Seattle Kraken: Too early mock expansion draft version 3.0
Defense
The way to build a good hockey team is from the net out. There is a premium in the NHL put on playing solid defense, especially in the playoffs. Overall, this group is steady, but there is some offensive upside.
The defensemen aren’t going to lose games for the team, but they aren’t likely to win many, either. There is good news; none of the group are over 26; they can grow as a unit. Additionally, there is a good mix of left and right-handed d-men.
Madison Bowey, Chicago, 25, 1-year, $725K
Nathan Beaulieu, Winnipeg, 28, 1-year, $1.25M
Dante Fabbro, Nashville, 22, RFA
Matt Dumba – Minnesota, 26, 2-years, $6.00M
Robert Hagg – Philadelphia, 26, 1-year, $1.60M
Caleb Jones – Edmonton, 23, 1-year, $850K
Dean Kukan – Columbus, 27, 1-year, $1.65M
Kurtis MacDermid – Los Angeles, 23, 1-year, $875K
Brett Pesce – Carolina, 26, 3-years, $4.03M
Some of these defensemen will be dealt before the season starts. As always, there is a strong market for top-four D-men. Some of the selections could bring back a return of solid prospects for long-term development. Then again, Ron Francis could wait until the trade deadline and try to get more from a desperate team.
Pairings
- Dumba – Pesce
- Jones – Beaulieu
- Hagg – Fabro
MacDermid or Kukan becomes the seventh defenseman, with the other joining Bowy in the miners.
I don’t expect Dumba will be available at the draft. Minnesota has three defensemen with no-movement clauses. The Wild either gets Ryan Suter to waive his or trades Dumba before teams submit their protected lists. He’s got too much value to lose for nothing. Then again maybe Francis works something out.
The top two D-men are Dumba and Pesce. Both prefer the right side, so either one might switch to the middle pair for either Jones or Beaulieu. the Seattle Kraken can make a splash by drafting someone older and more expensive, such as Brent Burns (35, four-years, $8M). Why would Francis want to tie himself down for so long to an aging player?
However, Dumba and Pesce will need to take more offensive roles than they have recently. If they can be like the guys who scored 50 points in 2017-18 for Minnesota and 35 points for the Canes in 2018–19, the Kraken could have something special.
Out of all of them, Fabro may be the breakout star. He is reliable defensively and can handle the puck.