“A great list of guys here,” Oleksiak said of the roster. “He knows what he’s doing.”īoston defenseman Jeremy Lauzon will go down in the record books as Seattle's first expansion draft selection. “I have a tremendous amount of faith in Ron Francis’ ability to build a team," Driedger said. It's up to Francis and the Kraken to try to bring it back, and the expansion strategy seemed to mimic the Golden Knights in making some off-the-board picks rather than taking big stars. Seattle had the Stanley Cup once before, in 1917, when the city's team was the Metropolitans. “Any time you get that opportunity to bring the Cup to a city that’s never had it before, it’s pretty special." “You don’t get many opportunities to be part of a new franchise," said Eberle, who came from the New York Islanders. Driedger and Vanecek combine to cost less than half of Price.Įberle, one of a handful of players at the event, called it a “new challenge.” Seattle also took goalies Vitek Vanecek from Washington and Joey Daccord from Ottawa. In the NHL there’s going to be competition wherever you go.” ![]() ![]() ![]() “I’m kind of just betting on myself in that situation. “When I kind of came to terms, I had no clue who my goalie partner would be,” Driedger said. The 33-year-old Price has a cap hit of $10.5 million - annually - and a questionable injury history. Seattle passed on big-money goaltender Carey Price, who was fresh off backstopping Montreal to the Stanley Cup Final, choosing instead to sign Driedger to a $10.5 million, three-year contract. Seattle took Tampa Bay forward Yanni Gourde but he will miss at least the first month of the season following shoulder surgery. “This is the first time in my career I’ve ever been drafted, so thank you to the Kraken and I’m happy to be here.”Īs far as other players selected, the Kraken got their goaltender in late-blooming Chris Driedger, and veteran forwards Jordan Eberle and Jared McCann. "It feels a little bit different today, but it’s been crazy last day or so,” Giordano said. The Tampa Bay Lightning repeat as champions, defeating the Montreal Canadiens four games to one to win the 2021 NHL Stanley Cup. Giordano, 37, has the biggest cap hit of any player taken but could soon wear the captain's “C” when they open their inaugural season. Veteran Mark Giordano from Calgary was thought to be a possible option for flipping, but seemed unlikely when he walked on stage and pulled on the Kraken home jersey. Larsson got a $16 million, four-year deal and Oleksiak got $23 million over five years. A few seem locks to stay, like Adam Larsson and Jamie Oleksiak, both unrestricted free agents who signed long-term deals with Seattle. “What they were looking to do is get us to take bad money or bad contracts in order to leave somebody exposed and for us we think (cap space) was the most valuable thing asset we had right now, especially in potentially a flat cap environment for a year or two.”ĭefense was clearly a priority for Seattle, whether to build its own depth or for the opportunity to flip players for other options. This time, they weren’t willing to do that because GMs learned,” Seattle general manager Ron Francis said. “Last time around (with Vegas), teams were paying a price to stay away from guys. She will share flag bearer duties with USA Baseball player Eddy Alvarez. USA Basketball star Sue Bird discusses being named a flag bearer for Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics. And there was an assembly line of Seattle sports celebrities taking part, from Sue Bird to Marshawn Lynch. Another came written on a fish thrown in the city’s legendary Pike Place Market. One pick was announced by an octopus from the Seattle Aquarium. It was still a celebratory night to introduce the nucleus of a team that will make its debut at Vegas in a matchup of the league's two newest teams in mid-October and play its first home game on Oct. ![]() It's awesome.”Īny unknowns about Seattle's selections evaporated when all 30 names leaked hours before the team announced its selections on the shore of Lake Union. “All the boats on the lake behind us, the scene on the other side of the stage. “I envisioned this a lot of different ways and this is unbelievable,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. What the expansion draft of the Seattle Kraken lacked in drama it made up for with quirks, production and a giant party to celebrate one of the biggest steps in the launch of the NHL's newest team.
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