Seattle Kraken: 4 players from each Round-Robin team to watch
Joe Pavelski (Photo by Dan4th Nicholas, via Flickr)
West 4 – Dallas Stars
Dallas is one of the harder teams to find players do to the many pending free agents they have.
Ben Bishop, G – The big man (6-7, 215-pounds) has been a stabilizing presence between the pipes since arriving in Dallas three seasons ago. Bishop turns 34 in November, and highly prized prospect Jake Oettinger is working his way through the AHL.
Jason Dickinson, C – Dallas’ 2013 first-round draft pick is out of time. There are too many better centers on the team for him to get top-six minutes. Dickinson is a restricted free agent after next season;o one would be surprised if the Stars let him walk.
Radek Faksa, C – Good defensively, Faksa is the kind of player every coach wants on his bench. He’ll be on the ice against other teams top forwards, and the penalty kill.
Joe Pavelski, C – If Bishop’s name was a mild shock, then “Little Joe” is a slap in the face. He’s 35-years-old, and his skills are fading. Most importantly, Pavelski comes with a $7M cap hit for the 2021–22 season.
East 4 – Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers have plenty of potential prospects in their system. They can only protect so many of them.
Nicolas Aube-Kubel, F – He replaces Oskar Lindbom (another expansion draft candidate), who is out for the year with Ewing’s Sarcoma. A two-way center, Aube-Kubel, doesn’t put up enough offense for the Flyers to protect.
Scott Laughton, C – Laughton is a very talented player who can dominate in the faceoff circle. He has struggled to find offensive consistency in Philadelphia. A change of scenery might do him some good.
German Rubtsov, F – The rookie will likely be the 13th or 14th forward on the roster. There may be too many good young players on the team to protect instead of him.
James van Riemsdyk, LW – For all that he does well, the Team USA mainstay has had a decline in points every season since 2016–17. A $7M cap hit through 2023 likely prices him out of the Flyers protected list.