Nashville Predators Leave Matt Duchene And Ryan Johansen Exposed

The Nashville Predators are leaving Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen exposed for the Expansion Draft. The Kraken will now have the chance to pick one of them, if they want to.

Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen will be exposed in the Seattle Kraken expansion draft.
— Adam Vingan (@AdamVingan) July 18, 2021

The Predators have interestingly decided to protect five defenseman, yet also just traded Ryan Ellis yesterday to the Flyers. It is worth noting that they also are the only team to do this.

The Predators were the only NHL team to protect five defensemen from expansion.
— Adam Vingan (@AdamVingan) July 18, 2021

It seems rather doubtful that the Kraken would take either Duchene or Johansen, though. They both had rough seasons this year and have very expensive contracts. With the high amount of talent that is available, it would probably be best to use their money elsewhere.

In 34 games this season, Duchene only had six goals and recorded 13 points. These are extremely low totals for a player who was expected to be a top-line center for them. He also has six years left on his contract and it carries an $8 million cap hit.

Johansen did a bit better than Duchene this season, but he still struggled significantly. In 48 contests, Johansen only had 22 points. Keep in mind, he also has an $8 million cap hit, but only has three years left on his deal.

When it comes to Nashville, the Kraken should look to go after a cheaper option. Calle Jarnkrok seems like the best choice, as he is coming off a solid season and only has a $2 million cap hit.