Toronto Maple Leafs: Predicting the Entire Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft

The Toronto Maple Leafs and the rest of the league have submitted their protection lists. We can now predict how the Settle Kraken expansion draft will go.

All 30 of the teams subjected to Wednesday’s expansion draft (Vegas Golden Knights are exempt) are holding their collective breath this week waiting to see which member of their roster they’re going to lose. The Toronto Maple Leafs are certain to see a valuable player pulled to join the Kraken.

At this time, we don’t know if the Leafs will make a side deal with Seattle’s GM Ron Francis but we do know that they have chosen to protect eight skaters and one goalie. They decided on this option instead of protecting seven forwards, three defensemen, and one goalie.

We will break down which players each team protected and predict who the Kraken will draft, including off the Leafs.

Anaheim Ducks

All Protection Lists from Capfriendly.com

the Anaheim Ducks have chosen to protect:

Forwards
Jakob Silfverberg
Rickard Rakell
Troy Terry
Nicolas Deslauriers
Isac Lundeström
Sam Steel
Max Jones

Defense
Cam Fowler
Hampus Lindholm
Josh Manson

Goaltender
John Gibson

Prediction: The Kraken will select Sonny Milano. This is a value pick for Francis. Not only does he get a player with just a $1.7 million AAV but, he gets a young player with a high ceiling. Milano, who was the 16th overall pick of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft is just 25 years old. Given the right opportunity, Milano could develop into an important part of Seattle’s offense.

Arizona Coyotes

The Arizona Coyotes have chosen to protect:

Forwards
Keller, Clayton Keller
Phil Kessel
Nick Schmaltz
Christian Dvorak
Lawson Crouse
Johan Larsson
Conor Garland

Defense
Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Jakob Chychrun
Kyle Capobianco

Goaltender
Darcy Kuemper

Prediction: The Kraken will select Christian Fischer. This pick likely changed for Francis when Arizona sent goaltender Adin Hill in a trade to the San Jose Sharks. Instead of finding someone to mind their crease, Seattle will look to add a bottom-six forward. Fischer is a former second-round draft pick and only 24 years old. He will be paid $1 million next year before becoming a restricted free agent (RFA) next offseason.

Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins have chosen to protect:

Forwards
Darcy Kuemper
David Pastrnak
Brad Marchand
Charlie Coyle
Jake DeBrusk
Craig Smith
Trent Frederic

Defense
Charlie McAvoy
Matt Grzelcyk
Brandon Carlo

Goaltender
Daniel Vladar

Prediction: The Kraken will select Nick Ritchie. This would be a good addition for Seattle. Ritchie is a former highly-touted prospect who was drafted 10th overall in 2014. This past season, he recorded 15 goals and 11 assists in 56 games. Ritchie is coming off a contract with an AAV of $1,498,925 and is set to be an RFA.

Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres have chosen to protect:

Forwards
Jack Eichel
Sam Reinhart
Victor Olofsson
Anders Bjork
Tage Thompson
Casey Mittelstadt
Rasmus Asplund

Defense
Rasmus Ristolainen
Rasmus Dahlin
Henri Jokiharju

Goaltender
Linus Ullmark

Prediction: The Kraken will select Will Borgen. Seattle has the chance to add yet another young player with Borgen who is only 24. The defenseman is an RFA coming off a cap hit of $864,166.

Calgary Flames

The Calgary Flames have chosen to protect:

Forwards
Matthew Tkachuk
Johnny Gaudreau
Sean Monahan
Mikael Backlund
Elias Lindholm
Andrew Mangiapane
Dillon Dubé

Defense
Noah Hanifin
Rasmus Andersson
Christopher Tanev

Goaltender
Jacob Markström

Prediction: The Kraken will select Mark Giordano. This move is certain to send shockwaves through Calgary and bring Seattle its first-ever Captain. The acquisition is not without risk. At 37 years old, Giordano is on the final year of his contract worth $6.75 million per season. Seattle could have gone after a young forward like Glenn Gawdin or Matthews Philiips but it is hard to pass up the talent, leadership, and experience that Giordano brings.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes have chosen to protect:

Forwards
Sebastian Aho
Jordan Staal
Teuvo Teräväinen
Vincent Trocheck
Warren Foegele
Jesper Fast
Andrei Svechnikov

Defense
Jaccob Slavin
Brady Skjei
Brett Pesce

Goaltender
Alex Nedeljkovic

Prediction: The Kraken will select Jake Bean. He is just 23 years old and could very well become a top-pairing defenseman for the franchise. The 2016 13th overall draft pick is an RFA coming off an $863,333 cap hit. The Hurricanes will be crushed to lose Bean.

Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks have chosen to protect:

Forwards
Jonathan Toews
Patrick Kane
Alex DeBrincat
Dylan Strome
David Kämpf
Brandon Hagel
Henrik Borgström

Defense
Connor Murphy
Caleb Jones
Riley Stillman

Goaltender
Kevin Lankinen

Prediction: The Kraken will select Nikita Zadorov. With this incredible trade for Chicago, made with Edmonton Oilers, the Blackhawks had one less defenseman to think about protecting. However, they still were unable to protect blueliners like Calvin De Haan and Zadorov. Francis will likely prefer Zadorov because he is not just very talented but he’s also 26 and can play on both the left and ride sides. He will be an RFA, coming off a contract paying $3.2million annually.

Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche have chosen to protect:

Forwards
Mikko  Rantanen
Nathan MacKinnon
André Burakovsky
Nazem Kadri
Valeri Nichushkin
Tyson Jost
Logan O’Connor

Defense
Samuel Girard
Devon Toews
Cale Makar

Goaltender
Philipp Grubauer

Prediction: The Kraken will select Joonas Donskoi. This seems like the obvious selection here. The 29-year-old is coming off a season where he registered 17 goals and 14 assists for a total of 31 points in 51 games. He is in the final year of his contract so if the Kraken do get him, they could either trade him before next season’s trade deadline or potentially lose him to free agency. He will be paid $3.9 million next season.

Columbus Blue Jackets

The Columbus Blue Jackets have chosen to protect:

Forwards
Cam Atkinson
Gustav Nyquist
Patrik Laine
Boone Jenner
Oliver Bjorkstrand
Jack  Roslovic
Eric Robinson

Defense
Seth Jones
Zachary Werenski
Vladislav Gavrikov

Goaltender
Joonas Korpisalo

Prediction: The Kraken will select Max Domi. While there may be more to like about Kevin Stenlund in terms of age, contract, and career direction, Domi seems like the sensible pick. Though he had a down year in Columbus, Domi is still a 26-year-old player who racked up 28 goals and 44 assists in 2019. He is in the final year of his contract with a $5.3 million AAV.

Dallas Stars

The Dallas Stars have chosen to protect:

Forwards
Tyler Seguin
Jamie Benn
Joe Pavelski
Alexander Radulov
Radek Faksa
Roope Hintz
Denis Gurianov

Defense
Esa Lindell
John Klingberg
Miro Heiskanen

Goaltender
Anton Khudobin

Prediction: The Kraken will select Ben Bishop. This is a move that will help the team be competitive in its very first season. In order to select the 34-year-old stopper, he had to waive the no-move clause on his $4,916,666 contract. Joel L’Esperance might have been tempting at just 25 years old but with Bishop in net, the Kraken have the potential to steal games.

Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers have chosen to protect:

Forwards
Aleksander Barkov
Jonathan Huberdeau
Patric Hörnqvist
Sam Bennett
Anthony Duclair
Carter Verhaeghe
Mason Marchment

Defense
Aaron Ekblad
MacKenzie Weegar
Gustav Forsling

Goaltender
Sergei Bobrovsky

Prediction: The Kraken will select Chris Driedger. This pick has already been reported by multiple NHL insiders. With the goaltender being a UFA Seattle is expected to sign him prior to the expansion draft. He was being paid $850,000 last season.

Los Angeles Kings

The Los Angeles Kings have chosen to protect:

Forwards
Anze Kopitar
Dustin Brown
Viktor Arvidsson
Alex Iafallo
Adrian Kempe
Lias Andersson
Trevor Moore

Defense
Drew Doughty
Sean Walker
Matt Roy

Goaltender
Cal Peterson

Prediction: The Kraken will select Blake Lizotte. The undrafted center is just 23 years old and looks like he is improving rapidly. He is earning $925,000.

Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild have chosen to protect:

Forwards
Mats Zuccarello
Kevin Fiala
Marcus Foligno
Jordan Greenway
Ryan Hartman
Joel Eriksson Ek
Nico Sturm

Defense
Jared Spurgeon
Matt Dumba
Jonas Brodin

Goaltender
Cam Talbot

Prediction: The Kraken will select Kaapo Kähkönen. The goaltender is a 24-year-old earning $725,000 per year. The Wild will hate to lose Kähkönen but they needed to protect Talbot.

Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens have chosen to protect:

Forwards
Josh Anderson
Tyler Toffoli
Brendan Gallagher
Joel Armia
Artturi Lehkonen
Jesperi Kotkaniemi
Jake Evans

Defense
Jeff Petry
Ben Chiarot
Joel Edmundson

Goaltender
Jake Allen

Prediction: The Kraken will select Brett Kulak. This 27-year-old defenseman has played 260 games in the NHL and should be a useful hand in Seattle on one of their lower pairings in the lineup. He will be paid $1.85 million for next season.

Nashville Predators

The Nashville Predators have chosen to protect:

Forwards
Filip Forsberg
Luke Kunin
Tanner Jeannot

Defense
Roman Josi
Mattias Ekholm
Philippe  Myers
Dante Fabbro
Alexandre Carrier

Goaltender
Juuse Saros

Prediction: The Kraken will select Calle Järnkrok. This is a nice pickup for the expansion team as Järnkrok is very strong on the puck. At 29 years old, the left-winger is being paid $2 million per season.

New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils have chosen to protect:

Forwards
Nico Hischier
Miles Wood
Brett Jesper
Pavel Zacha
Michael McLeod
Janne Kuokkanen
Yegor Sharangovich

Defense
Damon Severson
Ryan Graves
Jonas Siegenthaler

Goaltender
Mackenzie Blackwood

Prediction: The Kraken will select Nathan Bastian. The 23-year-old is still on his entry-level contract, which pays him $714,166 per year. Bastian started the season with the Binghamton Devils, New Jersey’s AHL affiliate. He was called up to the NHL and managed to play in 27 contests last season.

New York Islanders

The New York Islanders have chosen to protect:

Forwards
Mathew Barzal
Anders Lee
Jean-Gabriel Pageau
Cal Clutterbuck
Anthony  Beauvillier
Matt Martin

Defense
Adam Pelech
Ryan Pulock
Scott Mayfield

Goaltender
Semyon Varlamov

Prediction: The Kraken will select Josh Bailey. Though Bailey has a $5 million cap hit, at age 31, he should still be a productive player that can help put up points for the Kraken. Kieffer Bellows is another intriguing available forward but with so many other young picks, Francis can add experience and point production by picking up Bailey. Jordan Eberle is a similar type of player but if the Kraken are looking for a winger instead of a center then Bailey is still their guy.

New York Rangers

The New York Rangers have chosen to protect:

Forwards
Artemi Panarin
Chris Kreider
Mika Zibanejad
Ryan Strome
Pavel Buchnevich
Filip Chytil
Kevin Rooney

Defense
Jacob Trouba
Ryan Lindgren
Libor Hájek

Goaltender
Alexandar Georgiev

Prediction: The Kraken will select Colin Blackwell. The 28-year-old center is coming off the best season of his career where he recorded 22 points in 47 games. Being paid $725,000, he is a value pick for Seattle.

Ottawa Senators

The Ottawa Senators have chosen to protect:

Forwards
Colin White
Connor Brown
Austin Watson
Nicholas Paul
Brady Tkachuk
Logan Brown
Drake Batherson

Defense
Thomas Chabot
Nikita Zaitsev
Victor Mete

Goaltender
Filip Gustavsson

Prediction: The Kraken will select Vitaly Abramov. The left-winger is still a prospect who played mostly for the Belleville Senators this past season. He has been sensational in the AHL, so the Kraken will hope that his game translates to the NHL. Abramov is a 23-year-old RFA who was paid $730,833 this past season.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers have chosen to protect:

Forwards
Claude Giroux
Kevin Hayes
Travis Konecny
Sean Couturier
Oskar Lindblom
Scott Laughton
Nicolas Aubé-Kubel

Defense
Ivan Provorov
Ryan Ellis
Travis Sanheim

Goaltender
Carter Hart

Prediction: The Kraken will select Shayne Gostisbehere. Having chosen to protect seven forwards and three defensemen put the Flyers in a position to lose their 28-year-old Dman. Gostisbehere is on a $4.5 million AAV.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins have chosen to protect:

Forwards
Evgeni Malkin
Sidney Crosby
Jake Guentzel
Bryan Rust
Kasperi Kapanen
Jeff Carter
Teddy Blueger

Defense
Kris Letang
Michael Matheson
Brian Dumoulin

Goaltender
Tristan Jarry

Prediction: The Kraken will select Zachary Aston-Reese. The 26-year-old RFA who was on a $1 million deal played 45 games this past season for the Penguins where he scored nine goals and six assists.

San Jose Sharks

The San Jose Sharks have chosen to protect:

Forwards
Logan Couture
Evander Kane
Timo Meier
Tomas Hertl
Kevin Labanc
Rūdolfs Balcers
Jonathan Dahlén

Defense
Erik Karlsson
Brent Burns
Marc-Édouard Vlasic

Goaltender
Adin Hill

Prediction: The Kraken will select Ryan Donato. Donato is a 25-year-old center who is coming off a 20 point season, playing in 50 games. He was paid $1.9 million last season and is currently an RFA.

St. Louis Blues

The St. Louis Blues have chosen to protect:

Forwards
Ryan O’Reilly
Brayden Schenn
David Perron
Oskar Sundqvist
Ivan Barbashev
Robert Thomas
Jordan Kyrou

Defense
Justin Faulk
Torey Krug
Colton Parayko

Goaltender
Jordan Binnington

Prediction: The Kraken will select Vince Dunn. The 24-year-old is a former second-round pick of the Blues. He is an offensive defenseman who the Kraken can feature on their powerplay. Dunn was paid $1.875 last season and is currently an RFA.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning have chosen to protect:

Forwards
Nikita Kucherov
Steven Stamkos
Brayden Point
Anthony Cirelli

Defense
Victor Hedman
Ryan McDonagh
Mikhail Sergachev
Erik Cernak

Goaltender
Andrei Vasilevskiy

Prediction: The Kraken will select Cal Foote. This might be a surprise to many who expected Francis to take Yanni Gourde.

Instead of going with the experienced 29-year-old cup winner, it makes sense for Seattle to take Foote who would either be a more valuable piece long-term or he can fetch a bigger return in a possible future trade. Foote is just 22 years old and is another RFA, coming off being paid $925,000.

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Maple Leafs have chosen to protect:

Forwards
Auston Matthews
John Tavares
Mitch Marner
William Nylander

Defense
Jake Muzzin
Morgan Rielly
T.J. Brodie
Justin Holl

Goaltender
Jack Campbell

Prediction: The Kraken will select Alexander Kerfoot. The Leafs did make a questionable choice going with the model that protects fewer players but they clearly like their blueline and wanted as little disruption as possible.

Even though Travis Dermott is exposed, Kerfoot is too good to pass up. The good news for Leafs fans is that by Seattle taking the 26-year-old center, it takes $3.5 million off the books. Kerfoot could be used as the Kraken’s second-line center.

Vancouver Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks have chosen to protect:

Forwards
Brock Boeser
Bo Horvat
J.T. Miller
Tanner Pearson
Jason Dickinson
Tyler Motte
Elias Pettersson

Defense
Tyler Myers
Nate Schmidt
Olli Juolevi

Goaltender
Thatcher Demko

Prediction: The Kraken will select Jonah Gadjovich. Gadjovich is a 22-year-old prospect who managed to be nearly a point per game player last season for the Utica Comets in the AHL. The left-winger is being paid $783,333.

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.