Teams will have an idea of who Seattle might be looking at before they get to the expansion draft. That's why you'll see deals made where the expansion team gets something in exchange for agreeing not to pick some player. Or, they'll talk and the established team will say "we want you to take this player, here's something for you if you'll do that." It'll be the same with us. Seattle can only take one player; you're basically asking who on the unprotected list you think you can't live without and trying to steer Seattle to everyone else. Throw on all the rules that apply to who Seattle has to take (# of players at each position, % of cap) and it kind of whittles down who will be under serious consideration. (Read: the Kraken can't just load up on guys making $750K.)
The Lauries were billionaires.
Kyrou also got a shift with about 4 minutes left and the team up 2. Usually not a place to put a guy who you don’t trust defensively. Also telling that Mikkola was tasked with the 5 on 3 kill and I believe a bit of the opposing goalie empty net situation.
Well, if we can’t make any forecasts about the expansion situation, I retract my comments.
Sounds like something the Solomons would have done.
I think Schwartz and Schenn have really rubbed off on him. He’s relentless at both ends of the ice. His speed makes him one of the best back checkers I’ve ever seen on the blues. He’s always breaking plays up.
He finished second right behind RoR. It’s true that wingers don’t win it nearly as much as centers, but Datsyuk’s and Bergeron’s strangle hold on the award I think has more to do with wingers not winning it recently. Wingers have still won the award about 20% of the time. But I don’t think we’re going to see Schwartz nominated for it any time soon. I’m not sure he’s the best defensive forward on that line even.
A winger hasn't won the award in the salary cap era and in that time there have been 9 different winners. There have been 9 years where a center not named Bergeron or Datsyuk have won the Selke since the last winger won it.
Jere Lehtinen in 2003. Wingers won 11 of the 27 years it was awarded before the lockout. And haven't won since, plus only three wingers have been nominees since the lockout, Lehtinen(2006), Pandolfo(2007), and Stone(2019)
Ransku has been hyping up Mikkola forever, but he always hypes up Finns (I don't blame him), however Mikkola has been really really steady in the d-zone and the dude NEVER lets anyone get clean looks in the corner. He is really efficient at pinning guys to the wall and making them force their way into a good scoring chance, an attribute that I haven't really seen be used as much as Mikkola uses it.
Yea I think there is always worry with a talented guy like Kyrou who takes a few years to develop. He has the hands, the passing, elite skating; he had everything to make it work and you wonder how long it would take him to take that next step. Yakupov was a speedy guy who had a bomb for a shot BUT didn't seem to have good decision making. I think that's what sets Kyrou apart from those other players who had plenty of tools to be successful at the NHL level. You see plenty of guys who are smaller forwards that are making 6, 7, 8+ million a year, so I was never super worried about Kyrou's strength or weight. His compete level though AND his determination are what's setting him apart from everyone in the league (ok not everyone) and this team. Just goes to show you how important and effective playing every shift at 100% is.
You know I'm not saying don't make forecasts. I'm just saying not to get too caught up in the present; look longer-term. Hell, it was just a few days ago that people were practically volunteering to drive Dunn to whatever team he was getting traded to. Now, he's on the list of players we're trying to figure out how to keep if they're not on the protected list. Whatever his status is with the front office, it didn't do a 180 after the 2-game series with Arizona.Well, if we can’t make any forecasts about the expansion situation, I retract my comments.
