NHL 21 Simulation: Seattle Kraken Expansion Draftees
Jonathan West
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Ethan Bear (Photo courtesy of EA Sports).
Defensemen
Ethan Bear, Edmonton Oilers – 5-11, 197-pounds, 23 years-old, 2 NHL seasons
Formerly with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds, this pick is what many local fans are hoping for besides the return of Mount Vernon’s TJ Oshie. Bear was the only Edmonton trade block item in the simulation, and Will Shanahan from the Georgetown Voice shared in the game’s prediction.
“Unless Andreas Athanasiou plays lights-out alongside Connor McDavid next season, the Oilers will probably be best suited doing an 8-1 protection format that shields defensemen…CapFriendly (mock draft engine) ended up protecting the largely unattractive forward group of Athanasiou, Zach Kassian, Tyler Benson, and, comically, James Neal. Out of Bear and Jones, the latter is the more likely to be prioritized by Edmonton.”
Haydn Fleury, Carolina Hurricanes – 6-3, 208-pounds 24 years-old 3 NHL seasons
No relation to the future Hall-of-Fame netminder, this young blue-liner was on the NHL 21 trade block in Raleigh all year long with Petr Mrazek. Will the “Bunch of Jerks” be without Fleury instead of fellow young D-man Jake Bean? Last week, Alec Sawyer from Canes Country talked about historical ties with Seattle.
“Fleury was Carolina’s first-round draft pick in 2014, the first pick ever made by Francis as the Canes’ GM. Francis was fond of Fleury back then, and there’s no reason to believe Fleury wouldn’t be near the top of the list for Seattle when the expansion draft comes around.”