How did recent trades impact the Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft?

by John Barr | Jul 17, 2021 | Uncategorized

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.

Flurry of trades and buyouts before Expansion Draft – Weekly One-Timers

by Darren Brown | Jul 16, 2021 | Uncategorized

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…

…and this young woman who dressed up as Patrick Maroon and got a big reaction from the Big Rig. 

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. 

Congrats on your second ring, Jason. 

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.