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NHL mock expansion draft: Projecting all 30 players the Kraken will pick – ESPN

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The Seattle Kraken will stretch their tentacles and pluck players from 30 teams on Wednesday night in the NHL expansion draft, starting at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Every team except the Vegas Golden Knights, the 2017 expansion franchise that was exempt from this draft, submitted lists of protected players to the NHL on Saturday. Twenty-seven teams protected seven forwards, three defensemen and one goaltender, while the Nashville Predators, Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs went with the eight skaters and one goaltender protection scheme instead. These were the same rules under which the Golden Knights built their team.

Just like the teams had to expose certain required players, the Kraken have some quotas to hit in their draft. They must take at least 14 forwards, nine defenseman and three goalies. Seattle must choose a minimum of 20 players under contract for the 2021-22 regular season, ones who have “an aggregate expansion draft value that is between 60%-100%” of the $81.5 million salary cap ceiling.

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Keeping in mind that we’re not privy to all the side deals that ensure certain players aren’t selected by the Kraken — or ensure that certain ones are — here are our best guesses for which players Seattle selects in the expansion draft.

Team Kaplan

Age: 31 | 2020-21 cap hit: $5.825 million
2020-21 stats: 45 GP | 12 G | 9 A

Age: 25 | 2020-21 cap hit: $737,500
2020-21 stats: 21 GP | 10 G | 3 A

Age: 26 | 2020-21 cap hit: $1 million
2020-21 stats: 44 GP | 1 G | 6 A

Age: 30 | 2020-21 cap hit: $2.25 million
2020-21 stats: 46 GP | 3 G | 4 A

Age: 37 | 2020-21 cap hit: $6.75 million
2020-21 stats: 56 GP | 9 G | 17 A

Age: 23 | 2020-21 cap hit: $863,333
2020-21 stats: 42 GP | 1 G | 11 A

Age: 30 | 2020-21 cap hit: $4.55 million
2020-21 stats: 44 GP | 1 G | 9 A

Age: 26 | 2020-21 cap hit: $3.5 million
2020-21 stats: 48 GP | 10 G | 8 A

Age: 26 | 2020-21 cap hit: $5.3 million
2020-21 stats: 54 GP | 9 G | 15 A

Age: 23 | 2020-21 cap hit: $775,000
2020-21 stats (AHL): 37 GP | 18 G | 16 A

Age: 27 | 2020-21 cap hit: $1.7 million
2020-21 stats: 44 GP | 3 G | 8 A

Age: 23 | 2020-21 cap hit: $803,333
2020-21 stats: 7 GP | 0 G | 1 A

Age: 27 | 2020-21 cap hit: $850,000
2020-21 stats: 23 GP | 14 W | 2.07 GAA | .927 SV%

Age: 23 | 2020-21 cap hit: $761,666
2020-21 stats: 18 GP | 0 G | 6 A

Age: 24 | 2020-21 cap hit: $725,000
2020-21 stats: 24 GP | 16 W | 2.88 GAA | .902 SV%

Age: 26 | 2020-21 cap hit: $5.5 million
2020-21 stats: 44 GP | 2 G | 21 A

Age: 29 | 2020-21 cap hit: $2 million
2020-21 stats: 49 GP | 13 G | 15 A

Age: 24 | 2020-21 cap hit: $874,125
2020-21 stats: 27 GP | 2 G | 8 A

Age: 31 | 2020-21 cap hit: $5 million
2020-21 stats: 54 GP | 8 G | 27 A

Age: 28 | 2020-21 cap hit: $725,000
2020-21 stats: 47 GP | 12 G | 10 A

Age: 32 | 2020-21 cap hit: $5 million
2020-21 stats: 55 GP | 13 G | 7 A

Age: 32 | 2020-21 cap hit: $7 million
2020-21 stats: 56 GP | 17 G | 26 A

Age: 29 | 2020-21 cap hit: $1.25 million
2020-21 stats: 20 GP | 11 W | 2.54 GAA | .912 SV%

Age: 25 | 2020-21 cap hit: $1.9 million
2020-21 stats: 50 GP | 6 G | 14 A

Age: 24 | 2020-21 cap hit: $1.875 million
2020-21 stats: 43 GP | 6 G | 14 A

Age: 29 | 2020-21 cap hit: $5.167 million
2020-21 stats: 56 GP | 17 G | 19 A

Age: 24 | 2020-21 cap hit: $874,125
2020-21 stats: 51 GP | 2 G | 4 A

Age: 22 | 2020-21 cap hit: $783,333
2020-21 stats (AHL): 19 GP | 15 G | 3 A

Age: 30 | 2020-21 cap hit: $3.9 million
2020-21 stats: 56 GP | 2 G | 17 A

Age: 28 | 2020-21 cap hit: $3 million
2020-21 stats: 52 GP | 0 G | 9 A


How I built my team: Welcome to a flat salary-cap world, where there’s way more quality players available than there should be for Seattle. If ownership is OK spending to the cap, I’m doing it if I’m GM Ron Francis. The Pacific Division should be wide open next season, with the Golden Knights as the only early lock for a playoff spot.

As much as I love chaos, selecting Carey Price is just a bit too much for my liking. Too much risk with the unknowns of his injuries (his appointment with a specialist is conveniently after the Kraken must submit their roster), too much term and cap hit for a player with that type of mileage. Instead, the trio of Chris Driedger, Casey DeSmith and Kaapo Kahkonen give Seattle the chance to win games right out of the gate. I’d expect Driedger to be the Day 1 starter, with DeSmith or Kahkonen as potential players to trade.

James van Riemsdyk played some of his best hockey under Dave Hakstol. He’s the type of veteran that should be motivated by the new opportunity — just as Adam Henrique will benefit from a change of scenery after stalling out on an uncompetitive Ducks team.

Mark Giordano, a longtime captain in Calgary, is the leader on Day 1. His deal expires after next season, which gives this team flexibility.

In fact, Giordano would be one of eight players who becomes an unrestricted free agent after the inaugural season, letting the Kraken get their first crack at a winning season, then re-assessing the market in summer 2022.

The easiest selections on this list are Yanni Gourde and Dylan DeMelo. I really like the group of young defensemen I was able to assemble. While Vince Dunn was the Blues pick here, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Seattle take Vladimir Tarasenko, and flip him to another team (Philadelphia?) for draft picks, young players and/or prospects.

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Former Golden Knights general manager George McPhee discusses how other NHL teams might handle the upcoming Seattle Kraken expansion draft.

Team Wyshynski

Age: 23 | 2020-21 cap hit: $700,000
2020-21 stats: 18 GP | 4 G | 4 A

Age: 24 | 2020-21 cap hit: $1 million
2020-21 stats: 52 GP | 3 G | 8 A

Age: 24 | 2020-21 cap hit: $850,000
2020-21 stats: 41 GP | 1 G | 7 A

Age: 24 | 2020-21 cap hit: $864,166
2020-21 stats: 10 GP | 0 G | 0 A

Age: 37 | 2020-21 cap hit: $6.75 million
2020-21 stats: 56 GP | 9 G | 17 A

Age: 23 | 2020-21 cap hit: $863,333
2020-21 stats: 42 GP | 1 G | 11 A

Age: 26 | 2020-21 cap hit: $3.2 million
2020-21 stats: 55 GP | 1 G | 7 A

Age: 29 | 2020-21 cap hit: $3.9 million
2020-21 stats: 51 GP | 17 G | 14 A

Age: 24 | 2020-21 cap hit: $874,125
2020-21 stats: 32 GP | 5 G | 5 A

Age: 23 | 2020-21 cap hit: $775,000
2020-21 stats (AHL): 37 GP | 18 G | 16 A

Age: 27 | 2020-21 cap hit: $1.7 million
2020-21 stats: 44 GP | 3 G | 8 A

Age: 26 | 2020-21 cap hit: $975,000
2020-21 stats: 48 GP | 9 G | 6 A

Age: 27 | 2020-21 cap hit: $850,000
2020-21 stats: 23 GP | 14 W | 2.07 GAA | .927 SV%

Age: 23 | 2020-21 cap hit: $761,666
2020-21 stats: 18 GP | 0 G | 6 A

Age: 26 | 2020-21 cap hit: $2.75 million
2020-21 stats: 50 GP | 1 G | 16 A

Age: 33 | 2020-21 cap hit: $10.5 million
2020-21 stats: 25 GP | 12 W | 2.64 GAA | .901 SV%

Age: LW | 2020-21 cap hit: $2 million
2020-21 stats: 49 GP | 13 G | 15 A

Age: 23 | 2020-21 cap hit: $714,166
2020-21 stats: 41 GP | 3 G | 7 A

Age: 31 | 2020-21 cap hit: $5.5 million
2020-21 stats: 55 GP | 16 G | 17 A

Age: 28 | 2020-21 cap hit: $725,000
2020-21 stats: 47 GP | 12 G | 10 A

Age: 32 | 2020-21 cap hit: $5 million
2020-21 stats: 55 GP | 13 G | 7 A

Age: 32 | 2020-21 cap hit: $7 million
2020-21 stats: 56 GP | 17 G | 26 A

Age: 26 | 2020-21 cap hit: $1 million
2020-21 stats: 45 GP | 9 G | 6 A

Age: 24 | 2020-21 cap hit: $700,000
2020-21 stats: 49 GP | 5 G | 7 A

Age: 29 | 2020-21 cap hit: $7.5 million
2020-21 stats: 24 GP | 4 G | 10 A

Age: 29 | 2020-21 cap hit: $5.167 million
2020-21 stats: 56 GP | 17 G | 19 A

Age: 25 | 2020-21 cap hit: $2.94 million
2020-21 stats: 43 GP | 14 G | 18 A

Age: 22 | 2020-21 cap hit: $783,333
2020-21 stats (AHL): 19 GP | 15 G | 3 A

Age: 25 | 2020-21 cap hit: $716,667
2020-21 stats: 37 GP | 21 W | 2.69 GAA | .908 SV%

Age: 28 | 2020-21 cap hit: $3 million
2020-21 stats: 52 GP | 0 G | 9 A


How I built my team: I think they do it. I think the Seattle Kraken select Carey Price. I think the opportunity to have him be their Marc-Andre Fleury is too tempting, his ties to the region are too strong, and the allure of his stardom is too compelling.

True, GM Ron Francis has put a premium on cap space. Price takes up $10.5 million of it through 2025-26; combine that with the $3.5 million that Chris Driedger will earn, and that’s 17% of your cap in goal. That’s not great. But the Kraken are a team being created out of whole cloth around that salary commitment, rather than having it shoehorned into an existing cap structure.

Would I do this? No. I say no thank you to Price, draft defenseman Cale Fleury from the Habs and then select two seasons of Jonathan Quick from the Los Angeles Kings to tandem with Driedger. Does Ron Francis do this? Yes, I think the guy whose former team stuck with Cam Ward way longer than it should have will opt for the most known commodity in goal, provided they’re confident about Price’s health.

I also think they draft Vladimir Tarasenko, with an eye towards flipping him to another team. Why not? He’s a valuable player, and perhaps the offers that aren’t palatable to the Blues will be more palatable for the Kraken. The only wrinkle is his no-trade clause, which obviously limits his market.

Those big tickets aside, this is a talented roster that only has three skaters with deals beyond 2022-23 in Jordan Eberle (whom I like better than Josh Bailey), Yanni Gourde (the easiest call in the draft) and Dylan DeMelo, a rock-solid defender on the right side.

Part of the challenge here is balancing who I think old-schoolers like Francis, Jason Botterill and Norm Maciver want to draft with who Seattle’s brilliant analytics department led by Alexandra Mandrycky and Namita Nandakumar want to draft. I’ve heard they’re on equal footing in this process. So my mock draft has a few talented veterans in James van Riemsdyk and Mark Giordano, and a few fancy-stats darlings like Jared McCann and Joonas Donskoi. This is a roster that can score on the wings and defend well; although much like with Vegas in Year 1, it’s a bit of a donut in the middle. It’s also a roster that has its share of “William Karlsson types,” a.k.a. forwards ages 23-25 who could break out under the right circumstances, like Alexander Volkov and Adam Mascherin.

Keep in mind that we don’t know the side deals, and that’s a vital piece of this. We don’t expect the 30 general managers in the expansion draft to have quite the levels of temporary panic they had in 2017, when Shea Theodore and Alex Tuch were among the players sent to Vegas to deter them from making certain selections. But these deals could still mean a treasure chest of picks and prospects for the Kraken, and that’s really what established the Knights after Year 1: The ability to acquire Mark Stone, Tomas Tatar, Max Pacioretty and Robin Lehner with those futures.

That’s the ballgame here for the Kraken. Well, that and getting Carey Price “for free,” relatively speaking.

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Shane Pinto has a goal, three assists as the Senators roll over the Sabres – Sportsnet.ca

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Here’s what we know about the allegations against Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara

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LOS ANGELES –

Only a week has passed since the Los Angeles Dodgers abruptly fired Ippei Mizuhara, the interpreter and constant companion of their new $700 million slugger, Shohei Ohtani.

But the biggest story of baseball’s spring is still murky — and shocking — as the regular season begins in earnest Thursday.

The scandal encompasses gambling, alleged theft, extensive deceit and the breakup of an enduring partnership between the majors’ biggest star and his right-hand man. Investigations are underway by the IRS and Major League Baseball, and Ohtani publicly laid out a version of events Monday that placed the responsibility entirely on Mizuhara.

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Here are the basics as Ohtani and the Dodgers prepare for their home opener against St. Louis on Thursday:

Why was Ippei Mizuhara fired by the Dodgers?

Ohtani claims his close friend repeatedly took money from his accounts to fund his illegal sports gambling habit. Ohtani also says he was completely unaware of the “massive theft,” as his lawyers termed it, until Mizuhara confessed to him and the Dodgers last week in South Korea, where the team opened its regular season against the San Diego Padres.

Mizuhara has given more than one version of his path to this trouble, which was catalyzed by the IRS’ investigation of Mathew Bowyer, an alleged illegal bookmaker. Mizuhara has consistently said he has a gambling addiction, and he abused his close friendship with the Dodgers superstar to feed it.

Did Shohei Ohtani ever bet on sports?

That’s the biggest question to be answered in Major League Baseball’s investigation, and the two-time AL MVP emphatically says he has never gambled on sports or asked anybody to bet on sports for him.

Further, Ohtani said Monday he has never knowingly paid a bookie to cover somebody else’s bets. Mizuhara also said Ohtani does not bet, and Bowyer’s attorney said the same.

Mizuhara told ESPN on March 19 that Ohtani paid his gambling debts at the interpreter’s request, saying the bets were on international soccer, the NBA, the NFL and college football. If that were true, Ohtani could face trouble even if he didn’t make the bets himself — but ESPN said Mizuhara dramatically changed his story the following day, claiming Ohtani had no knowledge of the gambling debts and had not transferred any money to bookmakers.

MLB rules prohibit players and team employees from wagering — even legally — on baseball. They also ban betting on other sports with illegal or offshore bookmakers.

What’s next for Ohtani?

Ohtani has played in every Dodgers game since the story broke, and he is expected to be their designated hitter in most regular-season games this season while baseball’s investigation continues.

Ohtani says his legal team has alerted authorities to the theft by Mizuhara, although his team has repeatedly declined to say which authorities have been told, according to ESPN.

Ohtani’s new interpreter is Will Ireton, a longtime Dodgers employee and fluent Japanese speaker who has filled several jobs with the team in everything from game preparation and analytics to recruiting free-agent pitches. But Ireton won’t be Ohtani’s constant companion, and manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday he’s optimistic that Ohtani will become closer to his teammates without the “buffer” provided for years by Mizuhara.

What don’t we know?

MLB’s investigation of Ohtani’s role in the events could last weeks or months, and it’s unlikely to be publicized until it’s complete. No one outside of Ohtani’s inner circle knows what it will find or how serious any repercussions could be, and nobody outside the circle is making informed speculation about the process.

One major question looms: How did Mizuhara have enough access to Ohtani’s bank accounts to get the alleged millions without Ohtani knowing? Is the slugger overly trusting, or is he wildly negligent in managing his vast fortune, which includes years of lavish endorsement deals in addition to his baseball salaries? Why didn’t the team around him, including his agent, do more to prevent the possibility of the theft he claims?

Finally, where is Mizuhara? Anybody who knows isn’t saying. He was fired in South Korea and apparently didn’t travel home with the Dodgers. Japanese media have visited his home in Southern California to look for him. Although he was born in Japan, Mizuhara’s life is in the U.S. — but his life will never be the same.

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NHL analyst gets absolutely roasted for ‘insanely rich’ take on Zach Hyman

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They say everyone is entitled to their opinion, but when you’re a member of the media and you share a truly awful take, you’re going to get called out for it.

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That’s what happened when NHL analyst/podcast host Andrew Berkshire decided to post a video on X (formerly known as Twitter) mainly attributing Zach Hyman’s success to the fact that he grew up “insanely rich.”

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The post came on the heels of the Oilers winger reaching the 50-goal milestone for the season and was rightly ripped apart by several notable colleagues, former players and fans in general.

In the video, which has been viewed more than 5.4 million times as of Wednesday morning, begins by stating that he has been in the sports media industry professionally since 2012 and that the industry “has to do a better job of telling truthful stories,” before discounting Hyman’s accomplishment.

“The story that’s being sold right now … is that, you know, if you work hard, if you stick to it, you can get there too, 31-year-old guy finally hits the 50-goal mark, harder worker, all that,” Berkshire said.

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“Yeah, great, except you’re missing the part of the story where Zach Hyman grew up insanely rich.”

Berkshire, who works as an analyst and host with the Steve Dangle Podcast Network, then details how Hyman’s parents bought a league to “guarantee him playing time,” and that he did “exclusive training that only a rich person … could afford.”

“This is a person that has had every single possible advantage to get where they are today,” Berkshire continued, before also bringing up the fact that Hyman has been fortunate enough to play on teams and lines with Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid most of his career.

While Berkshire does state that Hyman is a hard worker and brings grit when he plays, he also discounts it almost immediately.

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“Working hard, everybody works hard. You think every NHLer didn’t get there by working hard?” he asks. “Let’s not build this stupid narrative of ‘work hard, you’ll succeed.’ It’s just not true.

“There are people who’ve worked as hard as Zach Hyman their entire lives and never got a sniff of the American Hockey League, let alone the NHL because they didn’t have the advantages he had.”

Former Leafs defenceman turned NHL analyst Carlo Colaiacovo thought the whole take was ridiculous, posting the following: “Let me tell you something Andrew. You can’t buy your way to the NHL. You definitely can’t buy your way to having the career Hyman has had which includes scoring 50. Pretty ridiculous thing to say.”

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Retired NHLer Bobby Ryan was one of the first to weigh in, calling the opinion “purely false.”

“As someone who has maybe lived on both ends of the ‘financial edge’ I can say this is just purely false. Who cares, he accomplished a feat not many do and to downplay the way it’s reported is just wrong. You show up, do the work, good things happen,” Ryan posted on X.

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Jonathan Goodman, who claims he was Hyman’s personal trainer and tasked with getting the budding pro ready for the combine, had a glowing review of his former pupil’s work ethic.

“Yes, he had advantages. His family was wealthy and father obsessed with his success,” he said. “But the dude worked hard. Harder than anybody I’ve ever seen.”

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But, perhaps another former NHLer, Jason Strudwick said it best, replying to the video by asking: “Did Hyman not sign an autograph for you one time?”

 

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