Seattle Kraken mock expansion draft version 5.0
Goalies
Going back to Vegas, the key to their entire season and big Stanley Cup Playoffs success was goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. If Seattle hockey fans are looking for hope of a hot start to the franchise, look no further than this cadre of backstops. Among them, there is starting material, backups, third options, and a number one.
The following list is goalies selected in this mock, along with their current team, age, and annual cap hit (beginning with the 2021–22 season).
Jake Allen – Montreal, 30, 2-years, 2.88M
Casey DeSmith – Pittsburgh, 29, 1-year, $1.25M
Samuel Montembeault – Florida, 24, RFA
Keith Kinkaid – New York Rangers, 31, $825K
Malcolm Subban – Chicago, 27, $850K
Outlook
Many think the Kraken should find a way to get future Hall-of-Fame goalie Carey Price from Montreal. He’s one of the best ever to put on goalie gear. Additionally, Price played his junior hockey nearby, with the Tri-City Americans.
Selecting Price is exceedingly short-sided. He is 34-years-old, with five years left on his contract at a whopping $10.5M AAV. Even if the Kraken did want Price, he has a no-movement clause in his contract and can’t be moved without his permission.
If the Seattle Kraken felt they needed a venerable veteran for the Marc-Andre Fleury role, they could always draft Jonathan Quick from Los Angeles. His contract is for less money and a much shorter commitment. The results would likely be similar.
Price’s Montreal Canadiens teammate Jake Allen is a much better investment. The eight-year vet is four years younger than Price and has two years left on his current deal with a $2.88M AAV. Allen is a starting-caliber goalie who has a career 2.52 goals against average and .912 save percentage. Those numbers improved to 2.06 and .925 in 29 postseason appearances.
Either Casey DeSmith or Keith Kinkaid, two experienced NHL netminders, will back Allen up. One will stay in the Emerald City while the other gets flipped for something else of value. Malcolm Subban is on the team in case of emergency, while Sam Montembeault is the Kraken goalie of the future.