Legends of the Deep ~ A Seattle Kraken Expansion Franchise

[OilCountry93]

What’s Kraken?

Changes Abound Post Corona Virus
by Ron Burgundy / The Seattle Times
June 15th 2019

SEATTLE— Hockey is back. And not only is the NHL back in action but with it comes a new team; the Seattle Kraken have arrived. Hockey makes its long awaited return to the rainy city as the days of the Seattle Metropolitan were but a distant, faded memory. The fastest (and only) game on ice doesn’t only make its return to Seattle though. After years of attendance issues in both Arizona and Florida, each team has been relocated to former franchises; the Arizona Coyotes have become the Hartford Whaler and have been relocated to the Metropolitan Division while the Florida Panthers have been rebranded as the Quebec Nordiques and will remain in the Atlantic Division. The Columbus Blue Jackets will he shifted back out west into the Central Division as the Seattle Kraken will compete in the Pacific Division. However, with the emergence of the Kraken come another form of legends... a young, new crop of prospects ready to (re)make their mark on the NHL. Every NHL team has signed a promising new player that has been well acquainted with the franchise in one way or another... and many more have found their way to free agency and into the upcoming drafts. With Seattle holding the third best odds heading into the 2019 draft lottery and a barren roster with tons of cap hit can they find the right pieces to launch their new team to a dynasty?

The Assigned Legends

Every ‘legend’ assigned has been assigned to each team for a reason... I’m looking to create a wide open NHL where every team has at least a chance at making the playoffs. Each legend was assigned based on multiple ‘criteria’; the biggest of which being what teams had already created players who didn’t wear helmets. If I had it my way, I’d be able to create every single legend which exact likeness (no helmets) and throw them into the drafts staggered throughout the years (which would require a 2K like franchise mode where I could create/edit draft classes as the years went on in franchise mode). Thus, most teams got their most memorable players that were already created by EA without a helmet (MTL got LaFleur, BOS got Park, NYR ended up with Ratelle). Don’t worry if you don’t see the big Legends like Gretzky, Orr, and Lemieux in there... these guys were put into the drafts! For the most part, I tried to meet teams’ positional needs (BOS got a Krug replacement in Park, EDM and McDavid got their badly needed help on the wing, etc). In addition, each assigned legend has different ages that fit in well with the teams’ competitive window as well as different contract term and AAV.

Anaheim- LW Paul Kariya [91 OVR | H Elite Pot.]
Boston- D Brad Park [90 OVR | E Elite Pot.]
Buffalo- Dominik Hasek [93 OVR H Franchise Pot.]
Calgary- Miikka Kiprusoff [88 OVR | M Elite Pot.]
Carolina- Cam Ward [84 OVR | M Elite Pot.]
Chicago- Stan Mikita [90 OVR | E Elite Pot.]
Colorado- Milan Hejduk [88 OVR | M Elite Pot.]
Columbus- Rick Nash [84 OVR | M Elite Pot.]
Dallas- Brett Hull [91 OVR | E Elite Pot.]
Detroit- Gordie Howe [95 OVR | E Franchise Pot.]
Edmonton- Nail Yakupov [81 OVR | L Franchise Pot.]
Hartford- Shane Doan [88 OVR | E Elite Pot.]
Los Angeles- Marcel Dionne [91 OVR | E Elite Pot.]
Minnesota- Josh Harding [84 OVR | H Starter Pot.]
Montreal- Guy LaFleur [93 OVR | E Franchise Pot.]
Nashville- Tomas Vokoun [87 OVR | M Elite Pot.]
New Jersey- Martin Brodeur [93 OVR | H Franchise Pot.]
New York I- Rick DiPietro [84 OVR | L Franchise Pot.]
New York R- Jean Ratelle [89 OVR | E Elite Pot.]
Ottawa- Daniel Alfredsson [84 OVR | M Elite Pot.]
Philadelphia- Bobby Clarke [90 OVR | E Elite Pot.]
Pittsburgh- Chris Kunitz [84 OVR | M T6F Pot.]
Quebec- Michel Goulet [88 OVR | E Elite Pot.]
St. Louis- Pavel Demitra [88 OVR | M Elite Pot.]
San Jose- Evegny Nabokov [87 OVR | E Elite Pot.]
Tampa Bay- Martin St. Louis [90 OVR | E Elite Pot.]
Toronto- Frank Mahovlich [91 OVR | E Elite Pot.]
Vancouver- Roberto Luongo [90 OVR | E Elite Pot.]
Vegas- Larry Robinson [93 OVR | E Franchise Pot.]
Washington- Alexander Semin [88 OVR | M Elite Pot.]
Winnipeg- Patrick Stefan [81 OVR | L Franchise Pot.]

Anyways, I wanted to make a different kind of franchise than the ones you usually see on here. Ended up putting a ton, and I mean A TON of work, roster editing, and creating into this ‘chise... well over 100 created players and a ton of contract, attribute and overall editing as well throughout the league. There’s going to be a couple of EA created legends in free agency and as for the expansion draft I’ve obviously used my custom rosters and haven’t turned on the “add additional contract year” feature so that there is maximum chaos in this first year FA period (had to run a couple test runs and add contract years to certain RFA guys since adding the legends messed w team’s caps). On that note, every team for the most part has had a bad contract axed from their books; Lucic from CGY, Okposo from BUF, you get the idea. This is to help kind of balance out the cap hits. Certain teams got rid of really bad contracts, and other teams (like EDM) are still stuck with some of their bad decisions (like James Neal’s contract, as I chose to take off Kris Russell’s instead). As far as legends in the draft go, there will be 5 draft classes I believe that will feature legends; 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and I’m hoping 2023 will have some late birthday players as well, we’ll see. I love the draft in franchise mode and I figured this way would keep me the most involved in my franchise possible.

[OilCountry93]

Seattle Season/Trophy Tracker

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Seattle Trade Tracker

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Seattle Draft History

[OilCountry93]

Seattle Prepares for Expansion, Entry Draft on Hotizon

Seattle Planning Approach to Franchise Start
by Ron Burgundy / The Seattle Times
June 17th 2019

SEATTLE— Seattle’s GM OilCountry93 and their front office staff are working overtime in preparation of not one but TWO drafts coming within the next week. The Kraken will undergo the expansion draft process in just one day and following that will take part in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.

A few intriguing names could be available in the upcoming expansion draft at all positions. Former Stanley Cup Champion goaltenders Matt Murray and Braden Holtby could be left unprotected by their respective teams while both prospect and veteran top four defensemen are likely to available. There may be slim pickings for the Kraken up front, similar to Vegas’ expansion draft choices (although Karlsson, Smith, and Marchessault proved to be fantastic picks for them).

Headlining the entry draft, however, is a trio of generational defensemen in what is considered the only defensive heavy draft in NHL history. Young phenom Bobby Orr has an excellent chance of being the league’s best defensemen it has ever seen and is the surefire first overall pick. After Orr sees two other defensemen in Eddie Shore (ranked fourth overall) and Doug Harvey (ranked third overall) included in the top five. Defected Russian forwards Valeri Kharlamov and Alexander Yakushev opt to join North America and round out the top five. For Central Scouting’s full first round projections check the list at the bottom of this article.

Seattle holds the third best odds at landing the first overall pick in the expansion draft but they could also fall all the way back to sixth overall. Rumours are swirling around not only Seattle but many teams heading into the draft as the greatest crop of prospects the NHL has ever seen begin to arrive. With many teams scrambling to find both cap space entering free agency and the missing pieces to their roster, many expect drastic changes in the current climate of the NHL as it enters a new era; the era of legends.

Central Scouting’s 2019 NHL Entry Draft Rankings
1. Bobby Orr [D]
A generational defensemen with unrivalled offensive skills. Has the potential to be the best defensemen in the NHL... straight out of the draft.

2. Valeri Kharlamov [LW]
The best forward in the draft. A pure sniper with ridiculous offensive skills and IQ.

3. Doug Harvey [D]
A defensemen’s defensemen. Takes care of his own end first and foremost, has room to grow offensively. Projected to be one of four generational talents in this year’s draft.

4. Eddie Shore [D]
Plays an old style hockey game. Lots of grit and the most physical defensemen in the draft. The coveted right-handed defensemen that teams build around.

5. Alexander Yakushev [LW]
The second defected Russian in the draft comes in at fifth overall. Doesn’t seem to have Kharlamov’s ceiling but an offensive weapon in his own right.

6. Adam Oates [C]
A strong playmaking centre who passes first, passes second, and then shoots third. Despite always looking for the open man, Oates can still find the back of the net himself quite easily and quite often.

7. Bobby Hull [LW]
If anyone in the draft could rival Kharlamov as the draft’s best goal scorer it would be Hull.

8. Gilbert Perreault [C]
Flying Frenchmen projects to be a true number one centre with dazzling speed and skill.

9. Theo Fleury [RW]
Undersized but faster than lightning. Projects to be a better Johnny Gaudreau with a hell of a lot more grit to boot.

10. Wayne Cashman [RW]
Bruising right handed power forward has leadership in spades to go with good skill set. Not as skilled as other prospects ranked in top ten but is shoe in for future captain on any team.

11. Phil Esposito [C]
A late faller in the rankings, Esposito gets dirty around the net front for most of his goals. Most effective on puck possession teams and is lethal net front on the power play. Could easily go early in the draft as some teams have him pegged as a top five guy.

12. Bjorge Salming [D]
One or two years out from an NHL blue line but an elite European talent. A smooth skater who is great at both ends of the ice.

13. Vladislav Tretiak [G]
The biggest steal of the draft if he isn’t selected before his ranking. Tretiak is the last of the ‘Big 3’ Russians of the draft and can step right into an NHL crease and dominate. Would be a top three pick in any other draft class.

14. Carter Macmillan [RW]
A couple of years out but has great hands and offensive instincts. More of a project but should pan out to be a top nine forward.

15. Paul Henderson [RW]
A sure fire NHLer out of the gate, but questions arise as to how good he can be. Could become a first line fixture or struggle to become much more than a bottom six guy.

16. Josh Williams [RW]
A defensively responsible winger who should be able to contribute offensively as well. Put up good point totals in the WHL and could be a steal if his game translates well as a pro.

17. Viacheslav Sergeyev [C]
Has all the tools to be the third line centre that every team covets. Wicked shot, defensively responsible, but questions arise about his commitment.

18. Francis Nystrom [RW]
Another dark horse of the first round, Nystrom could be a diamond in the rough here. Plays a power forward game but stock has fallen due to an injury riddled draft year.

19. Noah Staubitz [D]
Similar to Henderson, Staubitz projects to be NHL ready out of the gate, rare for a guy ranked just inside the top 20. Play style more fitted to a third pairing dman and most scouts question if he’ll ever be more than a 5 in the NHL.

20. Gabriele Shyng [D]
American born Shyng will need time to mature in college but has the foundation to be a solid top four defensemen.

21. David Aebischer [G]
The only other goaltender ranked in the first round other than Tretiak. Projects to be a reliable starter and could make the jump to the NHL right out of the draft.

22. Iaroslav Likhachev [C]
Another prospect a couple of years away from the NHL but has top six upside and has filled the net in the Q.

23. Ivan Zyuzin [C]
Dynamic Russian centre needs to work on defensive game but could be the steal of the draft.

24. Victor Hadfield [RW]
Skilled junior player but scouts are wondering if his game will translate to the pros.

25. Logan Barlage [C]
Bruising centre has size and work effort to be an NHLer but needs to work on offensive game.

26. Vladimir Alistrov [C]
Another prospect who will need a few extra years but could become a great depth forward on any team.

27. Cole Mackay [RW]
A great junior scorer but needs to add another level and dimension to his game to become an NHLer.

28. Stanislav Gogolev [D]
Right handed dman who plays a modest two-way game. A couple of years away from NHL duty.

29. Ruslan Latypov [D]
A pure shutdown defensemen whose ceiling doesn’t appear to be above the third pairing.

30. Aleksander Vishnevskiy [C]
Small but skilled centre will need to bulk up to make transition to pros. Under contract in KHL and will develop there for at least 3 years.

31. Jackson Van de Leest [D]
Towering defensemen could become the next Jamie Oleksiak if all goes to plan.

32. Tag Bertuzzi [C]
Front loaded draft sees Todd Bertuzzi’s nephew round out the first round rankings... will be a long climb to the NHL for mini Bert.

[OilCountry93]

Kraken, New GM Intent on Building Towards Future

Seattle hits home run with expansion draft, lottery results
by Ron Burgundy / The Seattle Times
June 22nd 2019

SEATTLE— The sun finally shone in the usually rainy city of Seattle as the team finally unveiled their roster alongside the NHL’s draft lottery reveal. The route Seattle ended up going seems eerily reminiscent to that of the Vegas Golden Knights, but many teams were much more wary of the process this time around. When asked about the process, GM OilCountry93 had this to say:

“Obviously looking back at the previous expansion draft I think a lot of teams were a lot more careful about who they exposed to us. Yeah, you may say that we mirrored Vegas’ approach to this thing but I think that we’re going to be a lot better positioned for future success and a lot of that is going to be because we’re not done here. We have a big first draft ahead of us and free agency right around the corner.”

Many expect to see GM OilCountry93 to put his imprint on this roster right out of the gate through the draft, but with only one first round pick under his belt he’s going to have to get creative to build this team from the ground up the way he seems intent upon doing. And while the expansion draft itself was relatively quiet, many expect the draft and the subsequent free agency period to be anything but. With that said, let’s take a look at the expansion draft results and GM notes.

Expansion Draft Results
Anaheim Ducks- Christian Djoos [78 OVR | H Top 6 D Pot.]
GM Notes- Not much available on a bad Anaheim team... Jacob Larsson was tempting but decided to go after Djoos as he’s had more NHL experience and should push for a roster spot off the get go.

Boston Bruins- Brandon Carlo [81 OVR M Top 4 D Pot.]
GM Notes- Young, big, right-handed defensemen don’t just grow on trees and the fact that Carlo was forced to be exposed is a testament to just how deep the Bruins’ lineup is. Rumours are that unrestricted free agent Torey Krug was offered to the Kraken here but with no extension in place it was a risk GM OilCountry93 didn’t want to take.

Buffalo Sabres- Player Not Taken [Trade TBA]
GM Notes- The first trade of the expansion draft here. Buffalo has opted for a draft day trade with Seattle (details to be announced then) in exchange to keep their NHL roster intact and to protect defensemen Colin Miller among others.

Calgary Flames- Player Not Taken [2021 Unprotected First Round Pick (CGY)]
GM Notes- Two deals in a row and most likely the last of the trades for today. Similar to the Bruins, Calgary had too much talent available for the Kraken to prey on and instead offered up their 2021 first round draft pick instead. With Giordano, Andersson, and Backlund available for the taking, it seems like a smart deal for both sides.

Carolina Hurricanes- Brett Pesce [83 OVR H Top 4 D Pot.]
GM Notes- A tough bounce to lose Pesce for nothing but Carolina can afford it with their plethora of defensemen. A huge steal for Seattle.

Chicago Blackhawks- Drake Cagguila [79 OVR L Top 9 F Pot.]
GM Notes- Probably will only be a bottom six option guy for us if he makes the team out of camp, but I like his speed and he’s on a good contract.

Colorado Avalanche- Ryan Graves [82 OVR M Top 4 D Pot.]
GM Notes- See a trend here for the back end? We’re going after size, size, and some more size and the youngest guys available. We’ll see if Graves can build on his ‘breakout’ season that technically has never happened in this game...

Columbus Blue Jackets- Alexander Wennberg [81 OVR M Top 6 F Pot.]
GM Notes- Andrew Peeke was very tempting and fits our desired age range on the back end, but Wennberg could be the next William Karlsson out of Columbus for us.

Dallas Stars- Denis Gurianov [79 OVR H Top 6 F Pot.]
GM Notes- Undoubtedly one of the prized prospects gem for the Kraken in the draft. I can’t believe this guy was available and he gives us a great chance at having a good top six forward for years to come.

Detroit Red Wings- Madison Bowey [78 OVR H Top 6 D Pot.]
GM Notes- Another depth defensemen who will push for a spot come camp. Big fan of his game as he seems solid all around and is a good skater to boot. Not much else available here but happy with what we got.

Edmonton Oilers- Adam Larsson [82 OVR M Top 4 D Pot.]
GM Notes- And the Taylor Hall trade ultimately nets Edmonton... nothing. Larsson should be a solid 3/4 dman for us and if the need to trade him ever arises maybe he can bring us back a Taylor Hall lol.

Hartford Whalers- Antti Raanta [84 OVR Exact Starter Pot.]
GM Notes- Our first goalie taken and while he’s going to be good for us I can’t help but wish they exposed Kuemper instead. Alex Goligoski was an option here but that contract is a big no from me dawg. Vinnie Hinostroza was intriguing as well but ultimately we went with a goalie pick.

Los Angeles Kings- Kurtis MacDermid [77 OVR M Top 6 D Pot.]
GM Notes- Doubt he’s got much room to grow but I don’t really need him to. He’s big, mean, and ugly and fits our blue line mentality great. He’ll challenge for a job come preseason.

Minnesota Wild- Jared Spurgeon [87 OVR Exact Top 4 D Pot.]
GM Notes- Our best defensemen on the roster and he’s certainly getting paid like it. I’m a bit iffy on his contract but it’s hard to deny that he has the skill and produces enough to back it up. Could hit another level next to Bobby Orr.

Montreal Canadiens- Arturri Lehkonen [80 OVR H Top 9 F Pot.]
GM Notes- A very really tough decision between Lehkonen and Joel Armia but Lehk’s speed won out in the end for me.

Nashville Predators- Jusse Saros [80 OVR M Starter Pot.]
GM Notes- Honestly I think that Saros is someone I definitely missed in my roster edits... only an 80 overall and a couple years into his 20s, his potential and his overall should have definitely been bumped to make him a good starter in a year or two before he stops growing. Oh well, might as well roll the dice on him right now though I may regret Calle Jarnkrok later.

New Jersey Devils- Ben Street [75 OVR E Top 6 AHL F Pot.]
GM Notes- A barren roster leaves no one available for us other than overpaid veterans well past their prime. At least Street can provide some leadership to the AHL squad and is on a 2 way contract.

New York Islanders- Tomas Hickey [82 OVR E Top 4 D Pot.]
GM Notes- A former top five overall pick, Hickey hasn’t exactly panned out into the player many thought he would be but he’ll be a stable 4/5 guy for us. Could be a good trade chip as well.

New York Rangers- Brett Howden [79 OVR H Top 9 F Pot.]
GM Notes- A former first round pick who joins his third team since being drafted. I’m hoping he can find his game that made him great in juniors but he hasn’t shown much in the pros that makes me feel he’ll ever be much more than a solid third liner in the future.

Ottawa Senators- Anthony Duclair [82 OVR M Top 6 F Pot.]
GM Notes- After bouncing around it seemed Duclair had finally found a home in Ottawa... guess not. I’m gonna say that Melnyk was looking forward to paying the man and with him entering UFA it was just easier to make him Seattle’s (20 goal) problem.

Philadelphia Flyers- James van Riemsdyk [85 OVR E Top 6 F Pot.]
GM Notes- An underrated player in the league who still is a great top six player, JVR brings some grit and goal scoring to the Kraken alongside his hefty contract. A great surprise to see him available.

Pittsburgh Penguins- Jason Zucker [84 OVR E Top 6 F Pot.]
GM Notes- Mooching off the Pennsylvania teams continue. Probably the toughest decision of who to take from the Pens; Jarry, Aston-Reese, and even Hornqvist were all tempting but Zucker brings a skill set that we are sorely lacking right now and I’m willing to bet that he’ll be on the team for the rest of his career.

Quebec Nordiques- Noel Acciari [81 OVR E Top 9 F Pot.]
GM Notes- A depth C on a great contract with a decent chance to move up the lineup? Sign us up.

St. Louis Blues- Jordan Kyrou [75 OVR H Top 6 F Pot.] and Zach Sanford [78 OVR H Top 9 F Pot.] [RW]
GM Notes- The last deal of the day. In exchange for protecting their crop of fantastic blue liners, St. Louis pays a price in the form of Kyrou and Sanford. Both guys I’m pretty excited about; Kyrou should be great for many years to come for us and Sanford is another big body presence in the bottom six that can hopefully work his way up the lineup.

San Jose Sharks- Stefan Noesen [78 OVR L Top 9 F Pot.]
GM Notes- Most likely destined for the minors but could see time this year with the big club. A valuable depth guy to have but there wasn’t much else available to us other than Tim Heed.

Tampa Bay Lightning- Anthony Cirelli [82 OVR M Top 6 F Pot.]
GM Notes- Ryan McDonagh may have been the smartest pick here based on trade value but I just couldn’t pass for Cirelli. Kid has been great on a dominant Tampa team and now can get even more minutes and blossom for us.

Toronto Maple Leafs- Kasperi Kapanen [84 OVR M Top 6 F Pot.]
GM Notes- I’m actually pleasantly surprised by the level of talent available to us in this draft. With the choice between Kapanen or Johnsson, I ended up going with Kappy. Love his speed and he’ll be a fan favourite here in Seattle.

Vancouver Canucks- Tyler Motte [77 OVR H Bottom 6 F Pot.]
GM Notes- Another big human being for the bottom six if he can crack the lineup. Hasn’t been a mainstay in the NHL yet so maybe he gets his opportunity with us.

Washington Capitals- Braden Holtby [88 OVR E Elite Pot.]
GM Notes- The freaking Holtbeast. Not exactly shocking that he’s available as a pending UFA and Samsonov being given the reins in Washington but still a huge boon to our organization if we can hammer out an extension with him before he hits the open market.

Winnipeg Jets- Adam Lowry [80 OVR H Top 9 F Pot.]
GM Notes- A big centre who is great in the dot sounds like a match made in heaven with how I’m trying to build this team... can see him getting a bit better too which would just be a bonus.

The expansion draft wasn’t the only event broadcasted by the NHL either; the draft lottery results were finally in! In a stroke of luck, the Seattle Kraken, holding the third best odds in the lottery, ended up winning the draft lottery and the first overall pick in their inaugural draft! While many deemed it too coincidental and accused commissioner Gary Bettman of having a hand in the lottery, Seattle will head into tomorrow’s entry draft expected to take their franchise cornerstone in Bobby Orr first overall!

[OilCountry93]

Entry Draft Review Post

[johnstone1987]

Not sure if we could post yet but man I really despise the name Seattle picked lol. None the less I'll be checking this out to see how you do.