2021 Seattle expansion draft. Who do you protect?

[Adele Dazeem]

**Updated list**

Protected​

1. Connor Brown: starting here because he went from playing like a fringe bottom 6 coach's pet to looking like a legitimate superstar. Incredible that he not only recaptured last year's magic, but far surpassed it from the mid point on. I was wrong. He absolutely has to be kept and has separated himself from the Whites and Tierneys of this roster.
2. Brady Tkachuk: self-explanatory.
3. Drake Batherson: self-explanatory.
4. Josh Norris: self-explanatory.
5. Nick Paul: too big, too smart, too versatile to be lost.
6. Logan Brown: neck and neck with Stützle and closely followed by Chabot and Batherson for the title of ''most skilled player in the organization''. Boston regrets letting Wheeler go. We regret letting Zibanejad go. Bigger players take time. Let's not double down here. Do the right thing and give the man a chance.
7. Austin Watson: Cheap, dependable 4th liner. Elite shot blocker, solid PKer, tough as nails, leadership in spades & Stanley cup finals experience. There's literally nothing to dislike here.

1. Thomas Chabot: self-explanatory.
2. Victor Mete: his arrival forces Ottawa to go 7-3-1.
3. Nikita Zaitsev: He's not terrible, but he's certainly not a #2 and he's not ''elite'' as DJ and PD would suggest. It is what it is. He'll be protected, but I maintain that shedding the 13.5M he's owed and/or weaponizing this last protection slot would be far more beneficial to the organization.

1. Filip Gustavsson: If Joey Daccord is lost, we'll miss his puck handling ability and his competitive style in net. But Gustavsson has simply outplayed him this year. He's younger, more steady, more technical, comes with an impressive resume and has a history getting progressively better at every level he's played. Obvious choice here.

Exposed​

1. Colin White: still like his game, but he has plateau'd and he is being surpassed by every single prospect coming into the lineup with little to no resistance. Could he break out? Yes. Absolutely, he could. But given the risk/reward factor, should Ottawa take the 20.5M gamble as a budget team? No. They shouldn't.
2. Evgeni Dadonov: again, Bobby Ryan production for a shade under Bobby Ryan money.
3. Chris Tierney: good on the PK and simply terrible at everything else.
4. Josh Brown: he improved a lot throughout the season, but he can go if it comes to that.
5. Matt Murray: 3 more years at essentially 7M/per. God helps us all.
6. Joey Daccord: he would be the one big loss.

Ideal scenario
​

1. Using picks and prospects if necessary, Dorion aggressively trims the self-inflicted 25M of dead weight saddled on the roster (namely Colin White, Chris Tierney, Evgeni Dadonov, Nikita Zaitsev & Matt Murray).
2. Having cut at least 2 or 3 of those contracts (ideally Zaitsev, Murray & Tierney), PD goes after Dougie Hamilton in free agency and does nothing else.

Tkachuk - Norris - Batherson
Stützle - L. Brown - C. Brown
Formenton - Pinto - Dadonov
Paul - White - Watson
Kelly

Chabot - Hamilton
Brännström/Sanderson - Zub
Mete - JBD
J. Brown

Daccord
Gustavsson​

This is top-notch. Well done.

If Dorion does this we are GOLDEN. (he probably won't)

 

[SpezDispenser]

just thinking about the budget, they won’t be a Cap team and they are adding salary for Tkachuk and Batherson.
If you can replace Tierney with Giroux. Ottawa isn’t spending to the Cap and if they want to improve the team it’ll be money out for sure - Dadonov also could be packaged and moved but they’ll have to sweeten the pot

I think you can make a deal for Tierney that might involve taking a little bit of salary back, but I'm really against giving any sweateners in the form of pics. If what I think is gonna happen, we're gonna be GOOD and we'll need an influx of ELCs to help out along the way - or use them on players to help get to the promised land.

f***ing Stepan burns my ass to this day.

 

[Xspyrit]

Please Dorion, don't leave any of Logan Brown, Gustavsson and even Mete exposed... our collective forehead would hurt a lot... particularly not to protect Chris Tierney or Josh Brown. Take a risk with Murray, the overpayment you gave him kinda "protects" him. It was really smart

Forwards: Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson, Connor Brown, Nick Paul, Colin White, Austin Watson, Logan Brown

Defense: Thomas Chabot, Nikita Zaitsev, Victor Mete

Goaltender: Filip Gustavsson

Notable exposures: Chris Tierney, Evgeny Dadonov, Mike Amadio, Josh Brown, Matt Murray, Joey Daccord, Anton Forsberg

Going to be slim pickings for Seattle here. Would imagine it's down to a choice between Tierney and Daccord, and we're well positioned to absorb the loss of either.

My choices as well, pretty much a "no brainer", particularly on defense.

If I'm Seattle, I'm going Dadonov. 5 M$ for 2 years, some kind of stop gap to have some experience and skill in the lineup

Or it could be Tierney, if you need a "responsible defensively who doesn't engage center"

Daccord or Murray would surprise me, they'll have ton of better/cheaper options. If Murray was cheaper with maybe 1 year less they'd take him but not with this contract.

 

[Tuna99]

I think you can make a deal for Tierney that might involve taking a little bit of salary back, but I'm really against giving any sweateners in the form of pics. If what I think is gonna happen, we're gonna be GOOD and we'll need an influx of ELCs to help out along the way - or use them on players to help get to the promised land.

f***ing Stepan burns my ass to this day.

I’m high on the team for sure but salary realty it going to hit us pretty hard. Dorion gets good value and has shown he can get rid of dead weight money before, and he’s not afraid to use 2nd round picks to get money off the books. Tierney will have value in Seattle and taking him they can keep him if they are a playoff team and if not flip him out as a FA depth guy and get a middle round pick - so he has good value for them. Solid pro

 

[GCK]

Nailed it. Could see Ottawa protecting White over Watson but aside from that, nothing else should come as a surprise. Nothing(if we are competent).

Competent would be not protecting Josh Norris since he is exempt.

Tkachuk
Batherson
Brown
Brown
White
Paul
Dadonov

Zaitsev
Chabot
Mete

Gus

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

While I would expose him, I think there’s zero chance that Dorion exposes Murray. I can’t see PD starting the season with a duo that has less than 100 GP combined.

Its almost gauranteed they wouldn't touch Murray and his contract, so exposing him is just a formality.

 

[GCK]

It’s ridiculous to pay a 2ND to get ride of Tierney who will probably return a 2-4RD pick at the deadline. That’s essentially 2 2ND’s to lose Tierney which is more value than say losing Daccord, White, JBrown or whoever etc.

I’m expecting Tierney to have a good offseason and a solid year. He will be trying to earn a contract and a destination as a UFA which historically suggests he will have a near career year.

Seattle doesn’t need to be paid to take Tierney ... who are we protecting ? Dadonov ? White ? Paying a second to keep those guys is ludicrous.

Pay a 2nd to not pay 4.2M for our 5th line centre. Tierney cannot skate well enough to play on this team and DJ/PD know it.

 

[GCK]

Dorion also said... "God rested on 7th day, on 8th he created Erik Karlsson"....I think anything is possible this offseason

Unfortunately on the 9th day the Devil made Matt Cooke.

 

[Icelevel]

Unfortunately on the 9th day the Devil made Matt Cooke.

The dirty, worst of the worst, scumbag of a devil.

 

[Sweatred]

Pay a 2nd to not pay 4.2M for our 5th line centre. Tierney cannot skate well enough to play on this team and DJ/PD know it.

I think Tierney will come back skating much better - he’s heading. Into a contract year.

 

[GCK]

I think Tierney will come back skating much better - he’s heading. Into a contract year.

He didn’t skate well 2 years ago, I think he is what he is.

 

[Senscore]

Unfortunately on the 9th day the Devil made Matt Cooke.

I'll go to my grave believing he knew exactly what he was doing.

Pittsburgh fans can all eat shit for their defending of it.

 

[Cosmix]

I would be happy if the Kracken were to take one player in the following order:

1. Matt Murray
2. Evgeni Dadonov
3. Colin White
4. Chris Tierney
5. Josh Brown

I suspect they will take the lowest cost player made available such as Josh Brown or Tierney

 

[Sweatred]

He didn’t skate well 2 years ago, I think he is what he is.

I recall a Tierney who’d get behind some Dman and have the odd breakaway etc ... am I misremembering ?

He is 26 years old and entering a contact year - I get the skepticism but I think we’ll see a strong year from him (where ever he is) next year. His potential reward is worth an offseason of speed/power work.

I still like the idea of losing White in expansion and playing CT and Logan as 2/4C’s while we pump and dump CT for a 2-3RD pick and finish with Amadio, Grieg , Paul or whoever. Punting Klevin/Sokolov type players 3-4 years down the road as often as possible with help us survive our market realities.

I don’t see how White or Dadonov gets us a similar pick ... ever.

 

[jbeck5]

Anyone else scared we'll protect Murray and expose Gus because we've often been incompetent in the past?

 

[Senscore]

Anyone else scared we'll protect Murray and expose Gus because we've often been incompetent in the past?

Dorion coming out yesterday and saying Gustavsson was our best goaltender this year did give me hope he hasn't totally lost his mind.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Anyone else scared we'll protect Murray and expose Gus because we've often been incompetent in the past?

What do you mean "we've been incompetent"?

 

[Xspyrit]

What do you mean "we've been incompetent"?

Doesn't matter, we were a team

 

[GoMyTeam]

Trade Daccord or Gustavsson to a team that still needs to sort their goalies out. (I prefer keeping Gustavsson)

Trade for a defenseman who is set to be exposed by another team. (Preferably a short term RD to play with Chabot or Mete)

Go 4-4-1 and protect Tkachuk, Batherson, Paul, C.Brown, Chabot, Zaitsev, Mete, the new defenseman, and Daccord or Gustavsson.

Exposed players of note
White, Tierney, Dadonov, Watson, J.Brown, Murray, Forsberg, L.Brown and Abramov

 

[dmarc]

**Updated list**

Protected​

.
4. Josh Norris: self-explanatory.

Norris is exempt as he has only played 2 pro seasons

 

[Sweatred]

Trade Daccord or Gustavsson to a team that still needs to sort their goalies out. (I prefer keeping Gustavsson)

Trade for a defenseman who is set to be exposed by another team. (Preferably a short term RD to play with Chabot or Mete)

Go 4-4-1 and protect Tkachuk, Batherson, Paul, C.Brown, Chabot, Zaitsev, Mete, the new defenseman, and Daccord or Gustavsson.

Exposed players of note
White, Tierney, Dadonov, Watson, J.Brown, Murray, Forsberg, L.Brown and Abramov

Seattle takes Logan Brown in a heart beat and stocks their farm with one of the best 22 year old centers in the AHL. They can sign any FA forward they want to cover the loss of Tierney or White or who ever.

Meanwhile the Senators have given away the most likely internal prospect to take over their glaring need and done nothing to lose any of their bad contracts.

 

[GoMyTeam]

Seattle takes Logan Brown in a heart beat and stocks their farm with one of the best 22 year old centers in the AHL. They can sign any FA forward they want to cover the loss of Tierney or White or who ever.

Meanwhile the Senators have given away the most likely internal prospect to take over their glaring need and done nothing to lose any of their bad contracts.

Then you trade as part of the deal for a defenseman or a separate deal to a team that likes him enough to protect him.

 

[Xspyrit]

Trade Daccord or Gustavsson to a team that still needs to sort their goalies out. (I prefer keeping Gustavsson)

Trade for a defenseman who is set to be exposed by another team. (Preferably a short term RD to play with Chabot or Mete)

Go 4-4-1 and protect Tkachuk, Batherson, Paul, C.Brown, Chabot, Zaitsev, Mete, the new defenseman, and Daccord or Gustavsson.

Exposed players of note
White, Tierney, Dadonov, Watson, J.Brown, Murray, Forsberg, L.Brown and Abramov

Sorry but why 4-4-1?

Why would you expose Logan Brown, Austin Watson and another guy (White?) when you could just go 7-3-1? We don't have more than 3 D-men worth protecting.

But ok, seems that you're talking about trading for a D-man BEFORE the expansion... If that guy is really solid and comes cheap to acquire because of the expansion context, OK I guess but that would have to be worth it.

 

[Sweatred]

Then you trade as part of the deal for a defenseman or a separate deal to a team that likes him enough to protect him.

Why not keep him ? He’s probably our 2ND best prospect behind Sanderson ?

 

[Qward]

Not that we are loaded with D that need to be protected, but I don't care if we protect mete. He is too similar to Brannstrom.