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Kraken's must-have players in Expansion Draft chosen by NHL.com – NHL.com

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The Seattle Kraken will select 30 players during the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft presented by Upper Deck on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN2, SN1, SN NOW).

The Kraken must choose one player from each of the 30 participating teams (the Vegas Golden Knights are exempt), including at least 14 forwards, nine defensemen and three goalies. Additionally, at least 20 of their selections must already be under contract for next season, with an aggregate value of at least 60 percent ($48.9 million) of the $81.5 million NHL salary cap.

[RELATED: Expansion Draft protected list releasedExpansion Draft coverage]

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Though we will soon find out which players will form the bulk of the inaugural Kraken roster (the Golden Knights had 18 expansion draft players on their opening night roster), we asked five NHL.com writers to identify the one player each believes is the must-draft candidate.

Here are the selections.

Jake Bean, Carolina Hurricanes 

There are sexier and more accomplished names on the list, but I’m not sure there is a player with more potential upside than Bean, the 23-year-old defenseman who just finished his rookie season. The sample size is small, but there is clear evidence Bean could be an elite defender in a few years, and part of the expansion draft process is gambling on players who can thrive in bigger roles. Bean had 12 points (one goal, 11 assists) in 42 games this season, but played limited minutes (14:32 per game, fifth among Hurricanes defensemen who played at least 36 games). He was a monster in the American Hockey League for Charlotte, playing a No. 1 role, scoring 92 points (23 goals, 69 assists) in 129 career AHL games. Selected in the first round (No. 13) in the 2016 NHL Draft, Bean has the skills to develop into a top-pair defenseman and power-play quarterback around which you can build a team. Those opportunities don’t come along too often. — Shawn P. Roarke, Senior Director of Editorial

Video: TBL@CAR, Gm1: Bean one-times tying goal on power play

Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames 

I’m not going to argue that the Flames captain is the most talented player the Kraken could take. He’s not. But the defenseman could be the most important. There’s a tone that needs to be set on an expansion team, as the Golden Knights experienced with Marc-Andre Fleury, and that’s what Giordano could do. Not only would the 37-year-old provide an immediate gravitas and leadership boost, but the skills aren’t bad either. He’s coming off a season in which he scored 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists) in 56 games, while playing 22:57 per game. He would provide an anchor on their first pairing and a locker room voice, while coming in with one year and a $6.75 million cap hit left on his contract. If I’m Seattle general manager Ron Francis, I’m taking Giordano. — Amalie Benjamin, staff writer

Video: CGY@MTL: Giordano nets shot from the point

Kaapo Kahkonen, Minnesota Wild

Well-known goalies like Carey Price, Ben Bishop, Stanley Cup champions Matt Murray and Jonathan Quick, and potential unrestricted free agents Tuukka Rask, Petr Mrazek and Frederik Andersen jump off the page of the available player list. But many are forgetting Kahkonen, who at one point this season was arguably the most valuable rookie goalie from an outstanding crop that included eventual Calder Trophy finalist Alex Nedeljkovic, Igor Shesterkin, Ilya Sorokin, Vitek Vanecek, Kevin Lankinen, Jake Oettinger and, much later in the season, Spencer Knight. When veteran Cam Talbot was in NHL COVID-19 protocol, Kahkonen put together a 12-4-0 stretch, including a nine-game winning streak, with a 2.05 goals-against average, .927 save percentage and two shutouts from the start of the season to March 16. But not long after Talbot returned Feb. 26 and began to thrive down the stretch (16-6-5, 2.68 GAA, .914 save percentage, two shutouts in his final 27 games), Kahkonen’s winning streak ended and his role diminished, with a rough road loss to the St. Louis Blues on April 9 (nine goals allowed) undoubtedly affecting his confidence and place in the rotation. But the Kraken should still look at the big picture and select a goalie who will turn 25 years old Aug. 16 and has gone 19-9-1 in his first 29 NHL games. — Pete Jensen, senior fantasy editor

Video: Kahkonen stops all 26 shots earning 1st NHL shutout

Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens

Much in the same way Fleury became the face of the Golden Knights in 2017, Price could easily occupy the same role with the Kraken. The goalie has five years left on an eight-year, $84 million contract ($10.5 million average annual value), which would be a heavy financial burden to absorb. But he showed during the run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final that he has plenty left in his tank. The 33-year-old was 13-9 with a 2.28 GAA, .924 save percentage and one shutout in 22 games during the playoffs. While Price’s salary is a debating point, the impact of bringing in one of the best-known players in the NHL is not. He’s not the talkative type, but merely splashing his image across the city is the type of immediate publicity a fledgling pro sports franchise craves. For Price, there is personal enticement too: Seattle is 110 miles from the border of British Columbia, his native province. — Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

Video: MTL@WPG, Gm2: Price propels Habs with Game 2 shutout

Alex Killorn, Tampa Bay Lightning

You need a little bit of everything when you’re building a team, and Killorn provides that with his ability to play well in several areas, be it 5-on-5, penalty kill or power play. The 31-year-old is coming off a good Stanley Cup Playoffs in which he scored 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) in 19 games, helping the Lightning win the Cup for the second straight year. Two days after having surgery to insert a rod to repair a broken fibula sustained when he blocked a shot from Canadiens defenseman Jeff Petry in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, Killorn was skating and hoping to play in Game 4. He didn’t play, but it’s impressive that he even gave it a shot. The forward scored 33 points (15 goals, 18 assists) in 56 regular-season games and has scored 40 or more points in each of his prior three NHL seasons. Killorn would add guts, versatility and championship experience to the Kraken. — Tracey Myers, staff writer

Video: NYI@TBL, Gm5: Killorn earns his second on power play

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Allen on trade to Devils from Habs: 'Sometimes you've got to be a little bit selfish' – Yahoo Canada Sports

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Jake Allen loved being a member of the Montreal Canadiens.

The hockey-mad market, the crackling Bell Centre on a Saturday night, the Original Six franchise’s iconic logo.

The 33-year-old goaltender is also realistic.

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With the Canadiens still in full rebuild mode — and two young netminders in Sam Montembeault and Cayden Primeau ready for more playing time — Allen could see the writing on the wall.

Desperate for help in their own crease, the New Jersey Devils asked Montreal about the veteran’s availability. But the team, general manager Tom Fitzgerald told reporters earlier this month, was initially on Allen’s no-trade list.

There wasn’t anything the Fredericton product disliked about the organization or city. The Devils simply appeared to have their crease set for years to come.

But when the club that finished with 112 points and made the second round of the playoffs in 2022-23 was badly hampered by poor play from Vitek Vanecek, Nico Daws and Akira Schmid — each netminder owned save percentages below .900 — the Devils circled back.

And Allen had changed his tune.

“Loved my time as a Hab,” he said of pulling on Montreal’s red, white and blue threads. “I always will cherish that. Put on probably the most special jersey in hockey, in my books. But you realize in your career, it doesn’t last forever.

“You’ve got to make decisions sometimes.”

Allen, who is signed through next season, eventually agreed to a deal that sent him to New Jersey ahead of the NHL’s March 8 trade deadline for a conditional third-round pick at the 2025 draft.

Apart from playing meaningful hockey on a team trying to claw its way back into the Eastern Conference playoff race, the swap gave him more runway to get his family settled in a new city instead of waiting to see what this summer’s crowded goalie market might bring.

“Sometimes you’ve got to be a little bit selfish,” said Allen, a Stanley Cup champion with the St. Louis Blues in 2019. “Look yourself in the mirror and wonder what’s best for you and your family.”

He’s been really good for his new team.

Allen was lights out in Tuesday’s first period against the Toronto Maple Leafs, making an eye-popping 25 saves in what would turn into New Jersey’s 6-3 victory.

So far he’s 4-2-0 with a .925 save percentage and a 2.51 goals against average in six starts for the Devils, who sit five points back of the East’s second wild-card spot.

“A real pro,” said interim head coach Travis Green.

Allen is a combined 10-14-3 in 2023-24 with a .900 save percentage and a 3.39 GAA. Across his 11 seasons with St. Louis, Montreal and now New Jersey, he’s 193-164-41 with a .908 save percentage and 2.75 GAA.

“Makes the saves we need to get some momentum back,” Devils captain Nico Hischier said. “If you have a solid goalie in the net, that makes your work easier.”

Allen is also 11-12 with a .924 and a 2.06 GAA all-time in the playoffs — a good sign for his new club should New Jersey manage to make the cut.

For now, though, he’s just enjoying being back in a post-season race.

“I thought this was a good opportunity to come in the rest of this year, play some games,” Allen said.

“It’s been a good start.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2024.

___

Follow @JClipperton_CP on X.

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press

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Matthews game-time decision for Maple Leafs against Capitals with illness – NHL.com

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TORONTOAuston Matthews will be a game-time decision for the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Washington Capitals at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; SN1, MNMT) because of an illness.

“It’s going to be on how he feels throughout the day,” Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said.

The forward did not participate in Toronto’s morning skate. Max Domi took his place as the center on a line between Tyler Bertuzzi and Mitch Marner, a right wing recovering from a high-ankle sprain sustained March 7 and will be out the next two games.

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Matthews leads the NHL with 59 goals, one from becoming the ninth player in NHL history with at least two 60-goal seasons. He scored 60 in 73 games in 2021-22, when he won the Rocket Richard Trophy, Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award. He had one goal and nine shots in 23:44 of a 6-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, which extended his point streak to five games (four goals, seven assists).

He missed one game this season with illness, a 7-0 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 16.

“Of course, it’s an adjustment when your best player is out of the lineup,” Domi said, “when anybody is out of the lineup, but I think we’ve done a great job all year of guys stepping up when they have to, and we just have to continue to do that.”

Toronto defenseman Morgan Rielly will miss his second straight game with an upper-body injury.

“He just remains day to day,” Keefe said. “We’re hopeful he’s going to bounce back here. The one thing that is good is once he gets through this day or two here, it’s not going to be a lingering situation. It’s not going to be an injury that’s ongoing. Once he’s past it, he’s past it so we just need to give him some time.”

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Canucks place goalie Thatcher Demko on long-term injured list

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The Vancouver Canucks have placed all-star goalie Thatcher Demko on the long-term injured reserve list retroactively.

“It’s just cap related,” coach Rick Tocchet said after practice Wednesday. “We get some cap relief, that’s all it is.”

The 28-year-old netminder has been considered week to week since being sidelined with a lower-body injury midway through Vancouver’s 5-0 win over the Winnipeg Jets on March 9.

That injury designation hasn’t changed, Tocchet said.

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Demko boasts a 34-18-2 record this season, with a .917 save percentage, a 2.47 goals-against average and five shutouts.

Casey DeSmith has taken over the starting job for Vancouver, going 3-2-1 since Demko’s injury. He has a .899 save percentage on the season with a 2.73 goals-against average and one shutout.

The earliest Demko could be back in the Canucks’ lineup is April 6 against the Kings in Los Angeles.

He’s expected to be a key piece as Vancouver (45-19-8) prepares for its first playoff appearance since the COVID-shortened 2019-20 campaign.

Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin also announced Wednesday that the club has called up forward Arshdeep Bains from the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League.

“I’d like to see where [Bains is] at,” Tocchet said, noting he isn’t sure whether the 23-year-old winger will slot into the lineup when the Canucks host the Dallas Stars on Thursday.

WATCH | Bains makes NHL debut

 

Surrey, B.C.’s Arshdeep Bains makes Canucks debut

1 month ago

Duration 2:20

Arshdeep Bains from Surrey, B.C., has made his NHL debut with the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday night against the Colorado Avalanche. As CBC’s Joel Ballard reports, it’s been a hard-fought journey for the hometown kid to the big leagues.

Bains played five games for the NHL team in February before being sent back to Abbotsford.

“He went down, he’s done a couple of things that we like, and he’s got some speed,” Tocchet said.

Vancouver may get another forward back in the lineup Thursday.

Dakota Joshua practised in a full-contact jersey on Wednesday for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury in Vancouver’s 4-2 win over the Blackhawks in Chicago on Feb. 13.

The physical winger, who’s set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, has a career-high 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists) this season.

Sitting out injured “hasn’t been fun,” Joshua said.

“It feels like forever,” he said. “But at this point, that’s behind me and I’m moving forward.”

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