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All 30 picks the Seattle Kraken made in the NHL expansion draft
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- All 30 picks the Seattle Kraken made in the NHL expansion draft
The NHL's 32nd team now has a full complement of players.
The Seattle Kraken took an exciting step toward the ice this fall by selecting 30 players in Wednesday night's expansion draft. One player each was selected from 30 of 31 NHL teams – the Vegas Golden Knights , who just completed their fourth season after joining the NHL in 2017, were exempt from losing a player. The Kraken were required to select at least 14 forwards, nine defenseman and three goalies.
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NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was (briefly) booed as he kicked off the night's proceedings, before turning hosting duties over to ESPN's Chris Fowler. Among the guest selectors for picks were Seattle SuperSonics champion coach Lenny Wilkens, rapper Macklemore, Storm star and Olympian Sue Bird, former Sounders star Brad Evans, hockey legend Cammi Granato, Sonics legends Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp, Seahawks great Marshawn Lynch and current star Bobby Wagner, and Mariners player Kyle Lewis.
Seattle's home opener was also announced during the broadcast: Oct. 23 vs. the Vancouver Canucks .
Here's who the Seattle Kraken selected from each eligible team:
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Anaheim Ducks : Haydn Fleury , 25-year-old defenseman
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A former top-10 pick, Fleury was on hand to speak to the fans.
Arizona Coyotes : Tyler Pitlick , 29-year-old forward
Boston Bruins : Jeremy Lauzon , 24-year-old defenseman
Buffalo Sabres :Will Borgen, 24-year-old defenseman
Calgary Flames : Mark Giordano , 37-year-old defenseman
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The oldest player Seattle drafted, Giordano has played 15 seasons with the Flames, winning the Norris Trophy for best defenseman in 2018-19. Calgary's captain since 2013, Giordano also won the 2019-20 Mark Messier Leadership Award. He was on hand to talk to the crowd Wednesday night.
Carolina Hurricanes : Morgan Geekie , 23-year-old forward
Chicago Blackhawks :John Quenneville, 25-year-old forward
Colorado Avalanche : Joonas Donskoi , 29-year-old forward
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The former Sharks and Avs player has been a consistent 30-point producer.
Columbus Blue Jackets :Gavin Bayreuther, 27-year-old defenseman
Dallas Stars : Jamie Oleksiak , 28-year-old defenseman
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The big, physical pending free agent will reportedly sign a five-year deal. He also was on hand and spoke with fans.
Detroit Red Wings : Dennis Cholowski , 23-year-old defenseman
Edmonton Oilers : Adam Larsson , 28-year-old defenseman
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The former top-five pick, who has been among the Oilers' most dependable defensemen, has reportedly reached a four-year deal to join the Kraken.
Florida Panthers : Chris Driedger , 27-year-old goalie
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Driedger, a pending free agent who reportedly will sign a three-year deal, helped the Panthers to the playoffs last season. He was on hand to show off the team's new home jersey and speak to the fans.
Los Angeles Kings:Kurtis MacDermid, 27-year-old defenseman
Minnesota Wild:Carson Soucy, 26-year-old defenseman
Montreal Canadiens:Cale Fleury, 22-year-old defenseman
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His older brother, Haydn, was also selected by the Kraken.
Nashville Predators:Calle Jarnkrok, 29-year-old forward
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Jarnkrok was a key member of the Preds' 2017 Stanley Cup Final team and their 2018 Presidents' Trophy-winning squad.
New Jersey Devils:Nathan Bastian, 23-year-old forward
New York Islanders:Jordan Eberle, 31-year-old forward
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Eberle is the most prolific offensive player the Kraken drafted, with 241 career goals and 551 points in 779 games spent with the Oilers and Islanders. He was also on hand to show off the road jersey and speak to the fans.
New York Rangers:Colin Blackwell, 28-year-old forward
Ottawa Senators:Joey Daccord, 24-year-old goalie
Philadelphia Flyers:Carsen Twarynski, 23-year-old forward
Pittsburgh Penguins:Brandon Tanev, 29-year-old forward
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The feisty Tanev was also on hand to speak with the Seattle fans.
San Jose Sharks:Alexander True, 24-year-old forward
St. Louis Blues:Vince Dunn, 24-year-old defenseman
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Dunn has produced 20 points from the blue line in all four of his NHL seasons, including the 2018-19 campaign that ended in the Blues winning the Stanley Cup.
Tampa Bay Lightning:Yanni Gourde, 29-year-old forward
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Gourde was a stalwart checking center for the back-to-back champion Lightning.
Toronto Maple Leafs:Jared McCann, 25-year-old forward
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McCann was recently acquired by the Leafs from the Penguins in a deal ahead of last weekend's roster freeze.
Vancouver Canucks:Kole Lind, 22-year-old forward
Washington Capitals:Vitek Vanecek, 25-year-old goalie
Winnipeg Jets:Mason Appleton, 25-year-old forward
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL expansion draft results: Who did Seattle Kraken pick?
