Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft 2.0 – If We Knew Then What We Know Now
Arizona Coyotes
Current Pick: Tyler Pitlick, C – 30-years-old. 25 GP, 0 G, 2 A, 2 pts. $1.75 million – UFA at the end of the 2022 season. Traded to Calgary for a fourth-round pick in the 2022 draft.
Kraken Draft 2.0: Michael Bunting, LW – 26-years-old. 43 GP, 13 G, 16 A, 29 pts. $900K+. Signed with Toronto as a UFA – under contract until 2023.
Reasoning: Bunting never had a true opportunity to excel in Arizona. When his entry-level contract expired, Arizona opted to not tender him a qualifying offer, making him a free agent. He is now thriving in Toronto, playing top-line minutes next to superstars Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, logging powerplay minutes and averaging 16-17 minutes/game.
Bunting is also tied with Connor McDavid for drawing the most penalties in the NHL this season – pretty good company, I’d say! His skills in the corners and agility allow him to draw penalties more often than others, providing the top powerplay in the NHL more ice time (scoring on 30.3 percent of their powerplay attempts currently).
Chicago Blackhawks
Current Pick: John Quenneville, C – 25-years-old. 41 GP, 18 G, 13 A, 31 pts (currently, a UFA playing for Zurich of the NL).
Kraken Draft 2.0: Nikita Zadorov, D – 26-years-old. 35 GP, 3 G, 6 A, 9 pts. $3.75M – UFA at the end of the 2022 season. Traded to Calgary from Chicago seven days after the expansion draft.
Reasoning: Zadorov is a big body at 6’6″, 235lb. He is a hard-hitting defenseman who is still relatively young. He has averaged 1 block and 3 hits per game this season – and every season of his 9 years of professional hockey. Talk about consistency!
Colorado Avalanche
Current Pick: Joonas Donskoi, RW – 29 yrs old. 45 GP, 1 G, 14 A, 15 pts. $3.9 million, expiring in 2023.
Kraken Draft 2.0: Gabriel Landeskog, LW – 29 yrs old. 26 GP, 19 G, 26 A, 45 pts. $7 million, expiring in 2029.
Reasoning: Landeskog is a proven leader, having been the captain of the Avalanche since 2012. He is a proven goal scorer, having scored more than 20 goals in 8 of his first 10 seasons, and is on pace to break career highs. Landeskog boasts plenty of international hockey experience, playing against the top talent in the World Juniors, World Cup, and Olympics. He would instantly slot in as the Kraken’s captain.
Dallas Stars
Current Pick: Jamie Oleksiak, D – 29-years-old. 37 GP, 1 G, 10 A, 11 pts. $4.6 million expiring 2026.
Kraken Draft 2.0: Jamie Oleksiak, D.
Reasoning: How often can you get a 6’7″, 256lb wrecking ball on your team without having to give up assets? Oleksiak was one of the six Kraken players on hand on expansion draft day, and he has become a fan favorite with the nickname “Big Rig.” Oleksiak has already had 105 hits on the season and is on pace to break 200 hits for the first time in his career. He is also on pace to match his career-high in shots blocked – 88.
Minnesota Wild
Current Pick: Carson Soucy, D – 27-years-old. 33 GP, 6 G, 7 A, 13 pts. $2.75M, expiring in 2023.
Kraken Draft 2.0: Carson Soucy, D.
Reasoning: At $2.75M, Soucy is able to play top-4 defensive minutes while throwing his body around and providing an offensive upside. He is trending toward career-highs in goals, assists, hits, and blocked shots. While he is not the fastest player, he makes up for that with his personality and willingness to stick up for teammates.
Nashville Predators
Current Pick: Calle Jarnkrok, C – 30-years-old. 34 GP, 7 G, 8 A, 15 pts. $2M – UFA at the end of the 2022 season.
Kraken Draft 2.0: Connor Ingram, G – 24-years-old. (AHL) 32 GP, 18 W, 11 L, 4 OTL, 2.53 GAA, .922 SV%, 5 SO. $733K, expiring in 2023.
Reasoning: Ingram is a proven future #1 goalie in the NHL. Although he is only 24, Ingram has already represented Team Canada in the World Juniors (silver medal in 2017) and is playing in his fifth professional season. His 5 shutouts this season rank 1st, as do his games played. While Jarnkrok has been a great forward for the Kraken, having a young stud goalie is something many teams wish they could have.
St. Louis Blues
Current Pick: Vince Dunn, D – 25 yrs old. 41 GP, 5 G, 13 A, 18 pts. $4M, expires in 2023.
Kraken Draft 2.0: Vince Dunn, D.
Reasoning: Dunn has been consistent for the Kraken this year, playing big minutes, playing the body, blocking shots, and scoring goals. While some people wished the Kraken selected Vladimir Tarasenko, I opted not to take his giant cap hit and continue to build the defense. Dunn is young and still has room to grow. He will be a quarterback for defense for years to come.
Winnipeg Jets
Current Pick: Mason Appleton, C – 26-years-old. 32 GP, 5 G, 7 A, 12 pts. $900k – RFA at the end of the 2022 season.
Kraken Draft 2.0: Mason Appleton, C.
Reasoning: There were not many options from the Winnipeg Jets organization that were very appealing. Appleton provides a young player who has room to grow at an affordable rate. He also provides depth at C, which many teams strive for. He will not make the highlight reel too often, but he will provide depth at scoring and can play up and down the lineup when called upon – an asset perfect for an expansion draft team.