaugural season.
Here is what we at Sound Of Hockey asked Francis and his answers to our questions.
Sound Of Hockey’s questions for Seattle Kraken GM Ron Francis
Andy Eide:I had a question about the amateur draft. I’m curious about what your day-to-day involvement in that process of scouting is, and do you have a sense of the overall depth and talent of this year’s class?
Francis:Yeah, so I’ve been fairly involved. It’s tough to go to games; you can’t go to Canada because you gotta quarantine for two weeks and a lot of those leagues weren’t playing…
We’ve done a lot of homework basically via video and stuff. It’s going to be an extremely challenging draft for sure. There’s going to be players especially from the Ontario League that may have not played a game since last February or March, and you’re watching them on video; certainly challenging. Everybody is in sort of that same boat.
[Other teams] probably have a little bit more data on the players than we do. We certainly have some scouts with experience that have more data on players, but we don’t have the database that some of those other teams have, just on the fact that they’ve been in operation for two or three years.
John Barr:Obviously, you couldn’t make trades [prior to Monday’s NHL Trade Deadline], but there were trades made. There were a couple contract extensions and waiver claims. As a whole, how do you think Seattle did [Monday], and were there any surprises?
Francis:No, I mean, before the waiver claims we said there are two guys that would probably get claimed. It may not have been 100 percent on the actual team [that selected each player], but it goes by worst to best on who gets first choice on those waiver claims.
And then a lot of the guys that moved were guys for the most part that were UFA status… I think overall it wasn’t any huge surprises for us, per se, and we have already taken a look at where we think we have been affected sort of positively or negatively. And we will continue to look at that and evaluate as we move forward here and regroup as a whole and start preparing from here to July.
This is what we said all along. We can do a mock draft 12 months ago or six months ago, but until we get closer to that day and until we get to see that final list, it’s hard to project with 100 percent accuracy what we’re going to be picking from. But we’ll look at all the scenarios that we think might present themselves and be the best prepared as we possibly can be.
Darren Brown: Is there any chance whatsoever that the coach that you hire as the first coach is somebody who has not actually been a head coach in the NHL before?
Francis: I think I’m on record as saying I’d like a head coach that has been in that role before. I think it’s a tough challenge to bring everybody together in such a quick fashion and having a little bit of experience certainly would help in that regard.
Having said that, if there is somebody that hasn’t been a head coach in the NHL that auditions and interviews extremely well we’re not opposed to going that direction, but I think it is our preference to get somebody with head coaching experience if possible.
Brown: I’m wondering if you can just talk about your plans a little bit for your goaltenders; if you’re going to be using two veterans for example, or one veteran goaltender and one younger goaltender or a platoon situation. Any thoughts you might have on that?
Francis: The goaltending front is going to be interesting. You know, as we get into the last month here of the season, into the playoffs, we’re going to get a better read on some of the guys that might be available and who we think is the best fit for us. But you also have to factor in all the different options you’re going to have on different teams, and just because this [team] might have a goaltender doesn’t mean you will take that goaltender.
So ideally you get a guy that’s lights out as your starter and a great number two. Maybe you go with two ‘1-B’s,’ maybe you go with one veteran and a younger guy. I think that remains to be seen. I think we’re open to evaluating all those different scenarios and certainly our goalie scouts have been working hard in addition to our pro staff to indicate which guys we should be interested in and our analytics team is working hard behind the scenes to see if they can figure it out as well.
Doing a lot of things and hopefully we get the right two guys to stop pucks when we get to that point.
Eide: I had a question about your American Hockey League situation. How much progress has been made or is there a timeframe for identifying an affiliate for your players to play on next fall and do you prefer them to be on one team or to be spread across more than one team?
Francis: Yeah, so we’ve had a lot of conversations with different teams. Ideally we have it with one team, and we are in talks with a specific team currently; we’ll hopefully get that wrapped up sooner rather than later. And if we can do that, we put everybody in one spot ideally.
If not, then we’re probably looking at spreading some players out here and there and different things, but not having your own minor league team next year, we’re probably looking somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 players. Ideally if you can put that in one spot, it makes it a lot easier.
Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at Sound Of Hockey and the host, producer, and editor of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is an inconsistent beer league goalie who believes that five players have to make a mistake before the puck gets to him. Follow him on Twitter @DarrenFunBrown or email darren@soundofhockey.com.
Funny enough, the Seattle Kraken had their tentacles all over the come-and-gone NHL Trade Deadline.
Sure, there were the lets-go-win-a-Cup type trades, like Taylor Hall to Boston and Nick Foligno to Toronto, but there were also plenty of deals with a sprinkle — or in some cases a downpour — of Expansion Draft considerations.
Here’s how all the wheeling and dealing in the preceding days and on the day of Monday’s noon PT deadline may have impacted the Seattle Kraken in the Expansion Draft.
Anaheim Ducks
Players in: D Haydn Fleury; F Alexander Volkov
Players out: D Ben Hutton; D Jani Hakanpaa
The Ducks, despite sitting at the bottom of the standings, added some intriguing pieces rather than fully selling.
Fleury is a player many circled as a candidate for Seattle from Carolina, and his move to Anaheim might land him on the Ducks’ protected list. He may knock off someone like Kevin Shattenkirk, who may not be as intriguing as young defensemen Josh Mahura or Brendan Guhle.
Volkov, who was almost certainly going to be protected by Tampa Bay, might wiggle his way onto the Ducks’ Expansion list, too.
Overall, the Ducks’ pair of moves limited some of the options for Seattle — at least on the surface.
Boston Bruins
Players in: F Taylor Hall; F Curtis Lazar; D Mike Reilly
Players out: F Anders Bjork
Despite taking a big swing at acquiring Hall, the pending unrestricted free agent likely won’t be protected — unless the Bruins sign him to a contract extension, which seems unlikely.
Buffalo Sabres
Players in: F Anders Bjork
Players out: F Taylor Hall; F Curtis Lazar; D Brandon Montour; F Eric Staal
Losing Hall and Staal won’t impact the Sabres too much, considering both were set to be unrestricted free agents this summer and didn’t figure much into expansion. Montour was a player we identified as being an intriguing option in the Expansion Draft, but he’s no longer an option.
Bjork likely takes Lazar’s spot on our Sabres’ protected list.
The Flames’ fractured relationship with Bennett meant he wasn’t going to ever be protected, so the Kraken lose that “take-a-gamble-on-a-first-round-pedigree” option — Bennett still should be available, only on a team with more exciting choices in Florida.
Maybe Mark Giordano is destined to don a Seattle jersey after all?
Chicago Blackhawks
Players in: F Josh Dickinson; F Adam Gaudette; F Brett Connolly; F Henrik Borgstrom; D Riley Stillman; F Vinnie Hinostroza
Players out: D Madison Bowey; F Mattias Janmark; F Carl Soderberg; F Matthew Highmore; D Lucas Carlsson; F Lucas Wallmark; F Brad Morrison
The Blackhawks made a flurry of deals along the perimeters of their roster, where there are a few interesting developments.
Carlsson is someone we identified as being a young option for Seattle, so he probably isn’t in the mix anymore. But Stillman, who we had on our watch list for Florida, fills that void quite nicely.
Wallmark was projected for protection by Sound Of Hockey. It’s likely Gaudette, who has seen his struggles in Vancouver but still harbors plenty of upside, Borgstrom, or Connolly replaces him.
Chicago’s flurry of moves is a win for Seattle because there are now far more intriguing (and young) options than there were before.
Colorado Avalanche
Players in: F Carl Soderberg; G Devan Dubnyk; F Patrik Nemeth;
Players out: D Greg Pateryn
The Avalanche’s acquisitions of a veteran forward in Soderberg and a backup goalie in Dubnyk won’t shake the Expansion Draft tree.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Players in:
Players out: F Nick Foligno; D David Savard; F Riley Nash
The Blue Jackets made some huge organizational moves, acquiring a load of draft picks for their team captain and a top-four defenseman. But both Foligno and Savard were pending free agents and weren’t going to factor into the Expansion Draft, anyway.
Detroit Red Wings
Players in: F Jakub Vrana; F Richard Panik; F Hayden Verbeek
Players out: F Patrik Nemeth; F Anthony Mantha; D Jon Merrill
The Red Wings executed one of the most impressive pieces of business at the deadline in flipping Mantha for Vrana, Panik, and picks. Vrana will undoubtedly take Mantha’s spot on the Red Wings’ protected list, while Panik will probably be available for selection, though the 30-year-old winger hasn’t been all that productive this year, anyway.
Florida Panthers
Players in: F Sam Bennett; D Brandon Montour; D Lucas Carlsson; F Lucas Wallmark
Players out: F Emil Heineman; F Brett Connolly; F Henrik Borgstrom; D Riley Stillman; F Vinnie Hinostroza
The Panthers were plenty busy at the deadline, acquiring some depth pieces to complement a dangerous core, but it will be hard for any of the quartet to move someone off Florida’s projected protected list. All four, who were potential Expansion Draft targets on their previous teams, remain so with Florida; the only issue is that Seattle only has one selection via Florida.
It’s possible Bennett replaces Connolly on Florida’s protected list, but at the moment, players like Alexander Wennberg, Carter Verhaeghe, or Mason Marchment hold the inside track until we see Bennett’s fit with the Panthers.
Los Angeles Kings
Players in: D Christian Wolanin; F Brendan Lemieux
Players out: F Jeff Carter; F Michael Amadio
Brendan Lemieux is the player to note here. The 25-year-old was one of our targeted options for the Rangers and he’s very much in the mix for protection for the Kings. Someone like Austin Wagner, Blake Lizotte, or Carl Grundstrom may be bumped off if Lemieux jells with the Kings.
Although Carter is a big name, he carries little-to-no Expansion Draft significance at this point.
Wolanin was on Ottawa’s watch list, but it’s hard to know how he stacks up with the Kings’ list of potential targets right now.
Also of note, the Kings signed Alex Iafallo to a contract extension on Monday, all but ensuring his protection in the Expansion Draft.
Montreal Canadiens
Players in: F Eric Staal; D Jon Merrill; D Erik Gustafsson;
Players out: F Hayden Verbeek
Staal, Merrill, and Gustafsson are all nice pieces, but likely won’t figure into the Canadiens’ Expansion Draft picture.
Anyway, it’s Jake Allen or bust in Montreal — hop on the train before it’s too late!
Nashville Predators
Players in: D Erik Gudbranson
Players out: D Brandon Fortunato
Nashville’s trade deadlines actions aren’t as much highlighted by what it did do, but rather what it didn’t do.
Gudbranson is an intriguing pickup for Nashville, but he likely won’t affect the Predators’ protected list because Nashville already boasts a strong and deep defensive corp.
Mattias Ekholm was a popular name as the deadline approached, but he wasn’t dealt. Nor were Erik Haula or Mikael Granlund, who are also UFAs after this season.
In fact, Predators’ general manager David Poile may have tipped his hand at the Predators’ approach to the Seattle Expansion Draft.
I asked Predators GM David Poile about how keeping Mattias Ekholm past the trade deadline could affect his approach to the expansion draft: pic.twitter.com/d6HeIJTUY9
With Ryan Ellis, Roman Josi, and Dante Fabbro all worthy of expansion protection, it would be shocking if the Predators didn’t go with a 4-4-1 approach.
New Jersey Devils
Players in: D Jonas Siegenthaler; F A.J. Greer; F Mason Jobst
Players out: D Dmirty Kulikov; F Kyle Palmieri; F Travis Zajac
Trading Palmieri answered one question about New Jersey, because we wondered if the Devils would re-sign the pending unrestricted free agent to a contract extension and protect him. One of Janne Kuokkanen, Miles Wood, or Yegor Sharangovich likely takes his spot.
Siegenthaler is an interesting pickup. PK Subban and his lofty contract always made him a candidate for exposure, and Siegenthaler, 23, could take his spot — as could Will Butcher, who has returned to regular action after starting the season mostly as a healthy scratch.
The Devils’ defensive corp is something to keep an eye on moving forward.
New York Islanders
Players in: F Kyle Palmieri; F Travis Zajac; D Braydon Coburn
Players out: F A.J. Greer; F Mason Jobst
With plenty of forwards worthy of protection and not a lot of cap space, it’s hard to see Palmieri on the Islanders’ protection list. Veterans Zajac and Coburn won’t figure into protection, either.
Players out: D Mike Reilly; D Christian Wolanin; D Erik Gudbranson; D Braydon Coburn
Reilly was likely going to be protected by Ottawa, and Wolanin’s departure means that someone like Josh Brown likely fills his spot on the protection list.
It’s slim pickings in Ottawa, folks.
Philadelphia Flyers
Players in:
Players out: F Michael Raffl; D Erik Gustafsson
Raffl and Gustafsson don’t carry much Expansion Draft significance, but the Flyers signed forward Scott Laughton to a contract extension on Monday, meaning he could knock someone like Nicholas Aube-Kubel off their protected list.
San Jose Sharks
Players in: D Greg Pateryn; F Alexander Barabanov
Players out: G Devan Dubnyk; F Stefan Noesen; F Antti Suomela; D Fredrik Claesson
San Jose was the third team brokering many deadline deals and didn’t make any very impactful additions or subtractions, other than trading a goalie away and acquiring a young forward in Barabanov that’s not eligible for selection in the Expansion Draft.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Players in: D David Savard; D Fredrik Claesson
Players out: F Alexander Volkov
As discussed above in the Anaheim section, Volkov is no longer an option in Tampa Bay’s pool of potential targets — which is already very strong.
While Savard is a nice addition to Tampa’s defensive group, the UFA won’t figure into their protected list.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Players in: D Ben Hutton; G David Rittich; F Nick Foligno; F Stefan Noesen; F Riley Nash; F Antti Suomela
Players out: F Alexander Barabanov
Toronto was keen on adding a load of depth for what it hopes to be a long playoff run, but none of the players they nabbed at the deadline will figure into the Expansion Draft.
Vancouver Canucks
Players in: D Madison Bowey; F Matthew Highmore
Players out: F Adam Gaudette; D Jordie Benn
After Vancouver inked Tanner Pearson to a three-year deal on April 8, it appeared Gaudette’s spot on the Canucks’ protected list could be numbered. Vancouver confirmed that by trading him to Chicago.
Also of note, the Canucks’ addition of Bowey provided the defenseman for exposure that’s required under the Expansion Draft rules — prior to Bowey’s arrival, the Canucks only possessed three that fit that criteria and needed at least four.
Washington Capitals
Players in: F Anthony Mantha; F Michael Raffl
Players out: F Jakub Vrana; F Richard Panik; D Jonas Siegenthaler
The Capitals’ will fill in Vrana’s spot on their protected list with Mantha, but we had Panik listed as protected as well. Now that he’s gone, it’s possible the Capitals will keep Ovechkin protected — we outlined a wink-wink type of deal that would behoove both parties a few months back — or add TJ Oshie, whose big contract is an underlying issue for the cap-strapped Caps.
We also had Siegenthaler listed for protection. He’s likely replaced by Brendan Dillon, who signed a rather large contract extension with Washington in the offseason.
The Capitals still seem ripe for a side deal.
*The Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues, and Arizona Coyotes didn’t make any trades near the deadline.
*The Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Winnipeg Jets made trades that carried no significance to the Seattle Expansion Draft.
*The Vegas Golden Knights are exempt from the Seattle Expansion Draft.
Sound Of Hockey will have additional versions of the Mock Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft in the coming weeks, so be sure to check back regularly!
Josh Horton is a freelance writer, former newspaper journalist, and former Western Hockey League writer for the Everett Herald and The Spokesman-Review (Spokane). He is NOT a juggler, nor is he a former professional baseball player. Follow him on Twitter @byjoshhorton.
After running through several forecasted protection lists and countless mock expansion drafts, I found that there are a few NHL teams that do not have much to offer the Kraken this July.
Part of the task of Ron Francis and company is to identify any expansion candidates that are projected to either have future potential or are being underutilized with their current teams. While some of these players are buried on depth charts in the NHL behind other players, others might be stuck in the AHL.
Here is my projected list of five potential AHL candidates that could be selected in the Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft this July.
Tyler Benson – LW – Edmonton Oilers
There are a lot of questions facing Edmonton’s approach to the Expansion Draft. Will they sign Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to a contract extension before the Expansion Draft? Does Edmonton protect four defensemen in the Expansion Draft to protect Caleb Jones? The former could answer the latter. If RNH is not re-signed, then they are more likely to protect four forwards and four defenseman which will expose Tyler Benson.
Benson is having quite the season in Bakersfield with 23 points in 19 games. He has consistently produced since turning pro but has failed to break into the NHL on a consistent basis with only one point in seven NHL games last season. Benson, a former Vancouver Giants star in the Western hockey Leauge, is a smart player but is not yet at the elite skill level of a lot of NHLers which will limit his ability to play at that level. His projection in the NHL is a solid third liner.
Ty Ronning – RW – New York Rangers
The Rangers do not have much to offer in the Expansion Draft which makes taking a chance on Ty Ronning not much of a risk. Ronning, another former Vancouver Giant, has been called up to the NHL taxi squad three times this season but has yet to crack the NHL lineup. He has only played in seven games for the Hartford Wolfpack this season but has nine points including six goals to show for it. This speedster is undersized and will be turning 24 in October.
Adam Mascherin – LW/C – Dallas Stars
Dallas is another team that does not have a whole lot to offer in the Expansion Draft. Mascherin has 12 goals in 20 games playing for the Texas Stars in the AHL. His weakness is his skating skills which he makes up for in the strength of his shot and scoring goals. He could pan out to be a solid middle-six forward in the NHL.
Jonah Gadjovich – LW – Vancouver Canucks
We have been zeroing in on Kole Lind in Vancouver for a while now, and for good reason; he is good. Lind has eight points in eight games with the Utica Comets of the AHL and was recently called up to the Taxi Squad. We have come to the realization that the Canucks will figure out a way to protect him which probably means exposing Tyler Motte or trading Jake Virtanen.
Meanwhile, Jonah Gadjovich has been having himself a pretty good season in the AHL. Gadjovich has eight goals in nine games for Utica. He’s a bit of a feisty throwback that plays a well-rounded game while getting under the skin of opponents.
Cam Dineen – D – Arizona Coyotes
Most of us at Sound Of Hockey believe the pick out of Arizona will be backup goalie Adin Hill. If the Coyotes end up trading starting goaltender Darcy Kuemper, then Arizona will protect Hill which does not leave much to select from on the Coyotes roster.
22-year-old defenseman Cam Dineen could be the best option for the Kraken. Dineen is an offensive-minded defenseman that should have a future in the NHL.
These dark horse AHL candidates will not excite any mainstream hockey fans come draft day, but they offer very little risk with lots of upside potential down the road. They could be shrewd moves that pay off in a few years.
If hockey is what you seek, then the past week should have been quite fulfilling for you, because there was a LOT of it to be found. What’s more, much of the hockey that was played was quite entertaining, with each game across the various elite leagues seemingly more exciting than the previous. If this past week of hockey were a GIF, it would certainly be the Vince McMahon GIF seen below.
Yes, it has been a fun week, and we at Sound Of Hockey endeavor to continue satiating your appetite for hockey enjoyment with this latest installment of Weekly One-Timers.
Is Ron Francis wheeling and dealing?
It makes sense that Seattle Kraken general manager Ron Francis would be talking to his counterparts across the NHL to gauge their varying levels of interest in consummating side deals in the lead-up to the Expansion Draft this summer. But we’ve never officially seen or heard it reported that this was happening. Well, until now, that is.
The Athletic’s Pierre Lebrun wrote this week that Francis has been fielding calls from fellow general managers in advance of the April 12 trade deadline, as they try to get a better feel for what it will cost to keep the Kraken’s tentacles off of any newly acquired players. Lebrun also reported that according to his source, Francis is asking for “a first-round pick and a prospect and maybe another piece.”
Lebrun also discusses this starting at the 3:04 mark of the below video.
So, that’s fun.
THE KRAKEN ARE WHEELIN’ AND DEALIN’! LET’S GO!
The real March Madness
Marathon game
You saw the marathon game between North Dakota and Minnesota Duluth, right? Or at least part of it? Because it went on for six hours and 12 minutes, so you had to have at least stumbled upon it while scrolling through channels at some point in your Saturday evening. In the end, it was UMD — for the fourth consecutive time — punching its ticket to the Frozen Four, while UND players looked sad.
It was just an incredible contest in every aspect with bizarre things happening throughout. Case in point, UMD’s starting goalie, Zach Stejskal, was forced out in the fifth overtime due to cramps. He was replaced by Ryan Fanti, who came in and made several huge saves after sitting on the bench for five hours. In total, 119 shots were taken, 142 minutes and 13 seconds ticked off the clock, and one record was set for the longest game in NCAA history on either the men’s or women’s side.
UMD now has a shot at its third straight NCAA title in a year that was supposed to be transitional for the Bulldogs.
Frozen Four field set
UMD will be joined in Pittsburgh by UMass, St. Cloud State, and Minnesota State.
UMass reached the final in 2019, but at that time, they had the likes of Cale Makar, John Leonard, and Mario Ferraro, all of whom are now well on their way to successful NHL careers. This is another team that largely flew under the radar this season, but got hot at the right time, earning a Hockey East postseason championship along the way. Zac Jones, a New York Rangers draft pick, and Matt Kessel, a St. Louis Blues draft pick, make up the top defense pairing, and together they are quite exceptional.
St. Cloud lost one of its best offensive players in Easton Brodzinski in the team’s regional championship against Boston College. Brodzinski broke his leg on a nasty (but clean) hit when he cut to the middle of the offensive zone. The Huskies really aren’t built around their stars, though, as they’re an experienced team that has been through the wringer.
Minnesota State may be the most intriguing story of the Frozen Four field. The Mavericks hadn’t won a single NCAA Tournament game in their history before defeating Quinnipiac in the opening round, then following that up with a convincing victory over a favored Minnesota Gophers team.
Ryan Sandelin, son of UMD head coach Scott Sandelin, scored the overtime game-winner against Quinnipiac to keep hopes alive for a father-son showdown in the NCAA title game. Goaltender Dryden McKay has had dizzying numbers over three collegiate seasons and earned a 22-save shutout over the Gophers to send his team through. He was named a Hobey Baker finalist, along with Wisconsin’s Cole Caufield and North Dakota’s Shane Pinto. Shockingly, McKay is undrafted.
The NCAA semifinals will take place on Thursday, April 8, and the final will be on Saturday, April 10.
Signing frenzy
With so many NCAA teams seeing their seasons come to crashing halts, there was a flurry of signings of high-end NHL prospects this week.
Player
Age
Old Team
New Team
Cole Caufield
19
University of Wisconsin
Montreal Canadiens
David Farrance
21
Boston University
Nashville Predators
Alex Steeves
21
Notre Dame
Toronto Maple Leafs
Matthew Boldy
19
Boston College
Minnesota Wild
Alex Newhook
19
Boston College
Colorado Avalanche
Spencer Knight
19
Boston College
Florida Panthers
Shane Pinto
19
University of North Dakota
Ottawa Senators
Cam York
19
University of Michigan
Philadelphia Flyers
Most of these players will need some seasoning in the AHL, but there’s some serious talent in the aforementioned group, so you should see at least some of them at the top level soon.
On the topic of signings, Thatcher Demko agreed to a five-year extension with the Vancouver Canucks worth $25 million, so apparently he isn’t a future Seattle Kraken after all. Bummer!
The #Canucks signed 25 y/o G Demko to 5 yr $5M Cap Hit extension:
Yr 1: $2.5M Base Yr 2: $3.5M Base, $1M Signing Bonus Yr 3: $6M Base, $1M Signing Bonus Yr 4: $6M Base Yr 5: $5M Base
The fine system is absurd. $5,000 is the most the NHL can fine a player based on the collective bargaining agreement with the NHLPA. McDavid makes $12.5 million per year. Do you know what $5,000 is to somebody who makes $12.5 million? Well, the median salary for all Americans is $31,133 according to the US Census Bureau. Fining somebody $5,000 when they have a $12.5 million salary is the same—in terms of percentage of income—as fining somebody who makes the median American salary exactly $12.44.
That oughta show ’em!
Around the boards
USA Hockey named Chicago general manager Stan Bowman and Minnesota general manager Bill Guerin as its GM and AGM respectively for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. The appointments come with a caveat that if NHL players do not end up participating, Bowman and Guerin will not lead the brain trust.
The “Fox Sports [insert your region here]” network of… networks… is no more, instead replaced by something called Bally Sports. Bally’s owns and operates casinos across the nation, so you can bet your bottom dollar (get it?) that there will be some sort of wagering-related programming and promotions coming soon to a Bally network near you. The scorebug on the newly re-branded Bally networks is obnoxiously large, so there is already plenty of space for live betting odds in regions where sports gambling is legal.
Shayne Gostisbehere was put on waivers by the Philadelphia Flyers this week. All 30 other teams passed on claiming the puck-moving defenseman, so he was assigned to the taxi squad. There was a time when we at Sound Of Hockey thought Gostisbehere could be a good fit for the Kraken. We still kind of think that, but we’re a tad more apprehensive now.
The University of St. Thomas has hired Rico Blasi as its head coach to lead the team’s transition from Division III to Division I next season, when the Tommies will join the newly re-formed CCHA. Blasi previously coached Miami University (Ohio), where he spent twenty seasons behind the bench and posted an overall record of 398–311–76.
The Canucks have Covid, and it sounds like this could be a lengthy shutdown for the team. It is not a good situation, as at least eight players have tested positive as well as at least one member of Vancouver’s staff. Here’s hoping for quick recoveries for all involved in this latest outbreak.
Yes, the 18-game winless streak is finally over after a 6-1 drubbing of the Gostisbehere-less Flyers on Wednesday.
The very next night, Jeff Skinner had a stickless breakaway. The Rangers scored shortly after the below fiasco and ultimately won this one 3-2 in overtime to sum up Buffalo’s season quite nicely.
Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at Sound Of Hockey and the host, producer, and editor of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is an inconsistent beer league goalie who believes that five players have to make a mistake before the puck gets to him. Follow him on Twitter @DarrenFunBrown or email darren@soundofhockey.com.
What the people need and what they want are two very different things. At Sound Of Hockey, we typically focus on producing the content that we believe hockey fans in the Pacific Northwest and beyond need in preparation for the inaugural Seattle Kraken season. But sometimes, we have to give the people the content they want, and we have learned that more often than not, what they want is goalie content. Three months have passed since our last twirl on the Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft goalie carousel, and a lot has changed in that time. Let’s take another spin, shall we?
Still riding after all this time
This is actually our third ride on the Seattle Kraken goalie carousel, with the first dating all the way back to our NHLtoSeattle days. A few backstops have been on our radar since that first post in June, 2020, and it’s time we check in on those individuals to make sure they are still upright on their respective mechanical horses and are not in need of any motion sickness remedies or bags.
When Braden Holtby was with the Capitals, Seattle fans clamored for him to be the first Kraken netminder. That tune has changed a bit now that he is with the Canucks. Now, the question is no longer if he will be made available in the Expansion Draft—he certainly will—but if Seattle would want him anymore.
Vancouver stinks, but Holtby has done little to help right the ship. Instead, he has gone 4-6-2 in the backseat behind Thatcher Demko and has posted a dreadful 3.57 goals against average and .894 save percentage. His contract is also structured to make his selection by Seattle less palatable, so we think it is now unlikely that Holtby will be moving his tortoises to the Emerald City prior to next season.
While Holtby is lying on the floor of this merry-go-round, being dragged by the stirrup of the oscillating horse from which he fell long ago, Adin Hill is still riding upright and proud in the saddle of his noble steed.
In fact, we at Sound Of Hockey believe Hill’s position as a future Kraken netminder has been solidified over the past few months, with Arizona’s protection list now clearer. Frankly, there won’t be much to choose from for the Kraken at either forward or defense, so they might as well take a look at the Coyotes’ goal crease.
Hill has once again been thrust into NHL action with both Antti Raanta and Darcy Kuemper somehow simultaneously injured for the umpteenth time. Hill, 24, has performed admirably behind a mediocre team, going 4-3-1 with a 2.44 GAA and .920 save percentage. He also just notched a shutout against San Jose and recently defeated a Colorado team that was absolutely rolling. He won’t necessarily be the bona fide starter for Seattle, but Hill makes a lot of sense in a tandem or even as a third option.
Settled in on the merry-go-round
There were a few other netminders that became Seattle Kraken goalie candidates on our second twirl back in December.
Jordan Binnington signed a long-term deal with St. Louis, so he has calmly and respectfully exited after just one revolution.
Anton Khudobin is still on the ride, but he’s making a bit of a ruckus, and the ride operators are considering asking him to depart in the near future. After carrying the Stars in stunning fashion all the way to the Stanley Cup Final last season, Khudobin has fallen back down to Earth with a thud.
He’s had every opportunity to secure his spot as Seattle’s first goalie, but Khudobin has struggled to the point that Jake Oettinger has nabbed the lion’s share of starts lately for Dallas. Oettinger, 22, is exempt from the Expansion Draft, while still-injured Ben Bishop is expected to return this season and has a no-movement clause. So, it will still be Khudobin that gets exposed, but like Holtby, we’re questioning if any interest remains from Seattle.
Cam Talbot and Jake Allen each appear content to continue riding.
Talbot has been a huge bright spot for Minnesota this season and is probably the second-biggest reason behind Kirill Kaprizov that the Wild are solidly in a playoff position. We still have him tabbed as the netminder to get exposed there, however, as Kaapo Kahkonen has also been excellent, and at just 24 years old, we expect the younger netminder to get protected. Still, Minnesota has a big protection issue with its skaters, so a forward or defenseman remains the more likely selection for Seattle.
Allen, meanwhile, hasn’t played quite as large of a role for Montreal, but he has solidified himself as an obvious option for the Kraken to consider. The former St. Louis Blue is 4-3-4 with a 2.34 GAA and .920 save percentage playing behind Carey Price. Allen has all the talent in the world, but his streakiness requires him to be part of a platoon to be successful.
Just climbing aboard
Of course, it wouldn’t be a carousel if there weren’t newcomers with every turn.
One such newcomer is Dan Vladar, who has gotten a couple chances in Boston this season and has not disappointed, allowing just three total goals and winning both contests. He’s had good AHL numbers over the past few years as well, so one could make a case for taking Vladar as a pick for the future, especially if the Kraken can snag him in a side deal. The Bruins also have Jeremy Swayman in their system, so perhaps they will view Vladar as expendable.
The rub with Vladar, though, is that both Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak are on expiring deals. In theory, the Bruins could wait to re-sign those guys, protect Vladar from the Expansion Draft, and then get their veteran goalies back in the fold, assuming there’s still mutual interest. So there’s a chance Vladar is not available to the Kraken in the end.
Moving down the coast a bit, Vitek Vanecek was not on our radar entering this season for Washington. With Holtby moved onto smaller and poorer (is that the opposite of bigger and better?) things in Vancouver, it was expected that Ilya Samsonov would seize the Capitals net, with Henrik Lundqvist affording him the occasional break. Instead, Lundqvist had offseason heart surgery, and Vanecek emerged as the number one netminder. Samsonov is still getting a good share of the starts, though, and both are playing relatively well behind an excellent team. Both require protection so whichever of Vanecek or Samsonov is left exposed will be a good pick for the Kraken.
Even farther down the coast, Chris Driedger has also emerged as an unexpected breakout star for the Florida Panthers. He’s been good enough to take 15 of 35 starts from Sergei Bobrovsky, who is on a $70 million contract. Driedger tops our wish list, but the problem is that he will be an unrestricted free agent after this season. To get Dreidger, the Kraken will have to get him to agree to terms on a contract during the team’s 48-hour exclusive negotiating window, then select him in the Expansion Draft. With the allure of the open market, Driedger spinning off the carousel and into the Climate Pledge Arena goal crease feels like a longshot.
Finally, folks in the Seattle area got pumped about Joey Daccord when he won his first NHL game for the Ottawa Senators and gave a really great post-game interview. The former Arizona State Sun Devil has a 1-3-1 record with a 3.27 GAA and .897 save percentage. He only has one season of AHL hockey under his belt with decent (but not exceptional) statistics. Daccord also injured his leg a couple weeks ago, and there is a chance he misses the remainder of the season, so we do not expect to see him land in Seattle.
Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at Sound Of Hockey and the host, producer, and editor of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is an inconsistent beer league goalie who believes that five players have to make a mistake before the puck gets to him. Follow him on Twitter @DarrenFunBrown or email darren@soundofhockey.com.
I was warned by my Sound Of Hockey colleagues that doing this Mock Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft exercise would be challenging. Of course, I wondered how hard it really could be, but in the end, their warnings should have been heeded.
As we were going through the process of profiling all 30 teams participating in the Expansion Draft, it was relatively easy to look at most rosters and say, Here are the two or three guys I’d want the Kraken to consider.
The problem with that is when you draft the full roster, you have to build the team with players that actually fit. You must consider age and salary and more importantly position. For example, the rough draft of my roster had too many forwards and not enough defensemen, so I had some late swaps. It is not as simple as looking at which players will be available and simply picking based on how good you think they are.
All of that is meant as a way to manage your expectations of the roster that I’ve built here so that you aren’t excessively hard on me in the comments.
Like Josh Horton, I too have included a numeric confidence level (CL) with each pick in my explanations below.
Rules of the Sound Of Hockey Mock Expansion Draft
Protection lists are based on latest projections on Sound Of Hockey (Central, East, West, North).
You are allowed one UFA draft-and-sign selection. This selection should pass the sniff test of being a legitimate option (i.e. expecting to draft and sign Alex Ovechkin does not feel legitimate).
No side deals. Although we are aware that this will be a major part of the actual Expansion Draft, we don’t have enough insider knowledge about what could be done here or what the Kraken would actually try to pull off. So for the purposes of this Mock Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft, we’re keeping this off the table.
The Expansion Draft picks
Anaheim: Josh Manson (Defense) – Defense is the best option out of Anaheim. I used to think Josh Mahura was the pick here, but he hasn’t stuck in the NHL yet. If Kevin Shattenkirk ends up available, I’d consider it, but for now, I’m going with the known quantity in Manson. His minutes have been limited this season, but he missed significant time with an oblique injury and played a huge role last season. Confidence Level (CL): 5 out of 10
Arizona: Adin Hill (Goalie) – I wanted to go against the grain here, but all desert roads lead to hills, or in this case, Adin Hill. Darcy Kuemper is injured again, so Hill should get some starts for the Coyotes in the coming weeks. CL: 9
Boston: Jeremy Lauzon (Defense) – There’s a lot to like about Lauzon’s game, and I’ve seen his name occasionally written as Jérémy with not one, but two accent marks. That’s incredible! Just 23 years old, he has been playing big minutes on the blue line for a good Boston team. Nick Ritchie is the other option here, but I love the upside and multiple accent marks of Lauzon. He currently is out with a broken hand but will return this season. CL: 7
Buffalo: Tage Thompson (Center) – I’m still intrigued by the idea of signing pending UFA Taylor Hall, but he’s having a bad season, so we’ll use the UFA draft-and-sign elsewhere. Yes, I know that Thompson has fallen out of favor in Buffalo (as has the entire team), and I know it hasn’t been a good season for him. But he’s 23, he’s huge, and he was once a highly touted prospect, so it’s a low-risk gamble from a roster filled with relatively poor options. CL: 3
Calgary: Sam Bennett (Center) – Bennett has never lived up to expectations, but there is undeniable grit and talent here. Considering the alternatives in Calgary, Bennett would be worth a selection. CL: 6
Carolina: Jake Bean (Defense) – I had selected Morgan Geekie here initially, but this was one of my “too many forwards” last-minute replacements. Bean is a fine choice, though, and will instantly find a significant role in Seattle’s defense corps. Carolina has a few good options, so Ron Francis really cannot go wrong. CL: 8
Chicago: Brandon Hagel (Left Wing) – With Brent Seabrook hanging it up, Stan Bowman no longer needs a protection slot for him, so Nikita Zadorov is now most likely covered. Hagel has been very good, though, and is likely to actually be protected. The more probable options are Calvin de Haan or Lucas Carlsson, but based on the rules of this exercise, Hagel is available so I’m taking him. CL: 2
Colorado: Devon Toews (Defense) – Colorado is another roster where Francis and company cannot go wrong. Toews would be a top-pairing defenseman for the Kraken. If he ends up protected, it opens other very intriguing doors. CL: 7
Columbus: Eric Robinson (Left Wing) – The last forward protection slot in Columbus likely comes down to Robinson or Gustav Nyquist. Robinson is exposed on our list, so I’ll take him. This will be a depth selection, but Robinson plays every game for the Blue Jackets and earns regular minutes from Torts. CL: 6
Dallas: Jason Dickinson (Center) – We once thought Joe Pavelski or Anton Khudobin would be the choice out of Dallas, but Pavelski has been one of the league’s best players and will be protected, while Khudobin has come back down to earth. Dickinson can play a regular shift and chip in at least a little offensively. Perhaps he could flourish in an expanded role. CL: 4
Detroit: Givani Smith (Left Wing) – Smith was the SOH favorite to be picked from Detroit this past offseason, but alarm bells were sounded when he was sent to the AHL early on. It appears Steve Yzerman is committed to having his young players develop in the minors, though, so this shouldn’t dissuade the Kraken from picking Smith. The veteran option would be Troy Stecher, but I like Smith’s upside enough to give him a try. CL: 5
Edmonton: Caleb Jones (Defense) – I don’t love the options in Edmonton. Jones hasn’t been a big contributor at the NHL level but had good numbers in the AHL. He is also still just 23, so perhaps there’s some upside left. CL: 3
Florida: Chris Driedger (Goalie) – This is my one UFA draft-and-sign pick. Driedger has had a breakout season with the Panthers, who are contenders in the Central largely because of him. The UFA status makes me question the likelihood of Driedger landing with the Kraken, but I would love to see it. CL: 2
Los Angeles: Sean Walker (Defense) – Andreas Athanasiou was my initial pick here, as I’ve really liked his game in my viewings of the Kings this season. Alas, my roster was unbalanced, so some forwards had to go. Instead, I’ll take Walker, who plays a decent-sized role on LA’s blue line. I hope he doesn’t look like this anymore when he arrives in Seattle. CL: 6
Minnesota: Matt Dumba (Defense) – Ironically, it was Dumba who hit Walker in the face with a slap shot, creating the aftermath above. I still don’t buy that Dumba will be available in the end, but we have him exposed based on the current roster, so he’s the obvious pick. If the Wild don’t trade Dumba, my guess is that Bill Guerin will figure out a way to get Zach Parise to waive his NMC so he doesn’t have to expose Jordan Greenway or Joel Eriksson Ek. For now, I gladly select Dumba. CL: 4
Montreal: Jake Allen (Goalie) – Like how all desert roads lead to Hill, all French-Canadian rues lead to Jake Allen. I still think he needs to be in a platoon to be successful, but Allen should have some good goalie talent to share Seattle’s crease with him. I like Victor Mete as well, but Allen just makes too much sense. CL: 9
Nashville: Ryan Johansen (Center) – The Predators have two $8 million cap hits to deal with in Johansen and Matt Duchene, neither of whom is contributing enough to warrant such a high salary. But somebody will have to center Seattle’s top line, and Johansen can do that. Perhaps a change of scenery will help him bounce back to the Johansen of yore, and perhaps Francis can even get David Poile to throw in a sweetener to take this massive contract off Nashville’s books. I take Johansen over Duchene because Johansen is two years younger, and his contract expires one year earlier than Duchene’s. CL: 3
New Jersey: Yegor Sharangovich (Left Wing) – There are a few equally intriguing young players to choose from in New Jersey, but I’m going with Sharangovich. The 22-year-old Belarussian is developing nicely and seeing some top-line minutes with Jack Hughes. CL: 7
New York Islanders: Nick Leddy (Defense) – Leddy would slide right into Seattle’s top four and only has one year left on his contract after next season. A smooth skater and very reliable blueliner, Leddy feels like a perfect fit as a one of those guys that contributes for a couple years to help launch an expansion franchise, then moves along. CL: 6
New York Rangers: Brett Howden (Center) – Do I love this pick? No. Do I think there are better alternatives for the Kraken on Broadway? Also no. Howden has not been impactful this season, but he’s still just 22 and has shown promise the last couple years. CL: 8
Ottawa: Chris Tierney (Center) – Again, not the best options available in Ottawa. Tierney has gotten some top-line minutes on a bad Senators team and is a proven NHLer, though, so at the very least can help fill out the bottom six for the Kraken. CL: 5
Philadelphia: James van Riemsdyk (Left Wing) – JvR is Philadelphia’s leading scorer, so it’s hard to say if he’ll actually be made available. If he is out there, I take him because Seattle will be desperate for guys who can put the puck in the net. CL: 6
Pittsburgh: Teddy Blueger (Center) – It’s a toss-up between Blueger and Jared McCann, but Blueger could probably center Seattle’s second line, so he’s the pick. CL: 7
San Jose: Dylan Gambrell (Center) – He’s from Bonney Lake. CL: 8
St. Louis: Oskar Sundqvist (Center) – I’ve always liked Sundqvist’s game. He’s big and physical and chips in offensively. Lots to like there. CL: 6
Tampa Bay: Ondrej Palat (Right Wing) – The Lightning are another one of those where Seattle can’t go wrong when selecting from their roster. Palat is the best available player, so I’ll go with that, but if I’m Francis, I’m definitely swinging for a side deal here. CL: 8
Toronto: Justin Holl (Defense) – We used to think Travis Dermott was the pick from the Maple Leafs, but he isn’t getting as much time as I would have expected. I’ll go with the more reliable and more proven Holl. CL: 7
Vancouver: Kole Lind (Right Wing) – Gone are the days when we assumed Braden Holtby would land in the Kraken goal crease. Here are the days that we think an AHLer is the best choice from the Canucks. To be fair to Lind, though, he’s having a great season in the AHL and has oodles of upside. CL: 8
Washington: Vitek Vanecek (Goalie) – I wanted TJ Oshie, but his term and age scared me off. Vanecek is a stud. If Washington protects him over Ilya Samsonov, then Samsonov would also be a good pick. CL: 9
Winnipeg: Mason Appleton (Right Wing) – Appleton is having a bit of a break-out this year for the Jets, scoring seven goals and six assists so far. He grinds it out on the third line but plays behind some elite talent, so one has to wonder what he could bring in an expanded role. He scored a beautiful goal on Tuesday. CL: 7
I’m exhausted, and I apparently love centers. I’m too tired to try this again, though, so I’m going to hope some of my centers can play wing.
Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at Sound Of Hockey and the host, producer, and editor of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is an inconsistent beer league goalie who believes that five players have to make a mistake before the puck gets to him. Follow him on Twitter @DarrenFunBrown or email darren@soundofhockey.com.
