The NHL expansion draft is right around the corner, as the Seattle Kraken are set to take their place as the 32nd team in the league. The protection lists for all 30 teams — minus Vegas — have been submitted as we approach one of the biggest nights of the NHL offseason on Wednesday.
With just a short time left until Seattle makes their picks, it feels only right that we too here at For The Win jump in on the mock draft fun that everyone else seems to be having. Thanks to CapFriendly’s incredible expansion draft simulator on their website, we were able to mock up a Kraken roster of our own that fits the requirements they’ll be working with.
Here’s a breakdown of what rules Seattle must follow for Wednesday’s expansion draft.
- One player from each of the 30 teams must be taken.
- The Kraken must draft a minimum of 14 forwards, nine defensemen, and three goaltenders.
- There must be at least 20 players under contract for the 2021-22 season.
- Seattle has to stay between 60 to 100 percent of the salary cap, with a minimum of $48.9 million and a maximum of $81.5 million.
As for how I drafted the Kraken’s roster, I looked to build a contending team while also giving Seattle the cap flexibility that general manager Ron Francis said was key for this team. While I left some cap space for Seattle to work with, I did not fully take into consideration Seattle having to re-sign their unrestricted and restricted free agents, as I am not a mind reader. I also did not attempt to predict which players, if any, that Seattle picks then immediately flips to another team, nor any trades Seattle makes to acquire these players.
In the end, I finished with 16 forwards, 11 defensemen, and three goaltenders. I hit the 20 player mark for 2021-22 contracts right on the nose as well with an initial cap hit of $71.2 million, leaving just over $10 million for Seattle to sign their UFAs and RFAs or make trades.
Here’s how my mock draft looks, with explanations for some of the major additions or omissions along the way!
[listicle id=1053306]