The Seattle Kraken’s expansion draft has been the subject of a recent correction, as the original narrative overlooked two key members of the team’s inaugural roster.
When the franchise entered the NHL in 2021, the league allowed Seattle to select one unprotected player from each of the other 30 clubs, a process that brought goaltender Joey Daccord and forward Cale Fleury into the fold.
Both athletes have since split time between the NHL and the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds, the Kraken’s top development affiliate, carving out modest but meaningful roles on the ice.
The group that still carries the label ‘original Kraken’ includes Daccord, Fleury, Jared McCann, Jordan Eberle, Adam Larsson, Vince Dunn and Philipp Grubauer, each of whom signed multi‑year agreements as the franchise built its foundation.
Daccord is now in the second year of a five‑year contract that guarantees him $5 million annually, a deal that reflects the team’s confidence in his growth after a stint of limited NHL starts.
Fleury, meanwhile, enters the final season of a two‑year agreement worth $890,000 this year, a contract that will test his ability to secure a regular spot in the lineup.
The financial commitments to the rest of the core are also notable: McCann heads into the last year of a five‑year, $5 million deal; Eberle, the team captain, begins a two‑year contract paying $5.5 million per season; Larsson starts the second year of a four‑year, $5.25 million per season arrangement; Dunn is in the final year of a four‑year, $7.35 million contract; and Grubauer is approaching the final year of a six‑year, $5.9 million agreement.
The evolving identity of the Kraken’s founding group
While these contracts cement their places on the roster, the organization acknowledges that the ‘original’ designation may not endure beyond the next 24 months, as roster turnover and performance pressures reshape the team’s composition.
Fans can expect the Kraken to blend veteran stability with emerging talent as the club looks to translate its early draft successes into deeper playoff runs.