Seattle Kraken mock expansion draft version 5.0
In just over two months from now, the Seattle Kraken will make their expansion draft selections. Here is our fifth mock expansion draft.
Welcome to Pacific Northwest Sports’ fifth Seattle Kraken mock expansion draft. We dropped the “too early” because the 2020–21 NHL regular season is over. We know which players from the 30 teams reached the expansion draft qualification criteria, which is explained later.
While there might be trades among the other 30 beforehand, it’s much easier to project who might be available in the expansion draft, than it was even a few weeks ago. Kraken General Manager Ron Francis will have some quality players to choose from.
This mock draft will be like version 4.0 because free agent signings I think the Seattle Kraken should make are included. We will hold off on the trade part this time. Rest assured, Francis will be wheeling and dealing with his counterparts in the days and weeks before the draft happens.
Before getting into the details, there are some important dates to keep in mind.
- Last possible day to award Stanley Cup – July 15
- Teams submit protected lists – July 17
- Exclusive Kraken negotiation window with free agents – July 18-20
- Expansion draft – July 21
- NHL free agency begins – July 28
Early Free Agency
The Kraken has an exclusive, two-day window to sign unrestricted free agents. If they sign a UFA before the expansion draft, he counts as the player Seattle drafted off his original team. For example, if Seattle signs Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on July 19, he would count as Seattle’s expansion selection from the Oilers.
There are positives to signing early free agents. Kraken GM Ron Francis could land a few choice draft picks from teams who don’t want to lose key players. In this example, the Bruins don’t want to lose a promising young player like Ondrej Kase or Jakub Zboril. Boston could offer up a second-round pick if the Kraken sign UFA defenseman Kevan Miller.
Free-agent signings
As mentioned earlier, here are some players the Kraken should sign before draft day.
Gabriel Landeskog – Six years, $57M ($9.5M average annual value), with a nice bonus on the front end. Backup plan Taylor Hall or RNH. This money goes to the franchise cornerstone. It’s a rare chance that a new team can sign an impact player and leader in his prime. Whichever one of these three Seattle signs wears the “C” as the first Kraken captain.
Tyson Barrie – (Five years, $30M). Barrie is the elusive puck-handling, power-play quarterback every team needs. He had an excellent bounce-back year in Edmonton and earned his payday.
Luke Glendening – (Two years, $2.5M) Glendening is the type of two-way grinder every team needs. He also adds some additional leadership in the locker room.