NHL Expansion Draft: Seattle Kraken slate complete, home opening October 23

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The inaugural Seattle Kraken slate is now official after they announced the expansion draft picks on Wednesday night. The new NHL opener will be on October 23 against the Vancouver Canucks.

The Seattle Blue Line will boast a veteran presence after selecting Mark Giordano of Calgary Flames and Adam Larson of the Edmonton Oilers. The 37-year-old had 26 points for the Flames as captain last season, scoring nine goals and 17 assists. Meanwhile, Larson played in 56 games for the Oilers during the 2020-21 season, averaging just under 20 minutes of ice time.

Larson was left unprotected before the expansion draft on Wednesday, giving Kraken the opportunity to begin contract negotiations and the two sides were able to agree a four-year deal worth $4 million annually, a source confirmed to Athletic player Pierre Lebrun.

Up front, Team Kraken solidified their offensive by picking Jordan Eberle of the New York Islanders. The 31-year-old winger scored 16 goals and 17 assists last season and has three years left on his current deal, with an annual cap of $5.5 million.

Seattle also selected defender Jimmy Oleksiak, 28, of the Dallas Stars. He had six goals and 14 points in 56 games with Dallas last season. A source confirmed to The Athletic that Seattle has signed Oleksiak to a five-year deal with AAV worth $4.6 million. Other selections include Hayden Florey of Anaheim, Mason Appleton of Winnipeg and Carolina’s Morgan Geekie.

But it was the available players Seattle didn’t pick that made waves earlier on Wednesday, with sources confirming Seattle wouldn’t choose either Carrie Price in Montreal or unrestricted Colorado agent Gabriel Landskog. Both players were left unprotected by their clubs.

Price, 33, waived the no-motion clause over the weekend, but Kraken took defender Cal Fleury, Hayden’s brother, from Montreal.

Landeskog, who has scored 20 goals, 32 assists and 52 points for Colorado this season, will be able to explore free agency on July 28 or re-sign with Avs.

The Kraken’s season debut will be on the road October 12 against the Vegas Golden Knights, and their opener home game will be October 23 against the Vancouver Canucks.

Here is a list of all the players selected in Seattle:

Anaheim Ducks: Hayden Florey

Arizona Coyotes: Tyler Betlake

Boston Bruins: Jeremy Luzon

Buffalo Sabers: William Burgin

Calgary Flames: Mark Giordano

Carolina Hurricanes: Morgan Jake

Chicago Blackhawks: John Quinville

Colorado Avalanche: Jonas Donskoy

Columbus Blue Jackets: Gavin Byether

Dallas Stars: Jimmy Oleksiak

Detroit Red Wings: Dennis Chulovsky

Edmonton Oilers: Adam Larson

Florida Panthers: Chris Dredger

Los Angeles Kings: Curtis MacDiarmid

Minnesota Wild: Carson Sosi

Montreal Canadiens: Cal Fleury

Nashville Predators: Calle Jarnkrok

New Jersey Devils: Nathan Bastian

New York Islanders: Jordan Eberl

New York Rangers: Colin Blackwell

Senators in Ottawa: Joey DaCourt

Philadelphia Flyers: Carsen Tuarinski

Pittsburgh Penguins: Brandon Tanniff

San Jose Sharks: Alexander is right

St. Louis Blues: Vince Dunn

Tampa Bay Lightning: Yanni Gord

Toronto Maple Leafs: Jared McCann

Vancouver Canucks: Cole Lind

Washington Capitals: Vitik Vanishk

Winnipeg Jets: Mason Appleton

Seattle will continue to add to its roster when it picks second place behind the Buffalo Sabers in Friday’s NHL Draft. Any deals the team has made in the expansion draft process will be terminated/announced after the trade freeze is lifted at 1 p.m. ET on Thursday. These will be the deals Seattle made with other teams for players they drafted on Wednesday and will now be flipped elsewhere in place of the deals made before the draft itself.

For more information, follow the live blog draft to expand on The Athletic and Selection Tracker.

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