In the last 72 hours there was a flurry of trades that will certainly impact the Expansion Draft protection lists across the NHL. With so many moves in a short time, it’s a bit tough to understand the influence they will have on those lists and who might ultimately be available for the Seattle Kraken. To help you with navigating the moves, here are my initial reactions to the 11 trades that occurred leading up to the Expansion Draft.
July 12th Trade
Trade #1
Los Angeles Kings acquire: Viktor Arvidsson (Forward) Nashville Predators acquire: 2021 Second-Round Pick, 2022 Third-Round Pick
NSH Impact – Predators create space for another forward to be protected. Forecast has Colton Sissons or Rocco Grimaldi now protected. LAK Impact – Arvidsson will be protected. The Kings have a lot of bubble forwards and this will just add one more player to the pool. One of Lias Andersson, Dustin Brown, Blake Lizotte, or Trevor Moore will be exposed in the Expansion Draft that would have otherwise been protected before the trade. Seattle Impact – With Nashville expected to go with a 4-4-1 protection scenario, the Predators were set to expose a decent middle-six forward. That list of forwards got smaller and might be non-existent when this thing is all said and done.
July 14th Trades
Trade #2
Edmonton Oilers acquire: Duncan Keith (Defense) and Tim Soderlund (Forward) Chicago Blackhawks acquire: Caleb Jones (Defense) and Conditional 2022 Third-Round Pick
EDM Impact – None. Oilers had signaled that Jones would be protected, so Keith simply takes Jones’ spot on the protected list. CHI Impact – None. Same as the Oilers, Keith would have been protected and now Jones takes his spot on the protected list. Seattle Impact – None.
July 15th Trade
Trade #3
New Jersey Devils acquire: Ryan Graves (Defense) Colorado Avalanche acquire: Mikhail Maltsev (Forward) and 2021 Second-Round Pick
NJD Impact – Likely means that both PK Subban and Will Butcher will now be exposed in the Expansion Draft. COL Impact – Graves looked like the leading candidate to get picked by the Kraken in the Expansion Draft. This prevents Colorado from losing him in the draft. Seattle Impact – Colorado was one of the most vulnerable teams headed into the Expansion Draft, but with this trade and Erik Johnson waiving his no-movement clause, the options now seem thin. Maybe that will drive Ron Francis and team to dig into the dark arts of the pending unrestricted free agents of Gabriel Landeskog or Philipp Grubauer.
July 16th Trades
Trade #4
Detroit Red Wings acquire: Nick Leddy (Defense) New York Islanders acquire: Richard Panik (Forward) and 2021 Second-Round Pick
DET Impact – Leddy probably bumps Danny DeKeyser off the defensive protected list in Detroit. NYI Impact – Leddy was not projected to be protected, but this did help the Isles clear $4 million in cap space (more on this later). Seattle Impact – Leddy was projected to be a Kraken target, so he is obviously no longer an option. Seattle is probably not interested in DeKeyser.
July 17th Trades
Trade #5
Vancouver Canucks acquire: Jason Dickinson (Forward) Dallas Stars acquire: 2021 Third-Round Pick
VAN Impact – This apparently bumps 23-year-old Kole Lind off the protected lists. DAL Impact – Dickinson was a leading candidate to be selected from Dallas. This move assures they do not lose him for nothing. Seattle Impact – Neither Dallas nor Vancouver was expected to have much to select from in the Expansion Draft. Dickinson was the most likely candidate from the Stars and Lind was expected to be protected. I would anticipate Seattle selecting a pending UFA in Dallas and letting them walk. Lind or a side deal involving Holtby could be the play in Vancouver.
Trade #6
Arizona Coyotes acquire: Josef Korenar (Goalie) and 2022 Second-Round Pick San Jose Sharks acquire: Adin Hill (Goalie) and 2022 Seventh-Round Pick
ARI Impact – Adin Hill looked like the pick from Arizona, so moving him prevents the Coyotes from losing him for nothing. SJS Impact – Korenar was expected to be protected, so Hill will take his protection slot. Seattle Impact – Hill seemed like the pick from Arizona, and now it looks like it will be rather slim pickings for Seattle. Korenar was expected to be protected in San Jose so maybe Seattle selects Korenar from Arizona instead, which seems possible.
Trade #7
Pittsburgh Penguins acquire: Filip Hallander (Forward) and 2023 Seventh-Round Pick Toronto Maple Leafs acquire: Jared McCann (Forward)
PIT Impact – Jared McCann was the likely target from the Penguins in the Expansion Draft. Hallander is exempt, so they do not lose McCann for nothing. TOR Impact – If Toronto goes with the 4-4-1 format, McCann will be exposed but Seattle will need to select McCann or Alexander Kerfoot. Seattle Impact – The net of the trade means that Seattle can only get one of McCann or Kerfoot, but not both, since they can only select one player from the Maple Leafs.
Trade #8
New York Rangers acquire: Nick DeSimone (Defense) and 2022 Fourth-Round Pick Vegas Golden Knights acquire: Brett Howden (Forward)
NYR Impact – Howden was a potential expansion candidate, so the Rangers salvage a draft pick instead of losing him to the Kraken. VGK Impact – No impact. Seattle Impact – Seattle’s options on the New York Rangers just got a little thinner. Expect Colin Blackwell or Kevin Rooney as possible options.
Trade #9
Nashville Predators acquire: Philippe Myers (Defense) and Nolan Patrick (Forward) Philadelphia Flyers acquire: Ryan Ellis (Defense)
NSH Impact – Nashville’s final protection list will be interesting. Moving Ellis might open the door to protect Alexandre Carrier as a fourth defenseman, or the team could go back to a 7-3-1 format and protect some of their younger forwards in Tanner Jeannot, Yakov Trenin, and/or Rem Pitlick. The Preds had a plan that involved moving one of their top defensemen out, and we will see what that plan is when their final protection list comes out. PHI Impact – Nolan Patrick was projected as the seventh forward to be protected by the Flyers, which will now move someone like James van Riemsdyk or Nicolas Aube-Kubel onto the protected list. Seattle Impact – This is tough to read without seeing Nashville’s final protected list, but the Flyers are still expected to expose Shayne Gostisbehere, Jakub Voracek, and either James van Riemsdyk or Nicolas Aube-Kubel, so there are still decent options in Philly.
Trade #10
Nashville Predators acquire: Cody Glass (Forwards) Vegas Golden Knights acquire: Nolan Patrick (Forwards)
NSH Impact – The Nolan Patrick era was over in Nashville before it even began. Patrick would have needed to be protected or exposed, while Glass is exempt from the Expansion Draft, so the Preds will get one more spot to protect. VGK Impact – None since they do not participate in the Expansion Draft. Seattle Impact – Minimal since Patrick was never really a consideration out of Nashville.
Trade #11
Arizona Coyotes acquire: Andrew Ladd (Forward), 2021 Second-Round Pick, 2022 Second-Round Pick, and 2023 Third-Round Pick New York Islanders acquire: “Future Consideration”
ARI Impact – Nothing since Seattle would never have considered Andrew Ladd. NYI Impact – Frees up cap space. Seattle Impact – On the surface nothing, but between this trade and the Nick Leddy trade, the Islanders cleared $8.5 million in cap space. The cap situation in New York would have otherwise been a vulnerability that Seattle could have taken advantage of in the Expansion Draft.
With the Expansion Draft a mere five days away, the Seattle Kraken’s goaltender selection is anyone’s guess. There are a handful of quality options out there but still no clear favorite at this point.
The rules require the Kraken to select at least three goalies in the Expansion Draft. There are roughly 30 options for the Kraken to choose from on Wednesday, so to make sense of the options, I have tiered all the likely goalies available.
Expansion Draft goalie tiers definitions
Bona fide starter – These are goalies that are proven starters in the league and can still bear the weight of 50+ regular-season games.
Veteran platoon – This is a group that consists of goalies over 29 years old that are best utilized if they can share the goaltending duties at roughly a 50/50 split at this point in their career.
Potential, but with risk – These goaltenders have shown potential to play at a high level but have not played a whole season as a starter or are just breaking into the league. They show promise, but it is unknown if their play is sustainable as full-time starters in the NHL.
Solid backup – Players in this category have proven to be reliable backups in the NHL. They could be used in an expanded role in case of injuries to other goalies on the team but should not be relied upon for extended workloads.
Here is a look at the goalies most likely available by category.
Bona fide starters
Linus Ullmark (BUF) and Philipp Grubauer (COL) are the cream of the crop of available goalies in the Expansion Draft. Both are pending unrestricted free agents with no guarantee they will sign with Seattle, but one of them may be worth pursuing during the exclusive negotiating window.
Grubauer will more than likely attract more suitors in free agency and might be a bit of an overpay for a goalie that will turn 30 next season.
Ullmark, if unprotected, is the most desirable goaltender available to the Seattle Kraken. He is a bit younger than Grubauer and has one of the best high/medium/low danger save percentages at five-on-five across all available goalies. Seattle might be willing to sign him to a longer term. Kraken goalie scout Andrew Allen has a lot of familiarity with Ullmark as well from their time together in Buffalo.
Cam Talbot (MIN) is the only other candidate in this group that would have a reasonable shot at playing for Seattle next year. At 34 years old, he carries some risk, and we still don’t know for sure if he or Kaapo Kahkonen will get protected.
Frederik Andersen (TOR), also a pending UFA, dealt with injuries this year and probably carries too much risk at this point in his career.
Tuukka Rask (BOS) is a pending UFA and will likely re-sign with the Boston Bruins.
Matt Murray (OTT) has had two years of below-average numbers, and the Kraken will have better options out there.
Potential, but with risk
This category gets a lot of media coverage because these goalies showcased well over the last season. The Kraken would be taking a big gamble if they are expecting a goalie from this category to get most of the starts for the 2021-22 season.
Of all these goalies, Adin Hill (ARI) is the most likely candidate to be drafted in the Expansion Draft. Hill is a big goaltender who is just starting to break into the NHL as a regular with 19 games played in the 2020-21 season. There are a few scenarios where he is not even available. The projected protected goalie in Arizona is Darcy Kuemper, who has been rumored to be on the trading block for the last two offseasons. Arizona may trade him before the rosters are locked on Saturday, or they may choose to protect Hill over Kuemper, since Kuemper only has one more year remaining on his contract.
Chris Driedger (FLA) is a trendy pick from the Florida Panthers, but he is a pending UFA and only has 35 games played over the last two seasons. He could pan out, but he could also be the next Scott Darling.
Vitek Vanecek had strong numbers in his first year in the NHL. He played 37 games for the Capitals with a .908 save percentage. There are questions if his long-term upside matches those good numbers, making him a pick with risk.
Joey Daccord (OTT) and Anton Forsberg (OTT) could be even riskier options. Both goalies had limited views playing for a relatively bad team. Forsberg had a heck of a journey this past season, as he bounced across three different teams before ultimately finding a home in Ottawa late in the season.
Veteran platoon
Having a veteran platoon goalie is not a bad bet for year one of the franchise. One of the two can probably do some heavy lifting if the other falters, or they could be a stable support system for some of the younger goalies just breaking into the league.
31-year-old Jake Allen (MON) could fit the bill relatively well. Allen is a good backup goalie that can get a healthy dose of games throughout a season, but he is not a goalie that you want as your primary goalie. He would be a great fit to pair with a younger goalie such as Adin Hill or Vitek Vanecek.
David Rittich (CGY) could also be an option, but he’s an unrestricted free agent.
Solid backup
The only scenario in which I see Seattle drafting a goalie from this category is if their primary goalie is Ullmark, Grubauer, or Talbot. With a solid starting netminder, the Kraken would just need a decent backup that can give the starter a day off from time to time.
Still anybody’s guess
There are a lot of variables at play for the Kraken’s goaltender selections, which still makes forecasting the selections extremely challenging. It is also important to realize that the team could make a post-draft trade or sign another goaltender in free agency to shore up the position. Who Seattle ends up choosing to man its inaugural goalcrease remains anybody’s guess.
It’s been a long road. Dating back to our NHLtoSeattle days, we’ve been daydreaming, prognosticating, and even occasionally arguing about what will happen on Wednesday, July 21. Despite all the things that have happened in the world the past couple of years, many of which certainly could have derailed this process, here we are, Seattle. We are standing at the precipice of the Kraken—OUR Seattle Kraken—finally fielding a team for the first time ever.
Come Wednesday evening, the organization will have 30 players from which it can create the bulk of its inaugural roster. In case you somehow missed the news, the festivities will kick off from Gas Works Park on the north end of Lake Union at 3:30 p.m. Pacific that day, with national TV coverage beginning at 5 p.m. on ESPN2.
It is a private, ticketed event, but even if you aren’t able to get in, you can boat, sail, paddleboard, kayak, swim, diaper float (my personal favorite mode of water floating), hydrofoil… whatever it takes to get yourself in on the action. A stage will be erected on the shore of the lake, and a massive floating screen will be propped up on a barge to show the proceedings. So get out on the water, and you should be able to—at least in some way—be a part of this historic event.
LET’S F***IN’ GO, KRAKEN!
Expansion Draft protection pictures becoming more clear
It’s no surprise that there has been a flurry of trades, buyouts, and signings this week in preparation for the Expansion Draft. General managers across the NHL are making their last moves to prepare their teams for next week’s league-wide ceremonial sacrifice to the hockey gods (and by “hockey gods,” we of course mean the Seattle Kraken).
The biggest bombshell came from my own Minnesota Wild, who opted to buy out the contracts of not just Zach Parise, but also the still very effective Ryan Suter, Parise’s partner in crime. The move means that Minnesota can now certainly protect Matt Dumba, making Carson Soucy, Kaapo Kahkonen, or Victor Rask (I personally doubt that last one will be the choice) the most likely targets, assuming the Wild do protect Cam Talbot over Kahkonen.
Meanwhile, the Florida Panthers—who arguably had the worst go of any team in the league in the Vegas Expansion Draft—bought out ironman defenseman Keith Yandle and re-signed Anthony Duclair. The Avalanche traded away an obvious Expansion Draft candidate in Ryan Graves, and Dallas’ Ben Bishop, Colorado’s Erik Johnson, and Buffalo’s Jeff Skinner all waived their no-movement clauses to give their respective teams an additional protection slot.
More such news will certainly trickle in over the next two days, as teams are required to submit their protection lists on Saturday.
This is going to be an incredibly fun few days; a period of time that we have been patiently awaiting for literal years. We just hope everybody has a good time.
*HOT TAKE ALERT!*
By the way, this is a complete guess, but since the Kraken will be naming their players and are allegedly trying to get at least some of them to attend the Expansion Draft selection show in person, wouldn’t this be a great time to give us our first glimpse of the team’s jerseys? Again, no insider info here. It’s just a guess that I’m putting in writing so that I can either be lauded or shamed for a correct/incorrect guess in a few days. We shall see.
Matiss Kivlenieks memorial draws tears, laughs, and Torts
We at Sound Of Hockey were devastated to learn of the passing of 24-year-old Columbus goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks on July 4 after an errant firework hit him in the chest at a party in Michigan. His memorial service was held on Thursday.
Per Emily Kaplan of ESPN, fellow Blue Jackets netminder Elvis Merzlikins said that Kivlenieks “died a hero,” protecting Merzlikins, his pregnant wife, and several other people in attendance.
Goaltender coach and close friend Manny Legace reportedly shared stories of his close bond with Kivlenieks and joked that even John Tortorella was in attendance at the funeral, which was a big deal because, “He hates goalies!”
RIP Kivi. You’re gone way too soon, but the hockey community will never forget you.
Around the boards
Robert Morris University has reversed course on its plans for demolishing its men’s and women’s hockey programs. You may recall that the school put out one of the worst press releases in the history of press releases to declare the programs dead, but the regents have now stated that as long as they can raise $7 million over the next five years, they can keep the programs alive. I, for one, really hate this tactic of forcing hockey programs to raise millions of dollars to survive budget cuts from schools that have promised scholarships and four years of Division I hockey to their athletes, but that’s just me.
It was announced in May that the Utica Comets, Vancouver’s AHL affiliate, would be moving to Abbotsford, British Columbia, in time for the start of the 2021-22 season. What wasn’t known before Thursday was what the top minor league club for the Canucks would be called going forward. Now we know that the team will be named… [drumroll]… the Canucks! That’s right, the Abbotsford Canucks, ladies and gentlemen! How original! Sarcasm aside, their jerseys will be green and will prominently feature the famed Johnny Canuck, which we at SOH wholeheartedly support.
Speaking of jerseys and logos, the WHL’s Vancouver Giants and Portland Winterhawks both revealed some new branding this week. Vancouver has a very sharp new black, gold, and red uniform, with a rather dashing and burly gentleman’s face for the crest. Portland showed off its new logo, which replaces the controversial Blackhawks-esque Native American silhouette that it had used for the entirety of its 45-year history. Instead, the Winterhawks will now sport a hawk with an image of Mount Hood cleverly factored in.
We do have one question about the Giants’ logo, though. How are we to know that the face on the jerseys is actually that of a giant? There’s nothing around it to give it scale, so as far as we’re concerned, they’re just the Vancouver Bearded Faces.
Palate cleansers
Earlier this week, the Tampa Bay Lightning held their second Stanley Cup boat parade in as many years. Two of the highlights were this very minor mishap…
The Stanley Cup got bent in Tampa today. Has to be repaired in MONTREAL! Oh good Lord! This should make a good headline in the Canadian press. pic.twitter.com/EmWy0gsKtj
Finally, let’s give it up for friend of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast and former Seattle Thunderbirds equipment manager Jason Berger, who apparently brings the f***in’ heat when it’s needed most.
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.
It’s here, folks. The Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft has arrived, and the Sound Of Hockey Podcast is here to bring you up to speed on everything you should expect going into the big July 21 event at Gas Works Park in Seattle.
TONS of Seattle news is discussed in this week’s episode, from player rumors and (massive) buyouts to the pre-season schedule and much more. Andy and Darren also visited Climate Pledge Arena on Monday, so they give some fun tidbits learned on that tour.
Once the Kraken talk finally dwindles, Andy gives a robust WHL update before the gang moves on to close out the Stanley Cup Final that was Lightning versus Habs. Other topics discussed before moving into segments include the Duncan Keith trade and the Vlad Teresenko trade request.
Goalie Gear Corner makes a triumphant and somewhat surprising return. Other segments include Weekly One-Timers and Tweets of the Week.
When you have no skin in the game, it’s always a bit unsatisfying to see a championship trophy awarded to the team that everyone expects to win it. Watching the Tampa Bay Lightning hoist its second Stanley Cup (and then smash it, which is hilarious) in as many tries was no surprise to anyone in the hockey world. But anecdotally, it feels safe to say that the majority of neutral fans were still pulling for the Canadiens to perform a minor miracle in the Final.
For Seattle Kraken supporters, it really should have made no difference which team ended up victorious. The real win is that the 2020-21 season is now in the rearview, and with that finality comes a new beginning for the Emerald City.
You may be inclined to say, “Good riddance, now let’s go party at Gas Works,” but before we fully move onto the next stage of this journey—which is sure to be a wild one—there are some important lessons that Seattle can learn from the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Lesson 1 – Master the salary cap and CBA
You’re annoyed that the Lightning’s playoff roster was $18 million over what would have been the salary cap if the rules had remained the same as the regular season, right? Well, as the saying goes, don’t hate the player, hate the game. Everything Tampa Bay did was completely within the rules agreed upon by the league and the NHLPA.
We’ve seen this movie before
There’s interesting and somewhat ironic context to consider here. In 2015, Patrick Kane broke his clavicle in February and was placed on long-term injured reserve, taking his cap hit off Chicago’s books for the rest of the regular season. General manager Stan Bowman then made several trades, pushing the team right back to the cap.
Fast forward a few months. The regular season ends, Kane is cleared to play just in time for the playoffs, and the Blackhawks roll to another Stanley Cup win while playing way over what would have been the salary cap. Sound familiar?
Well, guess who Chicago’s opponent was in that Final. Bingo! It was Tampa Bay!
At the time, Julien BriseBois was serving as assistant general manager under Steve Yzerman. The Bolts brass certainly didn’t like that the Blackhawks had a seemingly unfair amount of superstar talent, but the ’Hawks showed current Lightning GM BriseBois and his staff of brilliantly evil henchpeople a loophole they did not forget.
Frankly, fans of other teams that are irked about Tampa Bay successfully executing the old Chicago Shuffle to add superstars at just the right time should be more upset that their own respective teams didn’t figure out a way to pull off something similar.
Also, in defense of the Lightning, the fact that they built a squad that can go an entire regular season without its best offensive player and still be one of the best teams in the league says a lot about how well they managed. They added talent to an already talented and pricey team and recognized that the opportunities to win Stanley Cups are fleeting.
The Kraken have leaders who can pull this off
From a Kraken point of view, the lesson here is to use every angle available to maximize cap space. Assistant general manager Ricky Olczyk was hired in part for his deep knowledge of the collective bargaining agreement. In fact, he confirmed to the Sound Of Hockey Podcast in 2020 that he even occasionally sleeps with a copy of the agreement within arm’s reach, just in case something comes up in the middle of the night. Seattle is in good hands on that front.
It’s also well known that general manager Ron Francis has the go-ahead to spend to the salary cap right off the bat. It’s not in the team’s best interest to actually do this right away, because some space will be needed if the team is truly competitive in the first couple years. Still, a time will come when finagling will be needed to improve the team, and the Lightning have written the book on how to squeeze every last ounce out of the salary cap. When they aren’t memorizing the CBA, the Kraken front office should probably read that book.
Lesson 2 – Draft and develop exceptional players
This second lesson is a bit of a no-brainer, but it feels important to mention. The majority of Seattle’s inaugural roster will be constructed through the July 21 Expansion Draft, but there will be a good chunk of players selected who are either on expiring deals or won’t even end up playing for the team. The real long-term health of the organization relies almost entirely on how the Kraken perform at the NHL Entry Draft in the coming years.
The Bolts are not that far removed from a couple of pretty ugly seasons. They returned to prominence after a bit of a dip by building an exceptionally talented core that was almost all drafted by the organization, including Victor Hedman, Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Steven Stamkos, Anthony Cirelli, Alex Killorn, Ondrej Palat, and Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Not only did they hit the jackpot on a whole host of selections, the Lightning also managed to spread the wealth across the roster positionally, creating depth at forward and defense and finding a dominant force to play in net. The general philosophy is to take the best player available in the early rounds, and that will be the approach of the Kraken initially. But down the road, there’s something to be said about having an outstanding player or two at every position.
Lesson 3 – Patience is a virtue
Remember this tweet?
We don’t have any words and we know you don’t want to hear them.
We understand your anger, your frustration, your sadness. Everything you’re feeling – we get it.
This isn’t the ending we imagined, and certainly not the one we wanted. Thank you for being there the entire way.
It was sent just two years ago by the team after Tampa Bay was swept out of the first round of the 2019 playoffs by the Columbus Blue Jackets, despite having one of the best regular seasons by any team in NHL history. This was also after losing in the 2015 Stanley Cup Final, then coming close again with losses in the Conference Finals in 2016 and 2018.
The point is, if you have the a great core of players in place and they don’t immediately win it all, they still learn from the experience. The same can be said of the front office and the coaching staff, who will constantly be trying to find ways to make the team better. Draft a great core of talent, pepper in some deft veteran signings and acquisitions, and let them grow together.
Seattle may not win in year one, or even years two, three, or four. But it’s all part of the process, and long-term success should be the goal here.
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.
Get HYPE and prepare to run through a wall after watching this hard hat video tour of Climate Pledge Arena, future home of the Seattle Kraken.
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.
The 2020-21 NHL season might have ended last week, but we are headed into two of the busiest weeks on the league’s calendar. We thought it would be a good idea to lay out the key dates and milestones and call out what to look for from a Seattle Kraken fan’s perspective.
Key Dates and milestones from the NHL calendar
Mid-July – There has not been a release day set for the 2021-22 NHL schedule, but we anticipate it will be announced around this time.
What to look for: Rivalry games and road trips. Let’s go!
July 13 – Last day NHL clubs can ask players to waive their no-movement clause (NMC) for the Seattle Expansion Draft.
What to look for: There are a couple teams that would love to have a player waive his NMC. Calgary has already gotten Milan Lucic to waive his, but other teams to watch are the Colorado Avalanche (Erik Johnson), Buffalo Sabres (Jeff Skinner), Florida Panthers (Keith Yandle), and Minnesota Wild (Zach Parise, Ryan Suter). Expect bits of information to leak out about the status of these players and their NMC’s. Colorado and Minnesota are probably the most intriguing from a Seattle perspective because if they do not get these players to waive, someone very talented should be exposed.
July 17 – Rosters freeze at noon PST and Expansion Draft protection lists are due to the league by 2 p.m.
What to look for: News will leak about who is protected and who is not, but the NHL will not publish the official protection lists until the 18th.
July 18 – Expansion protection lists released. The Seattle Kraken can negotiate with any restricted or unrestricted free agents that are unprotected.
What to look for: All the mock drafts and projected protection lists are out the window at this point. It is important to understand that there will be side deals in the Expansion Draft and the Seattle Kraken might not always select the best player available if there has been a pre-arranged side deal with the respective clubs.
July 21 – Seattle Kraken must submit their list of expansion players to the NHL by 10 a.m. PST and the selections will be announced at 5 p.m. PST on ESPN2 that day.
What to look for: Selections will be leaked throughout the day as players are informed of their selection. The mystery will be in the trades and side deals that will happen as part of the Expansion Draft.
July 23 – Round 1 of the NHL Entry Draft begins at 5 p.m.
July 24 – Rounds 2-7 of the NHL Entry Draft
What to look for: Barring any big trades, the Kraken will have at least one pick in the first round, but if the Vegas Expansion Draft was any indicator, they could accumulate a few more first-round picks. Most of the players drafted in the first round will not play in the NHL during the 2021-22 season, but they will be the foundation of the team down the road.
July 26 – The deadline for teams to extend qualifying offers to their restricted free agents.
What to look for: In previous years, this deadline hasn’t been that interesting, but with the salary cap crunch the league is facing right now, teams might be unwilling to extend qualifying offers to players with arbitration rights. If teams extend qualifying offers to players that are eligible for arbitration, players could exercise their rights and potentially force the team to use more cap space on them. Players like Alex Nedeljkovic (Carolina), Andreas Athanasiou (Los Angeles), and Teddy Blueger (Pittsburgh) all fit in this category and could be surprise players to not be extended a qualifying offer. By not receiving a qualifying offer, they will enter unrestricted free agency and could sign with any team.
July 28 – Opening of NHL free agency.
What to look for: The Vegas Golden Knights were not big players in their first year of NHL free agency. We do not expect Seattle to make a big splash in its first year either, but because of the salary cap situation, Seattle could be a great destination for some value players that might not be able to find the dollars they want elsewhere. We anticipate a few players in the second tier of free agents – perhaps guys like Tyson Barrie or Brandon Montour – to be candidates for signing in Seattle.
Early September – No firm date has been communicated, but the Kraken Community Iceplex is expected to open to the public within the first two weeks of September.
Middle of September – Seattle Kraken prospect camp begins. No dates or communications have gone out about this, but Ron Francis hinted at a prospect camp right before training camp to minimize the travel and complications of crossing borders during a condensed offseason.
Mid-to-Late September – Seattle Kraken training camp begins.
What to look for: Expect a healthy number of practices that are open to the public. Open practices are an excellent way to connect with the community and with fans that might not have the ability to attend regular-season games.
Mid-October – 2021-22 Seattle Kraken Regular Season begins
What to look for: Everything!
It goes without saying that the next three weeks will be the biggest three weeks of the Seattle Kraken’s brief history. Anticipate a wide range of national coverage that will speculate wildly about future success or failures of the franchise. Read with caution. Most post-Expansion Draft articles from the Vegas draft picked the Golden Knights to finish dead last in the league. The Golden Knights then proceeded to play in the Stanley Cup Final. It would be foolish to expect the same type of success in year one for the Kraken, but we will not have a great idea about how this team will look until mid-November. No matter what, this is when the fun begins, enjoy it.
SEATTLE – The Seattle Kraken have games on the schedule. Friday morning, the 32nd NHL franchise released its preseason schedule for the team’s inaugural season.
Starting Sept. 26, the Kraken will play six preseason contests, three home and three away, against the Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, and Calgary Flames. Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena will not be completed and available for preseason games – although the team confirmed Friday that the arena will be open in time for the regular season opener – so the home games will be held in three WHL arenas within Washington State.
On Sept. 26, the Kraken will host the Vancouver Canucks in the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, home of the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs. Seattle will next play the Edmonton Oilers on Oct. 1 at Angel of the Winds Arena, the home rink for the Everett Silvertips. The next night the Calgary Flames will visit the accesso ShoWare Center in Kent to play in the home of the Seattle Thunderbirds.
The Kraken will be on the road on Sept. 28 in Edmonton, Sept. 29 in Calgary, and Oct. 5 in Vancouver. Those games will be played in the regular NHL arenas of the home teams.
“We are so grateful to the men and women who have worked tirelessly to build Climate Pledge Arena in the most extraordinary of circumstances and thank Mortenson and all the sub-contractors,” Tod Leiweke, CEO of the Seattle Kraken said via press release. “The arena is on track to host our first regular-season home game in mid-October, but we have made the decision to play our three inaugural preseason games at three outstanding local arenas. This gives us an opportunity to partner with the WHL teams, celebrate hockey across our region and grow this beautiful game. We couldn’t be more excited for these games and then to open Climate Pledge Arena.”
The Seattle Kraken will donate a portion of ticket revenue to One Roof Foundation with a goal of raising over $500,000 to expand youth access to hockey. The Kraken are working with the Thunderbirds, the Silvertips, and the Chiefs, along with the Tri-City Americans and the Portland Winterhawks, to grow the game across the region.
Kraken season ticket holders were notified by the team that they would receive a credit for preseason games that originally were planned to be played in Climate Pledge Arena. The credit is to appear on ticket holders’ accounts by July 26.
While we don’t know the rosters or lineups for these preseason games as of yet, the schedule opens the door for homecomings of a couple players with ties to the Northwest. When Edmonton plays in Everett it will be a chance for former Seattle Thunderbird Ethan Bear to appear in the region again. Bear played for Seattle from 2013 through 2017. He is Seattle’s all-time leader in goals by a defenseman and was a key member of the Thunderbirds 2017 WHL Championship team. Bear was a fifth-round pick of the Oilers in 2015 and has been a regular in their lineup the past two seasons.
Having appeared in the ShoWare Center for his last WHL game with the Everett Silvertips this past spring, Calgary’s Dustin Wolf will make his return when the Flames visit Kent. Wolf was with the Silvertips from 2017 through 2021 and was twice named WHL Goalie of the Year and once CHL Goalie of the Year. The Flames selected Wolf in the seventh round of the 2019 NHL Draft and the upcoming season will be his first in pro hockey.
The full NHL regular season schedule is expected to be released prior to the July 21 NHL Expansion Draft.
Episode 145 of Sound Of Hockey probably won’t age quite as well as others, since the guys recorded before Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final (sorry). BUT, there’s some great content in this one, as always.
This week, the guys start by sharing their feelings on the Matiss Kivlenieks tragedy, which hit very close to home for so many in the hockey world. They then lighten things up by chatting about the Seattle Kraken assistant coach hirings, as well as the naming of the Kraken Community Iceplex, which begs the question, “What’s an iceplex?”
Next, the final Sound Of Hockey Three Stars of the season is presented before John leads Andy and Darren in a challenging game of Let’s Get Quizzical.
Other segments this week include Weekly One-Timers and Tweets of the Week.
