National Hockey League

In wake of NHL expansion draft, Seattle Kraken have cap space to address needs

Published Jul. 22, 2021 9:39 p.m. ET

After making 30 selections from the NHL’s other teams in Wednesday’s expansion draft, the Seattle Kraken's initial roster is set.

But does that mean the Kraken are done? Far from it.

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There’s plenty of maneuvering left for GM Ron Francis to do in what is shaping up to be a fast and furious offseason throughout the NHL.

Key offseason dates are coming up fast, beginning with the NHL Draft on Friday and Saturday (the Kraken hold the No. 2 overall selection).

Then on Wednesday, July 28, teams can begin signing free agents. Even though Seattle has already signed a few unrestricted free agents as part of the expansion draft process, it can be expected to be very active during the open free-agency period as well.

Why? Because the Kraken were surprisingly conservative in their expansion draft selections. They largely stayed away from the many high-priced, big-name players available to them, including Carey Price, Vladimir Tarasenko, Matt Duchene and many more.

Instead, Francis focused on building a team of big, physical players, especially on defense, and went with up-and-coming talent in goal – even if the new names on the roster aren’t the most familiar ones to budding hockey fans.

A few of the notable players Seattle acquired included:

- Mark Giordano, a former Norris Trophy winner and the longtime captain of the Calgary Flames. He is a strong candidate to become the first captain in Kraken history.

- Adam Larsson, a steady defenseman whose departure from Edmonton stunned Oilers fans who hoped their team would keep him in free agency.

- Yanni Gourde, whose contributions as a depth forward were key in the Tampa Bay Lightning winning back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.

- Jordan Eberle, who comes over from the New York Islanders to become the biggest goal-scoring threat on the initial Kraken roster.

More importantly, by shying away from bloated contracts, the Kraken kept themselves with plenty of room under the salary cap to make more moves – nearly $30 million, according to initial projections.

The Kraken added 30 players, but NHL teams can only carry 23 during the season. A few will be sent to the minors, but others will be used as trade chips so that Seattle can add more assets.

The first of those moves was made on Thursday.

But with the expansion draft threat having passed, the Kraken’s negotiating landscape looks quite different. As Pierre LeBrun wrote in The Athletic: "Seattle went from having all the leverage before Wednesday to now having too many players and other teams knowing it."

One thing the Kraken currently lack: Scoring punch. It’s certainly possible that all that cap space will be used to reel in a high-priced scorer, whether by free agency or trade.

Reactions were mixed on how well the Kraken did in the expansion draft.

How well they respond to the high expectations remains to be seen. But what’s for certain is there is plenty of roster-shaping left to do in Seattle.

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