Brooks’s Kraken picks
Forwards
Anaheim: Alexander Volkov – 23, $925,000, RFA with arbitration rights in 2022
Arizona: Christian Fisher – 24, $1,000,000, RFA with arb rights in 2022
Chicago: Adam Gaudette – 24, RFA with arb rights this summer
Colorado: Joonas Donskoi – 29, $3.9 million, UFA in 2023
Dallas: Blake Comeau – 35, $1 million, UFA in 2022
Edmonton: Tyler Benson – 23, RFA this summer
Nashville: Calle Jarnkrok – 29, $2 million, UFA in 2022
New Jersey: Nick Merkley – 24, RFA with arb rights in 2022
N.Y. Islanders: Jordan Eberle – 31, $5.5 million, UFA in 2024
N.Y. Rangers: Colin Blackwell – 28, $825,000, UFA in 2022
Ottawa: Chris Tierney – 27, $3.5 million, UFA in 2022
Philadelphia: James van Riemsdyk – 32, $7 million, UFA in 2023
Pittsburgh: Zach Aston-Reese – 26, RFA with arb rights this summer
San Jose: Dylan Gambrell – 24, $1.1 million, RFA with arb rights in 2022
Tampa Bay: Yanni Gourde – 29, $5.166 million, UFA in 2025
Toronto: Alex Kerfoot – 26, $3.5 million, UFA in 2023
Vancouver: Zack MacEwen – 25, $825,000, RFA with arb rights in 2022
Defensemen
Boston: Connor Clifton – 26, $1 million, UFA in 2023
Buffalo: William Borgen – 24, RFA with arb rights this summer
Calgary: Mark Giordano – 37, $6.75 million, UFA in 2022
Carolina: Jake Bean – 23, RFA this summer
Columbus: Dean Kukan – 28, $1.65 million, UFA in 2022
Detroit: Troy Stecher – 27, $1.7 million, UFA in 2022
Los Angeles: Kale Clague – 23, RFA this summer
Montreal: Brett Kulak – 27, $1.85 million, UFA in 2022
St. Louis: Vince Dunn – 24, RFA with arb rights this summer
Winnipeg: Dylan DeMelo – 28, $3 million, UFA in 2024
Goaltenders
Florida: Chris Driedger – 27, UFA this summer
Minnesota: Kappo Kahkonen – 24, $725,000, RFA with arb rights in 2022
Washington: Vitek Vanecek – 25, $771,667, RFA with arb rights in 2022
Total salary cap hit per CapFriendly before signing any of their free agents on this list: $63.2 million
The name of the game with my picks was value with a balance of veterans that can produce, youthful promise, depth, and competition in net.
Believe me when I tell you I was VERY tempted to go for Montreal’s Price in net. The thought of having a franchise goalie from the get-go, much like Vegas got with Fleury, was tantalizing. However, a few things gave me pause. For starters, he’s 33, his contract goes five more years, and features the highest cap hit for a goalie in the league at $10.5 million a year. On top of that, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman wrote on Sunday that Price has knee issues that could require surgery, in addition to needing to get his hip checked out as well, which was also reported by Pierre LeBrun and Frank Seravalli:
As @frank_seravalli reported, I also believe Price will have his hip checked out. But the potential surgery I’m told is knee related
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) July 18, 2021
In the meantime, I decided to create some competition in goal for the Kraken, only signing one UFA in Driedger, who is coming off a breakout season with the Florida Panthers. On top of that, Kahkonen and Vanecek showed enough in their first years in the league to warrant a shot here, and they both come incredibly cheap. Driedger will likely get a raise as a UFA, but it’s unlikely to cut too much into the Kraken’s cap space here.
A likely captain on the blue line as well as some promising youngsters and reliable, unspectacular veterans.
Nabbing Giordano off the Calgary Flames’ blue line was a no-brainer for me. A Norris Trophy winner in 2019, Giordano is getting up there in age, but the Flames’ captain can still play tough minutes and would serve as a great first captain in Kraken history. If things work out great next season, he could sign a short-term extension, and if not, they’ve got a trade chip to use at the trade deadline before he’s a UFA next summer.
I created the rest of the blue line with some steady veterans such as Kukan, Stecher, Kulak, Clifton, and DeMelo, as well as some younger guys that could thrive with a greater opportunity. Bean was drafted by Seattle general manager Ron Francis when he held the same job for the Carolina Hurricanes, and his upside as a puck-mover is too tempting to pass up, especially since he won’t he held back by Carolina’s crowded blue line. Dunn is in a similar position as Bean and could thrive with more of a role in the Emerald City. Borgen and Clague are younger blue-liners who are low-risk, medium reward guys that can help build organizational depth on the back end that haven’t hit their primes yet.
A few proven point-producers, veteran leadership, and a little championship experience highlight the forwards
This forward group is where I spent a lot of my cap, because someone’s gotta score on this team. I decided to bring van Reimsdyk aboard, along with his $7 million cap hit. The term isn’t prohibitive, as he’s got just two years left on his deal. I’d want him here with the idea of him becoming for the Kraken what James Neal was to the Golden Knights in their first season. And if it doesn’t work out, he’s a trade deadline piece, provided you retain a bit of salary.
Eberle and Gourde bring some offensive juice, along with $5 million-plus cap hits. Gourde has the versatility to play center or wing, and has a ferocious work ethic, as we saw on Tampa Bay’s back-to-back Stanley Cup winners. Eberle can still produce offense as well, and while he’s not a superstar, he’s a safe bet to produce some offense. Donskoi, Kerfoot, and Jarnkrok can provide secondary scoring, with Jarnkrok also providing flexibility to play wing or center. Tierney is a solid middle-six center who can chip in with a bit of offense and kill penalties. Comeau is a cheap veteran who can provide bottom-six depth, while Aston-Reese is a good defensive player and analytics darling whose next contract shouldn’t be too costly.
In addition to those vets, there are several younger forwards who are either on the verge of breaking out, need more of an opportunity, are getting their last shot to show something, or will serve as depth players for the organization.
Volkov tantalized with his talent with Tampa Bay and then Anaheim, but hasn’t quite put it all together yet. Gaudette and Merkley have the ability to play center, which is not the deepest position with this particular group. Benson has showed a lot in the AHL and could be a possible breakout candidate. Vancouver’s crop of exposed players isn’t exactly deep, so I essentially flipped a coin and went with MacEwen for forward depth. The same goes for San Jose, where I chose Gambrell to be my fourth line center, and Fischer from Arizona to be a cheap option in my bottom six that could chip in 10-15 goals. A breakout candidate is Blackwell, who had 12 goals in 47 games for the Rangers this season at a bargain price of $725,000.
