Expansion Draft: Ottawa Senators Leaving Big Name Open for Seattle

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. We head to Canada's capital for this expansion draft episode and zone in on a couple of players from the Ottawa Senators.

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

Senators Players to Watch:

Matt Murray: The expectation is the team will leave Murray off their protected list, just one season after signing him to a four-year contract worth $25 million. Word is the Senators do not want to lose young netminder Filip Gustavsson to Seattle. As for Murray, he went 10-13-1 in Ottawa and the team was hard to watch at times. With Braden Holtby and Jake Allen also being left unprotected, there's a chance Murray doesn't get picked by the Kraken.

Chris Tierney: Tierney is one of the most underrated centers in the NHL and is likely to get picked by Kraken general manager Ron Francis. Last season the Keswick, Ontario native scored six goals and added 13 assists and his best season came in 2018-19 when he recorded 48 points. At 27, and with only one season left on his deal at $3.5 million, he's the perfect low-risk high-reward type of signing Seattle is looking for. 

Photo credit:  Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports