The Seattle Kraken, officially introduced as the 32nd franchise in the National Hockey League, have added players for the team’s inaugural season in 2021-2022, with 30 players, one from each team in the NHL with the exception of Vegas, chosen on Wednesday night in a made-for-TV event on the shore of Lake Union in Seattle.
In addition to the selection of players, the league announced that the first-ever game for the Kraken will be played at Vegas in mid-October, with the franchise’s debut in Western Washington coming against regional rival Vancouver at Climate Pledge Arena on October 23rd.
Of a possible $81.5 million salary cap, Seattle only committed $54 million with its picks, with an early emphasis for team building on defense.
General Manager Ron Francis chose unrestricted free agents Adam Larsson and Jamie Oleksiak, while Calgary Flames captain Mark Giordano was taken by the Kraken, where he is expected to become the first-ever captain for the Seattle team.
Goaltender Chris Driedger and veteran forwards Jordan Eberle and Jared McCann were only notable selections.
However, Seattle passed on Montreal goaltender Carey Price, who would have had a cap hit of $10.5 million annually.
Yanni Gourde of the Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning is bound for Seattle, in addition to goaltenders Vitek Vanacek of Washington and Joey Daccord of Ottawa. Seattle’s first pick of the night was Boston Bruins defenseman Jeremy Lauzon.