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Episode #13 – Release The Kraken! Seattle Expansion Draft – Scotia North Division, Cup Final, Hockey News

Seattle Expansion Draft - Discover Central Division
Fantasy Hockey Hacks

Fantasy Hockey Hacks

Welcome back to the Fantasy Hockey Hacks Podcast!

In the thirteenth episode of the podcast, Devon, Bruce, and John dive into the Seattle Expansion Draft, and provide predictions for the Scotia North Division! We’ll take a look at each team’s protected list, and provide our thoughts as to who Seattle will pick. As we have done throughout these playoffs, we will wrap up the episode with our DFS picks for the week.

Highlights:

  • Seattle Expansion Draft – Scotia North Division Edition
  • The Montreal Canadiens are headed to the Stanley Cup Final!
  • Matthew Tkachuk wants out of Calgary?
  • Lou Lamoriello is your GM of the Year
  • Mark Messier set to join ESPN as an analyst
  • Bill C-218: Single-game sports betting now legal in Canada
  • Ryan Nugent-Hopkins signs an 8 year contract worth $41M (AAV of $5.125M)
  • Connor McDavid wins the Ted Lindsay and Hart Trophy
  • DFS/Draft King picks for the upcoming week (June 28th – July 5th)

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Hockey News | June 21 – June 28 

  • June 21 | Matthew Tkachuk reportedly wants out of Calgary. Who would be the best fit in your opinion?  

  • June 22 | Bill C-218, an amendment to the Criminal Code legalizing single-game sports betting across the country, has officially passed in the Senate.
  • June 22 | Lou Lamoriello wins the Jim Gregory GM of the Year Award. First GM to win the award twice? 
  • June 22 | Sedin Twins join the Canucks as special advisors to the GM.
  • June 23 | Patrice Bergeron announced as winner of the Mark Messier leadership award.  

 

  • June 23 | Frank Sarievalli officially joins Dailyfaceoff.com. 

  • June 23 | Brayden Point’s playoff goal-scoring streak ends at 9 games. Historic run makes Point just the third center in NHL history to have consecutive 12+ goal playoff performances.

  • June 24 | Dave Hakstol (TOR Assistant Coach, former Flyers HC) announced as the first head coach of the Seattle Kracken. 
  • June 24 | Mark Messier is set to join ESPN next season as an NHL Analyst. Two NHL greats (Gretzky being the other) will be analysts next season! 
  • June 24 | Artturi Lehkonen scored in OT on assists from Phillip Danault and Brendan Gallagher to send the Montreal Canadiens to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1993! First Canadian team in the cup final since the Vancouver Canucks in 2011.

  • June 25 | Tampa Bay beats the Isles 1-0 in game 7 on a short-handed goal by Yanni Gourde, will face the Habs in the Cup Final. 
    • Maroon will make his third straight Cup Final appearance! 
  • June 27 | According to Jason Gregor, the likelihood of Oscar Klefbom starting the season is low. His return does not appear likely, based on this information. 

 

  • June 28 | Stanley Cup Final: MTL vs. TB
    • The Athletic: 75.8% according to Dom luszczyszyn. 
    • MoneyPuck.com: TB 77% odds to win, based on his model. 
    • According to MGM Bet
      • TB: -275 to win the cup
      • Canadiens: +220 to win the cup

    • TB wins 5-1. 
      • Kucherov: 28 Fantasy Points led all players (2 g, 1 a, 2 SOG). 
      • Point: 2nd in points with 22.5 (3 a, 3 SOG, 1 hit).
      • Price: .808 SV%, -2.80 Fantasy Points. 
      • Weber: led all defenceman in ice time and Fantasy Points (15.50, 1 a, 5 SOG, 6 hits, +1, 25:20 TOI)
        • Fined $5,000 for slash on Kucherov. 
  • June 29th | Edmonton Oilers announce new contract for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. 
    • 8 year contract worth $41M. AAV of $5.125M, which is definitely team-friendly.

 

Seattle Expansion Draft | North Division

Expansion Draft Rules & Eligibility (Source: NHL.com – https://bit.ly/3zTvf6f) 

The Seattle Kraken officially joined the NHL on April 30 when they made their final expansion payment. The 32nd team in the NHL will begin play in the 2021-22 season.

The 2021 NHL Expansion Draft, which is scheduled for July 21, will be under the same rules for the Kraken as the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017. The Kraken will select one player from each team excluding the Golden Knights for a total of 30 (14 forwards, nine defensemen and three goalies) not including additional players who may be acquired as the result of violations of the Expansion Draft rules.

Seattle must choose a minimum of 20 players under contract for the 2021-22 regular season and those with an aggregate Expansion Draft value that is between 60-100 percent of the prior season’s upper limit for the salary cap. The Kraken cannot buy out players chosen in the Expansion Draft earlier than the summer following its first season.

Current NHL teams can protect seven forwards, three defensemen and one goalie, or eight skaters (forwards/defensemen) and one goalie, under the following conditions.

  • All players with no movement clauses at the time of the draft, and who decline to waive those clauses, must be protected and will be counted toward their team’s applicable protection limits.
  • All first- and second-year professionals, and all unsigned draft choices, will be exempt from selection (and will not be counted toward protection limits.
  • In addition, all NHL teams must meet the following minimum requirements regarding players exposed for selection in the draft:
  • One defenseman who is a) under contract in 2021-22 and b) played in at least 40 NHL games the prior season or played in at least 70 NHL games in the prior two seasons.
  • Two forwards who are a) under contract in 2021-22 and b) played at least 40 NHL games the prior season or played in at least 70 NHL games in the prior two seasons.
  • One goalie who is under contract in 2021-22 or will be a restricted free agent at the end of his current contract immediately prior to 2021-22. If a team elects to make a restricted free agent goalie available to meet this requirement, that goalie must have received his qualifying offer prior to the submission of the team’s protected list.
  • Players with potential career-ending injuries who have missed more than the previous 60 consecutive games (or who otherwise have been confirmed to have a career-threatening injury) may not be used to satisfy a team’s player exposure requirements unless approval is received from the NHL. Such players also may be deemed exempt from selection.

IMPORTANT DATES (Source: Pierre Lebrun, The Athletic – https://bit.ly/2U6WkCw )

  • July 13 |  Deadline for clubs to ask a player to waive his no-move clause for the sole purpose of being exposed in the expansion draft. So there’s some uncomfortable conversations coming for a few teams and players pretty soon here.
  • 24 hours after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup final: First buyout period begins. Could be a busy one this year as the flat-cap world continues to impact clubs.
  • July 16 | Last day for teams to place a player on waivers prior to the expansion draft trade/waiver freeze (noon ET).
  • July 16 | Deadline for players to agree to waive their no-move clause for the expansion draft.
  • July 17 at 3 p.m. ET to July 22 at 1 pm ET: Trade freeze amongst the 31 NHL clubs. Seattle is allowed to make trades with any club during this time.
  • July 17 | At 5 p.m. ET, firm deadline for each club to submit its expansion draft protection list to Central Registry and the NHLPA.
  • July 18 | There’s a 10 a.m. ET deadline for Central Registry to approve and send out the protection lists to all NHL teams (including Seattle, of course) and the NHLPA.
  • July 18 | Opening of the RFA/UFA interview period for Seattle as discussed above (again, only players who weren’t protected for the expansion draft).
  • July 21 | There’s a 10 a.m. ET deadline for Seattle to submit its expansion draft selections to Central Registry and the NHLPA. Also, a 10 a.m. ET deadline for the Kraken to submit contracts for any of those pending RFAs/UFAs they’ve been able to sign during the interview period.
    • The NHL announces the expansion draft results at 8 p.m. ET.
  • July 23 | NHL entry draft, Round 1 (held virtually again).
  • July 24 | NHL entry draft, Rounds 2-7.
  • July 26 | Deadline for qualifying offers.
  • July 27 | First buyout period ends at 5 p.m. ET.
  • July 27 | A team’s ability to offer an eight-year max deal to its own pending UFA expires at 11:59 p.m. ET
  • July 28 |  Opening of free agency at noon ET.

CALGARY FLAMES

  • Devon, Bruce, John (7-3-1)
  • Forward’s Protected: Matthew Tkachuk, Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm, Sean Monahan, Mikael Backlund, Andrew Mangiapane, Dillon Dube. 
    • It has been widely reported that Lucic will waive his no-move clause for the expansion draft. 
  • Defenceman Protected: Chis Tanev, Rasmuss Anderson, Noah Hanafin. 
  • Goalie Protected: Jacob Markstrom (NMC)
  • Seattle’s Pick: 
    • Mark Giordano. “Gio” still has plenty left in the tank, and will bring valuable experience and leadership qualities to a new, young team in Seattle. If his play drops off a cliff, Seattle can let him walk in the off-season. 


EDMONTON OILERS

  • Devon, John (7-3-1)
    • Forward’s Protected: Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jesse Puljujarvi, Kailer Yamamoto, Zack Kassian, Josh Archibald. 
      • I believe RNH will be re-signed prior to the expansion draft, and Zack Kassian will be protected. The playoffs have shown that bigger, tougher players are needed and I see Kassian bouncing-back next year. 
    • Defenceman Protected: Darnell Nurse, Adam Larsson, Ethan Bear. 
      • There has been chatter for a while now that Larsson will sign an extension with an AAV around $4.5M for 3 or 4 seasons. I don’t see the Oilers waiting until free agency to sign him. 
    • Goalie Protected: Stuart Skinner. 
        • The Oilers would be happy to expose Koskinen in the expansion draft, and may even offer up assets for Seattle to take him (although I can’t imagine why Seattle would). I believe Smith wants to be in Edmonton, and would sign an offer post-expansion. 
    • Seattle’s Pick: 
      • Tyler Benson. Benson has shown some real upside during the past few seasons in the AHL (141 points in 156 games). The other option would be Caleb Jones, but I believe there will be better options available to Seattle.  
  • Bruce (7-3-1)
    • Forward’s Protected: McDavid, Draisaitl, Josh Archibald, Jesse Puljujarvi, RNH, Tyler Benson, Kailer Yamamoto
    • Defenceman Protected: Darnell Nurse, Ethan Bear, Adam Larsson
    • Goalie Protected: Stuart Skinner
    • Seattle’s Pick: Caleb Jones – Seattle is not touching the contracts of Neal, Kassian and Koskinen so they are safe to leave exposed


MONTREAL CANADIENS

  • Devon, Bruce (7-3-1)
    • Forward’s Protected: Brendan Gallagher, Josh Anderson, Tyler Toffoli, Phillip Danault, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Paul Byron, Artturi Lehkonen
    • Defenceman Protected: Jeff Petry, Joel Edmundson, Shea Weber
    • Goalie Protected: Carey Price
    • Seattle’s Pick: 
      • Jonathan Drouin. Signed at $5.5M for the next two seasons, and still just 26 years old, Drouin is a fairly low-risk option in my opinion. With a larger role and a change of scenery, Drouin could be Seattle’s version of William Karlsson or Jonathan Marchessault. 
  • John (7-3-1)
    • Forward Protected: Brenden Gallagher, Artturi Lehkonen, Tyler Toffoli, Josh Anderson, Jake Evans, Jonathan Drouin, Jasperi Kotkaniemi
    • Defense Protected: Shea Weber, Joel Edmundson, Jeff Petry
    • Goalie Protected: Duh…
    • Seattle Pick: Ben Chiarot


OTTAWA SENATORS

  • Devon (7-3-1)
    • Forward’s Protected: Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson, Connor Brown, Logan Brown, Ryan Dzingel, Austin Watson, Nick Paul
    • Defenceman Protected: Thomas Chabot, Nikita Zaitsev, Victor Mete
    • Goalie Protected: Filip Gustavsson
    • Seattle’s Pick: 
      • UFA Signing – Derek Stepan. Shot totals and S% were well below his career and 3 year average. Could be a valuable veteran 4th line center/winger. Has 6 seasons with a minimum of 56 points; career high of 75 in 2012/13. This pick would be dependent on a reasonable cap hit for one or two seasons. Only played 20 games this season.  
      • Other (probably more likely) options include Chris Tierney or Anton Forsberg. 
  • Bruce, John (7-3-1) 
    • Forward’s Protected: Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson, Connor Brown, Logan Brown, Colin White, Austin Watson and Nick Paul
    • Defenceman Protected: Thomas Chabot, Nikita Zaitsev, Victor Mete
    • Goalie Protected: Filip Gustavsson
    • Seattle’s Pick: Chris Tierney -> Depth center , one year left on his contract.


TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

  • Devon, John (4-4-1)
    • Forward’s Protected: Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, William Nylander
    • Defenceman Protected: Jake Muzzin, TJ Brodie, Morgan Rielly, Justin Holl
    • Goalie Protected: Jack Campbell
    • Seattle’s Pick: 
      • Alex Kerfoot. Kerfoot is a solid middle-six center good for roughly 40 points per season. He had a career-high 19 goals (43 points) with the Avs in 2017-2018. Kerfoot helped boost his stock with the Leafs this post-season with 6 points in 7 games. 
  • Bruce (7-3-1)
    • Forward’s Protected: Matthews, Tavares, Marner, Nylander, Kerfoot, Engvall and Spezza
    • Defenceman Protected: Muzzin, Brodie and Rielly
    • Goalie Protected: Campbell
    • Seattle’s Pick: Travis Dermott


VANCOUVER CANUCKS

  • Devon, Bruce, John (7-3-1)
    • Forward’s Protected: Elias Petterson, Brock Boeser, Bo Horvat, JT Miller, Tanner Pearson, Tyler Motte, Matthew Highmore
    • Defenceman Protected: Tyle Myers, Nate Schmidt, Olli Juolevi
    • Goalie Protected: Thatcher Demko
    • Seattle’s Pick: 
      • Brayden Holtby. Unfortunately, Hotlby has not been the same since winning the Stanley Cup in 2018; and his 3 year average stats are damning (3.07 GAA, .902 SV%, -27.7 GSAA). However, Holtby has just one year remaining on his contract at an AAV OF $4.3M. Seattle can take a calculated risk in goal, and if Holtby does well you can either keep him for a playoff run; or flip him at the deadline for assets. Either way he’s off the books for 2022-2023. By all accounts Holtby is a professional and a great teammate. Would be a good mentor for a young goaltender; and at the very least, a capable back-up with championship pedigree.  


WINNIPEG JETS

  • Devon (7-3-1)
    • Forward’s Protected: Blake Wheeler, Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, Nikolaj Ehlers, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Adam Lowry, Andrew Copp
    • Defenceman Protected: Josh Morrissey, Neal Pionk, Logan Stanley
    • Goalie Protected: Connor Hellebuyck
    • Seattle’s Pick: 
      • Mason Appleton. A young power-forward that showed flashes of potential this season, and he comes with a cap hit of just $900,000 (RFA in 2022). 
  • Bruce, John:
    • Forward’s Protected: Wheeler, Connor, Scheifele, Ehlers, PLD, Copp and Appleton
    • Defenceman Protected: Morrissey, Pionk and Logan Stanley
    • Goalie Protected: HelleBuyck
    • Seattle’s Pick: Dylan DeMelo

DFS Picks | June 28 – July 5th

FORWARDS

  • LINE STACK: Palat($8,000) – Point($10,000) – Kucherov($10,200) TB 
    • The line combined for 7 points, and 58.50 fantasy points in game 1 versus the Canadiens. 
    • Kucherov has led these playoffs in scoring essentially the entire way, and Point has 14 goals coming off his 9-game goal streak.
    • Don’t be afraid to stack this line with some affordable alternatives. 

DEFENCEMEN

  • Shea Weber | DK Salary: $7,400
    • Averaging 8.3 FPPG over his last 10 contests. 
    • Led all defencemen in GM 1 with 15.5 fantasy points and 25:20 TOI
    • 1 A, 5 SOG, +1, 6 Hits in GM 1.

GOALIES

  • Andrei Vasilevisky,TB | DK Salary: $10,600
    • Averaging 17.8 FPPG over his last 10 contests. 
    • Last 10 games versus MTL: 9-0-1, 2 SO, .948 SV%, 1.67 GAA, 12.70 GSAA! 
    • Even at his current Draft Kings Salary, Vasilevskiy is worth spending up in my opinion. 

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