Seattle Kraken
Follow along with Mike Stephens as the NHL’s 32nd franchise, the Seattle Kraken, picks its inaugural roster via the expansion draft. For a full list of who is available, click here.
These picks have not officially been announced by the NHL, but has been reported by reputable sources.
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Anaheim Ducks: Haydn Fleury, D
How nice of the Kraken to unite the Fleury brothers in Seattle. Fleury is most known for his draft pedigree, having been a seventh overall pick back in 2014, but has carved out a decent little career as an effective bottom-pairing defender who brings versatility in his ability to play his off-side.
Arizona Coyotes: Tyler Pitlick, C
Pitlick represents a trend among the bulk of Seattle’s picks thus far: a defensively-minded, bottom-six forward with little offensive upside. The 29-year-old put up just 11 points in 33 games for the Coyotes last season.
Boston Bruins: Jeremy Lauzon, D
Lauzon is a 24-year-old left-shot defenceman who nearly 19 minutes per game for the Bruins last season. He finished with 9 points in 41 games.
Buffalo Sabres: William Borgen, D
A 24-year-old right-shot D, Borgen is a sneaky-good pick from perhaps the weakest unprotected list in the entire league. Borgen has just 14 games of scoreless NHL experience on his resume, but he’s shown signs of value in his sparse usage that could be stoked by Seattle’s development staff.
Carolina Hurricanes: Morgan Geekie, C
A familiar face to Kraken GM, Ron Francis, Geekie was a third-round pick of the Hurricanes’ when Francis was in charge in 2017. The 23-year-old played only 36 games last season but will likely get a bigger role in the Kraken’s lineup moving forward.
Calgary Flames: Mark Giordano, D
A Norris Trophy winner in 2018, Giordano may not be among the NHL’s elite defensemen at his current age, but the former-Flames captain is still a remarkably productive player and gives the Kraken some added versatility on their emerging blueline.
Chicago Blackhawks: TBD
Columbus Blue Jackets: Gavin Bayreuther, D
A surprising pick, to say the least, Bayreuther played just nine games for the Blue Jackets in 2021, scoring a single goal. The 27-year-old logged only 15:23 in average ice time when he did and put up some of the worst underlying numbers in the NHL, albeit in a small sample size.
Colorado Avalanche: Joonas Donskoi, RW
Donskoi gives the Kraken a solid middle-six winger to plug into their lineup. The 29-year-old put up an impressive 31 points in 51 games for the Avalanche last season, albeit with some less-than-stellar possession numbers.
Dallas Stars: Jamie Oleksiak, D
Forever known as “Penny’s Brother”, the elder Oleksiak gives Seattle a hulking, minute-munching defender in their top-four and penalty kill. Oleksiak also brings the experience that the Kraken reportedly covet, having made it to the Stanley Cup Final with the Stars in 2020.
Detroit Red Wings: TBD
Edmonton Oilers: Adam Larsson, D
In Larsson, the Kraken lock up a top-four defender who excels in the defensive side of the game. Larsson won’t put up many points, but he’s a terrific shutdown defenceman who should help them immensely.
Florida Panthers: Chris Driedger, G
Driedger is coming off a fantastic 2021 campaign after emerging as the Panthers’ most reliable netminder. The 27-year-old’s .927 save percentage in 23 games last season, along with his reported $3.3 million cap hit, make him a good piece in what should be a solid Kraken goaltending tandem.
Los Angeles Kings: Kurtis MacDermid, D
Another surprising pick given the available talent, MacDermid is a 27-year-old depth defender with practically zero offensive ability from a play-driving standpoint. MacDermid could possibly have been chosen to serve as depth for the Kraken’s AHL Affiliate.
Minnesota Wild: Carson Soucy, D
Yet another defenceman selected by the Kraken, Soucy is a solid depth piece who can add a bit of offensive impact on the odd occasion. The 26-year-old suited up for 50 games for the Wild last season, putting up 17 points.
Montreal Canadiens: Cale Fleury, D
Not the splashy choice many were hoping for, Cale Fleury is a middling prospect with 41 games of NHL experience under his belt who spent all of last season in the AHL. In 22 games with the Laval Rocket, the 22-year-old scored zero goals and finished with six points.
Nashville Predators: Calle Jarnkrok, C
The name of the game for Jarnkrok is versatility. He can play any forward position to decent results, maxing out as a defensively focused middle-six player with a little offensive pop, but not much.
New Jersey Devils: Nathan Bastian, RW
Another surprising pick, given how names like P.K. Subban and Will Butcher were on the board, but Bastian is a 23-year-old winger with 48 games of NHL experience under his belt on a bad team. Could he be in for a breakout year with a better supporting cast and increased role? Who’s to say?
New York Islanders: Jordan Eberle, RW
The Islanders made a colossal mistake in protecting the likes of Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck over a far better player in Eberle, and the Kraken made them pay for it. Eberle is a money-in-the-bank 20-goal scorer who seems to elevate his game as the stage gets bigger. A very solid pick.
New York Rangers: Colin Blackwell, C
Blackwell is a solid bottom-six centre with decent underlying numbers and some offensive upside. The 28-year-old scored 22 points in 47 games for the Rangers last season despite only averaging 14 minutes of ice time.
Ottawa Senators: Joey Daccord, G
Joining Driedger in the Kraken’s crease, Daccord is somewhat of an unknown commodity at the NHL level with just nine total games of experience. He’ll likely be a third or fourth option for them when all is said and done.
Philadelphia Flyers: Carsen Twarynski, LW
Twarynski is a 23-year-old middling prospect that, given how Jakub Voracek and James van Riemsdyk were on the board, clearly signals the Kraken’s desire to not bog down their cap with onerous contracts.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Brandon Tanev, LW
Perhaps that onerous contract comment was spoken a bit too soon. Tanev is an effective bottom-six winger with immense foot speed. He also has four years left on his current deal at $3.5 million per season. Yikes.
St. Louis Blues: Vince Dunn, D
A homerun pick, Dunn is a young top-four defenceman with good underlying numbers and some offensive pop. After falling out of favour in St. Louis for some reason, the 24-year-old has a prime opportunity to become a key contributor for the Kraken for years to come.
San Jose Sharks: Alexander True, C
True is yet another defensively-minded, bottom-six forward to add to the Kraken’s absorbent collection. The 24-year-old has 19 games of total NHL experience under his belt, during he’s scored 5 points.
Tampa Bay Lightning: Yanni Gourde, C
Perhaps the best pick of the entire draft, Gourde is a versatile top-six centre who brings value on both the offensive and defensive ends of the ice. The 29-year-old is coming off back-to-back Stanley Cups in Tampa, which should jive pretty well with the Kraken’s insistence on experience.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Jared McCann, C
Toronto fans should be appalled at how this played out. McCann is an extremely effective middle-six forward who can play both centre and the wing. The 25-year-old is signed at an incredibly reasonable rate for this season and should be able to fill whichever role the Kraken need him to swimmingly.
Vancouver Canucks: Kole Lind, RW
Lind is somewhat of an intriguing prospect. At just 22 years old, the former-second round pick has put up surprisingly good numbers for Vancouver’s AHL affiliate, earning himself a seven-game stint with the Canucks in 2019-20.
Washington Capitals: Vitek Vanecek, G
Barring any future free agent signings at the position, Vanecek will likely serve as the 1B to Chris Driedger’s 1A in the Kraken crease. The 25-year-old made his NHL debut for the Capitals last season, finishing with a .908 save percentage in 37 games.
Winnipeg Jets: Mason Appleton, C
Given the Jets’ protected list, the Kraken were guaranteed to pry an effective player away from Winnipeg. Appleton is an effective bottom-six forward, putting up 25 points in 56 games last season despite only averaging a smidge over 14 minutes of ice time per game. Perhaps a bigger role could help.
