The 10 most intriguing players for the Seattle Kraken to draft:
1. Goalie Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens: It’s not easy to decide whether to take Price or not to take him. On one hand, you can land one of the NHL’s premier goalies, a player with a superstar aura. He can create a buzz about your team, much like the Vegas Golden Knights did with the acquisition of Marc-Andre Fleury. Imagine the jersey sales with his nameplate on the back. He just took the Habs to the Stanley Cup Final. On the other hand, he has five seasons left on a contract that comes with a $10.5 million salary cap hit. No matter how you look at it, the Kraken would be getting the worst five years of the contract. He will be 34 next month and he will be 39 when this contract expires. The logical conclusion would seem to be to pass on Price and use that money on three other players. The Kraken have said they want to turn their salary cap situation into a true advantage. It’s difficult to do that if you own a $10.5 million player.
2. Right wing Vladimir Tarasenko, St. Louis Blues: Some will say the Kraken should draft Vince Dunn from St. Louis, but if the Kraken eat some of Tarasenko’s salary they will be able to trade Tarasenko for more than the value of Dunn.
3. Right wing Josh Bailey, New York Islanders: GM Lou Lamoriello doesn’t want to lose Bailey, and that’s just another reason why the Kraken should want him. He’s a consistent offensive contributor, a leader and an experienced hand.
4. Defenseman Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames: Draft him, take advantage of his still-high level of play and then trade him at next season’s trade deadline.
5. Left wing Nino Neiterreiter, Carolina Hurricanes: Surprised he is available. In a 56-game season, he put up his sixth season of 20 or more goals.
6. Center Yanni Gourde, Tampa Bay Lightning: There’s not all that many centers available and he is a versatile one. At the very least, the Kraken should end up with two of the premium forwards available on the Lightning’s unprotected list. The Lightning have salary cap issues and the Kraken will want a strong return to take Tyler Johnson off their hands. They could end up with three of those forwards, or two forwards and Cal Foote.
7. Center Alexander Kerfoot, Toronto Maple Leafs: Want very much to pencil him as the Kraken’s No. 3 center. You could do much worse. He will score 15-18 goals and put up 40 points.
8. Goalie Vitek Vanecek, Washington Capitals: Coupled with the expected free agent signing of Chris Driedger, a Kraken decision to draft Vanecek would give them a younger tandem with up-side. Vanecek is 25 and Driedger is 25.
9. Left wing Vitali Abramov, Ottawa Senators: Home run potential here. He’s 23, slick and ready to break out. He posted 19 points in 23 American League games. He’s an inexpensive reach for offense.
10. Defenseman Dylan DeMelo, Winnipeg Jets: Safe, dependable, solid, tied up for four years at $3 million per season. Can play 20+ minutes of strong defense.