Seattle Kraken; Expansion draft hits and misses
Misses, misses, and more misses
Buffalo Sabres
William Borgen, D – Huge miss, best choice Cody Eakin.
This is the first of the What the Heck (WTH) was Francis thinking picks. Other than being a hard worker, there is no much to like about Will Borgen. He’s played a combined 14 NHL games. It will be a huge surprise if he reaches 60.
Cody Eakin was the obvious pick here. He’s solid in the faceoff circle and is a solid third line player. Playing on a reasonable and expiring contract, Eaken is worth at least a mid-round draft pick if Francis didn’t want to keep him.
Carolina Hurricanes
Morgan Geekie, C – Miss, Jake Gardiner, or Jake Bean was the right call.
Does Morgan Geekie have some upside? Sure. Is he close to a top-six talent? No.
Boy did Francis cut his former team a huge break. Geekie is another third line guy for now. His ceiling projects to a middle-six player who could provide some secondary scoring.
Jake Bean is a decent defense prospect who can handle the puck. He has speed and likes to join the rush. Jake Gardner could have gotten at least a second-round pick in a trade or a prospect with scoring potential. At the trade deadline, probably more.
Chicago Blackhawks
John Quenneville, center – Miss, should have taken almost anyone else available.
In baseball, they call guys like John Quenneville Four-A players. He’s good enough to be a minor league call-up when someone on the main roster gets hurt. He’s the second WTH pick.
Collin Delia or Malcolm Subban would have made for a nice third goalie. Adam Gaudette or Vinnie Hinostroza could have added a little punch to the offense.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Gavin Bayreuther, defenseman – HUGE MISS, Kevin Stenlund was the guy.
Maybe the biggest WTH pick of all. When I saw this pick, I did my best John McEnroe screaming, “you can’t be serious?” He wasn’t even the third-best defenseman Columbus exposed. A wasted pick.
Many people thought Max Domi should have been the choice. But he’s overpaid for his level of production and can be a free agent at the end of the year. Defenseman Dean Kukan could have worked as a defenseman to flip due to his relatively low salary. I liked right wing Kevin Stenlund; he’s young, physical, and seems to be coming into his own as a power forward. Stenlund can get pick up tough points from the “dirty areas.”
Minnesota Wild
Carson Soucy, D – Mega missed opportunity, Kaapo Khakonen will be a solid NHL goalie.
Yet another super-sized defenseman, Carson Soucy, is 6-5. He’s also a bottom pair guy. This seems to be a trend. It’s hard to Soucy him playing 15 minutes per night if he can even make the team.
The right play here was Kaapo Khakonen. He’s one of the better prospects in hockey. Francis should have drafted and flipped him to a team that needed a backup with starting potential. Either that or let him fight it out for a roster spot.
Montreal Canadiens
Cale Fleury, D – Miss, Brett Kulak was a stronger choice.
No, Seattle shouldn’t have drafted Carey Price and his $10.5M AAV for the next five seasons. But they sure as all get out should have done much better than Cale Fleury. For his part, Fleury may be the sleeper every team drams about. If so, now is the time to wake up. He’s got some offensive skills but hasn’t shown much of them in three years as a pro.
Phillip Daneult would have been a nice free agent signing, but his asking price was likely too high. Brett Kulak, a career +6 player and with on a reasonable, expiring contract ($1.85M), was easily traded for a draft pick. Then again, he’s as good as anyone else drafted to play on Seattle’s bottom pair. If not him, goalie Charlie Lindgren is a good prospect.
Ottawa Senators
Joey Daccord, G, – Miss, there were several better goalie prospects in this draft.
Since a decent college career at Arizona State, Joey Daccord hasn’t been very impressive. He was the third goalie in Ottawa, and he’ll be the third goalie in Seattle. In NHL games, he was 1 win with a 3.50 GAA and .894 Save Percentage.
I could list half a dozen better goalie prospects than Daccord. Defenseman Josh Brown was a better choice. Then Francis could draft goalie Charlie Lindgren from Cale Fleury from Montreal.
Philadelphia Flyers
Carsen Twarynski, LW – MISS, Who the blue heck is Carsen Twarynski?
If Gayreuther didn’t top our WTH meter, then Carsen Twyrnski certainly does. Twyrnski is yet another potential bottom-six forward who might make an NHL team. Unbelievable.
Almost any other player available from Philadelphia was a better choice. Seattle didn’t have to draft the big-ticket players Jakub Voracek and James van Riemsdyk. Although either would be the first line player, this team lacks.
Why not take 6-6 banger, Samuel Morin? He’d fit in well with how the Seattle Kraken drafted and plays a solid defensive game. Felix Sandstrom and Alex Lyon are both in the second-to-third goalie range. If Francis wanted a forward, German Rubtsov is a potential Selke winner and excellent on the penalty kill.