NEWSLETTER
As word spread like a wildfire through the hockey community today, it was inevitable that nearly all 30 of the Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft picks would be leaked prior to the ESPN2 broadcast at 7:00 p.m. CT.
With all the picks flooding in this afternoon, it was Sportsnet’s Youtube star Steve Glynn and Columnist Marc Spector that broke the news of the Seattle Kraken’s selection from the Chicago Blackhawks.
Hearing it’s John Quenneville. https://t.co/uxky9zr0t6
— Steve Dangle “Glynnsider” (@Steve_Dangle) July 21, 2021
You know, hearing it from the Smart Insider Man himself should have been enough to prove the information correct, but it was corroborated by Sportsnet’s Marc Spector not long later.
Can confirm this pick from Chicago by Seattle, if it hasn't been already. https://t.co/TQispzRopo
— Mark Spector (@SportsnetSpec) July 21, 2021
And from the Blackhawks beat, Scott Powers saying that there are no side deals involving the Blackhawks and Kraken.
The Blackhawks don’t have any side deals worked out with the Kraken, according to a source.
— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) July 21, 2021
The selection of Quenneville, without a reported side deal, is very interesting to me. Quenneville bounced between the AHL and the Blackhawks’ taxi squad this season after playing in just nine NHL games last season with no points in Chicago. Over the past two seasons with the organization, Quenneville has played in 52 AHL games with 14 goals and 24 points.
He’s a big, power forward player who, by all accounts, is a depth selection for the Kraken and may end up getting flipped in another deal. Likely, Quenneville could end up playing with the Charlotte Checkers in the AHL as the Kraken will share the AHL affiliation with the Florida Panthers next season.
With the addition of John Quenneville from the Blackhawks, the Seattle Kraken reportedly roster looks like this:
Haydn Fleury (ANA), Tyler Pitlick (ARI), Jeremy Lauzon (BOS), Will Borgen (BUF), Mark Giordano (CGY), Morgan Geekie (CAR), John Quenneville (CHI), Joonas Donskoi (COL), Gavin Bayreuther (CBJ), Jamie Oleksiak (DAL), … (DET), Adam Larsson (EDM), Chris Driedger (FLA), Kurtis MacDermid (LAK), Carson Soucy (MIN), Cale Fleury (MTL), Calle Järnkrok (NSH), Nathan Bastian (NJD), Jordan Eberle (NYI), Colin Blackwell (NYR), Joey Daccord (OTT), Carsen Twarynski (PHI), Brandon Tanev (PIT), Alexander True (SJS), Vince Dunn (STL), Yanni Gourde (TBL), Jared McCann (TOR), Kole Lind (VAN), Vitek Vanecek (WSH), Mason Appleton (WPG)
Detroit is the last team to have their pick revealed at the time of this writing.
The NHL roster freeze is still in effect until noon CT tomorrow, so side deals and trades that the Kraken may have made will not be known until the freeze is lifted. When the Vegas Golden Knights had their expansion draft, they made 10 side deals and trades.
We’ll keep up with the leaked information and breaking news surrounding the Seattle Kraken as the week goes on.
