SEATTLE (KMOX) — It appears you can hold on to your Vladimir Tarasenko St. Louis Blues jerseys for a little while longer.
Multiple reports say the NHL's newest team, the Seattle Kraken, will select defenseman Vince Dunn in the Expansion Draft tonight.'
The Kraken have already submitted their 30 picks (one from each team) to the NHL, and it appears NHL insiders have the scoop on at least some of them as of late morning Wednesday.
Dunn, 24, was one of the most attractive pieces available for the Kraken when the Blues released their protection list over the weekend. The offensive-minded defenseman played 267 NHL games and 4 seasons with the Blues, debuting in 2017-18. He scored 32 goals and added 70 assists in that time frame, good for `102 points in 267 games. In that time, Dunn became a darling of the analytics community of the NHL.
However, many might be surprised that Seattle isn't going with Tarasenko. Arguably the face of the Blues franchise through the 2010s, he would have saved the Blues $7.5 million in cap space for the next two seasons had Seattle taken him. Rumors swirled that Seattle might have then retained some salary and traded him away for assets, with the Philadelphia Flyers among the rumored teams.
Tarasenko has scored 218 goals and added 224 assists in 531 NHL games, but has only appeared in 34 games the last two seasons due to three shoulder surgeries.
Meanwhile, there was a report Seattle was eyeing pending free agent Jaden Schwartz for its expansion pick. However, the Kraken had a Wednesday morning deadline to sign him, and it has passed without a deal reached. The same goes for coveted Colorado Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog, who is also a pending free agent and potential Blues target.
The NHL will officially announce Seattle's picks at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT. It will air on ESPN2.
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