Before 30 NHL teams release the list of players available for the Kraken, many of them are shuffling the deck to make sure they're in good position for the Seattle expansion draft. Rather than trading or risking the Kraken nabbing defenseman Matt Dumba, Minnesota bought out Ryan Suter and Zach Parise for the expansion draft and other reasons. From players waiving no-movement clauses to GMs making trades and exercising buyouts, this week has been all about preparing for the expansion draft. "It’s an exciting time in a sense that with the Seattle expansion draft, with the flat (salary) cap, you might see maybe a few more trades, a few more hockey trades throughout the week." Kraken GM Ron Francis will have all the leverage from this weekend through the expansion draft, but until then he's playing the waiting game while his colleagues plan ahead.

Source: Fox News July 16, 2021 13:30 UTC