Expansion draft

[CutOnDime97]

Was Andy Strickland high on him?

 

[Flyer lurker]

You really think Seattle would pick NAK over 2 years of JVR or 3 years of Voracek? NAK has been fine, but it's not like he has top 6 upside.

Free agency is going to be just as slow next year and Seattle can grab some bargains for sure. JVR isn't getting touched without a sweetner attached. Voracek is the hmm player. 8.25m in covid is a lot of cap.

 

[deadhead]

It's definitely a possibility. They have to fill out an NHL roster not a video game roster. Vegas was criticized for some of their selections at the time, passing up on top 6 players for bottom 6 ones, but in retrospect it made sense. They are going to lean heavily into analytics too and NAK shines there. I would not be at all surprised if NAK is picked. In fact, if it's a forward, I would put money on it being him.

A bit premature until we see how they all play this season.
If Voracek or JVR show signs of aging, they won't be selected given their contracts.
Conversely, NAK was sheltered last season, if he plays a bigger role and fails to produce, he'll be seen as a generic 4th liner and will only be selected if he's the best bad alternative.

Seattle does have to hit a cap floor, so they'll probably want a combination of young players with potential upside, and still productive veterans with only a couple years left on their deals (before RFA contracts and free agent signings put them above the floor).

 

[Curufinwe]

Neal only had one year left at $5m, and Vegas weren't in the middle of a flat cap pandemic.

 

[Rebels57]

They still need a capable top 6 though. Both JVR and Voracek should be among BPA available for their positions. Vegas picked James Neal and JVR is twice the player Neal was.

Honestly, do you have any idea what players will be available across the league?

When Neal was selected, he was 29 years old and coming off of a 23 goal, 40 point in 71 game season. Pretty damn similar to JVR's production last season. The difference? Neal only had 1 year left at $5 million per at the time he was selected. Jake will have 3 x $8.25 and JVR 2 x $7.

The fact is though, it's still too early to have a good read on this. If JVR and/or Jake have great seasons, they will be more attractive. If they have awful or even mediocre seasons, they'll be less attractive. As soon as the season begins to wind down and end, that's when we will really have a good idea.

 

[Tripod]

Those GP numbers will end up being pro-rated to account for the 2021 season not being a full 82 games. But if they are desperate for a cheap forward to expose they could extend Raffl at $1m. He only has 3 GR.

NAK only has 21 GR according to CapFriendly.

Seattle Expansion Draft Simulator - CapFriendly - NHL Salary Caps

Playoff games count and he played 13 of those + 36 regular season games.

Nicolas Aubé-Kubel - CapFriendly - NHL Salary Caps

Ahhh...did realize the playoff games count...thanks