With a compressed schedule this year there is a tasty menu of NHL games to decide between every night. But which one should you watch? Do you choose the best matchup between good teams or do you look for a game that offers potential Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft targets?
It can be a tough call when there are six or seven every night.
Don’t despair. We have you covered with this week’s Games on the Radar, so get some snacks, find a comfy couch, and enjoy the hockey.
Montreal Canadiens versus Toronto Maple Leafs
When: Wednesday, 4:30 P.M. Pacific on NHLTV and Saturday 4:00 P.M. Pacific on NHL Network, CBC
It’s been a while since two of the more storied franchises in the NHL were both top teams at the same time. That adds to the promise of great hockey during a crucial home-and-home match up between the pair this week. The Maple Leafs come in holding a three-point lead in the Scotia North Division over Montreal while the Canadiens have a game in hand.
This week’s pair of contests will be the first since the two entertained with a thriller on opening night, January 13th. In that game, Toronto’s Jimmy Vesey scored midway through the third period to tie the back-and-forth game at 4-4. The contest would be decided in overtime when Morgan Rielly converted on a two-on-one break to give the Maple Leafs the win.
Fast forward a month and the two clubs are among the best in the NHL. There’s a lot going on in these two games so they will be well worth propping your feet up and enjoying.
Players to watch
Toronto’s Mitch Marner comes into the week third in NHL scoring with 21 points in 13 games, but he’s not alone in the Maple Leafs attack. His running mate, Auston Matthews, has scored 11 times in 12 games. Can he score 40 in this year’s shortened season? He’s getting just over four shots a game and converting on an incredible 21.2 percent which gives him a chance.
Goalie Carey Price is the marquee name in the Montreal net, but it’s been backup Jake Allen who has starred early for the Canadiens. In his five starts he’s won four times while posting a .940 save percentage. Not bad for the number two goalie who, by-the-way, could be on the Seattle Kraken radar at the Expansion Draft.
Montreal’s Tyler Toffoli has as many goals as Matthews does and has been a great free agency pick-up. Of his 12 goals, eight have come against Toffoli’s former team, the Vancouver Canucks. Can he keep it up against different clubs?
The Seattle Kraken watchlist
Outside of Allen, Kraken fans should keep an eye on Montreal’s Jonathan Drouin, Phillip Danault, Shea Weber, Victor Mete, and Cale Fleury as potential players who may be available to Seattle at the Expansion Draft.
On the Leafs ledger, players like Justin Holl or Travis Dermott on the back end could end up with the Kraken. Wayne Simmonds might also be a free-agent target for the Kraken, but he is out with a broken wrist so Seattle fans should keep an eye on Vesey who is also a free agent of note.
Tampa Bay Lightning versus Florida Panthers
When: Thursday, 4:00 P.M. Pacific on NHL.tv and Saturday, 4 P.M. Pacific ESPN+
With an 8-1-1 record starting the week, the defending Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning are right where you’d expect to see them, leading the Discover Central. They’re looking down on the division again, but a new face sits just three points behind them. That face is mascot look-alike head coach Joel Quenneville and the Florida Panthers.
Florida is off to an impressive and somewhat surprising 6-1-2 start that puts them in playoff contention within the division. The two games between the Florida rivals will be a big test for the upstart Panthers. Are they for real? We will get a clue this week.
Players to watch
With Florida playing well it must mean that goalie Sergei Bobrovsky has regained his form, right? Well, not quite. Bobrovsky has won three of his four starts this season but his save percentage is a worrisome .881. Instead, Chris Driedger has been stellar. He has five starts for Florida and a 1.97 goals-against average with a .937 save percentage. That’s good and he could end up being an unsung hero for the Panthers.
Former Lightning Carter Verhaeghe is off to a strong six-goal and nine-point start for Florida and should be motivated against his old club.
Tampa Bay is still loaded and so good that they’re almost boring. Captain Steven Stamkos is healthy and leading the Lightning in scoring along with Brayden Point. The pair both have 11 points in their first 10 games and are leading the charge. Defenseman Victor Hedman and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy are already on form and always worth watching.
The Seattle Kraken watchlist
The same depth that makes the Lightning so tough to beat will benefit the Kraken as Tampa Bay can’t protect everyone. Some good players will be available so keep an eye on Alex Killorn, Tyler Johnson, Yanni Gourde, and Ondrej Palat. It’s best to just marvel at all the Lightning.
Patric Hornqvist is off to a good start for Florida and potentially an Expansion Draft exposure. On defense, watch Anton Stralman or former Everett Silvertip Radko Gudas as two more potential Kraken targets.
Other NHL games of note
Columbus Blue Jackets versus Chicago Blackhawks: Thursday, 5:00 P.M. Pacific on NHL.tv. It has been a dramatic start to the season for the Blue Jackets and not because of what is happening on the ice. Head coach John Tortorella is taking no guff this season and has already benched newly acquired Patrik Laine.
Detroit Red Wings versus Nashville Predators: Thursday, 5:00 P.M. Pacific on NHL.tv. Detroit is not a good hockey team, but this game is attractive from a Kraken Expansion Draft perspective. Forward Givani Smith was recently recalled and off to a four-point start. He is the most attractive forward from Detroit and may be exposed.
Armed with an interim coach, a backup goalie, and a mix of young upstarts and veterans of the grizzled variety the Dallas Stars made a valiant run to the Stanley Cup Final last summer. They came up two games short of winning it all but are off to a hot start this season in an attempt to get back.
The mixologist behind that winning concoction is general manager Jim Nill who will try to win again while navigating July’s Expansion Draft. His interim coach is now head coach Rick Bowness who was rewarded for his playoff performance. The backup goalie is Anton Khudobin, who has become the number one starter as Ben Bishop continues to be out with injury.
Nill and the Stars currently have zero cap space, but thanks to a number of unrestricted free agents whose contracts are up after this season, they won’t necessarily lose any of their core to the Seattle Kraken.
That doesn’t mean that the Stars won’t have a good player to offer – we’ll get to the goalie situation below – but unlike other top teams, Nill isn’t going to be hamstrung by the Expansion Draft.
Assumptions
While the Stars don’t have cap space, they have eight pending unrestricted free agents and obviously they won’t all be back. A couple of those free agents would be worth Kraken general manager Ron Francis at least kicking the tires on.
Up front, that list includes a couple of veteran forwards such as Andrew Cogliano, Blake Comeau, and Justin Dowling. None of these players are at the peaks of their careers but if Francis doesn’t like the rest of the Stars offerings, it might be a path to explore.
On defense, 30-year-old Jamie Oleksiak is a solid, stay at home defenseman who won’t score a lot of goals for you but could be a contributing bottom pairing type of player.
Dallas Stars protected list
Forwards
Jamie Benn (NMC)
Alexander Radulov (NMC)
Tyler Seguin (NMC)
Joe Pavelski
Radek Faksa
Roope Hintz
Denis Gurianov
The key player to watch regarding how Nill is going to handle the Dallas Stars protected forwards is Joe Pavelski. A legend in San Jose where he served as the Sharks captain, the 36-year-old center will have one season left on a $7 million contract after this year.
His production last season was half of what it was during his final campaign in San Jose – going from 38 goals and 64 points to 14 goals and 31 points – but he was clutch in the Dallas run to the Cup Final last summer. So far this year, he seems to be closer to his former production. It’s early but through six games he’s scored six times and has 10 points.
At first glance, it would seem like an automatic that the Stars would leave Pavelski unprotected, due to his age and $7 million contract. But if the team feels that they are in a win-now window and Pavelski continues his hot start, there might be a reason to keep him, despite the cap trouble that would cause.
Pavelski had a no-move clause over the first two years of his contract, but it will expire in time for the Expansion Draft. What that means is that if Nill wants to shed his contract prior, he won’t be able to trade him.
For this exercise, we will put him on the protected list with a healthy spoonful of hesitation as he remains very likely to be in the mix for Francis and the Kraken. If he is protected look for 25-year-old Jason Dickenson to be on the list.
Defense
Esa Lindell
John Klingberg
Miro Heiskanen
Nill won’t have to think hard when it comes to which defensemen to keep away from the Kraken.
Esa Lindell, 26, and John Klingberg, 28, are effective puck-movers and are in their primes. The third protected blueliner is even more of a lock. Miro Heiskanen, 21, has perennial Norris candidate written all over him and will end up protected.
The Dallas Stars defense is going to be set for many years to come.
Goalie
Ben Bishop (NMC)
Things get a little complicated in the Stars crease. After his stellar work in the playoffs, Khudobin was rewarded with a three-year contract that pays him $3.3 million a year. It seems counterintuitive that Dallas would expose its playoff hero, but it may not have a choice.
Ben Bishop was the number one starter last season before injuring himself. He starts this season on the injured list and isn’t expected back until this spring, near the end of the season. If he is able to return and resume his career, he has a no-move clause in his contract which will require the Stars to protect him.
That will leave Khudobin there for the taking.
Top Dallas Stars targets for Kraken Expansion Draft
Forwards
Joe Pavelski
Jason Dickinson
Justin Dowling (UFA)
Andrew Cogliano (UFA)
Blake Comeau (UFA)
Defense
Jamie Oleksiak (UFA)
Mark Pysyk (UFA)
Julius Honka
Goalie
Anton Khudobin
Thoughts
The choice here for the Kraken could be between Khudobin and Pavelski, if he’s available.
While Pavelski will be 37 when the Kraken start, he is a proven scorer in the NHL. His long tenure as the captain in San Jose is well recorded and he could help bring together a young and thrown together expansion roster. He makes a lot of money, more than maybe a player of his age should make. However, Seattle needs to spend money and hit the required cap floor. Not only would Pavelski’s money help do that but he is showing this year that he still has some juice in his game.
Khudobin, 34, is another aging player and is not a long-term option to be the Kraken number one goalie. But, if Francis finds a younger goalie elsewhere, Khudobin would be a great mentor for the two years he’d have remaining on his contract. He’s been a backup for the bulk of his career and we’ll get a good look at how he handles the top spot in net this year.
He’s off to a good start and if he shows he can handle the workload, the Kraken might be convinced to pull the trigger.
Honka, 25, is a former first-rounder who is on the Stars taxi squad to start the season. Since joining the Stars organization in 2014 he has not lived up to the potential he had in junior with the Swift Current Broncos.
Side deal scenarios
A good team with no cap space might lead one to think there are side deals to have but there is no obvious deal here. The two biggest salaries that could be available are Pavelski and Khudobin and they both would be the top choices for Seattle regardless. Other, younger players who would be available aren’t prevalent so Seattle wouldn’t have much leverage. Nill isn’t going to offer anything to Seattle in a deal to take players the Kraken were going to take anyway.
The Colorado Avalanche are in the middle of a Stanley Cup contending window that only comes around once every 25 years, if you are lucky. After an earlier-than-expected exit in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, general manager Joe Sakic made only a few tweaks to the already potent roster. Sakic first traded big defenseman Nikita Zadorov to Chicago for forward Brandon Saad. A few days later, Sakic would acquire defenseman Devon Toews from the New York Islanders for two second-round draft picks.
Colorado entered the season as one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup this year with its high-end talent and player depth at every position. The subtext here is that the Kraken will have quality options at all positions.
Assumptions
The Avalanche will have a few pending unrestricted free agents at the end of this season that will impact their protected list and therefore selections for the Kraken. In the forward group, Gabriel Landeskog and the newly acquired Saad are on the last year of their current contracts. Both have signaled that they want to continue playing in Denver. It is possible that both forwards re-sign, but for now, we only think there is room for one of them due to cap space. We believe that they will hold onto Landeskog.
The other pending UFA of note is starting goaltender Philipp Grubauer. Grubauer platooned with Pavel Francouz last year to be one of the better goalie tandems in the league. As well as Francouz played, we still believe Grubauer is the preferred option and assume that he re-signs before the Expansion Draft.
Another open item on the roster is whether Erik Johnson waives his no move clause (NMC). This has been bantered about by several other media outlets already. Given that the Avalanche may have a team that can compete for the Stanley Cup for many years, we are assuming that Johnson will not be waiving his NMC to assure he stays with the Avalanche in this window.
There is no discussion on MacKinnon, Rantanen, or Landeskog being protected. The three of them make one of the best lines in hockey and will not be going anywhere. Kadri and Burakovsky are close to locks and the only argument to be made about exposing either of them in the Expansion Draft could be an effort to free up some cap space. Kadri carries an annual cap hit of $4.5 million while Burakovsky has a cap hit of $4.9 million. Both players are productive middle-six forwards with reasonable contracts and are unlikely to get exposed.
The last two protected slots are where it gets interesting. If Saad is re-signed, he takes one of those spots, but for now, we assume that will not happen based on the earlier assumption. A case can be made for Nichushkin, Jost, and J.T. Compher to fill out the rest of the forward protected list.
Nichushkin’s Corsi for statistics give him an edge over the others which is why we list him sixth. Jost is the youngest of the three players and has the most upside of the players mentioned, so we forecast him as being the seventh and final protected forward. As much as we would love to see Jost exposed, we believe Sakic takes a long view by protecting Jost over Compher.
Defense
Erik Johnson (NMC)
Cale Makar (Lock)
Samuel Girard (Probable)
The addition of Devon Toews this offseason makes the decision on who to protect on defense a bit more challenging. There could be an argument for Colorado to go with protecting four forwards, four defense and one goalie (the eight total skaters format) to protect Toews, but with Bowen Byram, who is ineligible for the Expansion Draft, Colorado will be able to afford losing a blueliner.
Goalie
Philipp Grubauer (if re-signed)
If Grubauer is re-signed, then it will be very clear he is the goalie they want for the immediate future.
Colorado Expansion Draft targets
Forwards
Brandon Saad (Pending UFA)
Joonas Donskoi
J.T. Compher
Vladislav Kamenev
Tyson Jost (if exposed)
Donskoi, Compher, and Jost give the Kraken options from the forwards. Donskoi is a good skating middle-six forward with a scoring touch. Compher is a two-way forward with a strong work ethic, which might be the ideal player to have on an expansion team. If exposed, Jost has the highest ceiling at 22 with his best years in front of him.
Defense
Devon Toews
Ryan Graves
Devon Toews is the best option on defense. He was one of the top defensemen on the New York Islanders last year. Comparing his point production to Ryan Graves is a bit misleading. Colorado scored 25% more goals than the Islanders last year and play a different style than the Avalanche. Look for Toews’s point production to increase this year while playing with Colorado.
Goalie
Pavel Francouz
Francouz is a goalie to keep an eye on. He played great last year, but that was his first year in the NHL. We will need to see if he can be a regular starter in this league. With the options available at forward and defense, we think the Kraken look elsewhere for their starting goalie.
Colorado Avalanche side deal scenarios
With the depth and quality of options available across this team, the Avalanche could certainly be a side deal candidate. Toews and Jost (if Saad re-signs) are players the Avs probably want to hold onto beyond this season. There could be a scenario where Joe Sakic offers up a draft pick to Ron Francis in exchange for the Kraken to select someone further down the depth chart.
Previous Sound of Hockey Expansion Draft team previews
It’s a very fun and mega-sized episode of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast this week, as the guys welcome Ryan Clark, Seattle Kraken beat writer/national writer for The Athletic.
It’s a very fun conversation with Ryan, who certainly can tell a tale. He shares about his sports journey, his time in Colorado covering the Avalanche, and his expectations for the Kraken.
Also on this episode, the guys discuss some of their favorite quirky/fun/interesting things that happened in the first week of NHL hockey and share who they believe are their Three Stars of the Week in a brand new segment.
Other segments this week include Let’s Get Quizzical, You Don’t See That Every Day, Weekly One-Timers, and Tweets of the Week.
NHL hockey is back and served up an entertaining opening week. There were impressive rookie debuts, players facing old teams, and some hot starts.
The new division formats have provided early dramatics – see Montreal versus Toronto in the Scotia North – as long-standing rivalries are getting extra hot sauce poured on them. It was great to have NHL hockey back, and the league didn’t disappoint.
We watched a lot of hockey over the past week, so we’re here offer up some of the more notable highlights.
NHL rookies showing up in their opening games
Ty Smith – New Jersey Devils
The former Spokane Chiefs defenseman made his NHL debut against the Boston Bruins Thursday evening. Smith, 20, got on the board with his first professional goal in game one and would add an assist against Boston the next game. He became the first Devil to record points in his first two NHL games in 31 years. The last to do it? Hall of Famer Viachevslav Fetisov. Not bad company.
Stick tap to new Devils head coach Lindy Ruff who put his young defenseman in a position to gain some confidence right off the bat. With last change, Ruff was able to keep the young blue liner away from Boston’s Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. He only faced the pair for 1:37 of ice time at five-on-five over two games combined. As Smith builds confidence he’ll get the tougher matchups, and the former first-round pick can lean on this early experience to handle them.
Tim Stutzle – Ottawa Senators
It didn’t take long for the NHL’s third overall pick to make a splash. After a red-hot World Junior performance, the German scored in his second NHL game and it was not a cheap one. The goal came in the third period of Saturday’s match-up with the Toronto Maple Leafs as Stutzle timed a slap shot on a puck that had deflected high into the air.
Now THAT is how you want to score your first @NHL goal. 🤩
The rookie showed off his nice hands on what will surely be the first of many he’ll score in his NHL career. Unfortunately for the Senators, it didn’t help get a win as the Leafs would go on to a 3-2 victory.
Kirill Kaprizov – Minnesota Wild
Kaprizov is one of the top candidates for the Calder Trophy and he lived up to hyped preseason expectations. His explosive debut had the Minnesota Wild flying early in the season. Kaprizov, 23, opened the season with two assists and a jump-out-of-the-chair overtime winner against the Los Angeles Kings.
KIRILL THE THRILL! Kaprizov scored this GWG in OT to cap a 3 point night (1+2), and score his first career goal. This kid is incredible! pic.twitter.com/W5zBTCG2IC
— Wild Prospects & Young Players (@mnwprospects) January 15, 2021
The best part of his first goal is the stunned look back from Kings goalie Jonathan Quick. Yes, that did happen. Kaprizov wasn’t done, however. In his second game, he set up a Marcus Johansson overtime game-winner.
Kaprizov was named the NHL’s first star of the week after playing just two career games, though he was held off the scoresheet on Monday when John Gibson and the Ducks shutout the Wild 1-0.
Old faces in new places
Jacob Markstrom – Calgary Flames
The Vancouver Canucks were in Calgary Saturday night and faced an old friend in goalie Jacob Markstrom. It didn’t go well for Vancouver as Markstrom kicked out all 32 Canucks shots on the way to a 3-0 win. The Flames signed the 30-year-old as a free agent this summer to shore up their goaltending. Vancouver got a second dose of Markstrom Monday as he beat them for the second time in a 5-2 decision.
Taylor Hall – Buffalo Sabres
When former Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall became a free agent this summer, he talked about wanting to play on a team with a chance to win. When he eventually signed a one-year deal with the Buffalo Sabres – a team that has missed the playoffs since 2011 – some eyebrows were raised.
Playing with Jack Eichel was a draw and the pair are off to a good start. How good? After a week, the duo are the top two scorers in the NHL with six points each in the Sabres first three games.
Head’s up Varlamov
New York Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov was prepping for a start against the Rangers Saturday, as he would before any start, when a shot from teammate Cal Clutterbuck caught him in the neck. Ouch. The shot stunned Varlamov and he was not able to play. That meant highly touted rookie Ilya Sorokin was forced into his NHL debut. It didn’t go well as the Islanders lost 4-0. Varlamov was back Monday, however, and shut out the Bruins 1-0 for his second blanking of the season, in two starts.
The Philadelphia Flyers helped kick off the season last Wednesday as they opened the season against the Pittsburgh Penguins. With the score tied at one in the first period, Flyers center Nolan Patrick tipped home his first goal of the season. It was a great moment as Patrick had missed all of last year dealing with migraine issues. Patrick was the second overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft but has yet to live up to the expectations. Now healthy, if he can put it together, the Flyers could be dangerous.
Phil Kessel off to a scorching start with Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes brought Phil Kessel in last season to add much-needed offense. That’s not quite what they got as Kessel never fit in and only scored 14 goals. That was Kessel’s lowest total since his rookie season in 2006-2007. Was it over for Kessel? Was this a player in decline? If the start he’s off to this season tells us anything, the answer is a definitive ‘no’. There’s still a lot of hockey to play but Kessel has scored three goals in the Coyotes first three games. One of those was a dramatic last-second, game-tying score against San Jose. Arizona has the goaltending of a playoff team and if Kessel is back to form, he might help provide the scoring they need.
A few days ago, we stepped through all the “Eastern Conference” teams (yes, we recognize there are no conferences this season) and identified some of the major storylines that could impact the Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft in July.
Today, we look to the teams that typically play in the conference formally known as the Western Conference.
Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks added Kevin Shattenkirk this offseason, and if he plays to his expected level, Anaheim might be forced to protect four defensemen (Shattenkirk, Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, and Josh Manson) in the Expansion Draft. This could expose Max Jones, Isac Lundestrom, and Adam Henrique.
Arizona Coyotes
Adin Hill (G) of the Arizona Coyotes
The best thing to come out of Arizona in the Expansion Draft will likely be a goalie —specifically, Adin Hill or Darcy Kuemper. The question is: do the Coyotes hold onto Kuemper or do they trade him before the Expansion Draft?
Kuemper was one of the top goalies in the league last year — his .928 save percentage was third in the NHL among goalies with at least 20 games played — so the thought of trading him seems a bit outrageous. However, the Coyotes are thin on draft picks and prospects after the Taylor Hall trade and the sanctions taken by the league last season for illegally working out prospects.
Calgary Flames
The burning question is if Milan Lucic will waive his no-move clause or not. If he does not waive his NMC, the Flames could expose Mikael Backlund and Sam Bennett which will create good options in the forward position. There is also a scenario where Lucic waives his no-move clause and Calgary subsequently offers draft picks to the Kraken to take Lucic and his $6 million dollar cap hit.
Chicago Blackhawks
Similar to Lucic’s situation in Calgary, the same can be asked about Brent Seabrook in Chicago. Will he waive his no-move clause for the Expansion Draft? If he does, this does not mean Seattle will take him. We are projecting Connor Murphy, Lucas Carlsson, and Calvin De Haan to all be exposed by Chicago, but if Seabrook waives his NMC, one of them will be protected. This question should be answered in April.
Colorado Avalanche
Tyson Jost #17 – Colorado Avalanche
Any uncertainty in Colorado surrounds pending UFAs Brandon Saad, Gabriel Landeskog, and to a lesser extent Philipp Grubauer. If any or all those players are signed to a contract extension before the Expansion Draft, they will be protected. Signing Saad and Landeskog will expose young center Tyson Jost, a name we have had circled for a while. Signing Grubauer would eliminate the opportunity for the Kraken to talk with him during the exclusive (to the Kraken) UFA discussion window before the expansion selections are due to the league. If they were to convince Grubauer to sign with Seattle, he would be the Kraken’s starting goalie in year one.
Dallas Stars
Dallas’ player pool is thin as far as the Expansion Draft. The ideal scenario is that veteran Stars, Anton Khudobin and Joe Pavelski, continue to play at a level beyond their age would suggest. They might create an opportunity for Seattle to select either of these players in the Expansion Draft and immediately trade them to another team that could use their veteran presence.
Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers’ approach to the protected list in the Expansion Draft hinges on Oscar Klefbom’s status. He is already out for the season, but it’s worth wondering if the Oilers will still protect him. If they do opt to protect him, it is a safe assumption that they will protect four defensemen (Ethan Bear, Darnell Nurse, Caleb Jones, & Klefbom) which will force them to only protect four forwards. This would most likely expose Jesse Puljujarvi and Tyler Benson. Whichever player of that duo shows the most promise this year would be a good candidate for the Kraken.
Los Angeles Kings
The biggest flier for the Seattle Kraken to consider off the LA Kings roster would be Lias Andersson. The road to the NHL for the No. 7 overall draft pick of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft has been anything but smooth. The change of scenery to LA might be just what he needs but there is no guarantee the Kings protect him. If Andersson shows promise this season, the Kings might feel the need to protect him in lieu of protecting Blake Lizotte or Austin Wagner.
Minnesota Wild
Matt Dumba has been rumored to be on the trading block all offseason. The Wild already possess three defensemen with no-move clauses that they are required to protect in the Expansion Draft. Protecting a fourth defenseman in Dumba would expose a young promising forward like Jordan Greenway. The general thought is that instead of losing him in the Expansion Draft, they trade him. A Dumba trade would greatly impact who is available for the Kraken.
Nashville Predators
Ryan Johansen’s productivity has dipped, and the 28-year-old center has not lived up to his $8 million cap hit. If Johansen sees another down year, there is a scenario where the Predators expose the former Portland Winterhawk. Even if he is exposed, it does not mean Seattle will necessarily select him in the Expansion Draft.
A bad year by Johansen could open the door for a possible side deal.
San Jose Sharks
There is speculation that San Jose might expose Brent Burns in the Expansion Draft, but the players I am keeping an eye on are Bonney Lake’s Dylan Gambrell and former Seattle Thunderbird Alexander True. Gambrell has a significant opportunity to establish himself as an everyday NHL forward while True, who is a year younger than Gambrell, might spend another season in the AHL. Both players will have a lot to prove regardless of where they play, and Ron Francis might consider taking one of these younger depth forwards for the Kraken.
St. Louis Blues
Vladimir Tarasenko was placed on long-term injured reserve and is going to be re-evaluated in May. That is pretty much the whole season. If Tarasenko does not play during this truncated campaign, the Blues could expose Tarasenko to dare Ron Francis to take a chance on the injury prone winger. Exposing him will enable St. Louis to protect Sammy Blais or Ivan Barbashev.
Vancouver Canucks
I have seen a lot of people penciling in Braden Holtby as the Seattle Kraken’s starting goalie in the inaugural season, but I am not so sure. Holtby will need to show significant improvement from his career worst .897 save percentage last year before Seattle considers selecting him out of Vancouver. Keep an eye on him this season.
Vegas Golden Knights
The Golden Knights are not participants in the Expansion Draft, but they could certainly be a major participant in the trade market that would impact other teams’ protected lists. Keep an eye on any big moves that involve Vegas.
Winnipeg Jets
The Jets have yet to re-sign restricted free agent and former first-round draft pick, Jack Roslovic. He was projected as a bubble protected/exposed player in the upcoming Expansion Draft, but now he could be on the move. No matter what, Roslovic’s status will impact the Expansion Draft scenarios coming out of Winnipeg.
