Seattle Kraken
Seattle Kraken
The Seattle Kraken has a name, next they need to field a team to take the ice. Much of that inaugural squad will come from next year’s expansion draft. So it’s not a stretch to say, Kraken General Manager Ron Francis and his staff have their hands full.
Until the 2019-20 season finally ends and the NHL goes through its free agency and arbitration periods, sometime this fall, mock drafting a team is exceedingly tricky. There are many potential impact unrestricted and restricted free agents teams must lock up before the expansion draft picture comes more into focus. Fortunately, scouting potential players can be both fun and interesting.
As part of their “return to action” plan, the league invited 24 teams to two different sites, Toronto and Edmonton, Canada. Teams who are between fifth and 12th in the respective conference standings will play in a best of three “play-in” series beginning on August 1. Winners of those series will advance to the Stanley Cup playoffs, where the top eight teams will be waiting for them.
Playoff hockey brings out the best in players. Exhibition games have been going on for the past week, so most everyone should be in decent shape. By the time the puck drops for real, next Saturday, fans will see the NHLers at close to their best.
Here is a look at three players from each team Eastern Conference play-in team who could be available to the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft. One more note, both the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New York Islanders potentially have the deepest pools to choose from when the time comes to draft players.
Tristan Jarry, Pittsburgh Penguins. (Photo by Michael Miller, via Wikicommons)
An injury to Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby makes this a more competitive series.
Carey Price, Goalie – Rumors persist that Seattle Kraken management loves Price. They want the Canadiens goalie to be for them what Marc-Andre Fleury is for Vegas.
Karl Alzner, Defenseman – A traditional stay at home blueliner
Charlie Hudon, Left/Right Wing – He’s a decent spare part at this point. Hudon has never clicked in Montreal.
Tristan Jarry, Goalie – The Kraken may want Price, but Jarry, Pittsburgh’s current number two, is the goalie that should have Seattle’s attention.
Patric Hornqvist, RW – At 33 years old, Hornqvist still has plenty of speed. He’s exceptional on the penalty kill.
Brandon Tanev, LW – A dependable bottom-six forward with some offensive upside.
Carolina may have the better record, but they are winless against the Rangers this season.
Brett Howden, Center – Howden could be the odd man out when the Rangers submit their list of protected forwards.
Ryan Lindgren, D – Has paired well with fellow rookie Adam Fox this year.
Libor Hijak, D – He’s currently the seventh or eighth defenseman on the team.
Nino Niederreiter, W – The Finn is a gritty power forward who can put up points.
Vincent Trocheck, C – Good middle-six center, could be squeezed out by other talented forwards.
Jake Gardiner, D – He’d be on the protected list of most other NHL teams.
Jordan Eberle, New York Islanders. (Photo by Michael Miller, via Wickicommons)
This could be a good series, depending on which Sergei Bobrovsky shows up in the Columbus net.
Anton Stralman, D – At one time, Stallman was a good offensive defenseman, but he has been plagued by inconsistency in recent years.
Brett Connolly, W – Finally coming into his own after struggling early, Connolly is a classic third-line player.
Noel Acciari, C – With a career-high 27 points, Acciari might be a player who interests the Seattle Kraken. He’s signed to a very reasonable $1.67M per season through 2022.
Jordan Eberle, RW – The Islanders have so many good young forwards. They could gamble that the Seattle Kraken wouldn’t want to pick up then 31-year-old’s contract, which pays a $5.5M average annual value until 2024.
Adam Pelech, or Scott Mayfield. D – This could come down to a coin flip for the Isles.
The Leafs have something to prove, and it will come at Columbus’ expense.
Nathan Gerbe, W – The Blue Jackets list him at 5-5, 178-pounds. He might make those measurements in skates and full pads. Gerbe is lightning-fast and a fan favorite everywhere he goes. Unfortunately, his lack of size always comes back to bite him.
Scott Harrington, D – A perpetual bottom pairing NHL defenseman, Harrington comes with a reasonable price tag.
Eric Robinson, LW – Robinson is a bottom-six power forward and not likely to score very often.
Mitchell Marner, RW – Marner could be the best combination of age and talent in the expansion draft. If I were Leafs GM, Kyle Dubas, I’d take the risk that Seattle wants no part of Marner’s contract that has an AAV of $10.8 M through 2025 and a no-movement clause in the final two.
Jack Campbell, G – He struggled early in his career to live up to his first-round draft status. The past few seasons have seen Campbell look more comfortable in the crease.
William Nylander, LW – Another uber-talented young forward with a big contract.
We will have players to watch from the Western Conference later this week.