Quoting: GymClassHero39
I like this idea....back just before the expansion draft took place I did a mock draft and only got 11 choices right but it was harder to do than I thought
For sure. There were players available that probably should have been taken but there was a significant amount of risk involved in taking them (Tarasenko, van Reimsdyk, Duchene, Johansen) and then there were picks that should have been a no brainer that just weren’t selected (Domi, Kahkonen, Niederreiter, Hamilton). I do think Francis played the draft safe, but probably a bit too safe. Of the risky picks, I do think Francis should have picked Tarasenko and one of the Nashville centers. He made the smart pick from the Blues and the Preds, not knowing how players might turn out, due to either inconsistency or injury, and hindsight is 20/20, but some picks were just weird. Francis certainly values cap space the most, which could explain some of the weird picks like Bayreuther and Twarynski, and the Kraken could play a big role at the deadline.
Francis never wanted to go into win a cup asap mode like Vegas, as the proof is in the pudding. Vegas is now struggling with cap space, more so now with the Eichel addition, and they will have to cut some of their roster into next year. Francis is aiming to build through the draft and through FA, and build the Kraken into a sustainable cup contender, much like how the Penguins were starting from 2007-present. It seems like I am the biggest Francis defender, but I do firmly believe that in the long run, Seattle could end up being more successful than Vegas by starting this approach. Do not get me wrong though, Francis could have made a couple better decisions in the expansion draft though.
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