The Seattle Kraken officially became the NHL’s 32nd franchise when they made their final payment on Friday. That also meant the GM Ron Francis can get to work on building his new team. He can officially sign any NCAA free agent, along with Junior and European players that are aged out of the draft.
There’s already rumors that the Kraken have their sights set on a few players.
Seattle Kraken looking at KHL star
Konstantin Okulov of CSKA Moscow in the KHL is someone that Francis may be looking to sign. The 23 year-old played in 55 games and notched 18 goals and 49 points during the season. In the playoffs he added 20 more points in 23 contests.
KHL forward Konstantin Okulov of CSKA Moscow is believed to be a player on Seattle’s radar, as mentioned by Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times during an interview Saturday on “The Hot Stove” on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio.
The Fourth Period
Panthers goalie Chris Driedger a target
According to The Athletic’s James Mirtle, Ron Francis already has his target in goal. The Panthers Chris Driedger is someone he wants manning the nets for the Seattle Kraken’s inaugural season.
This year, Driedger has been impressive with a 13-6-3 record to go with a 2.17 GAA and SV% of 923. It makes you wonder why Florida would expose him? That’s because Sergei Bobrovsky and his no move clause must be protected. With Spencer Knight signed and in the fold, the 26 year-old Driedger is expendable.
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