Future Stock

If you thought the Seattle Kraken were finished drafting for the week, not true. Ron Francis will be back at it Friday as the Kraken participate in their first NHL Entry Draft.
With the 30 Expansion Draft selections announced Wednesday, the Kraken will begin to load up on young prospects Friday. The NHL Draft is an annual event during which 18-year-old amateur players from around the globe are selected to re-supply a franchise's talent pipeline.

The first round of the draft takes place Friday evening. It begins at 5 p.m. You can follow along on television; ESPN2 will handle the coverage in the United States with John Buccigross hosting.
Thanks to the NHL Draft Lottery, the Kraken hold the second overall pick in the first round and the third pick in the subsequent rounds. Rounds 2 through 7 will unfold Saturday, at 8 a.m. on NHL Network.

What to watch for Friday

First-round picks historically yield franchise-enhancing players who will have an impact at the NHL level -- and usually soonest of all draft selections. Nothing is guaranteed.
There have been first-round picks, even those in the top five, who haven't panned out. But, more often than not, the pick results in a key player being acquired and developed.
Previous expansion teams have found great players with their first pick in franchise history. That includes teams such as the Minnesota Wild, who selected the goal-scoring Marian Gaborik with the third overall pick in 2000 and the Anaheim Ducks landing the speedy Paul Kariya with the No. 4 pick in 1993.
Selecting second, the Kraken become the sixth franchise to make their first-ever pick in the first or second slots.
Similar to last year, the Draft will be held virtually this season due to COVID-19 concerns, with cameras set up in prospects' homes to capture an instant reaction. In normal years, the draft is held in an NHL arena with a packed house of fans along with representatives from every team.

Who are the Kraken going to pick?

Any talk about who Seattle will, and can, pick starts with the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres hold the first overall pick and will dictate what happens after.
It will be the third time since 2016 that Buffalo holds the first pick. Most media prognosticators have predicted that they will choose University of Michigan defenseman Owen Power.
Power has been considered the top prospect in this draft prior to and throughout his freshman season with the Wolverines. He finished the year as the top-ranked player by NHL Central Scouting.
The 6-foot-4, 213-pound defenseman already has NHL size, drawing comparisons with Tampa Bay Lighting defenseman and 2020 playoffs MVP Victor Hedman. That size is attractive to scouts along with his hockey skills. Power can move the puck and chip in on the power play. He's also superior retrieving pucks in his own end.
If Buffalo takes Power as expected, then Francis has some options at number two.
They may end up looking to one of Power's teammates, center Matthew Beniers or forward Kent Johnson, to be the first Kraken pick. Other names to keep an eye out for at number two include goal-scoring whiz Dylan Guenther from the Western Hockey League's Edmonton Oil Kings, dynamic U.S. Development Team defenseman Luke Hughes, Swedish forward William Eklund or another Swede in NHL-size defenseman Simon Edvinsson.

Saturday's rounds 2 through 7

The Draft reconvenes Saturday morning with the remaining six rounds. Seattle holds the third pick in each round on Saturday, starting with the 35th pick overall.
As former Carolina Hurricanes GM, Francis has enjoyed second-round success, highlighted by finding Sebastian Aho in the second round of the 2015 Draft. Aho has turned into one of the best young players in the league. He is a key cog for Carolina. The pick Francis used on Aho? Number 35.
There's no way to predict another Aho this time, but there are great players that get picked in the second round.
Some players to watch for in the second round include forward Samu Salminen from Finland, center Zach Dean from the QMJHL Gatineau Olympiques, Russian defenseman Kirill Kirsanov, and American defenseman Sean Behrens.
As the Draft moves into its later rounds, teams generally pick the best player available rather than look at certain positions. This summer's draft should prove no differently.

When will these players join the Kraken?

The NHL Draft is unique in that few players immediately join the NHL roster. In most cases, players the Kraken select will return to their amateur teams for a couple years of further development.
Every season, a rare handful of top picks play some games for their teams. The rare one or two play a whole season. It will be interesting to see if this past year's disjointed amateur season results in fewer players than normal who make that leap.
That doesn't mean we won't see the players drafted over the weekend on the ice with the Kraken at all. It's likely these players will participate in some portion of the Kraken training camp at the Kraken Community Iceplex in September.
It's an experience that will give the young players a taste of what the NHL is like, what preparation and work ethic is required to make it as a professional hockey player.
Overall, the draft is an exciting time when the world of amateur hockey and the NHL come together for a couple of evenings. Seattle will look to stock up on players that will eventually fill the team's prospect pool and provide core players to build a long, sustained winning culture.