The 2021 Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft came and went. There were some surprises, and there were some that were expected to be taken by the Kraken.
The Kraken followed the same rules in the Expansion Draft as the Vegas Golden Knights when they did their in 2017, with the provision that Vegas would be exempted from losing a player in exchange for forging a share of the Kraken’s expansion fee.
The other 30 teams submitted their lists of protected players on July 17th. The options were 7/3/1 (7 forwards, 3 defensemen, and one goalie) or 8/1 (8 skaters, one goalie), with at least two forwards and one defensemen who were under contract for the 2022 season and played at least 27 games in the 2021 season, or more than 54 games in the 2020 and 2021 seasons combined.
Teams also had to expose a goalie under contract for the 2022 season or who would be an RFA in 2021. Rookies and sophomores in the NHL are exempt from the Expansion Draft.
NOTE: If the player’s name is in italics, the player is protected for contractual reasons.
Boston Bruins
Players Protected:
Forwards: Patrice Bergeron, Charlie Coyle, Jake DeBrusk, Trent Frederic, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, Craig Smith
Defensemen: Brandon Carlo, Matt Grzelcyk, Charlie McAvoy
Goalie: Dan Vladar
Player Selected: D Jeremy Lauzon
Clutch’s Prediction: D Jeremy Lauzon
One reason why the Bruins were okay with letting Zdeno Chara walk in free agency last offseason was because of the young talent they had behind him on defense, and Lauzon headlined it. He had the expectations of playing a larger role on the Bruins, as evidenced by him being Charlie McAvoy’s defensive partner to start the season, because Bruce Cassidy wanted a similar dynamic.
But that would change, not because of Lauzon’s performance, but because the B’s struggled to create offense from the point and the acquisition of Mike Reilly.
When healthy, he played well for the B’s, but when he was injured, he had his spot taken by Matt Grzelcyk, and the pairing of Grzelcyk and McAvoy became too good to split up.
And because Lauzon is inexperienced, he was prone to “rookie mistakes,” like taking a bad angle to the puck or the puck carrier, a bad pass, or forgetting to pick up his man.
But he showed promise in 76 career regular season games, with 3 goals, 8 assists, and a +12 rating. He led all Bruins in shorthanded time on ice last season, averaging 3:05 in that category, which accounted for more than half of his overall ice time.
He is 24 years old and has tons of potential. He found a more permanent spot on the Bruins in the 2021 season, playing 41 games, with one goal and 8 points.
But with him dealing with a broken hand in March that he later broke again in the playoffs, he may have been thrust into a position that he wasn’t quite ready for.
Despite his flashes of promise, he didn’t impress enough to take a spot from McAvoy, Grzelcyk, or Brandon Carlo.
That’s not to say that Lauzon was not ready to play in the NHL. He brings value to a team, but not more than the three defensemen the B’s protected.
He’s not irreplaceable either, as he can’t generate the same offense as Grzelcyk.
Buffalo Sabres
Players Protected:
Forwards: Rasmus Asplund, Anders Bjork, Jack Eichel, Casey Mittelstadt, Victor Olofsson, Sam Reinhart, Tage Thompson
Defensemen: Rasmus Dahlin, Henri Jokiharju, Rasmus Ristolainen
Goalie: Linus Ullmark
Player Selected: D Will Borgen
Clutch’s Prediction: D Will Borgen
Congratulations, Will Borgen! You are now free from the NHL’s Factory of Sadness!
Although some questioned Kevyn Adams’s decision to protect Rasmus Ristolainen over Borgen, there were a lot of trade rumors surrounding Ristolainen, and the Sabres didn’t want to lose Risto for nothing. They got that outcome when they traded him to the Flyers for Robert Hagg and two draft picks, one of which was the 14th overall pick of this year’s Entry Draft.
Borgen, a right-shot defenseman, is just 24 years old and has only 14 games of NHL experience. Standing at 6’ 3”, he uses his size to clear the front of the net and is fearless.
He would be one of the Kraken’s cheaper options, having made just $925k in 2021, but showed that he is ready for a full-time role in the NHL.
He isn’t really all that flashy, but he has the potential to be a solid 3rd pairing defenseman that can play big minutes. He should be able to get that opportunity with the Kraken.
The Sabres wished that they could’ve kept him because he was one of their highly-regarded prospects time ago.
Detroit Red Wings
Players Protected:
Forwards: Tyler Bertuzzi, Adam Erne, Robby Fabbri, Dylan Larkin, Michael Rasmussen, Givani Smith, Jakub Vrana
Defensemen: Filip Hronek, Nick Leddy, Gustav Lindstrom
Goalie: Thomas Greiss
Player Selected: D Dennis Cholowski
Clutch’s Prediction: F Evgeny Svechnikov
The most fitting announcement for the Kraken’s selection from the Red Wings was an octopus announcing the pick.
Dennis Cholowski was pretty much thrown into the fire in Detroit. He played three seasons for the Red Wings since being drafted in the first round of the 2016 Draft.
He showed some offense in 52 games played in the 2019 season, scoring 7 goals and 9 assists, but was a -20 that season, less than ideal, but it spoke to glaring holes on defense.
Cholowski is an offensive defenseman, but 2020 was worse as he had just 2 goals and 6 assists while being a -26, and then had a smaller sample size in 2021 with one goal and two assists on 16 games played.
His lack of development disappointed the Red Wings, but he is still an NHL-caliber defenseman. There are holes in his defensive game, and the Wings’ offense practically dried up. His advanced stats looked worse through the seasons when he was in Detroit, but if the Kraken believe he can turn things around in Seattle, then the Red Wings’ decision to protect Gustav Lindstrom over Cholowski could backfire.
Looking back at this, it could make sense why the Kraken didn’t go after Evgeny Svechnikov.
At 24, he is still an underdeveloped player because of injuries and underwhelming play. He played in 21 games in the 2021 season for the Red Wings, the most he has played in a single season.
He frequented the taxi squad and played a few games with the Grand Rapids Griffins.
He wasn’t great defensively in his 21 games and was above average on driving the offense, with a Corsi For Percentage (CF%) of 7.5, but had just 3 goals and 5 assists. A change of scenery could’ve changed things around for him.
Florida Panthers
Players Protected:
Forwards: Aleksander Barkov, Sam Bennett, Anthony Duclair, Patric Hornqvist, Jonathan Huberdeau, Mason Marchment, Carter Verhaeghe
Defensemen: Aaron Ekblad, Gustav Forsling, MacKenzie Weegar
Goalie: Sergei Bobrovsky
Player Selected: G Chris Driedger
Clutch’s Prediction: G Chris Driedger
This was an obvious selection for the Kraken to make. Trade rumors surrounding him surfaced throughout the NHL, but with no trade partner to be found, he was selected by the Kraken after having a career year with the Florida Panthers.
The 27-year-old finished with a 14-6-3 record, a 2.07 GAA, a .927 save percentage, and three shutouts. His 2.07 GAA and .927 save percentage both ranked 5th in the league among regular goalies and his goals saved above average ranked 8th, at 11.78.
When Driedger was not retained by the Ottawa Senators three years ago, he told his agent to start looking at options playing in Europe. Then the Panthers called him, with the likelihood that he would be the 5th goalie on their depth chart.
He exceeded expectations, with 21 wins in the span of two seasons, playing in 23 games and splitting starts with Sergei Bobrovsky as the 1B option in net, which was big for his development. Fast forward to today and after being taken by the Kraken, he subsequently signed a three-year, $10.5M deal with them.
Montreal Canadiens
Players Protected:
Forwards: Josh Anderson, Joel Armia, Jake Evans, Brendan Gallagher, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Artturi Lehkonen, Tyler Toffoli
Defensemen: Ben Chiarot, Joel Edmundson, Jeff Petry
Goalie: Jake Allen
Player Selected: D Cale Fleury
Clutch’s Prediction: F Jonathan Drouin
If you thought the Kraken would select Carey Price in the Expansion Draft, think again.
Do you think that the Kraken would take on a goaltender who, despite carrying the Habs to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, has had injury issues as of late and carries a cap hit of $10.5M per year? If they took him, they would have dealt with that awful contract for the next five seasons. Yeesh.
Cale Fleury played 41 uninspiring games with the Habs, all during the 2020 season.
However, he showed that he is a tough right-shot defender who can move the puck out of his own zone comfortably. He isn’t much of a big point scorer, but he can be a shutdown defenseman on a 3rd pairing role and can develop into a top 4 defenseman.
In 2021, he spent the entire season on the Laval Rocket, playing 22 games and scoring 6 points, all assists.
With Fleury gone, the Habs are going to prioritize going after a right-shot defenseman. Shea Weber is dealing with a number of injuries, including in his foot, ankle, and knee, and it could very much be career-ending injuries.
Jonathan Drouin was subject to differing opinions by Habs fans, as he has not played since March when he stepped away for personal reasons. He had 53 points in 81 games in the 2019 season, and some believed that he is a talented forward with the potential to break out.
However, he had just 38 points over a 71-game span in 2020 and 2021, so it made some sense that GM Marc Bergevin protected Jake Evans and Artturi Lehkonen over Drouin. And looking back at this, the Habs weren’t wanting to lose Drouin for nothing in the Expansion Draft.
Ottawa Senators
Players Protected:
Forwards: Drake Batherson, Connor Brown, Logan Brown, Nick Paul, Brady Tkachuk, Austin Watson, Colin White
Defensemen: Thomas Chabot, Victor Mete, Nikita Zaitsev
Goalie: Filip Gustavsson
Player Selected: G Joey Daccord
Clutch’s Prediction: F Vitaly Abramov
An interesting selection here.
Daccord spent just 8 games with the Sens, posting a .897 save percentage before a season-ending injury on March 17th against the Canucks.
He was the Sens’ 7th round pick from the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. In his NHL career, he put up a .894 save percentage, but he had a strong showing in the AHL during the 2020 season, where he had a 2.61 GAA and a .915 save percentage.
He has two years left on his entry level contract at a cap hit of $750k. He should help the Kraken’s temporary farm team, the Charlotte Checkers, before the Kraken get their own AHL team in Palm Springs, California.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Players Protected:
Forwards: Anthony Cirelli, Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Steven Stamkos
Defensemen: Erik Cernak, Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, Mikhail Sergachev
Goalie: Andrei Vasilevskiy
Player Selected: F Yanni Gourde
Clutch’s Prediction: F Yanni Gourde
This was the second of three players from the Lightning’s shutdown line to leave Tampa as part of their cap crunch, as Barclay Goodrow was traded to the Rangers before this and Blake Coleman signed with the Flames after this, but in between, Yanni Gourde was selected by the Kraken in the Expansion Draft.
Gourde’s energy set the tone for Goodrow and Coleman on the shutdown line. Nobody talks about his size when he first stepped foot in the NHL. He is 5’ 9”, but everyone mentions his drive on the ice while disregarding his size because it doesn’t matter in his play.
He’s one of those players who has that desire and tenacity to win games. He recorded 36 points while playing all 56 games for the Lightning in 2021, with 7 points (6 of them being goals) in the 2021 Playoffs.
Unfortunately, it is one of those moves that the Lightning had to make in the midst of their cap crunch. Using up all the money on the LTIR this season resulted in the Bolts being $18M over the cap entering the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Despite the back-to-back Stanley Cups, it is now, unfortunately, coming back to bite them, as they lost Goodrow, Gourde, Coleman, and Tyler Johnson in a span of days. At least they re-signed Brayden Point to an 8-year extension at $9.5M per year?
Toronto Maple Leafs
Players Protected:
Forwards: Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, William Nylander, John Tavares
Defensemen: TJ Brodie, Justin Holl, Jake Muzzin, Morgan Rielly
Goalie: Jack Campbell
Player Selected: F Jared McCann
Clutch’s Prediction: F Jared McCann
With the Kraken selecting Jared McCann, this practically means that the Pittsburgh Penguins are losing two players to the Expansion Draft. However, the Pens were not wanting to lose McCann for nothing, but the return they got was underwhelming: Filip Hallander and a 7th round pick.
The Pens were going to lose McCann to the Expansion Draft anyway, no question about that.
However, there are Leafs fans questioning the decision of Kyle Dubas to pick up McCann just to expose him in the Expansion Draft. Some will argue that this was the Leafs’ plan all along, as Seattle was going to want either one of McCann or Alex Kerfoot.
Since McCann was taken, this means that the Leafs don’t lose anyone from their current forward core (minus Zach Hyman and Nick Foligno, who signed with the Oilers and Bruins, respectively).
McCann had 32 points in 43 games in the 2021 season, was 3rd in goals above replacement (GAR), with 10.8, and topped all forwards in GAR per 60, with 2.158.
He is a good two-way center and is a better shooter than Kerfoot. He is also 25, while Kerfoot is 26, and his contract costs less as well. He’s due for a regression this season, but that doesn’t mean that he won’t be useful to the Kraken. His ceiling for them is a 2nd line player.
Carolina Hurricanes
Players Protected:
Forwards: Sebastian Aho, Jesper Fast, Warren Foegele, Jordan Staal, Andrei Svechnikov, Teuvo Teravainen, Vincent Trocheck
Defensemen: Brett Pesce, Brady Skjei, Jaccob Slavin
Goalie: Alex Nedeljkovic
Player Selected: F Morgan Geekie
Clutch’s Prediction: D Jake Bean
The majority of the focus was on Nino Niederreiter and Jake Bean, both of whom were left unprotected by the Hurricanes, which gave the Kraken the chance to take either a 20-goal scorer or a young and promising defenseman.
Most expected the Kraken to select Bean (myself included), the offensive defenseman that Kraken GM Ron Francis selected in the first round of the 2016 Draft. Bean is an offensive defenseman who played impressive offensive numbers in the AHL before coming to the big stage. Surprise...
Morgan Geekie, who Francis selected in the 2017 Draft, turned pro before the 2019 season and instantly made an impact on the Charlotte Checkers before making his NHL debut in 2020 and made the full-time roster in 2021.
In 38 games so far in the NHL, he has six goals and 13 points while primarily skating on the Canes’ 4th line.
His most memorable moment with the Canes was his NHL debut, when he scored two goals and an assist against the Penguins on March 8th, 2020, and then scored again two nights later on the road against the Red Wings.
I had the expectation that the Canes would hold on to Niederreiter after the Draft, but Bean’s future in Carolina was unclear.
They didn’t hold on to Bean for very long as they dealt him to the Blue Jackets to acquire the 44th pick in the 2021 Draft, used to select Aleksi Heimosalmi, a defenseman from Assat of the Finnish Liiga.
Bean played two seasons in Charlotte, winning the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL’s top defenseman in 2020, before getting called up to the NHL.
However, in the NHL, he played sparingly, at just 14:16 per night, and struggled in his first NHL postseason. He subsequently signed a three-year, $7M contract with the Blue Jackets, a team that saw them trade Seth Jones to the Blackhawks for Adam Boqvist, after getting traded there.
Although he didn’t have that much offensive success with the Canes, he still was on their second power play unit toward the end of the season. This could be a sign that he could be on the Jackets’ second power play unit.
The biggest loser here? ESPN.
Chris Fowler said “Carolina Panthers” instead of Carolina Hurricanes. Oops.
Even the Panthers and Hurricanes had a good laugh as the Hurricanes changed their profile picture to Sam Darnold’s drawing of a panther during a team video. The Panthers responded with changing their profile picture to the Hurricanes logo but with their team colors.
It was all a good laugh, but this now goes into the “Top 10 Moments Taken Before Disaster” reel, 2021 edition, because of the disaster that struck in the Canes’ offseason...
Columbus Blue Jackets
Players Protected:
Forwards: Cam Atkinson, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Boone Jenner, Patrik Laine, Gustav Nyquist, Eric Robinson, Jack Roslovic
Defensemen: Vladislav Gavrikov, Seth Jones, Zach Werenski
Goalie: Joonas Korpisalo
Player Selected: D Gavin Bayreuther (signed back with Columbus)
Clutch’s Prediction: F Max Domi
Excuse me, what? Gavin Bayreuther? The Kraken chose him? I’m confused. The Blue Jackets left Domi exposed in the Expansion Draft!
I’m guessing that Domi fell victim to the wrath of Mount Tortorella with Patrik Laine? Or is it something else?
The Jackets did make a risk in leaving Domi exposed to the Expansion Draft. He carries a $5.3M salary and a $6M pay rate nest season, plus he is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum on his right shoulder.
Domi’s recovery timetable is five to six months, so he is likely to miss the start of the regular season, slated to start in October.
So, instead of having Domi protected in the Draft, the Jackets protected Eric Robinson instead. Robinson has size and speed, and is a solid defensive forechecking bottom six forward for the Jackets.
You thought Seattle was keeping Bayreuther? Here’s a plot twist... he heads right back to Columbus.
Overall, his selection was surprising given that he had just 3 goals and 6 points in 28 career NHL games. It didn’t look as if he would be part of the Kraken’s roster, but rather, looked as if they would sign him to an AHL contract.
Outside of Domi, the two most likely options for the Kraken to choose from Columbus were Kevin Stenlund and Dean Kukan.
New Jersey Devils
Players Protected:
Forwards: Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, Janne Kuokkanen, Mikey McLeod, Yegor Sharangovich, Miles Wood, Pavel Zacha
Defensemen: Ryan Graves, Damon Severson, Jonas Siegenthaler
Goalie: Mackenzie Blackwood
Player Selected: F Nathan Bastian
Clutch’s Prediction: D Will Butcher
Initially I was expecting Will Butcher to be taken by the Kraken, but Nathan Bastian is also another good choice for them.
One can argue that he was the best choice that the Kraken would take.
While a guy like Butcher, Andreas Johnsson, or PK Subban could handle a bigger role on the Kraken, in terms of roster approach, Bastian is a better fit. He fits on a 4th line right winger role, as he played very well on that role during the 2021 season with linemate Mikey McLeod.
Despite his 3 goals and 10 points in 41 games, he looks promising, showing his impactfulness as a two-way forward, and it was noticeable. He had a CF% of 49.9% and an expected goals percentage (xG%) of 50.2%. He also generated the most high-danger chances per 60 minutes out of any Devil. He also had a physical edge among other forwards.
Once again, Chris Fowler loses here. He introduced the Devils as “one of the three New York teams” when the Devils play in Newark, New Jersey, when the other team that plays in New York is the Buffalo Sabres. That’s two Ls so far for him. Yikes.
New York Islanders
Players Protected:
Forwards: Mat Barzal, Anthony Beauvillier, Cal Clutterbuck, Anders Lee, Matt Martin, Brock Nelson, Jean-Gabriel Pageau
Defensemen: Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock, Scott Mayfield
Goalie: Semyon Varlamov
Player Selected: F Jordan Eberle
Clutch’s Prediction: F Jordan Eberle
Initially, I was expecting either one of Nick Leddy or Kieffer Bellows to be selected, but the Islanders had their cap situation of their own. They had to trade Leddy to the Red Wings and leave both Jordan Eberle and Josh Bailey exposed to the Expansion Draft to free up cap space to re-sign RFAs Adam Pelech, Anthony Beauvillier, and Ilya Sorokin, plus find a 3rd line left winger to replace Kyle Palmeri should Palmieri leave in free agency.
The Kraken took a gamble and took Eberle from the Islanders.
His time with the Isles was successful as the team won 28 playoff games in the time he was there.
His first season had him landing to the Island in a one-for-one deal that sent Ryan Strome to Edmonton, while Eberle reunited with John Tavares, his teammate from the 2009 World Juniors in Team Canada. However, Eberle’s point production was not reliant on Tavares.
When the Isles made the playoffs in 2019, Eberle knew that his chance to prove himself would not come again. And he showed up big time: 9 points in 8 games, with 6 of them in the 1st round sweep of the Penguins.
He followed that off with 14 points 22 games in the bubble in 2020, one of which including a double overtime winner in Game 5 of the East Final against the Lightning. These numbers aren’t truly dominating but it shows that he is truly a playoff performer.
In four seasons with the Isles, he scored 76 goals and 169 points in the regular season and 13 goals and 36 points in 49 playoff games for the Isles while spending the majority of his time on Mat Barzal’s line, who he has good chemistry with.
Although he has these moments where he would be streaky, he is still a game-changer. He projects as the Kraken’s 1st line right winger and should provide veteran leadership to the team.
With Eberle in Seattle, this means that the Islanders need to make a big move, and it is hard to see a scenario where equal production can be acquired on a cheaper contract.
Maybe they re-sign Palmieri? Or maybe they move Oliver Wahlstrom up to Barzal’s line and sign a cheaper option for the 3rd line, like Zach Parise? Also, although Anders Lee is primarily as the left wing on Barzal’s line, he is coming off a knee injury that required surgery. So, it could take time for him to return to form.
New York Rangers
Players Protected:
Forwards: Pavel Buchnevich, Filip Chytil, Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin, Kevin Rooney, Ryan Strome, Mika Zibanejad
Defensemen: Libor Hajek, Ryan Lindgren, Jacob Trouba
Goalie: Alexandar Georgiev
Player Selected: F Colin Blackwell
Clutch’s Prediction: F Julien Gauthier
With Brett Howden traded to the Vegas Golden Knights, that left Colin Blackwell and Julien Gauthier as the two viable options left for the Kraken to take from the Rangers.
Gauthier played 30 games last season, with 2 goals and 13 points, along with 14 penalty minutes. He was re-signed to a one-year deal a week before the Expansion Draft.
For some reason, he was not given an extended look under previous Rangers HC David Quinn, averaging 8:39 a game in 2020, and 9:39 in 2021. He wasn’t all that awful, given that his most common linemates on 5v5 were Kevin Rooney and Filip Chytil, but it illustrates where he was on the lineup.
The Rangers were hoping he would adapt to the 4th line role, and he used his speed and body to make body checks and raise the tension on the forecheck.
The Kraken chose to select Blackwell.
In the AHL, he had a career total of 105 points in 187 games, which equated to an uninspiring 0.56 points per game. However, he stands at 5’ 9” and was drafted in the 7th round of the 2011 Draft, so it’s easy to see why he was overlooked.
Although he started off slow in the 2021 season, with 12 points in his first 26 games with the Rangers, he finished the year strong, with 10 points in the next 16. Although he didn’t record a point in the final 5 games, his final tallies were 12 goals and 22 points in 47 games.
Blackwell was decent in terms of the above replacement stats, finishing 8th in GAR, with 5.2, while being 0.9 Wins Above Replacement (WAR). The Rangers got a boost from his offensive contributions, as his Offensive GAR was 7.2.
On the other advanced stats, he finished 7th among NHL regulars with a Goals For Percentage (GF%) of 55.45 on 5v5, 16th in CF%, with 45.4, and 12th in Expected Goals For Percentage (46.65).
One can make the argument that he benefited playing on a line with Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome, as the ceiling for him is at the bottom six.
Philadelphia Flyers
Players Protected:
Forwards: Nic Aube-Kubel, Sean Couturier, Claude Giroux, Kevin Hayes, Travis Konecny, Scott Laughton, Oskar Lindblom
Defensemen: Ryan Ellis, Ivan Provorov, Travis Sanheim
Goalie: Carter Hart
Player Selection: F Carsen Twarynski
Clutch’s Prediction: F James van Riemsdyk
This was certainly surprising.
Instead of choosing Jakub Voracek or James van Riemsdyk, the Kraken are opting for the younger and cheaper option in Carsen Twarynski. It’s bold, but also smart, as the Kraken want to avoid taking on contracts of players who are overpaid (for reference, see Cale Fleury).
He had just one goal in 22 games with the Flyers and 38 points in 107 games in the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. His underlying metrics were 39.53 in CF% and 34.38 in xGF at 5v5, per Evolving Hockey.
However, he was buried deep in the Flyers’ depth chart, so he didn’t have that many chances with the Flyers. Now, he gets a fresh start on the Kraken.
The Flyers missed out on clearing cap space here, but they clear cap by means of trading away Shayne Gostisbehere to the Coyotes before trading for Rasmus Ristolainen and then trading away Voracek to the Blue Jackets for Cam Atkinson.
When they left van Riemsdyk exposed to the Expansion Draft while protecting 4th liner Nic Aube-Kubel, they believed that the potential to losing van Riemsdyk’s cap hit was more valuable than his scoring.
But with the Kraken selecting Twarynski, it kept the Flyers in a tight cap situation. It was assumed that the Flyers wanted the Kraken to select either one of Voracek, van Riemsdyk, or Gostisbehere.
After trading Voracek for Atkinson, trading for Ryan Ellis, trading for Ristolainen, signing Martin Jones, and signing Keith Yandle, it leaves the Flyers with just $8M in cap space to re-sign Travis Sanheim and Carter Hart.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Players Protected:
Forwards: Teddy Blueger, Jeff Carter, Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel, Kasperi Kapanen, Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust
Defensemen: Brian Dumoulin, Kris Letang, Mike Matheson
Goalie: Tristan Jarry
Player Selection: F Brandon Tanev
Clutch’s Prediction: F Brandon Tanev
At first, the Pens’ decision to protect Jeff Carter didn’t really make much sense to me, but an argument can be made for that: He had 9 goals in the final 14 games of the regular season and tallied four more in the 6-game defeat to the Islanders in the playoffs. Evgeni Malkin’s knee injury and surgery also had to factor in that decision to protect Carter.
The Kraken selecting Tanev hurts the Pens. He became a fan favorite in his two seasons because of his all-out style of play. He is not afraid to throw the body. The Pens needed his grit.
But Tanev has some things that kept him from being an ideal player with the Pens. First, he is entering the 3rd year of his six-year contract that comes at a cap hit of $3.5M per year. Second, he is a smaller player who has a greater risk of injury because of how hard he plays. He missed 24 of the 56 games last season because of injuries.
He was part of the Pens’ 4th line along with Zach Aston-Reese and Teddy Blueger that became a nightmare for opposing teams.
Aston-Reese and Blueger are guaranteed to be brought back next season. Finding a proper fit to replace Tanev should help them be effective.
The Pens cleared $6.5M in cap space and went out to sign Brock McGinn and Danton Heinen in free agency to fill in the holes left behind by the losses of McCann and Tanev. Other players inside the Pens organization have had NHL experience before: Sam Lafferty, Anthony Angello, Drew O’Connor and Radim Zohorna, who could be next in line for 4th line duties.
Washington Capitals
Players Protected:
Forwards: Nicklas Backstrom, Lars Eller, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Anthony Mantha, TJ Oshie, Daniel Sprong, Tom Wilson
Defensemen: John Carlson, Dmitry Orlov, Trevor van Riemsdyk
Goalie: Ilya Samsonov
Player Selection: G Vitek Vanecek (traded back to Washington)
Clutch’s Prediction: D Michal Kempny
The choice between protecting Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek was not necessarily on talent, but rather, because of Vanecek’s very team-friendly contract that has a year remaining with just a tad over $700k.
While I was expecting one of Washington’s defensemen to be taken, like Michal Kempny or Brenden Dillon, Vanecek’s contract was good enough for the Kraken to bypass selecting one of Washington’s defensemen.
Samsonov had a cap hit of $925k in 2021, but he is a pending RFA, and, despite an up-and-down campaign, signs still point to him becoming the starter in Washington.
Vanecek played in 37 of the Caps’ 56 games in 2021, recording a 2.69 GAA and a .908 save percentage. He provided a cheap, NHL caliber goalie who was able to fill in with the uncertainties surrounding Samsonov, who was on the Caps’ COVID list twice in 2021.
With him taken by the Kraken, there were questions on who will back up Samsonov. The simplest move for them at first sight was bringing back Pheonix Copley, who backed up Braden Holtby in 2019. However, he slipped down the depth chart and looked to be destined to be the 4th goalie in the charts, as Copley had a 2.66 GAA and a .896 save percentage with the AHL’s Hershey Bears, while Zach Fucale had a 1.80 GAA and a .932 save percentage.
The question is: Who will replace Vanecek and join Samsonov in the Caps’ goalie tandem? Their answer... Vitek Vanecek himself?
After the Kraken signed Chris Driedger on the day of the Expansion Draft, they decided to sign Philipp Grubauer to a six-year deal (has since been nullified, and the Kraken are working to restructure and resubmit to the NHL for approval), leaving the Kraken with two high-quality goalie options and no clear role for Vanecek. It was clear he was the odd man out here, as the Kraken didn’t need him.
Arizona Coyotes
Players Protected:
Forwards: Lawson Crouse, Christian Dvorak, Conor Garland, Clayton Keller, Phil Kessel, Johan Larsson, Nick Schmaltz
Defensemen: Kyle Capobianco, Jakob Chychrun, Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Goalie: Darcy Kuemper
Player Selection: F Tyler Pitlick (traded to Calgary)
Clutch’s Prediction: D Ilya Lyubushkin
When the Coyotes traded Adin Hill to the Sharks, the choice on who the Kraken will take from the Yotes went down to between Tyler Pitlick, Ilya Lyubushkin, and Christian Fischer. The Kraken chose to go with Pitlick, who had more name and recognition around the league, having played longer and for some big market teams, those being the Oilers, the Stars, and the Flyers.
From here, the Kraken could either keep him or trade him away. They chose to trade him away to the Flames for a 2022 4th round pick.
Although he had 6 goals and 11 points in 38 games for the Coyotes, he had 20 points in 63 games with the Flyers in 2020. He is a bottom six low-event defensive winger, but he played in big and tough minutes for the Yotes in 2021. He would fit in as a replacement for Joakim Nordstrom, who left to play in the KHL.
Chicago Blackhawks
Players Protected:
Forwards: Henrik Borgstrom, Alex DeBrincat, Brandon Hagel, David Kampf, Patrick Kane, Dylan Strome, Jonathan Toews
Defensemen: Caleb Jones, Connor Murphy, Riley Stillman
Goalie: Kevin Lankinen
Player Selection: F John Quenneville
Clutch’s Prediction: D Anton Lindholm
Once again, the Blackhawks escaped the Expansion Draft without losing any established NHL players. They thought that they would most likely lose either one of Nikita Zadorov, Ryan Carpenter, Adam Gaudette, Calvin de Haan, or Malcolm Subban. However, the Kraken prioritized maximizing their available cap space.
John Quenneville, the nephew of former Blackhawks and current Panthers HC Joel Quenneville, spent all of the 2021 season with the Rockford IceHogs, with just two points in 16 games and fell far down the Hawks’ forward depth chart.
With the Kraken selecting him while prioritizing cap space, they get a lot of flexibility on who they want to add to their roster. They did that by signing Grubauer, Jaden Schwartz, and Alex Wennberg.
There is also the possibility that the Kraken were not interested in particular players that the Blackhawks exposed in the Expansion Draft. Carpenter is a strong penalty killer and a decent 4th liner, but he is 30 years old. de Haan is a modest cap hit at $4.5M, but he has dealt with injuries in recent history. Zadorov was unable to agree to terms on a new contract with the Blackhawks, so it’s possible that the Kraken weren’t willing to pay him what he was asking for (the Blackhawks later traded Zadorov to the Flames).
Colorado Avalanche
Players Protected:
Forwards: Andre Burakovsky, Tyson Jost, Nazem Kadri, Nathan MacKinnon, Valeri Nichushkin, Logan O’Connor, Mikko Rantanen
Defensemen: Sam Girard, Cale Makar, Devon Toews
Goalie: Philipp Grubauer
Player Selection: F Joonas Donskoi
Clutch’s Prediction: F Joonas Donskoi
Well, that pronunciation of Joonas Donskoi in the Expansion Draft announcement could’ve gone better.
The decision came down to between Donskoi and JT Compher to get picked by the Kraken in the Expansion Draft after the Avs dealt Ryan Graves to the Devils. However, it was clear that Donskoi had the better career resume.
He spent two seasons with the Avs and was part of their new wave of depth forwards that they acquired in the 2019 offseason. He racked up 33 goals and 64 points in 116 games with the Avs, with 6 goals and 11 points in 19 playoff games with them.
Donskoi is the kind of guy who can play on any line and contribute big. He was on the Avs’ first power play unit in the playoffs as the “wheel” in the middle. He skates hard, checks hard, and is not afraid to get to the net. His CF% is a solid 55.6. He is a third line forward who can also be serviceable in the second line.
The Avs losing Donskoi frees up $3.9M in cap space for a team who needed to re-sign Cale Makar and either sign or replace Philipp Grubauer. They managed to lock up Makar long-term, on a 6-year, $54M deal.
Despite losing Grubauer to the Kraken, they found a trade partner to get a replacement: The Coyotes. They traded for Darcy Kuemper, with the Yotes retaining $1M of his $4.5M cap hit. In addition, they got captain Gabriel Landeskog to an extension on an 8-year, $56M deal.
Dallas Stars
Players Protected:
Forwards: Jamie Benn, Radek Faksa, Denis Gurianov, Roope Hintz, Joe Pavelski, Alexander Radulov, Tyler Seguin
Defensemen: Miro Heiskanen, John Klingberg, Esa Lindell
Goalie: Anton Khudobin
Player Selection: D Jamie Oleksiak
Clutch’s Prediction: G Ben Bishop
Initially, the favorite to be selected from the Stars was Jason Dickinson, but he got traded to the Canucks and was later protected by them. So, the decision came down to Ben Bishop, who waived his no-movement clause before the Expansion Draft, and Jamie Oleksiak. The Kraken, prioritizing defense, chose Oleksiak.
Oleksiak brings size, physical play, and handles. In between his two stints with the Stars came his stint with the Penguins, which was crucial to his development. When he came back to Dallas, he primarily played with Miro Heiskanen as his defensive partner.
Ever since, Oleksiak has been a consistent defenseman, using his 6’ 7” frame to his advantage. Although he struggled to find his play style early on, he developed in Pittsburgh, registering 153 and 158 hits in the last two seasons. He constantly delivers big hit sand separates the offensive players from the puck, even in front of his own net.
He has that confidence in him in nearly every situation, leading to him seeing more ice time, especially when he saw his average time on ice increase by 5 minutes this past season.
He is also not afraid to stand up for his teammates and will not hesitate to drop the gloves when one of his guys gets badly hurt.
Other than his defensive play and hitting, Kraken fans are going to be roaring when he has his flashy goal, showing off his slick hands. Perhaps he can provide more of his offensive production that he showed throughout the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Maybe that’s why they took a gamble on him and signed him to a 5-year, $23M contract. It’s a risky gamble that can pay dividends.
Minnesota Wild
Players Protected:
Forwards: Joel Eriksson Ek, Kevin Fiala, Marcus Foligno, Jordan Greenway, Ryan Hartman, Nico Sturm, Mats Zuccarello
Defensemen: Jonas Brodin, Matt Dumba, Jared Spurgeon
Goalie: Cam Talbot
Player Selection: D Carson Soucy
Clutch’s Prediction: G Kaapo Kahkonen
This is another surprise.
Before the Wild bought out the final four years of the contracts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, Carson Soucy was expected to be kept safe with the Wild, with Matt Dumba likely going west.
Even after the buyouts, many expected Kaapo Kahkonen to be taken. Kahkonen finished the 2021 season with a 2.88 GAA and a .902 save percentage. He shared time in net with Cam Talbot early in the season, but Talbot was the clear no. 1 goalie the majority of the season.
However, the unexpected happened.
Soucy and his $2.75M cap hit went to Seattle now, and it made him a fairly controllable asset for the Kraken.
Looking back at it now, it can make sense given that the Kraken didn’t want to potentially deal with another goaltending project and instead go for someone who can anchor the 3rd pair or serve as a top four defenseman when the situation calls for it. It makes sense given the limited choices the Kraken had.
In 108 games with the Wild, Soucy tallied 8 goals and 31 points, with one goal and 17 points in the 2021 season, setting career highs in points and in assists (16) while continuing to emerge as a solid defender, bringing size and grit.
With him being selected, it left the Wild to fill in the holes left behind by the buyout of Suter, the selection of Soucy, and with Ian Cole leaving for the Hurricanes. They did this by signing Alex Goligoski, Dmitry Kulikov, and Jon Merrill.
Nashville Predators
Players Protected:
Forwards: Filip Forsberg, Tanner Jeannot, Luke Kunin
Defensemen: Alexandre Carrier, Mattias Ekholm, Dante Fabbro, Roman Josi, Philippe Myers
Goalie: Juuse Saros
Player Selection: F Calle Jarnkrok
Clutch’s Prediction: F Calle Jarnkrok
The Predators emphasized youth, defense, and refreshing their core. Calle Jarnkrok was not one of their priorities, so it’s not surprising that he was taken by the Kraken.
The Kraken passed on more high-profile names like Ryan Johansen and Matt Duchene in favor of Jarnkrok (with Marshawn Lynch making the announcement!).
While leaving Jarnkrok exposed was not surprising, the surprising part was the fact that the Preds decided to protect Alexandre Carrier and Tanner Jeannot, who played well in 2021, but were just a small sample size of what they could do in the NHL.
Jarnkrok was one of the Preds’ more versatile players the last few seasons, and even tied Mikael Granlund for the team lead in goals scored. He isn’t a blue-chip player, but more of someone who can be moved up or down the lineup and can still fit in with the identity of whichever line he plays in.
He also does well on special teams, meaning that he can fit in on both the power play and on the penalty kill. He also has the skating ability to help lead a rush-driven offensive system.
He was consistent defensively, as his high-danger chances against were low relative to other forwards in the league.
He isn’t the most consistent scorer, but whether he is in a scoring slump or coming off a lights out game, he puts his best effort, giving it his all. His point totals won’t wow you, but he has a nice shot. That is exactly what the Kraken are looking for: A player that gives his all and brings an identity.
The best part of the Kraken taking him? His contract. With a cap hit of $2M gives Seattle plenty of cap flexibility, both in the 2022 season and in the future. So, if they want to re-sign him after the 2022 season, it would not cost that much.
St. Louis Blues
Players Protected:
Forwards: Ivan Barbashev, Jordan Kyrou, Ryan O’Reilly, David Perron, Brayden Schenn, Oskar Sundqvist, Robert Thomas
Defensemen: Justin Faulk, Torey Krug, Colton Parayko
Goalie: Jordan Binnington
Player Selection: D Vince Dunn
Clutch’s Prediction: D Vince Dunn
Two seasons removed from a Stanley Cup championship, the Blues are finding themselves in a tight situation, although not exactly in shambles.
Vladimir Tarasenko requested a trade from the Blues based on how they mishandled his shoulder surgeries, while Vince Dunn, despite 20 points in 43 games, had a tendency to make some costly mistakes with the Blues, which hasn’t always sat well with the coaches. It led to both getting exposed in the Expansion Draft while the Blues opted to protect Torey Krug, Colton Parayko, Justin Faulk, and Ivan Barbashev over them.
With the Kraken taking Dunn, they land themselves an interesting player that can end up on a number of teams. He is currently an RFA as of now, but he can benefit from a change of scenery.
He is still a capable defenseman who can play at a high level. He was a valuable top four defenseman when the Blues won the Stanley Cup in 2019.
Because he is an RFA, he is seeking a raise from his $1.875M cap hit.
It was said that a trade involving Dunn didn’t happen because the Blues were not getting what they want in exchange for him. There were rumors of the team working on a final trade before the Expansion Draft protection lists were submitted, but nothing came out of it. The other reason was from the speculation that the Blues may be okay with losing Dunn in the Expansion Draft.
Winnipeg Jets
Players Protected:
Forwards: Kyle Connor, Andrew Copp, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Nikolaj Ehlers, Adam Lowry, Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler
Defensemen: Josh Morrissey, Neal Pionk, Logan Stanley
Goalie: Connor Hellebuyck
Player Selection: F Mason Appleton
Clutch’s Prediction: F Jansen Harkins
This is a good selection by the Kraken.
Mason Appleton is a multi-faceted two-way forward who is coming off a breakout season where he had career-highs in goals (12) and assists (13), playing mostly on the 3rd line with Andrew Copp and Adam Lowry. Appleton was especially solid in even strength and was one of their top penalty killers.
He also has a reputation for hard work that can help him thrive under Kraken HC Dave Hakstol.
Although Appleton was overshadowed by the likes of Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, Blake Wheeler and Nikolaj Ehlers, he slowly started to get more time on the special teams, including on the power play unit. He would see more ice time in Seattle and expand beyond his role as a bottom six forward.
A possible replacement for Appleton in Winnipeg could be Jansen Harkins.
He was a bit overlooked in 2021, spending a lot of time on the taxi squad, spending just 26 games in a 4th line role, only recording a goal and an assist. However, he is capable of a lot more: He had two goals and 5 assists in 2020 in 29 games after 31 points in 30 games with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, showing his impact as a two-way player. He is naturally a center, but played mostly on the wing that season.
Anaheim Ducks
Players Protected:
Forwards: Nicolas Deslauriers, Max Jones, Isac Lundestrom, Rickard Rakell, Jakob Silfverberg, Sam Steel, Troy Terry
Defensemen: Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, Josh Manson
Goalie: John Gibson
Player Selection: D Haydn Fleury
Clutch’s Prediction: F Sonny Milano
With the Kraken’s selection of Haydn Fleury, it reunites him with his brother, Cale, on the ice for the first time since their childhoods.
While Cale is a righty, playing 41 games (all in the 2020 season with the Habs), tallying one goal, Haydn is a lefty, with 27 points (7 goals and 20 assists) in 179 NHL games, 12 of those in a brief stint with the Ducks after being traded for Jani Hakanpaa, although he averaged more than 20 minutes of ice time with the Ducks. Fleury struggled to crack the Hurricanes’ deep defense charts and didn’t show enough in a small sample size with the Ducks.
Like Cale, Haydn is a young and developing defenseman with time to prove himself with the Kraken. For them, this is a classic flyer whose stock dropped significantly, but he is still young enough to offer promise.
GM Ron Francis, who drafted Fleury when he was the GM of the Hurricanes, was eager to bring him into the mix in Seattle, and for good reason. Fleury is a coach’s dream: Willing to sacrifice the body to block shots, deliver hits, join the rush, and do whatever is asked of him. Struggles to generate offense made him an expendable, but he is still a reliable depth defenseman who has the potential to turn his career around.
The Fleury brothers still have several more seasons to go before they achieve their full potential. Francis emphasizes a strong defense, and adding the Fleury brothers boosts that plan with two young defensemen with NHL experience with them.
Once again, Chris Fowler takes another L with yet another error: By calling the Ducks the “Anaheim Mighty Ducks.” Like, seriously, you know that the Mighty Ducks changed their name to the Anaheim Ducks after the 2006 season?
Calgary Flames
Players Protected:
Forwards: Mikael Backlund, Dillon Dube, Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm, Andrew Mangiapane, Sean Monahan, Matthew Tkachuk
Defensemen: Rasmus Andersson, Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev
Goalie: Jacob Markstrom
Player Selection: D Mark Giordano
Clutch’s Prediction: D Oliver Kylington
The thing about the Flames is that a different rumor circulates every week involving a different player. Trade talks revolved around Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau, and even Matthew Tkachuk.
What was consistent is the rumors of the departure of Mark Giordano.
Flames fans were hoping that Mark Giordano would remain a Flame for life, but, unfortunately, those rumors of Giordano leaving came true.
Giordano has one year left on his 6-year, $40.5M contract that comes at a cap hit of $6.75M. He might not be what he was when he won the Norris Trophy in 2019, but he is still an effective defender, with 26 points in 56 games last season while averaging 23 minutes on the ice per game.
His departure is a huge blow to the team, as he has been the team’s captain since the 2014 season and spent 17 seasons with them. He leaves the Flames with the 2nd-most goals in franchise history, with 143, and the 3rd-most points all-time on the team, with 509.
The reason why Giordano was not protected is that the Flames can’t afford to go the 4/4/1 route, because, outside of Gaudreau, Tkachuk, and Elias Lindholm, they would have to choose to protect either one of Andrew Mangiapane, Mikael Backlund, or Dillon Dube. Under these circumstances, Giordano was the odd man out.
The fact that he was selected meant that the Flames have a hole to fill in their defense. Acquiring Nikita Zadorov from the Blackhawks was a start, and it is possible that he can step into the vacated spot in the top four and can do so at a lower price tag than Giordano.
Edmonton Oilers
Players Protected:
Forwards: Josh Archibald, Leon Draisaitl, Zack Kassian, Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jesse Puljujarvi, Kailer Yamamoto
Defensemen: Ethan Bear, Duncan Keith, Darnell Nurse
Goalie: Stuart Skinner
Player Selection: D Adam Larsson
Clutch’s Prediction: D Adam Larsson
My goodness, the Oilers are a disaster. It’s not just with them trading away Caleb Jones for a washed-up Duncan Keith and taking on his entire salary, but also locking up Zach Hyman to a 7-year deal and overpaying for him, worsening their defense by trading away Ethan Bear, overpaying for Cody Ceci after Ceci had a career year in sheltered minutes with the Penguins, and letting Adam Larsson get selected by the Kraken in the Expansion Draft. Not to mention that Oscar Klefbom is unlikely to play in the 2022 season because of a lingering shoulder injury and there are many questions on if he could step foot on the ice again.
The acquisition of Keith put a wrench in the Larsson negotiations.
After he was taken by the Kraken, he was subsequently signed to a 4-year, $16M contract. He was the Oilers’ premier shutdown defenseman in the 2021 season, playing all 56 regular season games in a shortened season. He was a crucial part of the Oilers’ success and a large part of their improved defensive play that season, as the team allowed 0.31 fewer goals against than in 2020 with the same tandem of Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen. Despite recording just 4 goals and 6 assists in 2021, Larsson finished 2nd in the league with 128 blocks, along with 166 hits, ranking 5th among defensemen in the latter category.
Los Angeles Kings
Players Protected:
Forwards: Lias Andersson, Viktor Arvidsson, Dustin Brown, Alex Iafallo, Adrian Kempe, Anze Kopitar, Trevor Moore
Defensemen: Drew Doughty, Matt Roy, Sean Walker
Goalie: Cal Petersen
Player Selection: D Kurtis MacDermid (traded to Colorado)
Clutch’s Prediction: F Blake Lizotte
This is strange. The more likely candidates for the Kraken to take from the Kings were either one of Andreas Athanasiou, Blake Lizotte, or Kale Clague.
The selection of Kurtis MacDermid was one that the Kraken should’ve stayed away from. He isn't really that much of a reliable defenseman on the offensive end. Besides, he is 27 years old, and there were better options available for the Kraken to take from the Kings. The only positive that he has is physicality and dropping the mitts when standing up for his teammates.
The Kings already have a number of gritty players, like Dustin Brown, Carl Grundstrom, Austin Wagner, and Jared Anderson-Dolan. They also have a plethora of left-handed defensemen, which MacDermid was part of that group, along with Clague, Mikey Anderson, Tobias Bjornfot, Olli Maatta, Christian Wolanin, and free agent acquisition Alex Edler.
While the right side is more stable, with Drew Doughty, Matt Roy, and Sean Walker, Anderson is the only lefty who played at least 50 games. Losing MacDermid allows the Kings to further develop their young and promising defenders in Anderson, Bjornfot, and Clague, along with keeping Athanasiou’s RFA rights, whom they later signed to a one-year extension.
Later, the Kraken shipped off MacDermid to the Avalanche, giving the Avs much-needed size on the back end. Outside of providing physicality, it can be implied that the Kraken didn’t really need him in their plans.
San Jose Sharks
Players Protected:
Forwards: Rudolfs Balcers, Logan Couture, Jonathan Dahlen, Tomas Hertl, Evander Kane, Kevin Labanc, Timo Meier
Defensemen: Brent Burns, Erik Karlsson, Marc-Edouard Vlasic
Goalie: Adin Hill
Player Selection: F Alex True
Clutch’s Prediction: F Ryan Donato
This is another surprise by the Kraken, as Ryan Donato, Dylan Gambrell, and Matt Nieto were all made available to be selected, as they have more experience in the NHL level.
Alex True has just 19 games of NHL experience, with 5 assists and 8 penalty minutes on a bottom 6 role. In the AHL, however, he was one of the San Jose Barracuda’s best players, with 59 goals and 69 assists, to go with 106 penalty minutes.
True stands at 6’ 5” and 201 pounds, so if the Kraken want to bulk up their 4th line, he could be a fit. Unfortunately, he has struggled with skating in his career, with his large frame slowing him down.
Vancouver Canucks
Players Protected:
Forwards: Brock Boeser, Jason Dickinson, Bo Horvat, JT Miller, Tyler Motte, Tanner Pearson, Elias Pettersson
Defensemen: Olli Juolevi, Tyler Myers, Nate Schmidt
Goalie: Thatcher Demko
Player Selection: F Kole Lind
Clutch’s Prediction: F Kole Lind
The Kraken were reportedly not taking Jonah Gadjovich, which left Kole Lind, Braden Holtby, Zack MacEwen, and Matthew Highmore as the likely remaining options. But with them selecting Lind, the discussions of Holtby being between the pipes died down. In addition, he ended up as the odd man out when the Canucks acquired Jason Dickinson via trade with the Stars.
Although he had 44 goals and 84 assists in 140 games with the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets, his offensive production in the WHL did not translate over to the AHL’s Utica Comets.
Although he had 44 points in 61 games in his second season in Utica, he had yet to prove that he was ready for a full-time role in the NHL. He played in 7 games with the Canucks in 2021, going pointless in all 7 games.
His selection kept the Canucks in a cap crisis.
However, they may have solved it by buying out Holtby and Jake Virtanen, getting rid of the bad contracts of Loui Eriksson, Antoine Roussel, and Jay Beagle. Now their focus is to re-sign Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, and Dickinson.
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