Live Updates: Seattle Kraken set to build team through tonight’s NHL Expansion Draft
4:45 p.m.
The Seattle Kraken begin building its team with picks in the NHL Expansion Draft starting tonight at 5 p.m. Follow here for live updates as the picks progress. You can watch the draft on ESPN2. Seattle will also have the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft that runs July 23-24.
5:10 p.m.
The Kraken have made their first pick in franchise history. Here it is:
Boston Bruins
Pick: Jeremy Lauzon
Position: Defenseman
Cap hit: $850,000
Lauzon played three seasons in the NHL for former Providence Bruins head coach Jay Leach, who is now an assistant coach for the Kraken. Lauzon, 24, is signed through the 2021-22 season and is eligible to be a restricted free agent next summer. He played in 41 games for the Bruins last season, averaging 19 minutes per game and finishing with eight points.
5:13 p.m.
Buffalo Sabres
Pick: Will Borgen
Position: Defenseman
Cap hit: RFA
The 24-year-old Borgen is inexperienced at the NHL level — he’s played in just 14 games and hasn’t registered a point — but will certainly intrigue the Kraken’s developmental staff. A fourth-round pick of the Sabres in 2015, Borgen represented the United States at the 2016 World Junior Championships. He had three assists in seven games as Team USA won bronze.
5:21 p.m.
Detroit Red Wings
Pick: Dennis Cholowski
Position: Defenseman
Cap hit: Free agent
Cholowski, 24, was taken No. 20 overall in the 2016 NHL Draft. He played 52 games with the Red Wings in 2018-19, finishing seven goals and nine assists. But since then, he’s had trouble finding a consistent spot on Detroit’s roster. He’s spent most of his time with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. He’s played. in104 NHL games.
5:24 p.m.
Florida Panthers
Pick: Chris Driedger
Position: Goalie
Cap hit: $3.5 million
Driedger, 27, went 14-6-3 in 23 games for the Panthers in 2020-21 with a .927 save percentage and a 2.07 goals-against average. He was selected 76th overall by the Ottawa Senators 2012.
Montreal Canadiens
Pick: Cale Fleury
Position: Defenseman
Cap hit: RFA
Fleury, 22, was taken by Montreal in the third round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Fleury played all of the 2020-21 in the AHL. He played 41 games in the NHL for the Canadiens in 2019-20, scoring one goal.
5:27 p.m.
Ottawa Senators
Pick: Joey Daccord
Position: Goalie
Cap hit: UFA
A seventh-round selection in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Daccord developed as a prospect with the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks, and Arizona State University. The 24-year-old played in eight games for Ottawa in 2020-21, posting an .897 save percentage for suffering an injury in March.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Pick: Yanni Gourde
Position: Center
Cap hit: $5.167 million
Gourde, 29, was a key piece of both of Tampa Bay’s Stanley Cup teams. He centered a two-way line alongside Blake Coleman and Barlcay Goodrow. Gourde finished the 2020-21 season with 17 goals and 36 points in 56 games. He had six goals and one assist in the playoffs. In 2019-20, Gourde had 10 goals and 30 points in 70 regular-season games.
5:33 p.m.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Pick: Jared McCann
Position: Forward
Cap hit: $2.94 million
McCann, 25, was selected by Seattle just days after arriving in Toronto. He was acquired by the Pittsburgh Penguins last Saturday. The Kraken will be his fourth NHL stop. McCann scored 14 goals and 32 points in 43 games with the Penguins last season.
5:34 p.m.
Carolina Hurricanes
Pick: Morgan Geekie
Position: Forward
Cap hit: $750,000
Geekie, another former pick of Francis’, was selected in the third-round by Carolina in 2017. The 23-year-old has played in 38 regular season NHL games and three playoff games, totaling six goals, eight assists and 14. points. He played junior hockey in Washington state for the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick.
5:35 p.m.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Pick: Gavin Bayreuther
Position: Defenseman
Cap hit: UFA
The 27-year-old Bayreuther is a mobile defenseman who signed a one-year, $710,000 two-way contract with the Blue Jackets last offseason. He split time in 2020-21 between the AHL (14 games) and the NHL (nine). In his games with the Blue Jackets, Bayreuther had one goal, no assists, a minus-1 rating and seven penalty minutes.
5:36 p.m.
New Jersey Devils
Pick: Nathan Bastian
Position: Forward
Cap hit: $825,000
Bastian, 23, had three goals and seven assists in 41 games for New Jersey last season. He added 25 blocks and a team-high 136 hits. He signed a two-year extension with the Devils last month. He’s played in 48-career NHL games.
5:39 p.m.
New York Islanders
Pick: Jordan Eberle
Position: Right Wing
Cap hit: $5.5 million
A top-line right wing for the Islanders, the 31-year-old Eberle had 33 points and 16 goals in 55 games last season. During a full season, he would have been on pace for 49 points and 24 goals. Eberle has three years remaining on his contract. He played in 272 games in four years with New York, finishing with 76 goals, 93 assists and 169 points.
5:43 p.m.
New York Rangers
Pick: Colin Blackwell
Position: Center
Cap hit: $750,000
Blackwell, 28, scored 12 goals and averaged 22 points in 47 games last season. He signed a two-year deal worth $750,000 per year. The Athletic reported a trade could be in the works between the Rangers and Kraken after the draft.
5:46 p.m.
Philadelphia Flyers
Pick: Carsen Twarynski
Postion: Forward
Cap hit: RFA
The 23-year-old Carsen Twarynski was a third-round pick in 2016. He’s played in 22 total games for the Flyers, making the season-opening lineup as a rookie in 2019-20 and scoring his only NHL goal in his third game. He’s coming off of his three-year entry-level contract.
5:48 p.m.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pick: Brandon Tanev
Position: Left Wing
Cap hit: $3.5 million
Tanev, 29, initially joined the Penguins as a free agent during the 2019-20 offseason. He had 18 goals and 23 assists in 100 games with Pittsburgh. He consistently ranked near the top of the league in hits delivered, hits taken and shots blocked.
5:52 p.m.
Washington Capitals
Pick: Vitek Vanecek
Position: Goalie
Cap hit: $716,667
Vanecek, 25, moved from third goalie to the starter after Ilya Samsonov was placed on the COVID-protocols list twice and Henrik Lundquist went on long-term injury reserve. He earned NHL Rookie of the Month in January and finished the season with a 21-10-4 record, a .908 save percentage and a 2.69 goals against average.
5:56 p.m.
Two non-pick announcements: The Kraken will play their first game in franchise history on the road against the Las Vegas golden Knights on Oct. 12. They will open Climate Pledge Arena with their first home against against the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 23.
5:58 p.m.
Arizona Coyotes
Pick: Tyler Pitlick
Postion: Right Wing
Cap hit: $1.75 million
Pitlick, 29, was limited to 38 games last season due to injury. A defensive-minded forward, Pitlick finished the 2020-21 season with six goals, five assists and 11 points. He played in 63 games for the Philadelphia Flyers in 2019-20 (8, 12, 20).
Chicago Blackhawks
Pick: John Quenneville
Position: Defenseman
Cap hit: UFA
A pending unrestricted free agent, Quenneville, 25, spent the entirety of the 2020-21 season in the AHL. He’s made nine regular-season and two postseason appearances for Chicago in the 2019-20, but finished with zero points. He was acquired from New Jersey for John Hayden during the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.
6:01 p.m.
Colorado Avalanche
Pick: Joonas Donskoi
Position: Forward
Cap hit: $3.9 million
Donskoi, 29, scored a career-high 17 goals in 51 games last season. He is two years into a four-year contract he signed with Colorado in 2019. Donskoi was the Avalanche’s eighth-leading scorer last season, finishing with 31 points. He most played as the right winger on Colorado’s third line.
6:03 p.m.
Dallas Stars
Pick: Jamie Oleksiak
Position: Defenseman
Cap hit: UFA
Oleksiak, 28, found a top-four role with the Stars last season. He averaged more than 20 minutes a game for the first time in his career and finished with six goals and 14 points in 56 games. He averaged almost 22 minutes a game for Dallas in the 2020 playoffs as the Stars reached the Stanley Cup Final.
6:11 p.m.
Minnesota Wild
Pick: Carson Soucy
Position: Defenseman
Cap hit: $2.75 million
A top-six defender, Soucy has two years left on a three-year, $8.25 million contract. Last season, the 26-year-old primarily played on the Wild’s third defensive pairing with Ian Cole and finished with career highs in assists (16) and points (17). He was drafted in the fifth round by Minnesota in 2013.
Nashville Predators
Pick: Calle Jarnkrok
Position: Forward
Cap hit: $2 million
The versatile Jarnkrok, 29, scored 28 points in 49 games during the 2020-2021 season. Acquired by Nashville at the 2014 trade deadline, he totaled 94 goals, 211 points, 11 power-play goals, 32 power-play points and eight short-handed goals in eight seasons with the Predators. He also scored a game-winning goal 13 games. Jarnkrok has one year left on his contract.
6:18 p.m.
St. Louis Blues
Pick: Vince Dunn
Position: Defenseman
Cap hit: RFA
Dunn, 24, played in 267 games in four seasons. He recorded 32 goals and 70 assists while averaging more than 17 minutes of ice time. Dunn played in 43 games in 2020-21, finishing with six goals, 14 assists and 20 points.
Winnipeg Jets
Pick: Mason Appleton
Position: Forward
Cap hit: UFA
The 25-year-old Appleton had a breakout season in 2020-21, finishing with 25 points in 56 games. He also had three points in eight playoff games. He has one year at $900,000 remaining his two-year, $1.8-million contract.
6:20 p.m.
Anaheim Ducks
Pick: Haydn Fleury
Position: Defenseman
Cap hit: $1.3 million
Acquired by the Ducks at the trade deadline, the 25-year-old Fleury played 12 games with Anaheim. He finished with two goals and three points. He has one year remaining on his contract. Fleury was picked No. 7 overall by Francis and the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2014 NHL Draft. He played 45 games for the Hurricanes in 2019-20 (4 goals, 10 assists, 14 points) and 35 games in 2020-21 (1, 0, 1). He joins his brother, Cale, in Seattle.
6:27 p.m.
Calgary Flames
Pick: Mark Giordano
Position: Defenseman
Cap hit: $6.75 million
Giordano, 37, gives the Kraken a veteran defenseman and a likely captain. The Norris Trophy winner in 2019, Giordano was one of the best defensive options available in the expansion draft. The Flames’ captain had 26 points in 56 games last season. He could be a valuable to the Kraken on the ice or as a potential trade option.
Edmonton Oilers
Pick: Adam Larsson
Positon: Defenseman
Cap hit: UFA
ESPN reported that Larsson agreed to a four-year, $16 million deal with the Kraken. A top-four, shutdown defenseman, Larsson spent the last five years with the Oilers and recorded 16 goals, 52 assists and 68 points in 329 games. He battled injuries in 2019, but played in 56 games for Edmonton during the 2020-21 season. He averaged just less than 20 minutes per night.
6:35 p.m.
Los Angeles Kings
Pick: Kurtis MacDermid
Position: Defenseman
Cap hit: $875,000
MacDermid, 27, has spent his entire career with the Kings organization. He’s played in a total of 118 NHL games over the past four seasons and has one year left on his deal. He’s recorded six points, 11 assists and 17 points in his NHL career.
San Jose Sharks
Pick: Alexander True
Position: Center
Cap hit: RFA
True previously played for the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Canadian Hockey League. The 24-year-old played seven games for the Sharks last season and finished with one assist. He also scored 20 points in 27 games for the San Jose Barracuda last season.
Vancouver Canucks
Pick: Kole Lind
Position: Right Wing
Cap hit: RFA
Lind, 22, was drafted 33rd overall in the 2017 NHL Draft. He struggled in his first season with the Utica Comets in 2018-19. Last season, he had eight points in eight AHL games and was called up by the Canucks. He didn’t register a point in seven NHL games.
6:39 p.m.
That’s it for tonight’s expansion draft. Check back for more coverage from The News Tribune on tonight’s picks as well as the entry draft on Friday and Saturday.
This story was originally published July 21, 2021 at 4:50 PM.
