We're now just a little over a day away from the league's 32nd franchise, the Seattle Kraken, selecting its inaugural team in the July 21st expansion draft.
The possibilities seem endless for the Kraken, with the majority of teams having exposed multiple players who could easily be candidates for selection.
The situation in Tampa is a particularly intriguing one, as the Lightning have exposed a trio of names that may make it very difficult on Kraken GM Ron Francis and company to make a decision. Those players are
Yanni Gourde,
Ondrej Palat and Alex Killorn.
Some interesting comments had been tossed around on Tuesday, when Killorn appeared on the Spittin' Chiclets podcast to talk about the potential of being selected by Seattle on Wednesday. Spoiler alert: he did not seem overly enthused about the prospect of leaving Tampa Bay.
"For myself, I'd be really unhappy if I left Tampa, I mean I plan to retire here," Killorn said on the popular podcast. "I really don't want to go to Seattle, but you know what, we did win two Cups here. So, you know, I don't really know what else to say."
Biz (Paul Bissonnette) and Whit (Ryan Whitney) hinted at Killorn pulling a Jason Spezza "power move" and just threatening to retire if he's drafted, but at just 31 years old, it's not exactly the same situation with Killorn, as Spezza, now 38, is in the late stages of his career, where retirement is a legitimate option for him.
My personal opinion is that both Palat and Gourde sit slightly ahead of Killorn in terms of what they bring to a team and who Seattle will likely have the most interest in. If I was a betting man, I'd put my money on
Yanni Gourde to be selected by Seattle on Wednesday.
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