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2021 NHL Expansion Draft: 4 Best value picks for the Seattle Kraken

By Andrew Steele-Davis

Kaapo Kahkonen #34 of the Minnesota Wild. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
Kaapo Kahkonen #34 of the Minnesota Wild. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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Colin Blackwell (43)
Colin Blackwell #43 of the New York Rangers. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

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.

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