Kraken fills roster with Giordano, McCann, Lauzon
The Seattle Kraken expansion draft lacked drama after all 30 picks leaked out hours before they were revealed, but it had plenty of Seattle to introduce the NHL’s 32nd franchise.
One pick was announced by an octopus from the Seattle Aquarium. Another came written on a fish thrown in the city’s legendary Pike Place Market.
As far as the players selected, the Kraken got their goaltender in lateblooming Chris Driedger, perhaps their first captain in defenseman Mark Giordano and veteran forwards Jordan Eberle and Jared McCann. They passed on big-money goaltender Carey Price fresh off backstopping Montreal to the Stanley Cup Final, choosing instead to sign the Panthers’ Driedger to a $10.5 million, three-year contract.
Seattle also took goalies Vitek Vanecek from Washington and Joey Daccord from Ottawa.
Giordano, 37, has the biggest cap hit of any player the Kraken selected but could soon wear the “C” when they open their inaugural season at Vegas and then open Climate Pledge Arena on Oct. 23 against Vancouver.
“It feels a little bit different today, but it’s been crazy last day or so,” Giordano said. “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.”
Eberle, one of a handful of players on site at Gas Works Park on Lake Union, called it a “new challenge.”
“You don’t get many opportunities to be part of a new franchise,” said Eberle, who came from the New York Islanders. “Any time you get that opportunity to bring the Cup to a city that’s never had it before, it’s pretty special.”
Along with Driedger, general manager Ron Francis agreed to terms with pending free agent defensemen Adam Larsson and Jamie Oleskiak.
Larsson got a $16 million, four-year deal to become the pick from the Edmonton Oilers, and Oleksiak got $23 million over five years.
Boston defenseman Jeremy Lauzon will go down in the record books as Seattle’s first expansion draft selection. Kole Lind
from rival Vancouver was the 30th. The did not announce any trades — a far cry from Vegas’ wheeling and dealing in 2017.
“A great list of guys here,” Oleksiak said about Seattle’s initial roster. “It’s a new team team and it offers a lot of opportunities for guys and it’s going
to be a lot of fun.”
NHL WILL BREAK FOR WINTER OLYMPICS
Commissioner Gary Bettman said the NHL schedule will include a break for the 2022 Winter Olympics even though there is no commitment the league’s players will go to Beijing next February.
“I don’t believe there will be an update on the Olympics by the time we release the schedule,” Bettman said. “We’ll do what we need to do under the circumstances to release the schedule, and then if things change we’ll do what needs to be done.”
Last month during the Stanley Cup Final, Bettman cast doubt on whether the league would participate, citing safety and logistical concerns.
Bettman said then that one of the only reasons the NHL is still in discussions with Olympic officials is because it made a commitment to make every effort to participate in the 2022 Games as part of extending the collective bargaining agreement with players last summer.
The NHL participated in five consecutive Olympics beginning in 1998 before skipping the 2018 Games in South Korea.
Bettman declined to explain how the schedule will be adjusted should the Olympic break not be needed.