Predicting Seattle’s Expansion Draft
By Pavel Maliouguine
(Photo credit: fansided.com)
As every single day goes by, we get closer to the anticipated expansion draft for the NHL’s 32nd official team the Seattle Kraken. With the Kraken becoming the 32nd team in the NHL, GM Ron Francis has been granted to make trades and attend NHL GM meetings. Now that we’re just two months away from the expansion draft, Seattle will look to scout and learn about players from each and every team in the NHL. Once the draft comes, the Kraken will be able to take one player from each team (excluding the Vegas Golden Knights because they’re exempt). Those players that the Kraken will take will be left unprotected in the draft by their respected teams. Without a second to waste, I present to you my prediction of the Seattle Kraken expansion draft.
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Anaheim Ducks- Brendan Guhle- Defence
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Brendan Guhle was originally drafted in the 2nd round in 2015 by the Buffalo Sabres. Guhle ws later traded to Anaheim (along with a first round pick) for Brandon Montour. Guhle hasn’t had a chance to prove himself as an NHLer in his career quite yet. The clock is ticking for the 23 year-old as he has spent this entire season with the San Diego Gulls (Anaheim’s AHL team) and has recorded 12 points in 23 games.
Seattle will likely take a chance with the young defenceman, as he has lots of potential and still has a chance at the NHL. Guhle’s best shot at the NHL was in the 2019-20 season when he had 8 points in 30 games. Guhle has managed to earn 1st line minutes in the AHL, and with the right training and development, Guhle can earn himself a spot in the NHL with the Seattle Kraken.
Although Guhle does seem to have the right tools to be a full time NHL roster player, he is 23. A regular NHL player usually peaks at 26 or 27, and with Guhle only having 3 or 4 years before teams give up on him, is risky. That doesn’t mean Guhle doesn’t have a chance. If Brendan gets taken by Seattle in the expansion draft, he can get a fresh start with new motivation and become the highly anticipated he once was.
Arizona Coyotes- Lane Pederson- Centerman
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Lane Pederson has spent the majority of the 2020-21 season splitting time between the regular roster of the Arizona Coyotes and their AHL team, the Tucson Roadrunners. Pederson has made a heavy impact in the AHL these last three years having a total of 98 points in 120 games over the course of those three years. That hard work and skill earned Pederson 12 games (so far) with the Coyotes. In those 12 games Pederson has had only 3 points and one goal. Although those numbers aren’t great, that does not mean he is bad.
And that's exactly the case. Pederson is a solid bottom 6 forward who brings the game's intensity levels up and gets his teammates going. He does everything in his power to work as hard as he can and he tries to get as many pucks on net as he can, while playing a physical game.
Seattle could use Pederson as a fourth liner and give him a chance to break out, or they can have him as an extra forward in case of any injuries. One issue with this pick is that Pederson’s contract ends this off-season. Luckily for the Kraken, Lane is an RFA and will most likely be willing to sign a contract with Seattle knowing he could possibly not get a chance with many other teams.
Boston Bruins- Connor Clifton- Defenceman
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The Bruins have many skilled defenceman, meaning they cannot protect all of them. One of those skilled defencemen being Seattle’s pick, Connor Cilfton. AKA Cliffy. Cliffy is signed until the 2023 NHL season, and has made a solid impact with the Boston Bruins. Clifton isn’t young per say, but he isn’t aged. Clifton is only 26, and has had 7 points in 46 games this year. Based on these stats, you can tell Clifton doesn’t play an offensive game. And that would be true because Cliffy is a stay at home guy who plays a 500 foot game, even though he’s only 5”11.
One reason I think Seattle takes Clifton over guys like Kase and Vladar is because of the team friendly deal he’s on, and for some reason I feel he would fit with Seattle. Seattle will look to add players who can surprise, and Clifton is only one of those players that come to mind. With the right coaching, Clifton can turn into his college type of player if he gets the right coaching. A defensive player who can play a physical style while being small, and still put up points.
Cliffy seems like the type of player GM Ron Francis might want on his team, because Ron likes his defencemen that stay at home and only defend. Clifton deserves a better shot at the NHL, and the Kraken could help him achieve that.
Buffalo Sabres- Tage Thompson- Right Wing/ Centerman
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The way Tage Thompson became a Sabre will forever haunt Sabres fans forever. I’ll get back to that later though.
Thompson was selected 26th overall in the first round of the 2016 NHL entry draft by the ST. Louis Blues. He got his shot in the NHL a year later, playing 41 games and recording 9 points and ended the season being a -12. Although Thompson didn’t have a good season, the fact that he cracked the roster at just 19 years young, made it seem like he was going to be a great NHL player one day.
On July 1st 2018, Tage was traded to Buffalo along with many other assets in exchange for none other than Ryan O’Reilly. That’s the haunting moment I was talking about earlier.
Anyways, Thompson has earned himself a spot as a bottom 6 forward. Tage never lived up to that first round hype sadly. He will never be more than a bottom 6 forward in his career, but I’d love to get proven wrong. The reason the Kraken would take him is simply because he is a decent forward that was once a first round pick. Be honest, would you take a chance with a young player who was a former first round pick signed until 2023 while only making 1.4 million? I would. Seattle would too. Even if he doesn’t work out, he’s a good hockey player that can crack the roster of about 90% of the NHL.
Calgary Flames- Matthew Phillips- Centerman/ Right Wing
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Matthew Phillips is an easy choice for Seattle. With most of the roster players protected by Calgary, the Kraken can really only take some young-ish players who can be NHLers one day. Its either one of those players or Giordano or Backlund.
Phillips is a tiny 23 year-old who has been doing some great things in the AHL this year. Phillips has 21 points in 30 games with the Stockton Heat and only 3 years ago had 112 points in 71 WHL games. Phillips has the potential to be a solid NHL player one day and if he can continue to do well in the AHL, he can earn a shot at the NHL within a couple years.
The only issue that Phillips is his size. Obviously he can’t get any taller, but he definitely could put on weight. Lots of it preferably. Phillips is 5’7, and only 141 pounds. There is no way he makes the NHL until he is at least 20 pounds heavier. In the NHL he could get tossed around with his current weight. He can work on his physical play and put on some muscle. If he can do that, Seattle will not regret taking him in the expansion draft.
Carolina Hurricanes- Brady Skjei- Defenceman
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A lot of D-men and centermen, I know. Not much to choose from. Skjei could be a hit or miss pick for Seattle. Skjei used to exceed expectations with the Rangers in New York being one of their best defencemen. Although when he was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in the trade deadline of 2020, he started to get progressively worse.
It’s obvious Skjei is not a good fit in Carolina. He needs a new home and needs a new team to get back into his rhythm. Seattle could be a good fit. If Skjei can get top line minutes with the Canes, he can get himself into his old Rangers form. If he doesn’t work out in Seattle, that can cause an issue for them. Brady Skei is signed until the 2024 season, and is making 5.25 million per year until then. Seattle would have cap issues if he doesn’t work out for them. If he does do well with the Kraken (which I see him succeeding) that contract will be a bargain.
Skjei could be a solid first line to second line guy who can up his physicality. Nothing wrong with that, but when you’re a big defenceman in the NHL, that's what coaches and GMs want.
Chicago Blackhawks- Dylan Strome- Centerman
(Photo credit: NBC Sports)
With this pic, we might have just found Seattle’s number one centerman. Strome has been a healthy scratch for the hawks multiple times this season, including a 5 game stint at one point. We know Strome is quite the bust, going 3rd overall in the 2015th draft, but he has had signs of becoming a great NHL player. That includes his first season with Chicago after he got traded from Arizona. He had 51 points in only 58 games.
Ever since then, he’s been moved around the lineup and lost his scoring touch. Strome has only 14 points in 37 games played this year. A heavy downgrade from the previous season which was also a disappointment. (38 Points in 58 games).
Although he doesn’t seem to be that great with Chicago anymore, I feel like it’s going to be a William Karlsson type of scenario with him. He’ll go to Seattle and tear it up. Simply put, Strome needs top line minutes to get top notch points and in Seattle I believe that he can do very well with the Kraken. Why not take a chance with him? He’s only 3 million against the cap and is signed until 2022 where he ends up as an RFA. If I was Ron Francis, I’d be eyeing out Strome.
Colorado Avalanche- Pavel Francouz- Goaltender
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Francouz is one of the most underrated backup goalies in the league. Unfortunately, Francouz has missed the entirety of the 2020-21 NHL season due to injury. Although it is a rask factor bringing in a 30 year old goalie who missed an entire season and gets paid 2 million yearly until 2022, he has proven to be a possible starting goalie.
Francouz had a whopping .923 save percentage in 34 games as a backup goalie in the 2019-20 season. Those are some crazy good numbers for a backup. Before he got injured, I was making a case for him saying he could be a starting goalie for about 50% of the teams in the NHL. After that injury it's very unpredictable, but I still stand saying that he can be a starter on a couple teams. That's why I believe the Kraken should take a chance with him. If he doesn’t work out as a starter, that's completely fine. It’s only 2 million for one year, he can be the backup. No harm no foul with Pavel. The Kraken should take a chance on Francouz because he obviously will not get protected by the Avalanche as they will be protecting Grubauer instead.
Before they take Francouz they will need to check on his injury status first. If Francouz will not be healthy by the time of next season, the Kraken will most likely not take him. So if it won’t be Francouz, I say they take Nichuskin or Jost.
Columbus Blue Jackets- Eric Robinson- Left Wing
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Eric Robinson is an AHL player, taxi squad forward at best. There aren’t a lot of players to pick from Columbus as they mostly protect all their best players. Robinson has only 15 points in 52 games with the Jackets this season, 7 of them goals. Robinson is evidently an AHL player. If Seattle takes him, I don’t expect him to make any NHL impact. He would be playing mostly in the AHL, where I think he could get first line minutes there. Robinson is more of a “heart and soul” player who leaves everything out on the ice. But when it comes to the point totals, he doesn’t really have that. That causes me to think Seattle could take him, but he would be an AHL player at best for them.
Dallas Stars- Joel L’Esperance- Centerman
(Photo credit: TexasStars.com)
L’Esperance is another one of those young-ish players that still have time to evolve into a regular NHLer, but can’t do it on their current team purely because they don’t have room for him. The thing with L’Esperance is he is so tough to explain. He isn’t exactly a sniper, but he isn’t a playmaker. He’s not a power forward, but he certainly isn’t a two way player. It’s confusing what his play style is because he just doesn’t get enough ice time with the Dallas Stars. If Seattle picks him up and gives him time to prove what type of player he is, he can be a steal for the Kraken.
We’ve seen Joel succeed before, just not at the NHL level. We’ve seen him do well in the AHL. In his last two seasons with the Texas Stars (Dallas’ AHL team) he has recorded 45 points in 54 games in his second AHL season, and 40 points in 58 games in his third and most recent season in the AHL. He can definitely make his impact as a bottom 6 forward on Seattle, if not a taxi squad player. I really want this guy to succeed and so do Stars fans, simply because he has so much respect for his name. Not many players have the mysterious play style like L’Esperance. He’s also on a cheap, league minimum contract until 2022 where he will become a restricted free agent.
Detroit Red Wings- Evgeny Svechnikov- Left Wing
(Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports)
The first left winger the Kraken take, is the brother of former second overall pick Andrei Svechnikov. Evgeny has had a long trip to make it into the NHL. This was his first season playing somewhat full time NHL minutes. Svech has had 20 games played this year and in those 20 games he has 7 points and 3 goals. Not horrible, but when you realize he was drafted 19th overall 6 years ago, you start to have second thoughts. Svechnikov hasn’t really been producing ever since he was drafted. Many seasons of failing to get points and scoring goals have caused him to bounce around from the NHL and AHL.
That all changed this year!... Or we thought. Svechnikov started the season off hot in Detroit. He was arguably one of their best players. And then he just stopped getting points. He stopped producing, and he just became weaker in all aspects of his game. So he was placed on waivers and was assigned to the taxi squad. He later was sent down to the AHL, and ever since he was sent down he’s played in 4 games and only recorded 2 points.
So why should Seattle take him? I believe that with the right mentality and training, an NHL player can succeed greatly. This can be Svechnikov's final chance at the NHL. Under a guy like Ron Francis, he can surely straighten out and become a decent player. He’s missed his opportunity to become a top 6 guy, but the window to become a regular bottom 6 guy is still open for him for a couple years. If Seattle takes him, he can have a fresh start, and maybe become the power forward he was once drafted to be.
Edmonton Oilers- Caleb Jones- Defenceman
(Photo credit: NHL.Com)
One of the biggest issues with the Oilers coaching and management is that they prefer to play their broken down veterans instead of their future. Odd, because their future is right now. They choose to play guys like Kris Russel and Adam Larsson instead of young stars like Bouchard or Caleb Jones. Wish the Oilers would play Jones more, because he’ll be left unprotected for the expansion draft, and if the Kraken are smart, they’ll take him.
Jones has been rumoured out of Edmonton for a while now, and I think the Kraken take a chance with him. Caleb Jones, the brother of Seth Jones, can get to prove to the NHL that he deserves to play in the NHL if he plays in Seattle. He will easily crack their opening roster as a third (maybe even second) line D-man. Since the Oilers won’t give him a good chance, it’s only fair that Seattle does.
Even though points aren’t Jones’ strong suit, he has a fantastic defensive game and is always first to back check and cover his points. Jones has 29 games this year and only 3 points. Last year he had 9 points in 43 games played.
Florida Panthers- Brady Keeper- Defenceman
(Photo credit: LWOS)
Contrary to his last name, Seattle probably won’t keep this guy around for too long. Keeper is a decent 7th defenceman who turns 25 very soon. Keeper’s contract does end this off-season and I think Seattle doesn’t extend him. There aren’t many players on the Panthers that the Kraken can take, so it’s mostly just a “pass pick”.
Keeper who is currently playing his second AHL season, has only 3 points in 11 games. Call-ups and injuries have kept him out of the lineup. I don’t see the Kraken keeping this guy around, and he will most likely sign a contract with another team and play in the AHL. I personally do not see Keeper playing many NHL games in his career.
Los Angeles Kings- Carl Grundström- Left Wing
(Photo credit: AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Grundström was originally a prospect drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs and was later traded to the Kings in a multi player deal that saw the Leafs acquire Jake Muzzin. Although I’m sure the LA Kings would love to keep the 23 year-old, they don’t have enough space to protect him. I think Seattle takes advantage and selects him.
Carl has been playing on LA’s fourth liner this season and has recorded 10 points in 40 games this season. It isn’t anything impressive, but he’s a young player that has a high ceiling and lots of time to develop. I’m sure the Kraken would take a chance with him. If he doesn’t succeed in Seattle, there are many other GMs in the NHL that would be willing to give up a third round pick for a young player like him. Grunström has spent these last few years jumping from the NHL and AHL trying to prove he was worthy of playing on an NHL team. Luckily, he is part of the LA Kings who are in the midst of a re-build so he’s earned a spot on their team. Many scouts have checked him off as a promising player, and apparently some GMs tried trading for him at the deadline and the Kings told them he wasn’t available. If I had the choice to get a 23 year-old two way forward with lots of potential for free, I’d take it instantly. Plus, not a lot of skill to choose from LA.
Minnesota Wild- Jordan Greenway- Left Wing
(Photo credit: Photo Credit: David Berding (USA TODAY Sports)
This upcoming off-season will be difficult for Minnesota’s new GM, Bill Guerin. Guerin has to extend stars like Joel Eriksson-Ek, Kevin Fiala, and most importantly Kirill Kaprizov. He also needs to focus on finding other players in free agency, with only 14 million dollars in cap left. This will be one of the toughest jobs a GM will have to face, and Wild fans are tired of being mediocre. They want to win, and it’ll be the head office’s job to make sure they win big next year. The Wild have so much skill, that they won’t be able to protect every one of their stars.
That star being one of their bests this year, Jordan Greenway. Greenway is an ideal hockey player. A power forward who can get points and be one of the biggest and scariest players to play against. Greenway leads the Wild in assists with 25 and has 31 points in 51 games. He’s a fantastic player with so much skill, and Seattle fans will love it when he rams the other team into the bench and then get a dirty assist. That’s the type of player Greenway.
One of the best parts about Greenway is his contract. Greenway makes only 2.1 million until the 2022 off-season, where he will be an RFA. That’s when he’ll want his big pay day. And I’m sure wherever he is then, he’ll get it because he deserves it. Plus the Wild won’t benefit too negatively from this pick because they make some cap room. Even if it means losing one of your bests, it’s worth it to keep a guy like Kaprizov.
Montreal Canadiens- Jake Allen- Goaltender
(Photo credit: saltwire.com)
With this pick the Kraken find their starting goalie in Jake Allen. With Price being injured in Montreal, Allen has been forced to step up big time as their starter. And that, he has done. This year Jake Allen has a .910 save percentage over 25 games. He hasn’t been crazy good, but he’s been very good. Allen won’t be the Seattle version of Marc-Andre Fluery and Vegas, but in this draft he’ll get as close as it comes. Allen is also a former cup champion.
This 30 year-old goalie has everything under his belt. Over 200 career starts, a cup win, and previous starter experience. He can easily be Seattle’s locker room leader, and Seattle fans will love him if he plays the right way. Allen can get inconsistent at points, but this year he’s been consistent, and more importantly he’s been outstanding. He’s bailed out Montreal too many times to name, and since Montreal has Carey Price a NMC contract, they won’t be able to protect Allen.
If the Kraken can select anyone from Montreal, it’ll be Allen. There are other great choices like Edmunson and Lehkonen, but I think Allen is the one that gets taken. Allen will be earning 4.35 million a year until 2023, so they have him locked up for a while and at a decent price too. It seems too perfect.
Nashville Predators- Calle Jarnkrok- Left Wing
(Photo Credit: fansided.com)
Jarnkrok is an interesting player. Interesting as in “hopeful because of one decent season, and never again”. Jarnkrok is almost 30 years of age and has been labeled as a third liner for most of his career. Sounds pretty old, because of the large amount of hype he had because of one season. In the 2015-16 season,Jarnkrok put up 30 points in 81 games on the fourth line with Nashville, and out of nowhere he started to get hype. He was 25. I’ll never understand why he had that much excitement surrounding his name, but it must’ve been great.
Since then Jarnkrok hasn’t had a season over 35 points. The closest he got to beating that was in the 2019-20 season when he had 34 games in 64 games. So he’s an alright third liner that can’t seem to keep his scoring pace up. This year he has 26 points in 47 games so far, and has been splitting time playing on lines three and four. I think Seattle takes him and tries to build him into a full time third liner who can put up 35-40 point seasons. We’ve seen him do it before, but it’s obvious Nashville isn’t a good fit for him. Lots of NHLers can benefit from a change of scenery, and Calle Jarnkrok is one of them.
New Jersey Devils- Michael McLeod- Centerman
(Photo credit: NJ.Com)
McLeod is another 23-year-old who is playing his first full NHL season this season. McLeod hasn’t exactly lived up to his 12th overall potential. He was drafted by the Devils 12th overall in 2016 after a 61 point season in the OHL. In the last 3 years McLeod has gotten countless chances in the NHL and he has failed on every single one. Until this year.
This year McLeod has earned a spot on the fourth line in NJ playing 47 games and has only had 8 points. He hasn’t really lived up to his potential. So why should Seattle take another washed up pick? This one is simple: there’s nobody else to select from the Devils. The only other best non-UFA player to pick from New Jersey is Nick Merkley. Merkley is good too, maybe even better, but Francis will have a little bit of bias because McLeod is a former first round pick, and an early one too.
McLeod could be a fourth line centerman in Seattle. He could also crash and burn and become an AHL fourth liner. It’s unpredictable on how McLeod develops, so based on how hard he works, they can choose where he plays later.
New York Islanders- Kyle Palmieri- Right Wing
(Photo credit: fansided.com)
This one is the first pick where Seattle takes a big name UFA in hopes of extending him. I’m going to make a bold guess that Seattle agrees on a contract with Palmieri before he gets picked up, and the contract will roughly be 4 years, and a total of 26 million dollars. That’s an AAV of 6.5 million dollars. Here’s why its so expensive:
Palmieri wants a chance in the free agency market, and he wants a chance to get paid. If he does get picked up by Seattle, he will want to get big bucks. If he won’t, he can go into the free agency market. That’s why Seattle says “screw it, I want this player in this organization” and signs him to a mid-term, expensive deal. It’s a solid contract, and if Palmieri lives up to his skills, that contract could work for both Seattle and Kyle.
This year Palmieri started off the season with the New Jersey Devils and later was traded at the deadline to the Islanders. Palmieri currently carries a cap of 4.65 million, even though it won’t matter. Palmieri has played 47 games this season, 9 goals and 20 points. It was an off year, but if he can go to an expansion team he can regenerate and get back into his 50 point self.
New York Rangers- Brendan Smith- Defenceman
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This pickup is simple. Brendan Smith will not stay with the Seattle Kraken. He will be released in free agency when the time comes. It’s pretty much a waste of a pick because there is nobody else to choose from the Rangers. Smith has 10 points in 46 games so far this season in New York.
Ottawa Senators- Colin White- Centerman- Right Wing
(Photo credit: Getty)
Colin White is a pretty decent player who has a great skill set that the Seattle Kraken could use. Colton White has had a pretty decent season this year putting up 17 points in 42 games. This pick does come with a twist though…
Colin White’s contract is absolutely hideous. He signed an extension with the Ottawa Senators that would last him to the 2025 NHL season,and he’ll be making 4.75 million dollars per. How his agent managed to get him that much money after one mediocre season baffles me. He had 41 points in 82 games that season, and hasn’t had more than 23 points in a year since then.
So why does Seattle take this god awful contract? I think Ottawa offers the Kraken a 2021 2nd round pick in exchange for the Kraken to take Colin White. Luckily for the Kraken, Colin White is going to break out. It;s only destined to happen. It’s just Ottawa’s luck that they give up a good pick so that they can shed some cash, and that shredded cash puts up 60 points in a season. And who knows, maybe that second round pick turns into a future first liner. That's just how the broken expansion works.
Philadelphia Flyers- James Van Riemsdyk- Left Wing
(Photo credit: fansided.com)
The only reason the Flyers don’t protect this stud is because of his contract. For 7 million dollars, JVR is definitely a good player, but that contract is very risky. He is signed until the 2023 season and JVR can become a big part of Seattle. Or he can be a fourth liner. It’s one or the other. Van Riemsdyk has 39 points in 52 games so far this season and the year before he had 40 in 66.
James Van Riemsdyk is a great player, don’t get me wrong. But that is a contract I don’t think the Flyers want to deal with. JVR can be selected by Seattle, and he’ll put up something wild like 70 or 80 points. It could be a Marchessault type of deal. It’s definitely going to be interesting to see who Seattle takes from Philly because of so many players that will be left unprotected by the Flyers.
Pittsburgh Penguins- Teddy Blueger- Centerman
(Photo credit: Post Gazette)
After a fantastic breakout season, Blueger looks like a solid third liner on a playoff team. That playoff team being the Penguins of Pittsburgh. I don’t think that the Penguins protect him for two reasons:
He is an upcoming RFA that will want a big paycheque and Pittsburgh doesn’t have the most money to spend. Plus, they need to focus on their defence in free agency because the defence in Pittsburgh is very shaky.
One word: Priorities. They have so many other amazing players on the Penguins that can’t be left unprotected. Even guys like Jared McCann need to stay because of the fantastic season he’s had.
That being said, Blueger will start on the third (maybe fourth) line in Seattle, and then possibly work his way up onto the second line. Based on how he’s been gradually getting better every season he’s played, with a chance to play big line minutes in Seattle, he can be a popular player there. Blueger currently makes 750K, just 50k over league minimum. Blueger’s asking price will be in between 2 million and 3 million. That’s a lot of money for a risk like Teddy Blueger, It’s a risk that Seattle should be comfortable to make. Blueger has had 24 points in 40 games so far this season. A high improvement from his 22 points in 69 games last season.
San Jose Sharks- Brent Burns- Defenceman
(Photo credit: NHTR)
This is where the Seattle Kraken find their possible captain and poster boy. Brent Burns will most likely not get protected by the Sharks. Burns currently makes 8 million per year until 2025. That is a big contract especially for a 36 year old defenceman. (He’s not getting any younger!) Even though Burns isn’t the 80 point player he once was, he can still play physical defence while putting up a decent amount of points. This contract is big and risky, but Seattle has money. They have time. To add to that, if you want to start a franchise, why wouldn’t you want Burns leading your team?
So far this year Burns has had 29 points in 52 games this year. That’s not even that bad, it’s his age and his contract that gives him and the Sharks a bad look.
This pick will be made purely out of leadership, veteran presence and past skills. If Burns can get back into his 2018-19 self, this pick can look genius by Ron Francis. If it doesn’t, there's always an option to buyout. Brent Burns is a perfect fit in Seattle. Burns walking around the streets and fish markets of Seattle feels so right, you know?
St. Louis Blues- Sammy Blais- Right Wing
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Seattle will want to get themselves a scrappy guy who agitates the opponent. Sammy Blais falls right into the hands of Seattle. Blais hasn’t really been a full time NHLer until a couple years ago. He also has a cup under his belt which is important. The 24 year-old hasn’t been getting as many PIMs as he usually does, but that's even better. He constantly gets his team on the Powerplay. He ticks off opponents and gets them to take a penalty and get his team going. This year he has been caught enough times to give him 12 penalties in minutes.
He also gets a decent amount of points. This year he has 15 points in 35 games. The year before this one he had a low 13 in 40. He is constantly improving and he can get some love in Seattle. If Seattle does take him, he can be on their third or fourth line. One thing about Sammy Blais nobody talks about is his clutch factor. Sammy shows up big when his team needs to. Even though the Blues lost to the Canucks early in the bubble, Blais agitated the Canucks and got them angry many times. He also put up 4 points in 8 games in the bubble. He did pretty good and was one of St. Louis’ best players there. In the finals of 2019 he played 15 games and had two fights. He was put in to be the guy that pissed people off, and he did that.
Seattle needs a tough cocky guy, and this is Blais’ chance to become what he wants to be. He wants to battle hard and he wants to win. In Seattle he can earn himself a spot on that roster. With a cheap contract (1.5 M per) that sees him ending up as an RFA at the end of it, it seems like he’ll be a great fit under Ron Francis.
Tampa Bay Lightning- Ondrej Palat- Left Wing
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Palat is a great top 6 forward. It’ll be a battle between him and JVR to see who plays on line one and line 2. Palat is another cup champ who has leadership and lots of skill.
There isn’t much to say about Palat because of his simple play style. He isn’t anything fancy but he gets points and that's what matters. Palat is a type of player every team wants,and when Ron Francis will get a chance to get him I’m sure he’ll pick him up. Palat gets paid 5.3 million dollars annually and his contract ends after the 2021-22 NHL season. If Palat goes to Seattle I see him being an alternate captain there and putting up in between 55 and 65 points. I do think his goal scoring will take over in Seattle and he might put up a whopping 35 goals next year. Another example of a decent player going to an expansion team and exceeding expectations. Palat has been having a pretty underrated season this year recording 45 points in 60 games. 30 of those points were assists. He’s always been a pass first type of player, but I think his goal scoring comes to play when and if he goes to the Kraken.
Toronto Maple Leafs- Justin Holl- Defenceman
(Photo Credit: Reuters)
Justin Holl has finally emerged this season as a great defensive defenceman who’s found his offensive play as well. Holl signed an extension a couple years back that would last him until the 2022-23 season that carries an annual salary of 2 million dollars.
Holl did a fantastic job defending lots of skilled forwards in the Scotia North Division this year. Some notable plays he’s done is the multiple amount of times he’s stopped McDavid from breaking out and scoring. Holl has one of the best RAPM charts too, with most of the charts looking blue. Holl has played 51 games so far this year, has had 2 goals and 19 points. He is also a plus 11 proving that he is mostly on the ice when his team scores goals.
Justin Holl does have some down parts to his game and that's because he can get very inconsistent. Some games he’s really not feeling it and he can just shut off his engines completely. I feel like Seattle will take a chance with him, but he will get moved at the trade deadline of 2022. I see Ron Francis giving Holl many chances in Seattle, but I think his inconsistency starts to show up more often, and Francis moves on from the Justin Holl experiment very quickly. If Holl ends up in Seattle, I don’t see him playing for the Kraken for too long.
Vancouver Canucks- Zack Macewen- Centerman/ Right Wing
(Photo credit: Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)
Zack Macewen has been one of Vancouver’s toughest guys in these last two seasons, but the point production simply hasn’t been there. With only 2 points in 27 games with Vancouver, Macewen hasn’t impressed many. He’s had some big fights against some big guys, but he isn’t as good as he was last year. Luckily for Seattle, they will need taxi squad and healthy scratch players and Macewen is a perfect player for that.
Macewen makes just over the league minimum, and his contract ends in 2022. He could turn out alright, but in my eyes he won’t play over 300 career games. He’s a skilled forward with some potential to be a future fourth liner, but right now he’s a taxi squad guy who can show up decently when his time comes. Until then, Macewen can work on his playmaking and shooting as those two are his biggest weaknesses. My prediction is that Francis takes a chance with him, but sets him free in free agency in 2022. From there he’ll sign a contract with another NHL team.
Macewen is worthy of an NHL contract and is worthy of making a good chunk of cash, but if he wants to stay at that level he needs to work harder and do better than 1 goal and 1 assist in 27 games. The 2019-20 season was far better when he had 6 points in 20 games. 5 of those points were goals and that's what earned him his contract. If he can play like he did, he could crack Seattle’s fourth line.
Washington Capitals- Vitek Vanecek- Goaltender
(Photo Credit: Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images)
This is where my prediction kind of changes here. I think Ron Francis takes Vanecek from the Caps but not to keep, but so he could trade him to a team like Buffalo or the Ducks. In exchange the Kraken would get a 3rd, maybe even second round pick. I see the Caps protecting Samsonov over Vanecek, but soon enough the Caps will miss him once Seattle moves him to a low level team looking for a young goalie. If I were Seattle I’d rather keep Vanecek over Francouz because of age, but based on what we’ve seen NHL GMs do, I have a feeling Francis keeps Francouz over Vanecek.
Winnipeg Jets- Derek Forbort- Defenceman
(Photo Credit: Getty)
With the last team in alphabetical order, from the Winnipeg Jets, the Kraken will take defensive defenceman Derek Forbort. I think Forbort ends up like Palmieiri where Forbort’s camp talks to the Kraken management pre-expansion draft about a contract.
Based on what we know about Forbort, we know he’s a shutdown defenceman who will risk anything to get his team to win. He’ll block shots, he’ll make big hits, he’ll fight guys, and most importantly he is willing to sacrifice his body for his team. He’s also not too shabby offensively as he currently has 10 points in 52 games with the Jets.
To finalize this prediction, I think Seattle takes Forbort in the expansion draft and signs him to a 3 year deal worth a total of 3.9 million dollars, and 1.3 million dollars annually. That’s about 600K more than he makes now. That shows how much of a step up he’s taken his skill. Forbort isn’t anything more than a third line D-man, but at least he can get the job done.
•••
That wraps up my prediction of the NHL’s 32nd team expansion draft set to happen in July for the Seattle Kraken. Big thank you to Capfriendly.com for the expansion simulator as that helped a ton. It also helped me get a better grasp at the contracts that each player had and the rules GM Ron Francis has to follow. Most of these picks will be wrong, if not all, but that doesn’t mean it’s not fun to guess. I guess we will know for sure when the draft comes in July.
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