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Poll: How Should The Seattle Kraken Approach The No. 2 Overall Pick?

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The Seattle Kraken will be much more than just an idea with one undrafted junior player on their roster by the time the 2021 NHL Entry Draft rolls around. The club will have added at least 30 players to their arsenal by way of the Expansion Draft several days earlier. Seattle is not expected to have the same advantage in making side deals like the Vegas Golden Knights did in 2017, as the other 30 teams have learned their lesson. However, one major advantage they will have compared to Vegas is in the Entry Draft. Picking No. 2 overall after moving up in the draft lottery, the Kraken will pick four spots higher than the Knights, who slid to No. 6 overall in their lottery. While Vegas’ first ever draft pick, Cody Glass, is still fighting for regular play time on the NHL roster four years later, Seattle has a chance to add a player who can contribute right away in their inaugural season – one way or another.

The results of the Expansion Draft are unlikely to change the Kraken’s draft plans. They will have several days between the submission of Expansion Draft protection lists and the draft itself and to map out their plan of attack and to talk trade with the rest of the league. Sure, they could find that there are some unexpected trade options that could allow them to add other picks and prospects ahead of the draft, but unlikely anything that will change their opinion on how best to use the No. 2 pick. Only the Buffalo Sabres at first overall could potentially throw Seattle a curveball. Otherwise, their plan should be set well ahead of July 23.

So what should Seattle do with the second overall pick? It is a critical pick that will undoubtedly impact the new franchise for years to come. What is the best approach?

Take The Best Available Player – Pretty straightforward, right? The Kraken should take the best player remaining on their board after Buffalo makes their selection. Regardless of the positional value or any perceived positional needs following the Expansion Draft, Seattle should simply take the prospect that they feel has the highest ceiling and most realistic pro ambitions. While there is no consensus top prospect in this draft, many feel that University of Michigan defenseman Owen Power is that top prospect. If the Kraken agree and Buffalo goes elsewhere at No. 1, they pull the trigger.

Take The Best Available Center – Center is the position that many point to as the most important in the NHL and feel that a true No. 1 center is the hardest player to find. At No. 2 overall and Power potentially going first to Buffalo, Seattle could conceivably have their pick of every forward in the draft class to find that future top center. That could very well be Power’s Wolverines teammate Matthew Beniers. Even if Beniers or another center isn’t the best player on their board, Seattle shouldn’t pass up on the opportunity to add an elite prospect down the middle.

Take The Best Available Defenseman – Some live by the team-building mantra of building from the net out. While goalie Jesper Wallstedt is an elite prospect, he isn’t going No. 2 overall. However, the Kraken could instead choose to bolster their blue line with an elite prospect. Even if Power is off the board and there are forwards ranked higher on their draft board, Seattle needs to target one of the small group of blue chip defenders in the draft class, such as Brandt Clarke or Luke Hughes.

Trade Back And Add Picks – Starting a pipeline from scratch is about quantity over quality, right? The No. 2 overall pick is nice, but if Seattle isn’t able to acquire any other top picks in Expansion Draft deals, they would be better off trading back and adding picks. The New Jersey Devils at No. 4 and Columbus Blue Jackets at No. 5, both with extra first-rounders, seem like enticing trade partners. All three of Clarke, Hughes, or Wallstedt could still be available at either of those picks.

Trade For Established Star – Seattle doesn’t want a slow build-up. They want to compete right away like Vegas, but they won’t be able to so easily dupe the rest of the league in the Expansion Draft. Perhaps they should use the No. 2 overall pick as part of a deal to pry a star from a rebuilding team. Jack Eichel? Dylan Larkin? Logan Couture? Patrik Laine or Seth Jones?

What do you think? Which direction should GM Ron Francis and company go with the franchise’s first pick and the second pick of the 2021 NHL Draft?

Minor Transactions: 06/08/21

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Is this the calm before the storm? It’s been eerily quiet of late in terms of off-season moves, but with the entry draft order all but set following the lottery and soon just four teams left alive in the playoffs, not to mention the NHL Expansion Draft just six weeks away, the trade market seems primed to explode. While we wait, here are some of the notable minor moves being made:

  • Veteran net minder Viktor Fasth has announced his retirement. The 38-year-old Swede has been playing at home in the SHL for the past four years and was in the KHL before that ever since departing the NHL in 2015. The former Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers goalie burned bright, but burned up fast in North America. He was a breakout star in 2012-13 and continued his strong play into the next season despite a mid-year trade. Yet, his play fell off immensely in his first (and only) full season with Edmonton in 2014-15 and he left the league for good. Burnout hasn’t been a problem for Fasth since then. Even at his advanced age, he has continued to put up elite numbers in Europe, including a .934 save percentage and 1.79 GAA for the Vaxjo Lakers this season in 31 games, arguably the best season of his career. Fasth has decided to go out on top rather than try his luck heading into his forties next year.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins are happy with the play of first year pro Felix Robert in the minors this season and have signed him to a one-year AHL contract extension. Robert, a QMJHL scoring phenom in 2019-20, adjusted well to the pro level despite his small stature. He recorded 13 points in 27 games with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and added six points in ten ECHL games as well.
  • Former Arizona Coyotes prospect Erik Walli Waterholm will be staying in Sweden a while longer. Walli Waterholm opted not to sign with the ’Yotes earlier this month, letting his NHL Draft rights expire. The forward has not developed as expected since he was selected in 2017, but this was his best pro season in 2020-21 as he recorded 14 points in 44 games. Timra IK certainly believes he has room to improve as well, announcing that they have signed Walli Waterholm to a two-year extension. If he continues to grow, the 22-year-old could still one day be on an NHL radar.
  • With his third and final go-round in the NHL Draft around the corner, goaltender Samuel Hlavaj has taken the next step in his career and is hoping that maybe it will change his draft fortunes. Hlavaj is taking his talents to Slovakia, but isn’t just joining any team. Instead, he has signed with the league’s top club, HC Slovan Bratislava, where he will learn behind former NHL keeper Kristers Gudlevskis. The No. 5-ranked goalie in Europe according to NHL Central Scouting in his first draft year in 2019, Hlavaj was widely expected to be drafted, but wasn’t. He was however taken in the first round of the CHL Import Draft by the Sherbrooke Phoenix and was stellar in his first season with the club last year. Again, he was passed over in the draft. The third time is usually not the charm for most draft prospects, but perhaps Hlavaj’s status on a top European team behind a former NHL commodity will change some minds. A goalie with size and the stats to back him up, Hlavaj is just looking for a chance to show he has pro potential.

Philadelphia Flyers Name Ian Laperriere As AHL Head Coach

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The Philadelphia Flyers have not wasted any time with finding a replacement for their AHL head coach vacancy. While many other teams continue to interview coaches for roles without any formal hires, the Flyers have made the first major coaching decision of the off-season. After parting ways with Scott Gordon less than three weeks ago, the team has announced that Ian Laperriere has been named the head coach of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Of course, this means the Flyers now have another position to fill. Laperriere has served as an assistant coach for the NHL club since 2013-14, working under Craig Berube, Dave Hakstol, and Alain Vigneault, as well as briefly under Gordon, the man he is now replacing. Before that, he was the director of player development for the organization, which ties into his new role overseeing the Flyers’ pro prospects. The move thus comes as no surprise, as Philadelphia decides to stay internal with a trusted name, but also allowing Vigneault to bring in a new face for his staff.

Laperriere, 47, transitioned directly from his playing career into his professional career with the Flyers, hanging up his skates in 2012 after playing his final three years in Philadelphia. However, complications from a concussion suffered during the 2010 postseason actually kept him from competing in those final two seasons. Instead, he stayed on in a support role to the organization and was awarded the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for his efforts. In total, Laperriere played over 1,000 games in the NHL as a fearsome enforcer and two-way forward. His experience both on and off the ice has him set up well to coach the Flyers’ AHL prospects, currently a deep and talented group.

Brayden McNabb Removed From COVID Protocol

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The NHL released a blank COVID Protocol Related Absences list today as the lone remaining member, Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb, has been removed. McNabb had been in the protocol and in isolation since May 26 following a positive test, but was expected to come off the list when he was spotted skating ahead of Vegas’ morning skate on Sunday.

However, McNabb’s return to the lineup remains on hold. Although he has exited isolation following the required ten days, the NHL’s COVID Protocol states that any player who tests positive for Coronavirus “must refrain from exercise for a total of 14 days from the time of the first positive test” and also must pass cardiac testing. This means that McNabb cannot return to action until Wednesday at the earliest. His morning skate participation likely falls under the “low-grade exercise” permitted if a player has been asymptomatic.

With the Colorado Avalanche up 2-1 in the West Division finals and Games Four and Five scheduled for Sunday and Tuesday, McNabb will need his Knights teammates to force a Game Six on Thursday in order for him to have any chance to return. The irony is that Vegas could desperately use McNabb’s defensive play in order to pick up more wins against a dynamic Avalanche offense.

Canada Wins 2021 IIHF World Championship

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The 2021 IIHF World Championship came to an end today with Canada taking home the gold medal in a win over Finland. The Canadians won 3-2 in overtime against the Finns, on an Ottawa connection no less between Connor Brown and Nick Paul, to finish off an unlikely run. Though it sounds strange, no one expected Canada to come out on top after several early losses in group play and just narrowly making it into the playoff rounds. However, they proved that they should never be counted out, becoming the first team to ever win the tournament after losing their first three games.

The United States won the bronze medal earlier in the day, defeating Germany 6-1. The Americans actually exited group play with the points lead in the tournament, but due to Canada’s struggles it led to the two hockey powers clashing in the semifinals with Canada coming out on top. Germany continues its rise as a hockey nation, finishing fourth but nearly reaching the final with a 2-1 loss to Finland in the semis.

Other countries that impressed included Slovakia, which reached the playoff rounds behind 12 points in group play, and Kazakhstan, who totaled 10 points in group play and would have reached the next round – knocking out Canada – if not for a surprise regulation loss to Norway. Every nation in the 16-team tournament other than Italy picked up at least one win and four points. It was a tournament to forget for Sweden though; the elite hockey country only notched 10 points in group play and missed the cut.

Individually, it is no surprise that most of the leading scorers of the tournament were impact NHL players from the top teams in the tournament. Brown led the way with 16 points, while Canadian Andrew Mangiapane of the Calgary Flames was named MVP as one of the top scorers and sharing the lead in goals. American Conor Garland of the Arizona Coyotes finished second in points and Canadian Adam Henrique – who centered a line with Brown and Mangiapane – also among the leading scorers. However, two additional players in the mix will come as a surprise. Boston Bruins property Peter Cehlarik of Slovakia tied Mangiapane and Henrique with 11 points and Arizona Coyotes prospect Liam Kirk tied Mangiapane for the tournament lead with seven goals. In net, Calvin Petersen of the Los Angeles Kings was stellar for the U.S., recording a .953 save percentage and 1.29 GAA, but unheralded Finnish netminder Jussi Olkinuora was just as good. The former University of Denver standout and AHL/ECHL veteran has quietly been putting up impressive numbers for five years in Europe in the Liiga and KHL and may very well be on NHL radars now.

Canada Approves Border Exemption For NHL Playoff Teams

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The Canadian government and the NHL didn’t let the weekend stop them from continuing work on a resolution to allow NHL teams to bypass current border restrictions. With the North Division finals potentially ending as early as Monday night, an agreement has been made to allow the victor to travel for road games to the United States and for American teams to cross into Canada. CBC News was the first to report that a federal travel exemption has been enacted for the final two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

As one might have expected, the exception to Canada’ strict quarantine policies comes with its own set of public health safeguards. All team members crossing into Canada, Canadian and American teams alike, will be subject to pre- and post-arrival COVID testing. Team must use private air travel and will be restricted to a “bubble” while in Canada that includes the team hotel and arena. Players are asked to limit all interaction with the general public during this time and to follow all local health guidelines.

The way that the NHL’s postseason has shaken out in terms of regular season standings and playoff scheduling, the next round is already somewhat set. The North Division winner (Montreal is up 2-0 on Winnipeg) will travel to the West Division winner (Colorado is up 2-1 on Vegas) to open up the next round. As a result, these rules that the two sides have worked so hard to hammer out may only apply to just one trip. The West Division winner, should they win the series in four or five games, would only need to travel into Canada once. However, anything beyond that, including a North Division team advancing to the Stanley Cup Final, could mean several trips.

This resolution is a far superior result than the alternative for the Canadian teams, who otherwise would have had to play at adopted American location. Instead, they will be able to have home games with a limited home crowd in the next round. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly expressed his gratitude that an agreement on an exemption could be reached, keeping all teams on an even playing field and protecting the integrity of the postseason.

Injury Notes: Evans, Stastny, Seguin, Rossi

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It was a scary moment at the end of Game One between the Montreal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets, as the Habs’ Jake Evans had to be stretchered off the ice after receiving a massive hit from the Jets’ Mark Scheifele as the result of a charge. Scheifele was suspended for four games and with Montreal up 2-0 and playing at home the next two games, he may not play again this season. Regardless of the series length though, it seemed certain that Evans would not play again this season. Fortunately, Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme did have good news this morning, relaying that Evans is doing better since his trip to the hospital on Wednesday. Ducharme added that there is still no timeline for a return, as one might expect, but it is still good to see improvement from Evans following such a frightening check. Hopefully Evans will make an appearance in the arena to root on his teammates in the near future.

  • The Jets are hoping to stay alive in the series but face an uphill battle down two games and on the road, missing one of their best players in Scheifele. They are hoping to get one player back sooner rather than later though in Paul Stastny. Stastny has missed each of the first two games of the North Division finals with an undisclosed injury, but TSN’s Sara Orlesky spoke with head coach Paul Maurice and confirmed that Stastny made the trip to Montreal. Maurice stopped short of making any claims about his availability for Games Three and Four, but the 35-year-old would not have traveled if he was not at least in consideration for game action. Needing to replace Scheifele down the middle, Stastny would be a major addition to the lineup for Winnipeg if he is able to go. Update: Stastny is IN for Game Three.
  • After returning for the final three games of the regular season, Tyler Seguin is back to work on his rehab this summer. Following hip and knee surgeries last fall, Seguin missed almost all of the season in recovery, but was deemed fit to make a brief return at the end of the year for the Dallas Stars. The goal now is to make sure that his surgically-repaired lower body is completely up to speed for the beginning of next season, writes Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News. Seguin is now able to train at full strength this summer to get back into game shape, telling DeFranks that his skating was still lacking even when he returned to the lineup at the end of the season. The Stars need Seguin at his best if they want to return to the postseason next year following a disappointing 2020-21 campaign.
  • In a momentous development following a very difficult year, Minnesota Wild prospect Marco Rossi skated for the first time on Saturday after battling Coronavirus complications this season. Rossi was sent home to Austria at the beginning of the season as he endured serious medical side affects related to a COVID diagnosis months earlier and continued that fight throughout the year. Rossi was finally medically cleared last month and NHL.com reports that Wild GM Bill Guerin has been in close contact with his budding young star and is happy with his progress. Guerin states that Rossi is “incredibly healthy” and “looking very good” as he begins his training to get back into game shape. The Wild hope that the 2020 No. 9 overall draft pick and OHL scoring champion will be ready for training camp and can make a difference for the club next season.

David Krejci Receives Max Fine For Slashing

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One penalty call from Friday night’s Game Four between the Boston Bruins and New York Islanders has gone through quite the roller coaster review process and yet questions still remain. The NHL Department of Players Safety has announced that Bruins forward David Krejci has received a maximum $5,000 fine for “slashing” on Islanders forward Mathew Barzal in the second period last night.

Slashing though was not even the original call. The penalty in question was called when Krejci used his stick to jab Barzal between the legs in last night’s contest. The initial call on the ice was a major penalty for spearing. However, when the officials reviewed the call, they reduced the penalty to a minor for slashing. Player Safety seemingly felt that the play deserved further scrutiny and decided on supplemental discipline for Krejci, but they too considered it slashing.

Upon further review, it is hard to watch the play and call it anything less than spearing. With that said, the reduction in the penalty may have also been partially a make-up call by the on-ice officials. The crew missed repeated cross-checks by Barzal against Krejci before the veteran decided to deliver his own brand of justice against the youngster. Upon reviewing the play, the officials may have decided that their own inaction led to the penalty and felt that Krejci did not deserve five minutes in the box. It also seems likely that Barzal helped the penalty along with some acting.

The officials missing calls against the Bruins has been a storyline in this series (and last) as well. Boston head coach Bruce Cassidy spoke out after the Game Four loss, stating that he didn’t think his team was getting a fair amount of calls in their favor during the postseason. Krejci was also critical of the officiating and of Barzal. The question now is whether the comments of the respected coach and veteran will make any impact when the Bruins and Islanders start fresh with a tied series in Game Five on Monday.

2020-21 Selke Trophy Finalists Announced

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The NHL has announced the finalists for yet another of its end of the year awards, the Frank J. Selke Trophy. Always a hotly-contested and highly-debated award, the Selke Trophy is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association on the basis of “the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game.” The 2020-21 finalists are Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov, Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron, and Vegas Golden Knights winger Mark Stone.

Bergeron should of course come as no surprise. The Bruins captain is a finalist for a record tenth consecutive year and one of only two four-time winners in league history, alongside Bob Gainey who won the award in each of the first four seasons that it existed. Considered by some to be the best defensive forward to ever play the game, Bergeron is always a safe bet to be a Selke contender, especially when he again led the league at the face-off dot this season, recording a 62.5% winning percentage. Bergeron also led the NHL in total face-offs won, while leading the Bruins forwards in blocked shots, short-handed time on ice, and career-best possession stats.

With that said, some wondered if Bergeron was even the best defensive forward on his own team this year with the success that Brad Marchand had forcing turnovers, checking, and recording a league-leading seven short-handed points, not to mention leading all non-Oilers in league scoring. If Bergeron faced competition even on his own team, perhaps the door is open for one of the other finalists to prevent him from taking home a record fifth Selke win.

Barkov led a resurgent Panthers team to the postseason this year, topping all Florida forwards in ice time, takeaways, and possession, as well as points per game, and was second in blocked shots. Barkov finished in the top-15 league-wide in face-offs taken, won, and percentage. A first-time Selke finalist, Barkov has nevertheless established himself as one of the best defensive forwards in the league right now and his candidacy is long overdue.

As for Stone, he is looking to become the first winger to win the Selke since Jere Lehtinen did so three times, the last coming in 2002-03. A takeaway machine, no player in the NHL has forced more turnovers during Stone’s career, as he led the league for the fifth time again this year. Stone led all Knights forwards in time on ice and finished third in short-handed time on ice per game and blocked shots per game. Stone also led all forwards in points and plus/minus. However, Stone faces an uphill battle to win without any face-off contributions and he may also be dinged for not being more engaged in the checking game, trailing Bergeron and Barkov in hits per game despite his considerable size advantage.

Other than Marchand, other potential snubs include recent winners Sean Couturier and Ryan O’Reilly, while some felt that Sidney Crosby deserved recognition for what was arguably the best two-way season of his storied career. However, few will argue that the PHWA didn’t settle on the right choices for the top three this year.

 

 

Evening Notes: Carlo, Olympics, OHL Draft

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The Stanley Cup Playoffs are down to just four series and the start of the off-season is still a ways away, but that doesn’t mean the hockey news cycle slows down. There have been quite a few notable announcements today, including one that involves one of those few remaining active teams. After taking a hard, but clean check from New York Islanders forward Cal Clutterbuck, Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo was forced out of Game Three on Thursday with an apparent head injury. Carlo has a history of concussions, including missing time earlier this season, and after his head made contact with the boards, the big defender struggled to get back up and had to be helped off the ice. The expectation of course was that Carlo could miss considerable time as a result of the check; however, the initial reports suggested that Carlo was feeling good after the game. Well, the Bruins will sit Carlo for at least Game Four, the team has announced, perhaps just out of an abundance of caution. The hope is that Carlo can return sooner rather than later, especially with fellow blue liners Kevan Miller and Jakub Zboril also injured and Steven Kampfer out for the year. In the meantime, Jeremy Lauzon will be elevated to Carlo’s spot on the second pair and Jarred Tinordi will sub into the lineup.

  • It appears that the NHL is using the ongoing IIHF World Championships to work with the international governing body on an agreement for the upcoming Olympics. TSN’s Gord Miller relays word from IIHF officials that “significant progress” has been made on terms of NHL participation in the 2022 Winter Games. The two sides have been discussing the topic in-person for the first time while in Riga, Latvia this week and appear to be on the right track. Olympic participation in Beijing, China in 2022 and Milan, Italy in 2026 was negotiated as part of last year’s Collective Bargaining Agreement extension, but was pending an agreement between the NHL and IIHF as well. It seems that such an agreement is now getting close.
  • The OHL wrapped up their two-day Priority Selection Draft on Saturday. The opening of the draft made headlines on Friday, with American Quentin Musty being selected first overall and Oakville Rangers U16 program contributing five of the next ten picks. However, it was pick No. 267 today that stole the show. The Sarnia Sting selected goaltender Taya Currie with the pick, making her the first female player to ever be drafted into the OHL. It is quite the honor for Currie, but she now faces the difficult decision of committing to the men’s junior game or instead reserving her NCAA eligibility to play the women’s game at the next level.

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