The announcement was unexpected. On Thursday, the Seattle Kraken officially named Dave Hakstol as their organization’s first head coach.
In an exclusive interview, first-ever #SeaKraken head coach, @Hakstol2 shared his thoughts about the Kraken organization and what makes it so special.
Ep 51: Stanley Cup Playoff Bubble Teams; Connor McDavid On WBC Successby Full Press Coverage on March 22, 2023 at 11:54 pmJim and Chris are back and are talking about the playoff races in the East […]
Learn more about our new bench boss → https://t.co/uiBhw0rd7c pic.twitter.com/4wZ2AV3UZm
— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) June 24, 2021
Hakstol, 52, has spent the last two seasons working as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Before that, of course, he served as head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers for three and a half seasons.
With the Kraken getting set to stock their roster at next month’s expansion draft, Hakstol is very familiar with two Flyers players who could be left unprotected.
Expansion Draft Details
The rules for Seattle’s expansion draft are the same as they were for Vegas four years ago. Teams are allowed to protect either seven forwards, three defensemen and one goalie, or eight skaters in total from any position. Players with no-movement clauses cannot be exposed unless they give specific permission.
CapFriendly has a handy expansion draft simulator, which allows users to see which players require protection and who might be left exposed on each team.
For the Flyers, Claude Giroux and Kevin Hayes each have no-movement clauses, so they’ll take up two of the protected slots. In goal, Carter Hart will almost certainly be protected while Felix Sandstrom is exposed.
Beyond that, here’s the list of players who could be exposed to Seattle, in descending order of their cap hits:
Forwards
- Jakub Voracek
- James van Riemsdyk
- Travis Konecny
- Sean Couturier
- Scott Laughton
- Oskar Lindblom
- Nicolas Aube-Kubel
- Nolan Patrick
Defensemen
- Ivan Provorov
- Shayne Gostisbehere
- Philippe Myers
- Justin Braun
- Robert Hagg
- Travis Sanheim
If the Flyers go the 7-and-3 route, they’d leave three forwards and three defensemen from these lists exposed. And there has been plenty of speculation that Chuck Fletcher may choose to make some of his more expensive players available, to help free up salary-cap space for other acquisitions.
The Case For JVR
With two years remaining at $7 million per season, James van Riemsdyk’s name has been bandied about for potential exposure. But JVR had a pretty good season last year. He played all 56 games, averaged nearly two minutes more per game than what he played in 2019-20. And while tying with Giroux and Jakub Voracek for the team scoring lead with 43 points, his 0.77 points per game were the highest of his entire career.
Like many Flyers players this season, van Riemsdyk started well but saw his production drop off after the team’s Covid pause. With all the talk that the Flyers are looking for a scoring winger to boost their offense, they’d be wise to hang onto the one they have.
Hakstol’s past history with van Riemsdyk is brief, but significant. He was still at the helm when general manager Ron Hextall signed the big winger to his five-year, $35-million free-agent deal on July 1, 2018.
During the second game of the 2018-19 season, van Riemsdyk suffered a lower-body injury that caused him to miss 16 games. All told, he suited up for just 16 games before Hakstol was dismissed in mid-December, recording four goals and five assists.
Latest Flyers News
- NHL Trade Deadline Report Card – Metropolitan Division
- NHL Rumors: Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers
- NHL Rumors: Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, Vancouver Canucks
- PODCAST: Stack The Pucks – 2/24 – Wild/Leafs, Canadiens/Flyers, Senators/Hurricanes
- Rick Bowness: “I’m Surprised There Weren’t More Boos”
The Case For Jake
Next, there’s Jakub Voracek, who has three years left on a contact that carries a cap hit of $8.25 million a year. That extension was signed during the summer of 2015, just as Hakstol was taking over, and as Voracek was coming off an 81-point season that tied him with Alex Ovechkin for fourth overall in a low-scoring year around the NHL, which saw Jamie Benn win the Art Ross Trophy with 87 points.
Three years later, under Hakstol, Voracek recorded a personal best with 85 points in 82 games. But league wide, the bar had been raised. He finishd a tie for 13th in league scoring, with Mat Barzal of the New York Islanders and Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins.
Under Hakstol, Voracek was second in total points (226), points per game (0.84) and total ice time (5,113:17). The two men know each other well, and Voracek had success under Hakstol.
The Case For Ghost
Turning to defense, Shayne Gostisbehere finished third in total ice time (5,107:25) during Hakstol’s tenure. One month in, the coach gave Gostibehere his chance to become a full-time NHLer after he was called up from the AHL.
On the offensive side of the puck, Gostisbehere made an impact immediately. By season’s end, he had 17 goals and 46 points in 64 games. He finished as runner-up to Artemi Panarin in 2016 Calder Trophy voting for rookie of the year.
After going through a bit of a sophomore slump, with just 39 points in 76 games in 2016-17, Gostisbehere signed a six-year contract with a cap hit of $4.5 million per season.
His career year came in Hakstol’s last full season in Philadelphia. In 2017-18, Gostisbehere put up 13 goals and 65 points. He was fourth in scoring among NHL defensemen.
The Fletcher/Vigneault era has not been as kind to Gostisbehere. He dealt with knee issues in 2019-20 and has been in and out of the lineup at times. He even cleared waivers last March. That would certainly suggest he’s a likely candidate for exposure.
Gostisbehere finished last season with an impressive nine goals in 41 games. But with just 11 assists, he had 0.49 points per game. That was an improvement from 2019-20, but still below his career average of 0.57.
Hakstol believed in him when many were skeptical that his college success might not translate to the NHL. At 28, Gostisbehere has a reasonable two years remaining on his contract, and could still have some productive years ahead.
That package could look very appealing when it’s time for the Kraken to announce who they’ll be claiming from Philadelphia on July 21.
-
Ep 51: Stanley Cup Playoff Bubble Teams; Connor McDavid On WBC Successby Full Press Coverage on March 22, 2023 at 11:54 pm
Jim and Chris are back and are talking about the playoff races in the East […]
-
Ep 50: Tampa Bay Lightning, Calgary, Playoff Races, Deadline Final Thoughtsby Full Press Coverage on March 11, 2023 at 12:40 pm
Jim and Chris discuss the Lightning's struggles, the Calgary Flames, and […]
-
The Battle for the Final Wild Card Spots in the Stanley Cup Playoffs is Onby Full Press Coverage on March 24, 2023 at 12:00 pm
Jim is back once again joined by Vox Media AM/FM NHL Analyst Bruce Zeman […]
-
Trip Around The NHL - Trade Deadline Reaction, Expansion and Stanley Cup Playoff Talkby Full Press Coverage on March 16, 2023 at 12:00 pm
Jim is back once again joined by Vox Media NHL Analyst Bruce Zeman to […]
-
Ep 80: Bruins Acquire Orlov, Hathaway; Pastrnak's Contract, Toronto Tripby Full Press Coverage on February 24, 2023 at 4:50 pm
Ian and Chris react to the Bruins acquisition of Dmitry Orlov and Garnet […]
-
Ep 79: Bruins Are A Wagon, Pastrnak Contract, Krejci, Trade Deadlineby Full Press Coverage on January 18, 2023 at 6:35 pm
Ian and Chris evaluate the red-hot Bruins halfway through the season. In […]
-
S4Ep22 - Stanley Cup Playoff Wild Card Racesby Jim Biringer on March 13, 2023 at 12:00 pm
Jim is back for a fourth season of the Final Word of Hockey as he looks at […]
-
S4Ep21 - NHL Trade Deadline Winners and Losersby Jim Biringer on March 6, 2023 at 1:00 pm
Jim is back for a fourth season of the Final Word of Hockey as he brings […]
-
Capitals at Penguins -Golden Knights at Oilers - Blues at Ducksby Broken Controller Media on March 25, 2023 at 7:00 pm
Stack the Pucks gives a breakdown of every NHL Game on the card. For more […]
-
Blue Jackets at Canadiens - Senators at Devils - Maple Leafs at Hurricanesby Broken Controller Media on March 25, 2023 at 6:15 pm
Stack the Pucks gives a breakdown of every NHL Game on the card. For more […]
-
Sharks at Flames - Jets at Kings - Sabres at Islandersby Broken Controller Media on March 25, 2023 at 5:52 pm
Stack the Pucks gives a breakdown of every NHL Game on the card. For more […]
-
Blackhawks at Wild - Rangers at Panthers - Canucks at Starsby Broken Controller Media on March 25, 2023 at 4:55 pm
Stack the Pucks gives a breakdown of every NHL Game on the card. For more […]
-
Episode #133: Plays of Coaches Pastby Full Press Coverage on March 24, 2023 at 6:14 pm
On the latest edition of The Calder Farmstead AHL Podcast, Sean and Sarah […]
-
Episode #132: The Playoffs Craicby Full Press Coverage on March 17, 2023 at 2:28 pm
On this edition of The Calder Farmstead, it’s a special St. Patrick’s […]
-
Full Press Islanders - Friday, March 24thby Full Press Coverage on March 24, 2023 at 5:05 pm
The Isles got help yesterday in a massive way with the Pens and Panthers […]
-
Full Press Kraken - Friday, March 24thby Full Press Coverage on March 24, 2023 at 3:15 pm
Recap the loss to Nashville and look at the playoff picture. Learn more […]
-
Full Press Wild - Friday, March 24thby Full Press Coverage on March 24, 2023 at 2:30 pm
Today’s episode covered a disappointing loss to the Flyers, Boldly’s […]
-
Full Press Hurricanes - Friday, March 24thby Full Press Coverage on March 24, 2023 at 2:15 pm
A summary of the 2-1 loss Thursday night to the New York Rangers and an […]