Following the great leaked expansion draft, which yielded very few surprises and hardly any fireworks, the Seattle Kraken set their sights on their first NHL Entry Draft, July 23 and 24.
With a little luck on their side, Kraken General Manager Ron Francis and crew moved up from third overall to the second spot of the first round thanks to the draft lottery held on June 11. As a result, the historic first draft pick of the franchise was University of Michigan center Matthew Beniers.
The rest of the draft went as follows:
| Round | Pos | Player | Height | Weight | Team | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 - 2 | Center | Matthew Beniers | 6'2" | 175 | University of Michigan | |
| 2 - 35 | Defense | Ryker Evans | 5'11" | 189 | Regina (WHL) | |
| 3 - 67 | Right Wing | Ryan Winterton | 6'2" | 175 | Hamilton (OHL) | |
| 4 - 99 | Defense | Ville Ottavainen | 6'5" | 221 | JYP (SM Liiga) | |
| 5 - 131 | Right Wing | Jacob Melanson | 5'11" | 190 | Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL) | |
| 6 - 163 | Goaltender | Semyon Vyazovoi | 6'2" | 169 | UFA 2 (KHL) | |
| 7 - 195 | Left Wing | Justin Janicke | 6'0" | 185 | US NTDP |
In a lower-level transaction, the Kraken flipped expansion draft selection Tyler Pitlick to the Calgary Flames for a 2022 fourth-round pick.
The next event on the agenda is Wednesday’s free agency opening at 9 a.m. PDT. The Kraken are expected to be very active and competitive in the market, with nearly $30 million in salary cap space available.
Stay tuned to The-Rink.com for our Kraken free agent tracker.