SEATTLE — The Kraken had a big question answered by Wednesday’s NHL entry draft lottery, and now have some new ones worth asking.
Kraken general manager Ron Francis, already guaranteed a pick in the top five, waited for the lottery balls to tumble twice at NHL Network studios in Secaucus, N.J., and learned he had come away with the second overall pick in the draft — Buffalo will choose at No. 1 — which runs virtually on July 23-24.
The Kraken entered the lottery with the third-highest odds — 10.3% — to obtain the No. 1 overall pick, the same as the New Jersey Devils. Buffalo had the highest odds at 16.6% based on finishing with the league’s worst record.
With his spot secured, Francis faces a choice on whether to go big on a defenseman or a centerman with that selection.
The consensus is that this year’s draft field offers prime opportunities at both spots, with University of Michigan blue-liner Owen Power widely expected to be taken No. 1 overall. Other defensemen rated after Power on most expert draft boards include Swedish juniors stalwart Simon Edvinsson, Brandt Clarke from the Ontario Hockey League’s Barrie Colts and Luke Hughes of the U.S. National Team Development Program.
But complicating matters is that many top prospects lacked complete development the past year because of COVID-19 scheduling cutbacks, with some junior-level prospects traveling overseas for playing time after Canadian circuits were either curtailed or canceled. Power did play his NCAA schedule and is viewed as possibly the only NHL-ready defenseman of this year’s draft class, given his poise and puck-movement skills.
With the OHL season canceled, Clarke, 18, played 26 games on loan with a Slovakian pro team and reportedly did well, scoring five goals and adding 10 assists. The right-handed shooter was scouted by the Kraken at the recent Under-18 world championships in Texas, where he won gold with Team Canada.
So, with Power likely off the board before the Kraken’s pick, the question is whether Francis takes a chance on another defenseman such as Clarke — a favorite of the analytics community, though possibly in need in need of minor league development — at a position where gauging young prospects is often difficult. Or, whether he opts for one of the talented center pieces instead.
Michigan has three prospects projected to go in the top 10, and two of them — Matthew Beniers and Kent Johnson — are listed as centers. Beniers, who stood out for Team USA’s gold medal squad at last January’s world junior championships, is viewed by many scouts as possibly the only true NHL center of the top-rated bunch. Players at the center position are often switched to wing once they turn professional.
Johnson, though listed as a center, played left wing this past season.
If the Kraken opt for a non-center, Dylan Guenther of the Western Hockey League’s Edmonton Oil Kings is seen as more of a pure scorer from the wing and also was scouted by the Kraken at the U-18 tournament.
The draft of top amateur prospects takes place virtually with the first round July 23 and remaining rounds the following day. Besides the top-five selection, the Kraken is guaranteed to pick third in each ensuing round, plus whatever other selections are possibly accumulated in prior deals.
The entry draft starts two days after the July 21 expansion draft, in which the Kraken will select one existing player from each of 30 NHL teams other than the Vegas Golden Knights.
