SPOTLIGHT ON SEATTLE AS EXPANSION DRAFT LOOMS

VANCOUVER, BC — The lists are in and Seattle’s on the clock. In the coming days, we’ll start to hear whispers about which players the Kraken plan on selecting in Wednesday’s Expansion Draft and some potential trades GM Ron Francis makes as he builds the NHL’s 32nd franchise.

After a flurry of moves happened prior to Saturday’s 3pm ET transaction freeze, Seattle holds most of the cards. The Kraken have plenty of options ahead of them and if you’re a hockey fan, the excitement should continue going into Wednesday, quickly followed by the resumption of signings/trades on Thursday starting at 1pm ET and then the NHL Draft beginning on Friday night.

The Kraken must select a minimum of 14 forwards, nine defencemen and three goalies and end up with 30 players in total. At least 20 players selected must be under contract for the 2021-22 season, and their combined cap hit must add up to at least 60% of the $81.5 million cap ($48.9M). The Kraken cannot exceed the cap via the draft.

We believe the Kraken will be signing and selecting goaltender Chris Driedger from the Florida Panthers, presumably to be the club’s No.1 goalie. They want a veteran backup and someone like Vancouver’s Branden Holtby or Los Angeles’ Jonathan Quick could be an option, but with Minnesota exposing Kaapo Kahkonen, unless a deal is made with the Wild to keep the Kraken from selecting him, I’m not sure Francis would pass on the 24-year-old. Washington’s Vitek Vanecek could also be a possibility.

The rest of the roster is up in the air. The Kraken want to be a fast, gritty team to play against. Mix in some goal scoring and a sound defensive corps, and they should be a wildcard contender by April.

Francis has indicated the importance of cap space. They’re willing to spend it, but they won’t do it foolishly. I’m not convinced picking Carey Price and his $10.5 million cap hit makes much sense, especially with Driedger in the fold.

Will pricey players like Adam Henrique, Jakub Voracek, Vladimir Tarasenko, Jordan Eberle, Max Domi, Mark Giordano, Nino Niederreiter, Alex Kerfoot and any of Tampa’s forwards (Yanni Gourde, Alex Killorn, Tyler Johnson or Ondrej Palat) be realistic targets for Seattle? Some of them, sure, but all?

Vegas traded away five players they selected in the 2017 Expansion Draft, and we’ll likely see a few Seattle moves this year.

There are teams interested in Tarasenko that couldn’t get a deal done with St. Louis. According to sources, those clubs have already spoken with the Kraken about picking Tarasenko and flipping him to their club, with Seattle retaining a portion of his contract, for a collage of assets. Do the Panthers, Islanders, Flyers and Bruins get in on that action? It sounds like a possibility.

The Flyers and Kraken have discussed Voracek, who has three-years left on his contract and comes with an $8.25 million cap hit, and those talks will continue. I’m curious to see what the Flyers throw Seattle’s way to take on that contract.

One player the Kraken have interest in is Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog, who went unprotected. The Avs and Landeskog remain far apart on a deal – negotiations can continue during the transaction freeze – and the Kraken will be reaching out to see what type of contract he’s looking for. The last four-year offer Colorado pitched wasn’t in the ballpark and a longer-term deal is something the Kraken will have to present if they want to sign and select Landeskog.

Seattle will be wheeling and dealing until their list is submitted at 10am ET on Wednesday. The Kraken will have some players in attendance at their Expansion Draft later that evening. Who shows up is still a mystery.

BLUE JACKETS LISTENING ON LAINE

The Columbus Blue Jackets already have a lot on their plate, roster wise. They continue to traverse the Seth Jones trade market landscape – the Dallas Stars are very interested in him – and take calls on goalie Joonas Korpisalo, but there’s more ahead for GM Jarmo Kekalainen.

In the last 36 hours, multiple sources told me the Blue Jackets also gauging the market on Patrik Laine.

Laine, 23, can become a restricted free agent (with arbitration rights) on July 28. He was acquired, along with Jack Roslovic, from Winnipeg for Pierre-Luc Dubois earlier in the season. The hope was he’d reelevate his game after a change of scenery and return to being one of the best young snipers in the league. The Blue Jackets are still hopeful, but they’re also keeping their options open in the event contract negotiations, which haven’t started yet, go sideways.

Several teams had interest in Laine before he was dealt to Columbus. The Los Angeles Kings, Calgary Flames, Anaheim Ducks, Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers expressed interest in the past and could circle back again this month.

Laine, in an interview Tuesday with Finnish media outlet Aamulehti, said he “completely turned off” his hockey switch since his rough season ended. He needs to recharge and regroup ahead of next season.

In comments translated by NHL.com, Laine also said he hopes to stay in Columbus, “but you can never be sure what happens. I got traded once.”

For now, Kekalainen is doing his due diligence. Nothing more. Not yet. Once contract discussions get going in a few weeks, the Blue Jackets will have a better idea on the route they want to take.

SABRES WORKING ON REINHART DEAL

The Buffalo Sabres have been working the trade lines and GM Kevyn Adams has been putting in the work. Aside from Jack Eichel, who still doesn’t have a clear path on what surgery he will have to repair his herniated discs, the Sabres have multiple players they’re chatting about.

Pending restricted free agent Sam Reinhart is not expected to be with the Sabres much longer. The Sabres had talks with a few teams about Reinhart leading up to Saturday’s freeze and depending on whom you talk to, there’s uncertainly over how close a move actually was. But the writing is on the wall and Reinhart’s long-term future in the NHL doesn’t have the Sabres in it.

Moving Reinhart, who had an impressive 25-goal season under the circumstances, will bring back a solid return for the Sabres. They’d like to replace his spot in the lineup with a young, NHL-ready player as part of a package.

Trade talks will continue this week and the Sabres could make headway around the NHL Draft. Adams is willing to stand firm, though, until he gets the package he wants.

COYOTES OPEN FOR BUSINESS

The Arizona Coyotes are willing to listen on just about every one of their players, minus defenceman Jakob Chychrun.

Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong is trying to recoup draft picks and is willing to take on another contract or two with one-to-two years left on a player’s deal. He’s also willing to retain salary to help facilitate a trade – Phil Kessel and Darcy Kuemper appear to be candidates.

The Coyotes had a discussion with the Kraken about Oliver Ekman-Larsson, though I’m not sure much has materialized. Like Reinhart in Buffalo, Ekman-Larsson’s long-term future doesn’t seem to be in Arizona. Word has spread around the League over his exit interview, possibly the quickest in recent memory, and it certainly sounds like a move will eventually happen.

Another player expected to be on the move, though perhaps quicker than OEL, is pending restricted free agent Conor Garland.

Garland and the Coyotes haven’t discussed a contract since May, and the belief is Armstrong has focused on trying to move him rather than connect with Garland’s camp about a new deal. The Coyotes have options, as several teams have interest in Garland, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, New York Islanders, Vancouver Canucks, New Jersey Devils, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings and Florida Panthers.