Spoiler Alert: Joey Daccord Nabbed By the Kraken
In an embarrassing way to kick off the NHL’s new national television broadcast agreement, the results of tonight’s expansion draft have leaked ahead of tonight’s reveal at 8 pm ET on ESPN.
If you follow any of the NHL’s insiders on social media, your feed had more leaks than a frat boy at a keg party who just broke the seal.
For those unaware, the Seattle Kraken selected goaltender Joey Daccord with their selection from Ottawa.
That Daccord was selected should not come as a surprise. As much as the Senators played up the fact that serviceable veterans like Evgenii Dadonov, Chris Tierney and Matt Murray were left exposed, Seattle rolled the dice on youth.
Along with Vitaly Abramov, Daccord represented one of the two available players who actually had some projectable upside. That Daccord got into games last year and displayed the confidence and athleticism that the Senators’ goaltending position has lacked for years probably served him well in the eyes of Seattle’s scouts. That he also benefited from a two-way contract and is still exempt from waivers are other added perks.
Undeniably, it is disappointing to lose a 24-year-old goaltender without netting an asset in return. Daccord has performed relatively well at every professional level and he’s an easy player to root for. At the same time, however, I think it is probably more disappointing that Seattle did not take one of Ottawa’s more expensive alternatives which would allow the Senators to reallocate that cash towards better players or other needs.
What is interesting is that of the goaltenders that Seattle selected, the one Senators draft pick that fans may wind up talking about years from now is Chris Driedger. In a way, it just kind of shows how recency bias can affect how much we value particular prospects. Few people are complaining about the fact that Driedger got away and that’s something we should keep in mind.
The organization’s credit, the Senators have guarded themselves well against the possibility of losing of a goaltender. With Filip Gustavsson, Mads Sogaard, Leevi Merilainen, Kevin Mandolese in the system, there is more than enough depth to cover the loss of Daccord. And, that is even before considering the possibility that with the 10th overall selection, the Senators could elect to use it on one of this draft’s highly touted goaltenders — Jesper Wallstedt or Sebastian Cossa.
If the Senators wind up with one of those two players, no one will be focused on the loss of Joey Daccord. If Gustavsson struggles in 2021-22, maybe that opens the door for some second-guessing. But, the likelihood that Daccord develops into an all-world goalie whose departure haunts the Senators for the next decade is small.
The good news is that the Senators did not overextend themselves and give up assets to ensure that Daccord was not selected.