The NHL’s 32nd club is officially set to start creating their roster tomorrow night, as the Expansion Draft is set to kick off at 8:00 PM EST. The Seattle Kraken will be selecting 30 players from other NHL clubs, with 20 of them being required to be under contract for next season.
And if history is any indication, the expansion draft could cost the Detroit Red Wings a player that proves useful for years to come for his new club. The expansion Vegas Golden Knights selected forward Tomas Nosek from the Red Wings in 2017, and he’s gone on to play in 251 career games for his new club. He also holds the distinction of scoring the first home goal in Golden Knights history.
The Red Wings released their protected list last week, and it include Dylan Larkin, Jakub Vrana, Robby Fabbri, Michael Rasmussen, Adam Erne, Gustav Lidstrom, Filip Hronek, Nick Leddy, and Thomas Greiss.
Among the more notable names that the Kraken will have available to them include Vladislav Namestnikov, Frans Nielsen, Danny DeKeyser, and Troy Stetcher.
Of the players Seattle can choose from the Red Wings, it stands to reason that Stetcher would be the ideal candidate. Not only does he hail from nearby Richmond, British Columbia, but he’s also only 27 years old with another year of a reasonable contract that will see him earn $1.7 million.
The dependable blue liner scored three goals and eight assists in 44 appearances in his first season with the Red Wings after having spent the first portion of his NHL career with the Vancouver Canucks.
