2021 NHL Expansion Draft: 4 Best value picks for the Seattle Kraken
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.
3. F Colin Blackwell – New York Rangers
While Julien Gauthier may be the more obvious pick from the New York Rangers due to his young age and considerable upside, there is a strong argument to be made that taking Colin Blackwell could represent somewhat of a smart move by the Seattle Kraken.
Coming off an impressive career-year with the Blueshirts, Blackwell would give Seattle a tantalizing option for their bottom-six and he can also be used in most situations, including on the power play and on the penalty kill.
He’s a high energy player and every franchise needs one of those, and he could be a perfect fit with Tampa Bay Lightning forward Yanni Gourde on the third-line if the Kraken decide to go in that direction.
What a luxury it would be for Head Coach Dave Hakstol to have a player like Blackwell in his bottom-six and able to play a high-paced, aggressive checking game, while chipping in with offense.
Given an opportunity by the Rangers in 2020-21, Blackwell recorded a career-high 22 points (12 G, 10 A) in 47 games with 19 blocked shots and 45 hits while averaging 14:00 of total ice time, and with a $725,000 cap hit for the 2021-22 season, he could be a low-risk, high reward pickup for the Seattle Kraken.
2. D Jake Bean – Carolina Hurricanes
Rewind back to the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft and the Vegas Golden Knights found great success in selecting unpolished gems who had not been given a chance to shine in the NHL by their previous teams, with Shea Theodore being the obvious example.
A bit-part player with the Ducks, Theodore honed his skills in Sin City and is now on the cusp of becoming a Norris Trophy caliber defenseman after carving out a couple of impressive years, including putting up 42 points (8 G, 34 A) in 53 games with a plus / minus rating of +28 in 2020-21.
And Jake Bean of the Carolina Hurricanes could be Seattle’s very own Shea Theodore.
Selected with the 15th overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft by the Canes – with Kraken GM Ron Francis then in charge of Carolina – Bean has huge upside and plenty of potential and he could be a real intriguing project for Seattle.
An excellent skater who can carry the puck and move it out of the zone, Bean is a multi-dimensional player who can excel in his own zone as well as providing an offensive punch, and he could be used in all situations.
He put up one goal and 11 assists for 12 points in 42 games in his rookie year for Carolina in 2020-21, while averaging 14:32 of total ice time, and he’s a highly-intelligent player who could morph into a top pairing blueliner.
Plus, the pending RFA could be signed to a team-friendly deal by Seattle, giving them a cost-controlled asset who has his best years ahead of him and who could grow into a very, very good NHL defenseman.
Just like Shea Theodore, perhaps.
1. G Kaapo Kahkonen – Minnesota Wild
While the Seattle Kraken are expected to sign UFA goalie Chris Driedger – which would count as their selection from the Florida Panthers – you can never have enough goalies in the building and Kaapo Kahkonen could represent the best value pick of them all.
Somewhat surpringsly left exposed by the Minnesota Wild, who opted to protect veteran Cam Talbot instead, Kahkonen is a goalie on the rise and he could be a home run of a selection for the Kraken who may see the 24-year-old as a future No. 1 in the making.
Taken with the 109th overall pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Kahkonen enjoyed a stellar rookie season with the Wild in 2020-21, going 16-8-0 with a .902 Save Percentage, a 2.88 Goals Against Average and two shutouts.
He won nine starts in a row from Feb. 18 to March 16 and finished tied for 15th overall in the Calder Memorial Trophy voting, but he was the backup in the postseason with Talbot seen as the clear No.1.
However, the Wild’s loss could well be Seattle’s gain and Kahkonen is under control through the 2021-22 season with a $725,000 cap hit, and he could be a nice cost-effective option as a solid No.2 with plenty of upside behind an established and proven starter.
Next. 6 players Seattle must take. dark
It is worth remembering that the Kraken are building for the future as well as the 2021-22 season, and they could have a potential gem on their hands in Kahkonen who certainly proved that he belongs in the NHL throughout his rookie year.