2021 NHL Expansion Draft: Projected Atlantic Division Picks
Ahead of the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft on Wednesday, we’ll be going team-by-team for each division and drafting the projected future Seattle Kraken roster based off of the protected lists released on Sunday. The main strategy in the drafting process was to find young players on cheap, short-term contracts. UFA players were generally avoided and the picks were made with the expectation that about about a third of the roster will be flipped for entry draft picks and prospects.
There’s a lot of tough choices to make in the Atlantic Division. Like most people, I expect Seattle to generally try to pick up young players on cheap contracts in the expansion draft, but there’s always the potential of one or two bold moves, particularly one move that has Montreal fans waiting with bated breath.
Make sure to check out the early odds on next year’s Stanley Cup, the odds on which Canadian team will be the next Cup winner and NHL Entry Draft props.
Projected Atlantic Division Picks
Boston Bruins – Jeremy Lauzon, 24 (LD/RD)
Another young player on a cheap contract ($850,000), Lauzon is an affordable puck-moving defender who can also clear room around the net. There’s familiarity here too, as Kraken assistant coach Jay Leach was Lauzon’s head coach for three years in Providence.
Buffalo Sabres – William Borgen, 24 (RD)
Borgen is an unproven defenceman and a broken arm kept him from solidifying a roster spot last year. He’s got pretty decent upside if he continues to develop as expected and he’s a cheap option that allows Seattle to invest money elsewhere. Besides, with how bad Buffalo was last year, how confident would you be cherrypicking one of the roster players who played every night on that terrible team?
Detroit Red Wings – Christian Djoos, 26 (LD)
It was between Djoos and Troy Stecher for me on this one. Djoos is the cheaper and younger option and those are the two main concerns I considered when making these picks. He should provide some depth as a second or third pairing D-man.
Florida Panthers – Chris Driedger, 27 (G) Kraken have reportedly agreed to select and sign Driedger from Panthers
One of only two UFA’s I risked taking, Driedger was my No. 1 goalie before the Price news broke. The rumours seemed to indicate the Kraken already have an agreement in place to sign Driedger, so I’m sticking with the pick, but it’s worth noting that those rumours were whispered about before Price became available. He outplayed Sergei Bobrovsky this year and gained some valuable playoff experience. Driedger looks ready to be a starter, or maybe a 1B to a certain Montreal goalie. Speaking of that goalie…
Montreal Canadiens – Carey Price, 33 (G)
Price is an older goalie with a massive $10.5 million cap hit and injury concerns remain. Why would you ever pick him, especially if you’re also planning to take Driedger? Because he’s Carey Freakin’ Price! He proved he has plenty of tread left in the tires this year, he’ll have a lighter load with Driedger helping out and he’s the best goalie of his generation. If there’s anything the salary cap era has shown us, it’s that you need goaltending to win. Let the Kraken take on one suffocating guilty pleasure contract, at least they don’t have three forwards each making well over $10.0 million (couch*Toronto*cough). Price and Driedger would be the best 1A/1B tandem in the league.
Ottawa Senators – Vitaly Abramov, 23 (LW)
This is purely a minor league depth pick. Abramov has played a total of five regular season NHL games since being drafted in 2016, but it’s slim pickings from the Sens, so simply avoiding a bad contract is the strategy for this pick.
Tampa Bay Lightning – Yanni Gourde, 29 (C)
This is possibly the toughest or easiest pick of the expansion draft depending on your point of view. You’re going to get a great player from Tampa, but more options means more chance of overthinking things. It was between Gourde and Ondrej Palat for me. Both have similar offensive production and are first or second line forwards depending on the team, but Gourde is more versatile at centre and he’s a touch cheaper and a year younger.
Toronto Maple Leafs – Alex Kerfoot, 26 (C/LW)
If you can get a good one-two punch at centre in the top-six, Kerfoot is a perfect third line option. The main reason I’m taking him is because he’s adaptable. Play him in the middle on a shutdown line or move him up as a top-six winger. Kerfoot can jump around throughout the lineup.
How the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft Works?
Seattle will draft one player from every team except for the Golden Knights. Vegas is exempt because of their own expansion agreement in 2017. At least 20 players need to be under contract for next season with a salary cap hit between $48.9 million and $81.5 million. They need to select a minimum of 14 forwards, nine defencemen and three goalies. The Kraken cannot buyout any players out until next summer. First and second years pro players as well as unsigned draft picks are exempt.
Projected Metropolitan Division Picks and Analysis
