Seattle Hockey: Way too early mock expansion draft version 1.0
Colin Miller, Buffalo Sabres.
Defensemen
The way to build a good hockey team is from the net out. There is a premium put on playing solid defense. Overall, this group is steady, but nothing to write home about. They aren’t going to lose games for the team, but they aren’t likely to win many either. There is good news, Seattle won’t be tied to the majority of them, long-term.
- Calvin de Haan – Chicago, 29, one-year, $4.55M
- Libor Hajek – NY Rangers, 22, RFA
- Julius Honka – Dallas, 24, RFA
- Brett Kulak – Montreal, 26, one-year, $1.85M
- Colin Miller – Buffalo, 27, $3.8M
- John Moore – Boston, 29, two-years, $2.75M
- David Quenneville – New Jersey, 22, RFA
- Radim Simek – San Jose, three-years, $2.25M
- Christian Wolanin – Ottawa, 25, RFA (arbitration-eligible)
Some of these defensemen will be dealt before the season starts, but most certainly by the trade deadline. Players such as de Haan, Miller, and Moore are reasonably inexpensive. On a team ready to contend for the championship, they are good second/third pair options an acquiring team won’t have to break the bank to get.
Pairings
- Miller – de Haan
- Simek – Moore
- Honka – Hajek
The seventh defenseman will be Kulak, while Wolanin and Quenneville head to the AHL.
Again a fair-to-average group of d-men. Seattle can make a splash by drafting someone older and more expensive, such as Brent Burns (35, four-years, $8M). But why would Francis want to tie himself down for so long to an aging player? It will be much more beneficial to wait until after the draft to see who is remains available in free agency.
Honka has excellent puck-handling and skating skills, but his slight frame (5-10, 175-pounds) makes him somewhat of a defensive liability. That’s what hurt him in Dallas and to some extent in Finland last season. If he can play in a system where he could use his quickness, speed, and intelligence, instead of power, Honka could turn into a top-tier quarterback on the ice.
Where this Seattle hockey team will feel the sting of an average group of defensemen is on special teams. Miller will run the first power play unit and either Moore or Honka the second. De Haan and Simak would handle defensive duties on the penalty kill.