New York Post

Krak’ of dawn

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The Seattle Kraken, the NHL’s 32nd franchise, will select one player from every team except the Golden Knights during their Wednesday night expansion draft (8 p.m., ESPN2). Here’s how The Post’s Mollie Walker expects it to shake out for the Rangers, Islanders and Devils.

RANGERS

In considerat­ion: Julien Gauthier, Colin Blackwell, Barclay Goodrow

The pick: Colin Blackwell

The skinny: After making the most of his 47 games with the Rangers, breaking out for 12 goals and 10 assists in 202021, Blackwell proved he has value at the NHL level. He is a cheap, immediate option to fill out the Kraken’s bottom six.

ISLANDERS

In considerat­ion: Jordan Eberle, Josh Bailey, Kieffer Bellows, Leo Komarov, Sebastian Aho

The pick: Josh Bailey

The skinny: Seattle likely wants to be selective with where it ties up its money, and Bailey’s

$5 million cap hit in 2021-22 — before it shrinks to $3.5 million over the next two seasons — is a sizeable one to take on. But Bailey, a top-six forward with playoff experience and leadership qualities, brings a lot to the table.

DEVILS

In considerat­ion: P.K. Subban, Nicholas Merkley, Andreas Johnsson, Nathan Bastian

The pick: Andreas Johnsson

The skinny: While he wasn’t able to carry over to New Jersey the offensive success he had in Toronto, Johnsson is still a scoring threat who could produce with the right pieces around him. For $3.4 million against the cap the next two years, Seattle won’t be married to the player if it doesn’t work out.

 ??  ?? Colin Blackwell
Getty Images (2); Paul J. Bereswill
Colin Blackwell Getty Images (2); Paul J. Bereswill
 ??  ?? Josh Bailey
Josh Bailey
 ??  ?? Andreas Johnsson
Andreas Johnsson
 ??  ??

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