Kraken roster could be first-place powerhouse
Expansion club has US$81.5M to go shopping
AHart Trophy winner in net, a Norris Trophy winner as captain, and a top line that includes a player off each of the last three Stanley Cup-winning teams.
If you thought the Vegas Golden Knights’ inaugural season was a one-time fluke of the stars perfectly aligning, think again.
The Seattle Kraken are going to be very good.
How good?
Well, we’ll have to wait until Wednesday night’s expansion draft to see who GM Ron Francis selects to play for the NHL’S 32nd team. But based on the players who are available, as well as what’s out there in free agency, don’t be surprised if they challenge the Golden Knights for first place in the Pacific Division.
This is a team that potentially could have Carey Price, Mark Giordano, Vladimir Tarasenko and Yanni Gourde — and that’s without taking into account the various trades that might already be in the works, or what’s out there in free agency.
For all we know, Seattle could also end up with Zach Hyman, Dougie Hamilton and Gabriel Landeskog — not to mention the “misfit” types like Vegas’s William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault, who just needed an opportunity to show what they can do in the league.
With US$81.5 million to spend, here is a look at what Seattle’s roster could look like:
FORWARDS
Total salary: $40.575 million
❚ Calle Jarnkrok, LW, Nashville (1 year, $2 million)
❚ Yanni Gourde, C, Tampa Bay (4 years, $5.167 million)
❚ Vladimir Tarasenko, RW, St. Louis (2 years, $7.5 million)
❚ James van Riemsdyk, LW, Philadelphia (2 years, $7 million)
❚ Alex Kerfoot, C, Toronto (2 years, $3.5 million)
❚ Joonas Donskoi, RW, Colorado (2 years, $3.9 million)
❚ Zach Aston-reece, LW, Pittsburgh (RFA)
❚ Colin Blackwell, C/RW, NY Rangers (1 year, $725,000)
❚ Evgenii Dadonov, RW, Ottawa (2 years, $5 million)
❚ Kieffer Bellows, LW, NY Islanders (RFA)
❚ Cody Eakin, C, Buffalo (1 year, $2.25 million)
❚ Christian Fisher, RW, Arizona (1 year, $1 million)
❚ Kevin Stenlund, C/RW, Columbus (1 year, $1.05 million)
❚ Jonah Gadjovich, LW, Vancouver (1 year, $783,333)
❚ Alexander Volkov, LW, Anaheim (1 year, $700,000) ❚ Adam Mascherin, C/LW, Dallas (RFA)
❚ Tyler Benson, LW, Edmonton (RFA)
On paper, a top line of Vladimir Tarasenko, Yanni Gourde and Calle Jarnkrok would be better than what Vegas had in Karlsson, Marchessault and Reilly Smith. But it’s the depth throughout the rest of the forward group that really sets Seattle apart.
Donskoi and van Riemsdyk each scored 17 goals last season, while Dadonov has scored 25 or more goals in three of the past four years. There is some debate as to whether Toronto’s Jared Mccann would be a better pick than Kerfoot, but a “leaked” video indicated that Seattle intends on selecting the older and more expensive of the two centres (for what it’s worth, we think Leafs defenceman Travis Dermott makes more sense).
Having Cody Eakin around will certainly help with bringing all the new players together, since he was part of Vegas’ expansion team. But even if the chemistry experiment doesn’t work, the best part about this group is that with the exception of Gourde, no one has a contract beyond the 2022-23 season.
With that being said, don’t be surprised if Tarasenko gets flipped for an offer that Francis can’t refuse and that the team uses the money saved to take a run at Hyman or Landeskog.
DEFENCEMEN Total salary: $12.45 million
❚ Mark Giordano, Calgary (1 year, $6.75 million)
❚ Dylan Demelo, Winnipeg (3 years, $3 million)
❚ Jake Bean, Carolina (RFA)
❚ Ryan Donato, San Jose (RFA)
❚ Troy Stecher, Detroit (1 year, $1.7 million)
❚ Nikita Zadorov, Chicago (RFA)
❚ Connor Clifton, Boston (2 years, $1 million)
❚ Kale Clague, Los Angeles (RFA)
❚ Nick Merkley, New Jersey (RFA)
If money and term weren’t an issue, you’d have to imagine that Shea Weber and P.K. Subban would be calling Seattle home. But even without those two, the Kraken’s defence could be their strength.
Giordano, who is two years removed from winning the Norris Trophy, is the obvious centrepiece. Though the 37-year-old’s offensive numbers have been declining in the past two years, he is still a No. 1 defenceman and the kind of leader an expansion team needs. And if you pair him with Demelo, who needs a map to find the other team’s net, don’t be surprised if Giordano gets back to scoring 17 goals again.
The rest of the defence is about potential.
Bean is a player whom Francis drafted in the first round in 2016, but who never got a chance in Carolina. The same might be true of Clague and Merkley, as well as Donato. And while five of the defencemen are restricted free agents who might end up getting considerable raises, there still should be enough left in the kitty for Seattle to take a run at Hamilton in free agency.
GOALTENDERS Total Salary: $11.2 million
❚ Carey Price, Montreal (5 years, $10.5 million)
❚ Chris Driedger, Florida (UFA)
❚ Vitek Vanecek, Washington (1 year, $716,667)
According to multiple reports, the Kraken apparently have a three-year, $10.5-million contract in place for Driedger. But even with the 27-year-old locked up — and Vanecek waiting in the wings as a potential No. 1 down the road — it will be difficult for Seattle not to select Price, who happened to play junior hockey for the Tri-city Americans in nearby Kennewick, Wash.
This is a no-brainer. It’s like Vegas selecting Marcandre Fleury. Or Florida taking John Vanbiesbrouck in 1993.
Yeah, the salary is huge and the term is long for a goalie who will be 34 years old next month. But forget all that. Forget about his regular season numbers, which have been average for some time now. Forget about the injury that could have him missing most of the season.
Instead, remember what Price did to Toronto. And to Winnipeg. As well as to Vegas.
If Seattle hopes to win a Cup — or at least win a playoff round or two — then they need a goalie who can stand on his head and win games that they shouldn’t win. He’s the X-factor. We all saw what he did for Montreal in the playoffs. Not many goalies can single-handedly lead a team into the final that had no business of being in the playoffs. Who knows, maybe he can do the same for the Kraken.
After all, they should have the roster to get it done.