Expansion Draft: Colorado Avalanche Losing Key Player to Seattle Kraken

The Seattle Kraken have July 17 marked on their calendars.as the deadline looms for every team in the NHL to submit their protected list for the expansion draft. From there the fun begins and the Kraken will announce their roster on July 21. While some teams don't offer much, the Colorado Avalanche have some interesting options within their roster. 

For educational purposes:

• Teams must submit their protected lists to the league by July 17
• Each team must submit a protected list of seven forwards, three defensemen, and one goalie OR eight skaters and one goalie
• Any player with a no-movement clause must be protected unless the player waives it
• Each team must expose two forwards, one defenseman, and one goalie who are under contract and played at least 40 games this past season or 70 combined games over the last two seasons
• Any player with a career-ending injury is exempt from selection
• All first- and second-year players, as well as unsigned draft picks, are exempt from selection

Avs' Players to Watch:

J.T Compher: The Avalanche winger holds a contract of $3.5 million for the next two seasons and while it's not necessarily ideal, the Kraken need some salaries to push them to the cap floor. Compher's certainly helps the cause. The University of Michigan product has spent his entire five year career with Colorado, recording 109 points in 271 games. Last season he tallied 18 points in 48 games and another two points in 10 postseason games. Compher could be a candidate for the Kraken's third-line center.

Joonas Donskoi: The likely pick out of Colorado is Donskoi and his blazing speed. He's under contract for two more seasons at $3.9 million which isn't the worst for the Kraken if things didn't work out. With 17 goals in 51 games, and almost 70 games of Stanley Cup Playoffs under his belt, he's the perfect fit for the second-line of an expansion team. 

Photo credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports