Winnipeg Jets: 4 Jets that Make Sense for the Seattle Kraken to Draft
The Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft is almost here. As we look ahead to it, here are four Winnipeg Jets players that make sense for the Kraken to draft.
We are just one day away from the Expansion Draft and the rumors are still flying around about who the Seattle Kraken may select from the Winnipeg Jets.
On Sunday morning, the Winnipeg Jets along with the rest of the franchises around the NHL (except for the Vegas Golden Knights) released their protected list for the draft.
The Jets front office made some surprising decisions as they left some key players from this past season’s team unprotected and these players can be selected by Seattle.
Ultimately Seattle will choose one player from the Winnipeg Jets, but here are four members of the Jets that make the most sense for Seattle to Draft:
4. Dylan DeMelo
Before the protected lists were released, one of the questions around Winnipeg Jets country was if the Jets protect Neal Pionk and Josh Morrissey, then who is the third defenseman Winnipeg will protect? Logan Stanley or Dylan DeMelo?
Well, the Jets ultimately decide to protect the young-rookie defenseman and pending restricted free agent, in Stanley rather than the proven DeMelo.
The former sixth-round draft pick, DeMelo, appeared in 52 out of the possible 56 regular season games for the Winnipeg Jets and played well. DeMelo finished the season without registering a goal but had nine assists and amassed an outstanding plus-ten plus/minus.
DeMelo was extremely consistent for the Jets this past year. He was a reliable figure on the Jets’ blue line and was one defenseman that was tough to beat although he is not the most imposing figure.
A player like DeMelo can offer Seattle a lot in their inaugural season. He has shown that he can be a valuable defenseman anywhere on the depth chart and still has three years left on his current contract, which means he can be a key part of the future for the Kraken.
His contract has an average annual value (“AAV”) of $3,000,000 per season, so it will be interesting to see if this factors into Seattle’s decision. If Seattle sees DeMelo as a key player for the next couple of years then he is the perfect match for them.
3. Nathan Beaulieu
It has been a while, since Winnipeg supporters have heard Nathan Beaulieu’s name since his season ended on March 9th against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Ultimately, Beaulieu suffered a torn labrum and was ruled out the rest of the season for the Jets after being one of their mainstays for the first half of the season.
But now Beaulieu is unprotected in the draft and he is a player that could be on the Kraken’s radar as the one to select from the Jets.
One thing that can make Beaulieu valuable is his contract. Going into this upcoming season, the twenty-eight-year-old will have one year remaining on his deal that carries an AAV of $1,250,000. This contract will not have a significant cap hit on the Kraken.
The issue for Beaulieu is that he has struggled to stay in the lineup for a full season and it may be more of a risk for Seattle to take him.
Besides the injury last season, Beaulieu only appeared in 38 games in 2018-2019 which was arguably one of his best seasons as a pro. In 18-19, Beaulieu had one goal, seven assists, and was a plus-fifteen.
Beaulieu has only had one season where he played in more than 70 games and that was in 2016-2017 when he was a member of the Montreal Canadiens.
As stated earlier on this slide, there is a huge risk in drafting Beaulieu but there could be a nice reward for the Kraken if he stays healthy.
2. Mikhail Berdin
Mikhail Berdin is the sleeper pick from the Jets in this expansion draft. I wrote about the twenty-three-year-old over the weekend as one of the Jets’ prospects who can have the biggest impact with the Jets during the next season, but there is a chance, he may not be a part of the Jets organization after Wednesday evening.
Berdin is the highest-rated goaltending prospect in the Winnipeg Jets organization and offers Seattle a low-risk, high-reward pick.
Berdin has had outstanding numbers in each level he has played in regardless if it was in the ECHL with the Jacksonville Icemen or in the AHL with the Manitoba Moose or even in the KHL with SKA St. Petersburg. The fact is, Berdin has proven that he can get the job done and the NHL is not far off for the young goaltender.
If you consider his high potential and take into consideration his contract, Berdin looks like the ideal candidate for a new franchise.
The Russian-born goaltender is on a two-year contract with an AAV at the NHL level of $750,000 and a minors salary in 2021-2022 of $250,000. The contract is a two-way deal for this upcoming season and then switches to a one-way contract the year after.
If you are the Kraken and want to start looking to the future and draft a potential goaltender of the future, this is the perfect prospect to choose.
1. Mason Appleton
Mason Appleton is the player that makes the most sense to be the one that gets selected from the Winnipeg Jets. Many people suspected he would be left unprotected and subsequently, Seattle will draft him, but we will see shortly if that becomes true.
Appleton is a solid third line player and centerman that can pick up a decent amount of points and plays a solid defensive game.
The twenty-five-year-old scored 12 goals and had thirteen assists during the 2021 season while finishing with a plus-eleven plus/minus.
Appleton was consistent throughout the season for Winnipeg. He played in every single game throughout the regular season and postseason and was a great presence in the lineup.
He is a player that has grown tremendously throughout his time with the Winnipeg Jets and unfortunately for Winnipeg, they had to leave him unprotected.
Appleton has a terrific contract for Seattle to take. He is coming into the final year of a two-year contract that has an AAV of $900,000.
This is the perfect contract for the expansion franchise. Appleton showed this last season that he can be an extremely valuable asset to his team and will come at a ridiculously cheap price for the Kraken.
The expansion draft is set for tomorrow night (July 21) at 7:00 p.m. central time. Stay tuned to our site for a full draft preview tomorrow and more Winnipeg Jets news!
Winnipeg Jets Fans: Who do you think Seattle will ultimately pick from the Winnipeg Jets? Leave your comments below!
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*All Stats Provided by Elite Prospects & All Contract Information Provided by Cap Friendly*