The Seattle Kraken's Expected Goalies Have Been Announced

The Seattle Kraken goaltenders have been announced by Frank Seravalli. However, big-name goalies like Carey Price and Braden Holtby are not on the list. Instead, the Kraken will be taking Chris Driedger, Vitek Vanecek and Joey Daccord.

Sounds like the three goaltenders selected by #SeaKraken will be Chris Driedger (FLA), Vitek Vanecek (WSH) and Joey Daccord (OTT).@DFOHockey
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) July 21, 2021

The Driedger contract was already announced, but one could argue that Vanecek and Daccord are certainly surprises. With all the popular names available, the Kraken have opted to bring in two young goalies who are still making themselves known. This may be a great decision in the long-run.

In his first season in the NHL, Vanecek exceeded expectations. He would play 37 games with the Capitals as the team's starter during the regular season. From there, he had a .908 save percentage and a 2.69 goals against average. The 25-year-old also only has a cap hit of $716,667 this season, so the Kraken save serious money, yet still get a solid goaltender.

Daccord will likely be the third-string goalie, but he does have upside. In 2019-20, he had an impressive .915 save percentage with the AHL's Belleville Senators. That warranted him to get some playing time with the NHL this season. He played eight games with Ottawa this year and had an .897 save percentage. He is only 24-years-old and does have the potential to be a permanent NHL goaltender.

The Kraken have formed a cheap, yet effective goalie group. This will help them save money for picking the rest of their squad, so it should be viewed as a win.