Seattle Kraken draft results: Complete roster, list of picks from the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft

Jackie Spiegel

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Seattle Kraken draft results: Complete roster, list of picks from the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft image

The Seattle Kraken officially unveiled their roster during the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft.

Wednesday night, general manager Ron Francis, aided by a plethora of big names including Sue Bird, Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton and Marshawn Lynch, announced the 30 players who were taken from your favorite teams during a special broadcast on ESPN.

The picks leaked earlier in the day, so the names were not a surprise, but the Kraken reeled in some big fish nonetheless: Mark Giordano, Adam Larsson, Vince Dunn, Jamie Oleksiak, Brandon Tanev and Jordan Eberle. Giordano, who will surely get the captaincy, was in attendance along with Oleksiak, Tanev, Eberle and goaltender Chris Driedger.

Sporting News tracked the picks and the initial rumors through the Kraken officially announcing the players who are now a part of the NHL's 32nd franchise.

SN'S MOCK EXPANSION DRAFT:  Carey Price, Vladimir Tarasenko headline picks

Seattle Kraken roster

The Kraken had to select at least 14 forwards, nine defensemen and three goalies. Twenty of the 30 players selected had to have contracts for 2021-22 and all contracts had to be cap-compliant (the cap ceiling for 2021-22 is $81.5 million). Also, a quick reminder: The Golden Knights were exempt from losing a player.

TEAM PLAYER POS CAP HIT
Anaheim Ducks  Haydn Fleury  D  $1.3M
Arizona Coyotes  Tyler Pitlick  RW  $1.75M
Boston Bruins  Jeremy Lauzon  D  $850K
Buffalo Sabres  Will Borgen  D  RFA
Calgary Flames  Mark Giordano  D  $6.75M
Carolina Hurricanes  Morgan Geekie  C/W  RFA
Chicago Blackhawks  John Quenneville  LW  $750K
Colorado Avalanche  Joonas Donskoi  RW  $3.9M
Columbus Blue Jackets  Gavin Bayreuther  D  UFA
Dallas Stars  Jamie Oleksiak  D  UFA
Detroit Red Wings  Dennis Cholowski  D $894K
Edmonton Oilers  Adam Larsson  D  UFA
Florida Panthers  Chris Driedger  G  UFA
Los Angeles Kings  Kurtis MacDermid  D  $875K
Minnesota Wild  Carson Soucy  D  $2.75M
Montreal Canadiens  Cale Fleury  D  RFA
Nashville Predators  Calle Jarnkrok C/W  $2M
New Jersey Devils  Nathan Bastian  RW  $825K
New York Islanders  Jordan Eberle  RW  $5.5M
New York Rangers  Colin Blackwell  C/W  $725K
Ottawa Senators  Joey Daccord  G  $750K
Philadelphia Flyers  Carsen Twarynski  LW  RFA
Pittsburgh Penguins  Brandon Tanev  LW  $3.5M
San Jose Sharks  Alexander True  C  RFA
St. Louis Blues  Vince Dunn  D  RFA
Tampa Bay Lightning  Yanni Gourde  C  $5.17M
Toronto Maple Leafs  Jared McCann  C/W  $2.94M
Vancouver Canucks  Kole Lind  RW  RFA
Washington Capitals  Vitek Vanecek  G  $717K
Winnipeg Jets  Mason Appleton  RW  $900K

EXPANSION DRAFT: Protected lists | Players available

NHL Expansion Draft rumors

(All times are Eastern)

9:39 p.m. — Side deals and trades were not announced, so it sounds as if none were done.

9:32 p.m. — The last pick is the now ex-Canuck Kole Lind.

9:25 p.m — Mark Giordano: "This is the first time in my career I've ever been drafted." In all likelihood, he's the first team captain.

9:02 p.m. — Big toothless grin from Jamie Oleksiak when Dominic Moore says he is the heaviest player in the entire NHL.

8:52 p.m. — Kraken's home opener will be Oct. 23 against the nearby Canucks.

8:47 p.m. — Brandon Tanev is the Penguins pick and he's in Seattle. They show his head shot from last year and he's a good sport about it.

8:32 p.m. — Many thought it'd be Jake Bean, but it's Morgan Geekie who has ties to the area (played for the WHL's Tri-City Americans) as the Hurricanes' pick.

8:23 p.m. — Chris Fowler takes a shot at the Leafs' playoff drought . . . before announcing Jared McCann.

8:20 p.m. — Ron Francis says Price was discussed but the team "decided to go in a different direction."

8:18 p.m. — Chris Driedger is in Seattle and sporting the new Kraken home jersey.

8:13 p.m. — Three picks (Lauzon, Borgen, Cholowski). Three defensemen. Combined 194 NHL games with Chowloski playing the most,104. 

8:10 p.m. —  The first guy to go is the Bruins' Jeremy Lauzon, someone Kraken assistant coach Jay Leach knows well from Providence (AHL).

8:02 p.m. — Here we go. Gary Bettman gets booed. Hockey is alive and well in Seattle.

7:39 p.m. —  This will count toward one of the 20 players required to be under contract for 2021-22.

5:45 p.m —  The last piece of the puzzle.

3 p.m. — Only one team is left. Who was taken from the Red Wings? All signs point to Troy Stecher, but based on other picks, who knows?

12:31 p.m. — Among the biggest surprises of the expansion draft so far, Seattle opted not to select Max Domi from the Blue Jackets and instead took a 27-year-old defenseman who played nine NHL games in 2020-21.

12:05 p.m. —  Hurricanes defenseman Jake Bean was the assumed pick from Carolina, but Seattle instead goes with Morgan Geekie.

11:58 a.m. — Seattle's pick from the Jets could indicate Winnipeg negotiated a side deal to stop the Kraken from taking defenseman Dylan DeMelo.

11:53 a.m. — So far Seattle GM Ron Francis has been cautious to avoid bloated contracts.

11:45 a.m. — Seattle has perhaps found its first captain in 37-year-old Mark Giordano, plucked from new Pacific Dvision rival Flames.

11:37 a.m. — Seattle has reportedly sourced its goalies from Florida, Washington and Ottawa.

11:33 a.m. — Kaapo Kahkonen was widely speculated to be one of Seattle's goalie selections. 

11:30 a.m. — The NHL Expansion Draft has so far been a buzzkill for anyone hoping for chaos. Gabriel Landeskog, a pending UFA, won't be Seattle's pick from Colorado.

11:21 a.m. — This means Alex Kerfoot is staying put in Toronto.

11:16 a.m. —  Another big name who won't be headed to Seattle.

11:10 a.m. —  It appears Carey Price to Seattle was all talk.

11:07 a.m. — Could Vladimir Tarasenko be at the center of one of today's biggest side deals?

10:40 a.m. — Brandon Tanev is the Penguins guy? Interesting.

10 a.m. —  The Kraken have submitted all the deets to the NHL. Now we wait.

9:57 a.m. — Another pending UFA but time is ticking on when things need to be submitted to the NHL.

MORE: Everything you need to know about the Expansion Draft

9:05 a.m. — A little shocking that Larsson is not re-signing with the Oilers who reportedly offered him similar money.

9:42 a.m.. — Any thought of the Kraken taking anyone but Gourde appears to be squashed.

8:58 a.m. — The first news comes down. If it is in fact Larsson and Oleksiak, they will be the only players Seattle can select from the Oilers and Stars, respectively.

Jackie Spiegel