These four players would offer tremendous value for the Seattle Kraken at the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft.
We found out today the players each team in the NHL would be protecting – apart from the Vegas Golden Knights because they are exempt – and we are now in full-on speculation mode when it comes to the Seattle Kraken ahead of the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft on Wednesday.
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Due to the flat cap situation, a plethora of high-profile names have been left exposed by their respective teams, including Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price and Colorado Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog.
As a result, Kraken General Manager Ron Francis will now have a real opportunity to not only construct a talent-laden roster from the very get-go, but one that is also loaded with depth and impact players in every single area.
That is quite the advantage for Seattle ahead of their inaugural year, and it will be intriguing to see which direction they decide to go in on Wednesday given the slew of options available to them when it comes to potential personnel.
We’ve already pinpointed the six slam-dunk players that the Kraken need to select, which you can read here, and now we are going to look at four players who would offer tremendous value when it comes to role, cap hit and potential.
Let’s delve right in…
4 best value picks for the Seattle Kraken at 2021 NHL Expansion Draft
4. D Kevin Shattenkirk – Anaheim Ducks
At 32-years-old and with two years remaining on a contract that carries a cap hit of $3,900,000, this may not strike you as an immediate value pick, but hear us out for a minute.
Kevin Shattenkirk is a respected veteran in the NHL and he was signed by the Anaheim Ducks last offseason to provide a veteran presence and some leadership in a young locker room, something he would be able to do for the Kraken.
He could be paired with a young blueliner and act as a mentor, while there is no doubt that the right-shot still has some good hockey left in the tank.
Following a doomed spell with hometown team the New York Rangers, Shattenkirk revived his career with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019-20 and posted three goals and 10 assists for 13 points in 25 games to help the Bolts win the first of back-to-back championships.
Then, in 2020-21 with the Ducks, Shattenkirk recorded 15 points (2 G, 13 A) in 55 games on what was a bad team, so you should expect a bounce-back given that he will be surrounded by much better pieces on the Kraken.
Able to play big minutes, a power play expert and brilliant when it comes to the transition game, Shattenkirk would be a solid puck-moving defenseman for Seattle and his cap hit is pretty manageable for a team that will be starting from a blank canvas.