Seattle Kraken: An idiot’s guide to the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft

Have no idea how the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft will work? Don’t worry, we have you covered.

We have finally reached one of the marquee events of the offseason as tonight is the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft, where the Seattle Kraken will officially build the first roster in franchise history.

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Tonight is the night where we will see the official birth of the Kraken and, although the vast majority of picks have been leaked on social media today, it should still be an exciting night with Seattle General Manager Ron Francis sure to have some side deals lined up.

With a blank canvas to work from in terms of cap space, Francis could have a number of trades up his sleeve which will be announced during the Expansion Draft, and we will have to wait to see if there are any major surprises in store.

However, there may be some out there who were lost as soon as we said the words “Expansion Draft,” so we are going to provide a full and detailed guide to the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft, one that will be easy to understand for any hockey novices out there.

Let’s delve right in…

An Idiot’s Guide to the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft

When & Where

You can check out our full Expansion Draft Primer here, but the event will be hosted at Gas Works Park in Seattle and will be broadcast on ESPN2 at 8:00 P.M. ET.

What is an Expansion Draft?

New to hockey? Or just aren’t that familiar with all the lingo? Let us explain.

An Expansion Draft takes place every time the NHL awards a new franchise, with the Seattle Kraken in this instance allowed to select a team made up of players from the other organizations in the NHL.

The 2017 NHL Expansion Draft was the last time such an event was held when the Vegas Golden Knights entered the league, and the rules will be the same for tonight’s Draft as they were in 2017.

How often does this happen?

Only when the NHL awards a new franchise. The Golden Knights were the last team in 2017, with the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Minnesota Wild both joining the league in 2000.

The NHL has no plans for another expansion team any time soon, so the 2021 Expansion Draft could be the last one we see for at least a few years.

What are the rules?

Each team – apart from the Golden Knights who are exempt and we’ll explain why shortly – had to protect either seven forwards, three defensemen and one goalie, or eight skaters and one goaltender.

All first-year and second-year NHL players, in addition to all unsigned Draft picks, are exempt from the Expansion Draft.

With every team sending in their Protected Lists on Sunday, the Kraken will now select one player from each team and they must take at least 14 forwards, nine defensemen and three goaltenders.

They must also ensure that they have 20 players under contract for the 2021-22 regular season, and they must spend more than the cap floor of $48.9 million but no more than the salary cap ceiling of $81.5 million.

Can Seattle sign Free Agents?

Yes. As of this past Sunday, the Kraken have an exclusive negotiating window with any pending UFA or RFA, which will last through July 21 after the Expansion Draft.

Those Free Agents can’t be protected by the other 30 teams, but if Seattle were to sign a Free Agent then that player would count as a selection from the player’s previous team. For instance, the Kraken have reportedly signed defenseman Adam Larsson to a four-year, $16 million contract, so he will count as Seattle’s pick from the Edmonton Oilers.

Another thing to note is that if Seattle signs a player before Free Agency on July 28, then they can offer that player a max eight-year extension. However, after Free Agency opens, they will only be able to dish out seven-year deals.

Why aren’t the Vegas Golden Knights involved?

Good question. This is a bit of a hot button subject given that the Golden Knights have enjoyed unprecedented success since entering the NHL in 2017, mainly because of the roster they were able to assemble at the 2017 Expansion Draft, and many feel as though they should have been involved in this year’s process.

However, the reason why the Knights don’t have to give up a player to Seattle in this year’s Expansion Draft is because Vegas Owner Bill Foley struck a deal with the NHL in their original franchise agreement back in 2016.

That was a smart move by ownership but the only downside is that, in order to get the NHL to accept that demand, they did not receive a cut of the $650 million expansion fee Seattle had to pay in order to enter the NHL.

For perspective, every other team received a $21.67 million cheque from the Kraken, but at least the Golden Knights don’t have to worry about losing a player on Wednesday.

Names to look out for

Sadly, at the time of writing this, the majority of Seattle’s picks had been leaked so there won’t be many surprises once the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft kicks off.

However, it has been reported that the Kraken will select Calgary Flames defenseman Mark Giordano, giving them an elite top-four defenseman who is also a very-well respected leader in the NHL.

Forward Jordan Eberle of the New York Islanders ensures that the Kraken will get a top-six wing, and Tampa Bay Lightning center Yanni Gourde will provide Seattle with a lot of heart and soul in their bottom-six.

Another thing to watch out for on Wednesday is side deals. Seattle will be able to make trades with other teams to either take on salary for Draft capital, or they could be offered Draft picks in order to not pick certain players, so don’t be surprised if we see a slew of trades go down during the Expansion Draft.

So, that’s your idiot’s guide to the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft – now all is left to do is to sit back, get some snacks and enjoy the night’s festivities!