The 6 players the Seattle Kraken must take in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft

There are six players in particularly that the Seattle Kraken must take at the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft.

Today was the day that we discovered what players would be protected and what players wouldn’t by their respective teams ahead of the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft on Wednesday, and the Seattle Kraken will now have the opportunity to construct an elite roster from the very get-go.

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From Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price to Colorado Avalanche Captain Gabriel Landeskog to Calgary Flames defenseman Mark Giordano to St. Louis Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko to a slew of very good Tampa Bay Lightning forwards, there will be some elite players up for grabs.

There are so many high-end players that have been left unprotected that the Kraken should come out of the Expansion Draft with a deep roster as well as a loaded one, although they can pull the trigger on side deals with other teams should they wish to get future assets back for not selecting certain players.

But, no matter what, Seattle General Manager Ron Francis will have a boatload of game-changing players to choose from when building the first roster in franchise history, and there are six players in particular that the Kraken should absolutely consider taking on Wednesday.

6 players the Seattle Kraken must take at the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft

6. Dylan DeMelo – Winnipeg Jets

While not a flashy name, Dylan DeMelo is exactly the type of player you would want on an NHL roster and he would be an excellent addition for the Seattle Kraken for a number of reasons.

For starters, he’s a cost effective asset with three years left on his current contract with an AAV of $3 million, immediately giving Seattle a reliable top-six defenseman at a cheap price and with term, making him a potential trade asset too.

There is also lots to like about DeMelo’s game, though, and he should be a good fit for the Kraken given that he’s an effective right-shot defenseman who can slot in on the penalty kill, provide some offense and be incredibly reliable in his own zone.

Logging an average of 16:58 of total ice time for the Winnipeg Jets in 2020-21, DeMelo recorded nine assists for nine points in 52 games but had a plus / minus rating of +10, while recording 58 blocked shots and 76 hits.

He ranks high in a number of possession metrics and he would be a superb pickup for Seattle, while being a player who would bring tremendous value on a night-to-night basis on the backend.