The big news of the weekend deals with the Seattle Kraken and the list of players who were left available for potential selection in the expansion draft.

There seem to be much bigger names available this time compared to the list for the Golden Knights. It's almost like NHL teams want cap relief and are daring Seattle to take some of their better players because of it.

This expansion will be significant for fantasy hockey leagues. In Vegas' first season, we saw five forwards reach at least 55 points (including at least 75 points for William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault), a new 40-goal scorer in Karlsson, Marc-Andre Fleury win 29 games after he was declared “washed up” and Colin Miller become a 40-point defenseman.

Even if the Kraken struggle, there will be a few surprises as there is a new top power-play unit, six new top-six forwards, a new number one netminder and four more defensemen to grab top-four minutes.

Below are the top 10 players available for Seattle and who might see a boost in fantasy value if the Kraken select them in the draft this week. Note, I'm not going to worry about potential side deals, and I am staying away from UFAs (although how much fun would it be if Seattle drafts and signs Alex Ovechkin?).

10. Jason Zucker

Zucker has been a slight bust in Pittsburgh, but it's unclear how much of that is due to injuries. He had an 82-game pace of 39 points this season, his lowest since 2015-16. This year, he missed a bunch of games due to a lower-body injury. His most frequent linemate at 5-on-5 was Evgeni Malkin, who also missed a bunch of time. His next two most frequent linemates were Jared McCann, who missed 13 games, and Kasperi Kapanen, who missed 16 contests. Zucker had an average 82-game pace of 53 points from 2016-17 to 2019-20, so there is a chance this year was more of a fluke and he will rebound next season.

9. Max Domi

He was a healthy scratch at times, but there's no doubting how much upside there is with Domi. This year was a setback with an 82-game pace of 36 points, but he's had at least a 50-point pace in four of his first five seasons, including 72 points in 2018-19 with Montreal. It wouldn't take long for him to become a fan favourite in Seattle. If he can get back to a top-six role with top-unit power-play time, he can get back to a 50-point pace.

8. Jake Bean

This one will be a bit of a wait, but the long-term ramifications will pay off. Just like a few years back, when Vegas nabbed Shea Theodore, many were expecting Theodore to automatically become the team’s main defenseman. The same will happen with Bean, but it may take a few years for him to get the opportunity to quarterback the power play. In the meantime, the Kraken would probably go with veteran players. The 23-year-old Bean has massive upside and won't have nearly as many barriers in Seattle as he would in Carolina.

7. Jonathan Drouin

Sometimes a player needs more than a change of scenery, he needs a change of everything. A new team, a new city and a new conference might do wonders for Drouin, who hasn't played since April 21 for unknown reasons. To get the true story of Drouin's season, you have to go back before Montreal was forced away from the ice for 10 days because of Covid-19. Up until March 20, Drouin has third on the team in points and first in assists, and his 21 points in 31 games put him on pace for 56 points. After the 10-day absence, Drouin had two points in his next 13 games. It can't be easy being an offensive-minded French-Canadian playing for the Habs, and he may feel better on the other end of North America, in a situation with a lot less pressure. If that happens, he has a great chance of becoming the Kraken's Marchessault.

6. Kaapo Kahkonen

There's a theory in hockey that you don't overpay for your netminder as you can find cheaper options that are just as good. If that is the case, then the Kraken should be set for this draft. There are a couple of good young netminders available, including Kahkonen. He's signed for one more year at $725,000, but his next contract shouldn't be outrageous, meaning Kahkonen can be a key piece for years. The 24-year-old rookie had an impressive season for the Wild, finishing with a 16-8-0 record with two shutouts, a 2.88 GAA and .902 SV %.

5. Vitek Vanecek

A few years ago, I joined a keeper pool as an expansion team. The league made it extremely difficult for an expansion team to succeed (and I believe is why the league has had trouble retaining owners). Even though I was the only new GM, there was a complicated dispersal draft. I made a trade and wound up with picks #1 and #3, and snagged two number one goalies with those picks. The immediate comments from fellow GMs were that I already had a better goaltending duo than most other teams. I feel like the Kraken have that same opportunity by taking two young goalies that can compete to be the number one guy. Imagine if the Kraken go into next season with a tandem of Kahkonen and Vanecek (who also had a decent rookie season for the Caps, going 21-10-4 with two shutouts, 2.69 GAA and a .908 SV %). That's already a better tandem than half the teams in the league.

4. Ondrej Palat

It would be hard for Seattle to go wrong with any of the Tampa picks. Alex Killorn and Yanni Gourde would also be solid veterans to select, and there are youngsters such as Cal Foote, Taylor Raddysh and Alex Barre-Boulet. However, Palat would be too enticing to pass on. A two-time Cup champion that finished this past season with 46 points in 55 games. He only has one year left on his deal, but if you're Seattle, you're hoping you can sign him to an extension. From a fantasy perspective, Palat also averaged two shots per game, is usually good for about two hits a game and can produce on the power play.

3. Vladimir Tarasenko

The biggest issue for the Kraken, or any team that would have Tarasenko in their lineup, is that you're never sure when he will be in the lineup. Tank has played a total of 34 games in the past two seasons combined and he has a $7.5 million cap hit for each of the next two seasons. That's a lot of money for a guy you're not sure will play much of the time. This year was tough for Tarasenko, but he's put up at least a 70-point pace in six of the previous seven seasons and is a five-time 30-goal scorer.

2. Carey Price

Price is easily the biggest name on this list, but I'm putting him in this spot due to his potential hip/knee issues that might force him to miss some games next season. There has been plenty of speculation regarding Price, the Kraken and the Habs over the past two days, and it makes sense why Seattle would be tempted to grab him as he's a former Hart-trophy winner who just carried his team to the Stanley Cup finals. Price would be closer to his family in British Columbia, his wife is from Washington State and Price played junior with the Tri-City Americans.

1. Jakub Voracek

While teammate James van Riemsdyk makes less money and has fewer years left in his contract, Voracek is arguably the most offensive player available on the expansion list. He's a consistent 60-point player who will shoot for 80-plus once every few years and has potted 20 goals in six of the last nine seasons. He can still produce on the power play and averaged two shots a game this past season.