Kevin Allen: Five takeaways from the Seattle Kraken's Expansion Draft How did the Kraken do at filling their roster?

Lot of people talking about lack of scoring.

Seattle didn't have a whole lot to choose from.

And there's still the Draft and Free Agency.

Seattle has options to improve on goal scoring.

Agreed with the comment above. I expect one of those defensemen will be spun into a forward, and the #2 draft pick will be used on Beniers. In a league where over 50% of teams make the playoffs, I see no reason the Kraken won't be there.

Ah the hockey pundits worried that they got it wrong the first time slide into the conservative fool me once. Vegas took veterans with scoring history. Karlsson had the ability and had yet to live up to it. These guys up front are not that scary.

You guys are also getting the division very wrong. Two teams are on the rise in the Ducks and Kings. The Kings are far closer to being dangerous than most realize. The Sharks are always a goaltender away from making noise.

It's not just the moves the Kraken will make it's the moves that will be made soon.

Those jersey's are pretty sweet

Hey it's Frances.

https://youtu.be/nlqyE-lWqCE

Hey it's Frances.

https://youtu.be/nlqyE-lWqCE
- gergeswillems

Isn't this joke two days old----let it go sheesh

Isn't this joke two days old----let it go sheesh
- bigmacdaddy

You can always cry about it.

Another takeaway is it appears opposing GM's were much wiser after the Vegas experience. Doesn't look as if there were any side deals, nobody bit on the 'we want a 1st and 3rd to not pick your guy' gambit......etc etc etc

My takeaway is how the media got everything dead wrong. Non-stop articles about Price and Tarasenko. Projected rosters with Price, Tarasenko, JVR/Voracek, Domi. Just totally clueless. Even now you are calling Price and Tarasenko prime-cut athletes.

I think you kind of missed the point of Seattle's Expansion Draft... as did an awful lot of pundits. It was never about pulling together the actual players they wanted for their top-6 forwards, etc. It was about taking players who were good cap value, and ensuring they didn't do teams any cap favours by taking on big contracts for free. And in the cases where they did, I bet you'll find out that in many cases they were the result of side deals. They have 19 one-way contracts in place that only amount to $52.5M, which is nearly $8.0M below he cap floor. They've only just started to build their actual team in terms of higher-end talent.

Seattle will have an opening night roster that will only vaguely resemble the team we just watched them draft.

Hey it's Frances.

https://youtu.be/nlqyE-lWqCE
- gergeswillems

Ek changed it to '' the goddam Ron Francis''

I really don’t have much of a problem with how RF picked, it’s a very RF team based on his time in Raleigh. Even though looking at the picks and assuming they stand relatively firm(not happening) the team has a shot at ending the season with the least goals scored since the cap era. My only massive question mark is the lack of a true star outside Giordano (which to be honest at 37 and one year left on his deal and a dman isn’t exactly going to be putting fans in the arena). Why not grab Tarasenko or Price to sell jerseys and build up fans excitement. I know they sold out season tickets in minutes but it feels like they took that for granted not taking one exciting name. Then again this complaint may be pointless in the coming days/weeks as trades are made and free agents are signed but if I’m a Seattle season ticket holder I don’t think I’d be feeling great after that expansion draft.

I really don’t have much of a problem with how RF picked, it’s a very RF team based on his time in Raleigh. Even though looking at the picks and assuming they stand relatively firm(not happening) the team has a shot at ending the season with the least goals scored since the cap era. My only massive question mark is the lack of a true star outside Giordano (which to be honest at 37 and one year left on his deal and a dman isn’t exactly going to be putting fans in the arena). Why not grab Tarasenko or Price to sell jerseys and build up fans excitement. I know they sold out season tickets in minutes but it feels like they took that for granted not taking one exciting name. Then again this complaint may be pointless in the coming days/weeks as trades are made and free agents are signed but if I’m a Seattle season ticket holder I don’t think I’d be feeling great after that expansion draft.
- Wolfpack5

The Kraken are a novelty so they'll have no problem attracting fans. They'll get a very good player in this draft and then hope to win the Shane Wright sweepstakes next season. That's a player you can build around and sell jerseys with. Francis is playing the long game and he's not going to fast track things by signing or trading for every shiny toy available.

The Kraken are a novelty so they'll have no problem attracting fans. They'll get a very good player in this draft and then hope to win the Shane Wright sweepstakes next season. That's a player you can build around and sell jerseys with. Francis is playing the long game and he's not going to fast track things by signing or trading for every shiny toy available.
- gergeswillems

Plus he has lots of cap-room and there's still FA.

Good point on the long game but some of the picks have far less value then what was left on the table. An aging Ufa is not worth nearly as much as a controllable asset. You can retain the salary on either one to juice the return so why did so many 1 year remaining until UFA players get selected?

Jankrok could have been Trenon
Pitlick could have been fisher
Blackwell could have been gauthier

The worst one being Mcdermid whatever instead of pretty much anyone upfront who shoots left

Good point on the long game but some of the picks have far less value then what was left on the table. An aging Ufa is not worth nearly as much as a controllable asset. You can retain the salary on either one to juice the return so why did so many 1 year remaining until UFA players get selected?

Jankrok could have been Trenon
Pitlick could have been fisher
Blackwell could have been gauthier

The worst one being Mcdermid whatever instead of pretty much anyone upfront who shoots left
- BrainSap

Shouldn't we at least wait to see if any side deals were made?

Good point on the long game but some of the picks have far less value then what was left on the table. An aging Ufa is not worth nearly as much as a controllable asset. You can retain the salary on either one to juice the return so why did so many 1 year remaining until UFA players get selected?

Jankrok could have been Trenon
Pitlick could have been fisher
Blackwell could have been gauthier

The worst one being Mcdermid whatever instead of pretty much anyone upfront who shoots left
- BrainSap

Take Jarnkrok as an example. Not only could there have been a future consideration deal with Nashville, but it's entirely possible that another GM said...hey Frances, try to pick Jarnkrok, that's a guy we'd probably take off your hands at the deadline. He's a cheap, versatile, bottom 6 guy that we'd add for playoff depth. Probably give you a 3rd or 4th for him. So Ronnee picks a guy that can give him 50-60 games of stability and then flips him for a draft pick.

Same with Pitlick over Fischer. Pitlick is a serviceable bottom 6 guy. Fischer has regressed each year in the league. He can put up a few points on a bad team, but where does Fischer fit on a true contender. Not your top 6. Not even your top 9. His skills aren't suited for a 4th line, whereas Pitlick is. So Ronnee is thinking ahead...who can I flip as a rental to a contender. Jarnkrok - for sure. Pitlick - probably. Fischer - nobody needs him.

Good point on the long game but some of the picks have far less value then what was left on the table. An aging Ufa is not worth nearly as much as a controllable asset. You can retain the salary on either one to juice the return so why did so many 1 year remaining until UFA players get selected?

Jankrok could have been Trenon
Pitlick could have been fisher
Blackwell could have been gauthier

The worst one being Mcdermid whatever instead of pretty much anyone upfront who shoots left
- BrainSap

Unless you are explicitly constructing a scrappy, spirited team that ...is designed to pick high to very high next couple of years. Pick some hidden/stale talent, and suddenly they mesh and you have the danger of repeating Vegas 2.0; An aging team, burdened by expectations we know are not going to come true, and picking very late.

Are you really going to be trading a good player for future assets if the team is doing well? They eliminated this danger.

My take on this so far is that Francis did not run this draft. Some analytics geeks ran this draft.

Hey it's Frances.

Lighten up Francis

Unless you are explicitly constructing a scrappy, spirited team that ...is designed to pick high to very high next couple of years. Pick some hidden/stale talent, and suddenly they mesh and you have the danger of repeating Vegas 2.0; An aging team, burdened by expectations we know are not going to come true, and picking very late.

Are you really going to be trading a good player for future assets if the team is doing well? They eliminated this danger.

My take on this so far is that Francis did not run this draft. Some analytics geeks ran this draft.
- PT21

Do you realize that much of the success Vegas had was not the initial expansion draft, but moreso the very smart trades and signings that followed. They used picks to acquire Tatar who they turned into Pacioretty. Acquiring Stone. Signing Pietrangelo. Now of that happens without stockpiling picks and weaponizing cap space.

P.S. Just announced they flipped Pitlick to Calgary for a draft pick. Moments after what I wrote above...

Do you realize that much of the success Vegas had was not the initial expansion draft, but moreso the very smart trades and signings that followed. They used picks to acquire Tatar who they turned into Pacioretty. Acquiring Stone. Signing Pietrangelo. Now of that happens without stockpiling picks and weaponizing cap space.

P.S. Just announced they flipped Pitlick to Calgary for a draft pick. Moments after what I wrote above...
- Kooleus

I am not sure what you said above has to do with my observation. Vegas peaked their first year. Pacioretty and Pietro came later.

Vegas picked a large # of players who were at worst, former stars. Fleury. James Neal. Seattle seems to have scrupulously avoided these players. (Except Gio)

If they start wheeling and dealing and signing a bunch of high profile names, my theory is wrong. Fine then. But what I see is a team not following the Vegas model.

I am not sure what you said above has to do with my observation. Vegas peaked their first year. Pacioretty and Pietro came later.

Vegas picked a large # of players who were at worst, former stars. Fleury. James Neal. Seattle seems to have scrupulously avoided these players. (Except Gio)

If they start wheeling and dealing and signing a bunch of high profile names, my theory is wrong. Fine then. But what I see is a team not following the Vegas model.
- PT21

Vegas peaked their first year? They are better today than year 1. Oh sorry. They got to the Finals that time so they must have been better. Just like Montreal is the 2nd best team in the NHL.

Vegas peaked their first year? They are better today than year 1. Oh sorry. They got to the Finals that time so they must have been better. Just like Montreal is the 2nd best team in the NHL.
- Kooleus

My opinion, which I will admit is less informed than yours, is that Vegas has peaked. The manner in which they lost to the not-2nd-best team in the NHL suggests they are on a San Jose track: tottering around near the upper levels of playoffs, but failing to win it all, and with the trend downwards.

That's a digression though. The reason why I focused on the first year is because I think the Kraken don't plan to have such a successful year this year.

We will know pretty clearly within a couple of days what their intent is.

My opinion, which I will admit is less informed than yours, is that Vegas has peaked. The manner in which they lost to the not-2nd-best team in the NHL suggests they are on a San Jose track: tottering around near the upper levels of playoffs, but failing to win it all, and with the trend downwards.

That's a digression though. The reason why I focused on the first year is because I think the Kraken don't plan to have such a successful year this year.

We will know pretty clearly within a couple of days what their intent is.
- PT21

Vegas also didn't plan to be so good in year 1. Many of their picks were also pending UFAs that they planned to flip as deadline rentals. But after some early success they decided to keep most of the group together and make a run. Recall they even added guys like Tatar at the deadline. After that initial season, then they started to execute on a longer-term plan...using picks and other assets to add Stone, Pacioretty, etc...