Ever since the Tampa Bay Lightning won the 2020-21 Stanley Cup, the hockey world has directed their attention towards the Seattle Kraken — the league’s 32nd team.
The first step towards the franchise’s inaugural season was Wednesday’s expansion draft that saw the Kraken select 30 players from the 30 participating NHL teams. Now that the initial roster has been decided, the team is that much closer to making its debut this fall. Nevertheless, there are still some things that people may not know about the Seattle Kraken. Fortunately, this guide has everything you need to know about the team, from who was selected at the expansion draft to what the odds are of Seattle going on a Stanley Cup run in Year 1.
Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft Roster
As mentioned before, the Kraken selected 30 players at the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. Even though these are the players under their control, don’t expect them all to be in the organization once the 2021-22 NHL season begins. After all, only 23 players can be on the opening night roster and several of the ones selected this week could be traded for assets to help Seattle down the line.
Nevertheless, here are the 30 players that the Seattle Kraken selected in their expansion draft:
- D Haydn Fleury (Anaheim Ducks)
- F Tyler Pitlick (Arizona Coyotes)
- D Jeremy Lauzon (Boston Bruins)
- D Will Borgen (Buffalo Sabres)
- D Mark Giordano (Calgary Flames)
- F Morgan Geekie (Carolina Hurricanes)
- F John Quenneville (Chicago Blackhawks)
- F Joonas Donskoi (Colorado Avalanche)
- D Gavin Bayreuther (Columbus Blue Jackets)
- D Jamie Oleksiak (Dallas Stars)
- D Dennis Cholowski (Detroit Red Wings)
- D Adam Larsson (Edmonton Oilers)
- G Chris Driedger (Florida Panthers)
- D Kurtis MacDermid (Los Angeles Kings)
- D Carson Soucy (Minnesota Wild)
- D Cale Fleury (Montreal Canadians)
- F Calle Jarnkrok (Nashville Predators)
- F Nathan Bastian (New Jersey Devils)
- F Jordan Eberle (New York Islanders)
- F Colin Blackwell (New York Rangers)
- G Joey Daccord (Ottawa Senators)
- F Carsen Twarynski (Philadelphia Flyers)
- F Brandon Tanev (Pittsburgh Penguins)
- F Alexander True (San Jose Sharks)
- D Vince Dunn (St. Louis Blues)
- F Yanni Gourde (Tampa Bay Lightning)
- F Jared McCann (Toronto Maple Leafs)
- F Kole Lind (Vancouver Canucks)
- G Vitek Vanecek (Washington Capitals)
- F Mason Appleton (Winnipeg Jets)
Who are the Kraken’s First Opponents?
While the entirety of the 2021-22 NHL season has yet to be revealed, hockey fans learned on Wednesday just who the Seattle Kraken would be playing their first road and home games against.
The Kraken open their inaugural season on the road against the Vegas Golden Knights at the T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday, October 12. It should be a fun game, especially as it could start a potential rivalry between the NHL’s two newest teams. Considering how the Golden Knights made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals in their first season four years ago, this could be the start of Seattle repeating history.
The Kraken will play their first regular season game at home against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, October 23. By then, nearly two weeks of the new campaign would’ve past and the fans inside of the Climate Pledge Arena should be loud as can be. With both teams being in the Pacific Division and also using sea-based namesakes, this could also be the start of another early-season rivalry.
What Do Seattle’s Jerseys Look like?
Seattle Kraken Stanley Cup Odds
Judging by the team they selected at the expansion draft, it doesn’t look like the Seattle Kraken will ice a championship contender next season. However, stranger things have happened as proven by Vegas, so never say never. There’s no guarantee that Seattle will make it to the final round of the playoffs in its first season, however, oddsmakers are certainly high on the league’s 32nd team.
The Kraken have +2500 odds to win the 2021-22 Stanley Cup. That puts them in a tie with the Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens and Pittsburgh Penguins for 11th-best odds in the NHL.
