Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals have chosen to protect:
Forwards
Nicklas Bäckström
Evgeny Kuznetsov
T.J. Oshie
Anthony Mantha
Tom Wilson
Lars Eller
Daniel Sprong
Defense
John Carlson
Dmitry Orlov
Trevor van Riemsdyk
Goaltender
Ilya Samsonov
Prediction: The Kraken will select Vitek Vanecek. The Capitals had to leave the 25-year-old goalie exposed. Not only did he win 21 of his 37 starts this season, but Vitek even got some playoff experience by coming in for relief this past postseason. He is on a $716,667 contract.
Winnipeg Jets
The Winnipeg Jets have chosen to protect:
Forwards
Blake Wheeler
Kyle Connor
Mark Scheifele
Nikolaj Ehlers
Pierre-Luc Dubois
Adam Lowry
Andrew Copp
Defense
Joshua Morrissey
Neal Pionk
Logan Stanley
Goaltender
Connor Hellebuyck
Prediction: The Kraken will select Mason Appleton. This 25-year-old center excelled this past season. In 56 games, he scored12 goals and 13 assists for a total of 25 points. He is being paid $900,000.
The Kracken have the opportunity to change the landscape of the NHL. If they do, hopefully, the Leafs come out on the other side feeling good about their decisions leading up to the expansion draft.