Kevin’s Morning Hash: Kraken may draft and trade, Eberle over Bailey?, Flyers and Savard

Just think of Seattle Kraken general manager Ron Francis as a StubHub driver who shops for what you need and then delivers it for you.

The expectation is Francis will be selecting some players and then immediately trading them. St. Louis Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko could be one of them. Calgary’s Mark Giordano might be another. Maybe Tampa Bay’s Ondrej Palat could be one of them.

It’s easy to wonder whether Seattle might take a goalie such as Ottawa’s Matt Murray or Vancouver’s Braden Holtby and trade them

Rumor of the Day

An NHL source with direct knowledge told NYI Hockey Now that Seattle is keen on Josh Bailey, but the Islanders are trying to persuade them to take Jordan Eberle. High noon drama in Long Island. 

Around the NHL

Pittsburgh: Who will the Seattle Kraken select from Pittsburgh? A breakdown of Penguins unprotected players and why  they will surprise everyone and select Marcus Pettersson. 

Philadelphia: The Ryan Ellis acquisition is just the beginning of the offseason for the Flyers. Buckle up!

Detroit: It’s looking more and more like the Detroit Red Wings will lose a veteran defenseman in the expansion draft.  Plus, Pavel Datsyuk? The 43-year-old is being encouraged for one more season. No, he’s not coming back to the NHL, but other big teams want him. 

Florida: Could the Panthers lose both Chris Driedger AND Frank Vatrano?

Boston: The Bruins open their preseason schedule against Washington and Tom Wilson, who sent Brandon Carlo to the hospital last season, The story. 

Washington: Sammi Silber analyzes the controversial Capitals decision to protect Trevor van Riemsdyk and expose Justin Schultz. 

San Jose: The Sharks traded for Adin Hill to their goalie. Now it appears his salary cap hit will be higher than expected. Sheng Peng explains.