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.
It’s a very fun and mega-sized episode of Sound Of Hockey 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.
As the NHL season kicks off this week, here are some storylines Seattle Kraken fans should keep an eye on with the teams from the conference formerly known as the Eastern Conference.
Boston Bruins
The Bruins do not have many questions leading up to the Expansion Draft this summer. The Kraken will probably focus on evaluating the skill level of some of the younger options in that organization.
Specifically, Trent Frederic, 22, and Jakub Zboril, 23, who played 99 percent of their games in the AHL last season.
Buffalo Sabres
Is Buffalo a playoff team? Once we know the answer to that, we will get a better read on what they do with Taylor Hall. Hall signed a one-year deal this summer, but if Buffalo is out of the playoff race around the trade deadline, the Sabres might salvage his value by trading him for draft picks. Assuming Hall does not sign a contract extension in Buffalo (or with another team), he won’t be protected and the Kraken will have the opportunity to sign Hall during the club’s 48-hour exclusive free agent negotiating window.
Carolina Hurricanes
I have a huge bias for young players when looking at the Expansion Draft and two names that I have had circled for a long time are Morgan Geekie and Jake Bean.
Both players are 22. Geekie played two games in the NHL last year while Bean was in the AHL the entire season. The question is how much do we see them this year and what type of steps do they take in their professional careers?
In case things don’t go well for either of these guys, Haydn Fleury, 24, is the next one on deck.
Dubois projects to be an elite center in the NHL, but he recently expressed interest in getting traded out of Columbus. If they do trade him, the questions become who they get in return and how does that player impact who they protect in the Expansion Draft.
Detroit Red Wings
Detroit is not a team Kraken fans should be overly excited about right now, but one to monitor for the Expansion Draft is how good Danny DeKeyser looks since undergoing back surgery early in the 2019-20 season.
Florida Panthers
There aren’t a whole lot of open questions in Florida. If I am isolating a few players to put on a Kraken watch list in Florida it is Markus Nutivaara and MacKenzie Weegar. At least one of them will be exposed in the Expansion Draft.
Montreal Canadiens
Montreal possesses a glut of quality forwards on expiring contracts. Joel Armia, Phillip Danault, and Tomas Tatar are all notable forwards that Montreal would love to keep beyond this season. If the Canadiens sign any of these players to extensions, they will want to protect them in the Expansion Draft.
I love the former Everett Silvertip and I am absolutely rooting for him to have a great season. Staying healthy has been a huge challenge for the 27-year-old blue liner, though. If he stays healthy and has a solid season, he could be protected in New Jersey which will expose PK Subban, though Subban also needs to have a bit of a rebound season to be considered by the Kraken next summer.
Additionally, Kyle Palmieri is set to be an unrestricted free agent next summer, and if they resign him, it will impact the Devils protected list.
New York Islanders
Do the Islanders expose Josh Bailey or Jordan Eberle? And what kind of season do we see out of Otto Koivula and Kieffer Bellows? It is likely that only one of the four players mentioned can be protected, so we should keep an eye on all of them.
New York Rangers
Will Ryan Strome maintain his playing from last year when he was close to a point-per-game player? Or will he play at a level more in line with his career? And not that this has anything to do with the Kraken, but we’re all curious to see how Alexis Lafreniere fares as a rookie.
Ottawa Senators
The Senators won’t offer a large selection to choose from come the Expansion Draft, but they might have a goalie of interest. They added Matt Murray from Pittsburgh this offseason, and if he delivers on his expectations, he will be the protected netminder. That would expose Joey Daccord, a highly respected 24-year-old goalie prospect, for the Kraken.
Philadelphia Flyers
Nolan Patrick, who missed the entire 2019-20 season due to migraine issues, is forecasted as one of the protected forwards in Philadelphia. He is at camp and is reportedly moving full steam ahead for the coming season, but there is still questions about whether he can fight off the health issues that kept him out last year.
If he is healthy and can perform, then he will be protected, exposing Nicolas Aube-Kubel or Jakub Voracek.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh will more than likely expose two of the three forwards of Brandon Tanev, Teddy Blueger, or Jared McCann. Ideally all of them have great years to provide Seattle quality options.
Tampa Bay Lightning
If the Lighting protect four defensemen in the Expansion Draft it will come down to their confidence in 2017 first-round draft pick, Cal Foote. Foote is expected to make his NHL debut this year and should be able to showcase his long-term potential in the NHL.
If Foote lives up to expectations, the Lightning will protect him with fellow defensemen Victor Hedman, Mikhail Sergachev, and Erik Cernak. Protecting four defensemen will force the Lightning to expose forwards Ondrej Palat, Yanni Gourde, and Alexander Volkov.
Toronto Maple Leafs
There is not much debate on who the Maple Leafs will protect in the Expansion Draft. Travis Dermot should be exposed on defense. In the forward group, Kraken fans might want to keep an eye on pending UFA Jimmy Vesey to see if he shows any promise for Seattle.
Washington Capitals
Alex Ovechkin is on the last year of his contract with the Capitals. There is no doubt in my mind that Ovi will play in Washington next season, but it seems to me they could save a valuable spot in their protected list by waiting for him to get to free agency and then signing him.
Those are just some of the storylines to keep an eye on in the Eastern Conference this year.
**DISCLAIMER: Sound Of Hockey recorded this episode on the morning of Wednesday, January 6th, before the events that transpired at the United States Capitol. So, the guys don’t comment on that, and this is the reason.**
TEAM USA WON THE WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP!
The guys record this episode fresh off the high of that momentous victory over Canada, and they have plenty of thoughts and analysis to share from Tuesday’s incredible gold medal game.
Aside from the WJC, the NHL is just a week away from getting its protracted season under way, so there’s plenty of news to share on that topic as well. Seattle notwithstanding, the Kraken made some big hires this week, which John, Andy, and Darren of course break down on this show.
Andy gives a WHL update and an AHL update.
Segments this week include Goalie Gear Corner (covering these pads specifically), a rousing game of Let’s Get Quizzical, and of course Weekly One-Timers and Tweets of the Week.
