Create a Kraken Mock Expansion Draft

[DanoCanuck]

Appleton won't be traded and should be at least a top nine winger or even more given his improvements during the last couple of seasons.

The pick from Detroit should also be Stetcher and the ones traded will most likely be some of the defenders.

BTW: This was also just step one in building a roster for Seattle.
We've got loads of cap space to use in trades and free agency while there's still a lot of question marks in what actually happens with side deals.

The roster we see from the ED is probably going to be very different than the one on opening night. This is just a rough draft of the finished product. Adding/subtracting 7-8 players wouldn't be out of the question between now and the first game.

 

[SwedishFire]

Now its only rangwrs pick left right? Who are they to pick , thoughts?

Very nicely covered by them. I guess it has somethibg to do with Goodraw and NHL rulds.

Nice trap by Rangers

 

[Good Intentions]

I agree with the first part. Fans always take the big names in these mock drafts but the actual teams rarely do.

Disagree on the playoffs though. I think a spot is well within reach if the team wants to go that way. Vegas and Edmonton are likely locks, the rest of the division is just plain bad. Only have to play as well as the crappy Canucks, Sharks, Kings and they're right in the mix.

This will be a bottom 5 team.

 

[LucicAndChong]

Like many of you, I was extremely confused by what Seattle did tonight, and I felt that Francis and the rest of the Kraken staff really dropped the ball on this one.

So to show how badly they dropped the ball, I took an hour to create a team that not only is cheaper and more competitive than what Francis just drafted, but I also have some big names that I am flipping for picks and prospects to start to help fill out my AHL Team.

While doing this, I tried to keep as many of the Krakens picks as I thought possible or agreed with and I also did this without making any sides deals (like the Kraken).

So without further to do, here is the team I drafted...

OFFENCE
JVR – Gourde – Bailey
McCann – Tierney – Donskoi
Jarnkrok – Geekie - Blais
Gadjovich – Blackwell – Stenlund
Shore

DEFENCE
Simek - DeMelo
H.Fleury – Lauzon
MacDermid – Stetcher
Ruhwedel/Lybushkin

GOALTENDING
Dreidger
Wedgewood

AHL
Mascherin (F)
C.Fleury (D)
Borgen (D)
Delia (G)

TRADING
Giordano (D)
Vanacek (G)
Kahkonen (G)

TOTAL CAP HIT - $51,564,999
TOTAL CAP SPACE - $29,935,001

Now I know that there are some questionable picks in here (Like taking Blais over Dunn/Tarasenko) but the purpose of this was to show that it was possible to make a better, more cohesive team than whatever the hell Seattle just did for $1,000,000 LESS than what Seattle is spending.
You may look at that D-Core and think that it is pretty suspect, you would be right. But with ~$30,000,000 in cap space and Gio/Vanacek/Kahkonen all being traded, that is something that can be easily addressed. Then, if you upgrade the D-Core, none of the players that are there are what we would call "untradeable", so when you get an upgrade on them, you can still trade those players for even more prospects/picks.

I guess what this whole post is trying to say is that as a fan of hockey itself, I am pretty disappointed in how the Kraken approached this draft and find it kind of ridiculous that a 20-something year old with no prior hockey experience can whip up a team in an hour that is better and cheaper than what a bunch of "trusted hockey men and women" can do in months.