With Seattle Expansion Draft getting closer and closer, there's still no real guaranteed pick from the Boston Bruins. It's hard to say who will get protected, who will get exposed. However, we have a pretty good idea on some of the players who will get exposed. I'm going to list the players, in order, of who Seattle may be favoriting (by position).
BOSTON PROTECTS
FWD: David Pastrnak
FWD: Brad Marchand
FWD: Patrice Bergeron
FWD: Charlie Coyle
FWD: Craig Smith
FWD: Jake Debrusk
FWD: Between Ritchie and Frederic
D: Charlie McAvoy
D: Brandon Carlo
D: Matt Grzelcyk
G: Dan Vladar
Seattle Priority Forwards Available
1) Nick Ritchie
- Entering the prime of his career, Ritchie is a power forward with great size and has some decent skill. If made available, Nick Ritchie is #1 forward who'd be a target for Seattle. Can be a low end 2nd liner- 3rd liner and may elevate his game further in Seattle.
2) Trent Frederic
- Two years younger than Ritchie, Frederic has fan favorite potential for Seattle and can grow into an impact 4th liner or even third liner. One can argue he'd be priority forward #1 for Seattle.
3) Sean Kuraly
- This may confuse some Bruins fans, but Sean Kuraly had been a pretty good 4th liner for Boston for the past few seasons. Wouldn't (but would) surprise me if Seattle takes a shot at Kuraly to elevate his game further, and becomes a solid bottom 6 piece for them. Unlikely, but it's really not impossible. He is a UFA which may be unattractive, but it's unlikely he gets a multi-year offer from Boston. Seattle has ability to extend him for 2-3 years.
4) Zach Senyshyn
- Unlikely, but 24 years old and is producing fairly well in AHL. Seattle may take a gamble...probably not.
5) Ondrej Kase
- One could argue he should be higher than Senyshyn, but the injury prone winger may just be one more bad hit from retiring. Has the talent to be a 3rd/2nd line winger, ability to stay healthy may prevent him from getting drafted.
Seattle Priority Defensemen Available
1) *Jeremy Lauzon*
- The "*" means he's my favorite to get picked from Seattle. 24 year old defensive minded dman, with room to improve. If you ask me, there will be a decent amount of puck-moving dmen available from other teams. A young, defensive minded Lauzon might not be easy to pass on.
2) Jakub Zboril
- Another guy who could very well be taken by Seattle. He's more of a puck-moving option but it's no guarantee he'd be a regular for Seattle's defense. He is still improving and Seattle may very well see second pairing potential in Zboril. Depends who you ask.
3) Connor Clifton
- I think a lot of people sleep on the potential of him getting drafted. He's right handed, can skate, has puck moving ability, and is physical. The problem? He makes mistakes more often than expected. What you see in Clifton may just be what you're getting, it's uncertain if he can improve his game further. I personally think he'll be a fine third pairing dman one day, his style of play is attractive.
4) Mike Reilly
- It is extremely possible Seattle takes a gamble on the UFA, Mike Reilly is a legitimate second pairing, puck moving dman. Only 27 years old. Seattle has the ability to give him a tad bit more money and term, they likely don't draft him and take a shot on him on July 1st.
OTHERS
1) Tuukka Rask- For obvious reasons, I don't see why Tuukka would go to Seattle as a UFA. I don't see it
2) David Krejci- same reason as Tuukka, I don't see it
3) Taylor Hall- I think he re-signs in Boston for 2-3 years.
Skill wise- Absolutely. Health is a huge concern, as I mentioned. One hit to the head earlier this season has sat him out the whole year. What happens if he gets hit again? That's my point. Kuraly has been fantastic on PK his whole tenure in Boston, and *can* provide energy for 4th line. Not the greatest year by any means, but Seattle may choose skill forward elsewhere and choose the energy player from Boston
McDavid, Connor
$250,000)
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