The contract projections are further down the page, but in the meantime I'm going to go over my Seattle thoughts before all of this is outdated in less than a day. I made a prior run-through a couple months ago, but a few things have changed since then. My selection list (without any side deals taken into account) looks like this:

Updated SEA list.
Two things to note:
-Seattle doesn't need both Kahkonen and Vanacek, and Soucy is better than anyone else WSH has to offer, so I think that's the direction they go.
-Vegas took 14F, 13D, and 3G. I would be surprised to see Seattle deviate much from that. pic.twitter.com/OBQuwKES0K

— Alex MacLean (@alexdmaclean) July 19, 2021

Opening night roster sketch:

Zucker – Gourde – Bailey

Domi – Kerfoot – Appleton

Jarnkrok – Compher – Donato

Gadjovich – Blackwell – Gaudette

Merkley

Gostisbehere – Stetcher

Bean – Dunn

Soucy – Borgen

Clague

Driedger

Vanacek

The rest are in the minors, IR or flipped for picks: Phillips, Klefbom, Kulak, Lyubushkin, Larsson, Lauzon, Hanley, Daccord.

Some of the reasoning behind these picks may not even become clear for a few weeks until future players are traded and/or signed. In a weak Pacific division, this type of roster could make some noise.

While we wait, who thinks this video is real, and who thinks it’s a diversion? Count me among those convinced the pick is indeed going to be Kerfoot.

LETS FUCKINGGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO pic.twitter.com/aU04B2OXZV

— 🎱 (@Ieafsfan) July 20, 2021

*

I look at a lot of the other selection sets that people are making for the Kraken, and while I can appreciate that there are different opinions than mine on who the best picks are, there are some fundamental mistakes being made, and both of these mistakes have fantasy world lessons to be learned from them:

Lesson #1: Opportunity Cost

Carey Price is the best goalie exposed talent-wise, it's tough to argue against that. However, (injury aside) he won't get selected because there are more economical options, and there are teams with less to offer Seattle where they can grab their goalies instead. Teams like Ottawa, Vancouver, and Dallas have almost nothing to offer Seattle. It would shock me not to see at least one goalie taken from these three teams. With Chris Driedger rumoured to be signing in Seattle, getting a pick to take Ben Bishop or Braden Holtby as the future backup goalie, and then nabbing Joey Daccord or Marcus Hogberg to man the net in the AHL is a very realistic option. That can be weighed against the assets Seattle can also accumulate not to take Vitek Vanecek and Kaapo Kahkonen where they instead end up with Brendan Dillon and Carson Soucy instead of Josh Brown and Joel Hanley.

Making a selection isn't just picking the one player, but it has to be weighted against who or what that player prevents you from doing. In the same vein, for fantasy hockey, when you're making a two for one trade you also have to consider who you would be able to drop/add, and make that part of the equation. When looking at Seattle selections or fantasy hockey trades, many get stuck on the surface with the initial name and don't consider the depth of the repercussions that the decision will make.

Lesson #2: Knowing the Market

The first thing I look at when people post their expansion lists is how many forwards, defencemen, and goalies they select. If there aren't at least eleven defencemen on the list then I immediately discount it as a set of selections from someone that didn't really think things through. Vegas took their minimum forwards and minimum goalies, and the rest of their selections were defencemen. They had the most success flipping defencemen, and I expect Seattle to do something very similar, as defencemen are always in high demand.

In fantasy leagues, it is key to know what positions are sought-after and what age range can typically fetch you the biggest return in a trade. When you're drafting for a roto league with set limits on games played numbers, your bench players typically don't rotate in much. However, in order to hit the limits on goaltender games, you will need bench goalies. Typically, in a roto draft where there are 20 active players and five bench, I will grab three extra goalies for my bench, as I know I will need them a lot later, and they end up becoming very scarce very quickly. Know your league, know your market, and don’t bother filling up on pieces that you know in the back of your head you are never going to use.

*

Mike touched on it yesterday, but I wanted to reiterate that the NHL and its minors ranks are a better place to be now thanks to Luke Prokop paving the way as the first openly gay player under an NHL contract. Hopefully more players feel comfortable speaking their own truths moving forward. It is wonderful to see.

*

Looking for something to listen to in order to fill the fantasy hockey void? The guys over at KeepingKarlsson have you covered with their 32 beats series, bringing beat writers from all 32 teams onto the podcast to dive as deep as only they can into how all the pieces are going to fit together. 

32 Beats: #SJSharks ft. @Sheng_Peng!

Are blueline bouncebacks for EK/BB on the horizon? Is Evander Kane on a new level? How's that G pipeline looking? Meier, Couture, Merkley, Jones++

🎵 https://t.co/XFwQvNwcwh

🟢 https://t.co/GvJu5vicLt

🌐 https://t.co/mLKRuUtfWQ

— Keeping Karlsson (@keepingkarlsson) June 8, 2021

They have seven episodes completed thus far, and will be continuing throughout the offseason.

*

In addition to diving into the one-way contracts for the DobberHockey Fantasy Guide, this year I'm also going to be covering the "Goalies to Watch" section. Anyone that you think I should be paying extra attention to? If so, let me know in the comments!

*

Katie Strang did another amazing job covering Logan Mailloux, his mistakes, and the fallout. He has renounced himself from the 2021 NHL draft.

"Logan says that I want to ruin his career. I have never said that. All I have wanted is to get justice …" – the woman victimized by NHL Draft prospect Logan Mailloux

Today, Mailloux announced that he was renouncing himself from the 2021 NHL Draft. https://t.co/lakYMtiE0Z

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) July 20, 2021

*

I've updated the 2021 Free Agent Contract Projections just in time for free agency to open next week. Feel free to either drop comments on it here, or find me on Twitter @alexdmaclean.

Rank	Name	Age	Pos	Projected Cap Hit
1	Dougie Hamilton	28	D	$9,779,100
2	Cale Makar	22	D	$9,578,900
3	Philipp Grubauer	29	G	$8,744,800
4	Gabriel Landeskog	28	F	$8,557,700
5	Andrei Svechnikov	21	F	$7,524,100
6	Alex Ovechkin	35	F	$7,453,700
7	Quinn Hughes	21	D	$7,282,400
8	Sam Reinhart	25	F	$7,113,000
9	Taylor Hall	29	F	$6,732,200
10	Kirill Kaprizov	24	F	$6,687,000
11	Juuse Saros	26	G	$6,369,000
12	Elias Pettersson	22	F	$5,906,700
13	Igor Shesterkin	25	G	$5,851,400
14	Pavel Buchnevich	26	F	$5,827,800
15	Alec Martinez	33	D	$5,485,300
16	Patrik Laine	23	F	$5,478,800
17	Neal Pionk	25	D	$5,424,200
18	Sam Bennett	25	F	$5,019,100
19	Rasmus Dahlin	21	D	$5,014,300
20	Kevin Fiala	24	F	$4,994,000
21	Tyson Barrie	29	D	$4,903,100
22	Zach Hyman	29	F	$4,860,100
23	Tuukka Rask	34	G	$4,768,900
24	David Krejci	35	F	$4,685,700
25	Conor Garland	25	F	$4,643,800
26	Andrew Copp	27	F	$4,632,400
27	Jakub Vrana	25	F	$4,569,900
28	Mikael Granlund	29	F	$4,475,400
29	Brady Tkachuk	21	F	$4,414,500
30	Phillip Danault	28	F	$4,340,700
31	Brandon Saad	28	F	$4,231,700
32	David Savard	30	D	$4,049,800
33	Adam Pelech	26	D	$3,990,900
34	Mike Hoffman	31	F	$3,858,900
35	Jaden Schwartz	29	F	$3,837,200
36	Blake Coleman	29	F	$3,767,800
37	Dante Fabbro	23	D	$3,724,900
38	Kyle Palmieri	30	F	$3,706,000
39	Linus Ullmark	27	G	$3,425,100
40	Anthony Beauvillier	24	F	$3,421,900
41	Frederik Andersen	31	G	$3,411,900
42	Tomas Tatar	30	F	$3,310,200
43	Adam Larsson	28	D	$3,307,600
44	Barclay Goodrow	28	F	$3,281,800
45	Ilya Samsonov	24	G	$3,281,200
46	Ryan Suter	36	D	$3,259,100
47	Jamie Oleksiak	28	D	$3,243,900
48	Nick Bonino	33	F	$3,163,100
49	Vince Dunn	24	D	$3,147,900
50	Travis Sanheim	25	D	$3,123,200
51	Alex Nedeljkovic	25	G	$3,116,800
52	Paul Stastny	35	F	$3,107,600
53	Jesperi Kotkaniemi	22	F	$3,098,800
54	Robert Thomas	22	F	$3,098,400
55	Nick Ritchie	25	F	$3,079,700
56	Brandon Montour	27	D	$3,066,700
57	Kailer Yamamoto	22	F	$3,054,600
58	Chris Driedger	27	G	$2,952,600
59	Jordan Kyrou	23	F	$2,845,600
60	Dillon Dube	22	F	$2,789,400
61	Brock McGinn	27	F	$2,771,000
62	Mattias Janmark	28	F	$2,765,000
63	Drake Batherson	23	F	$2,738,300
64	Nikita Zadorov	26	D	$2,714,800
65	Jonathan Bernier	32	G	$2,708,200
66	Filip Hronek	23	D	$2,682,700
67	Janne Kuokkanen	23	F	$2,670,300
68	Ilya Sorokin	25	G	$2,594,000
69	Joel Armia	28	F	$2,589,400
70	Juuso Valimaki	22	D	$2,573,100
71	Alexander Edler	35	D	$2,561,200
72	Warren Foegele	25	F	$2,527,200
73	Mike Reilly	28	D	$2,521,200
74	Eeli Tolvanen	22	F	$2,507,200
75	Nick Foligno	33	F	$2,506,400
76	Cody Ceci	27	D	$2,499,700
77	Casey Mittelstadt	22	F	$2,494,700
78	Andreas Athanasiou	26	F	$2,489,800
79	Max Comtois	22	F	$2,437,300
80	Ryan Donato	25	F	$2,422,300
81	Ryan Murray	27	D	$2,353,900
82	Filip Chytil	21	F	$2,353,700
83	Petr Mrazek	29	G	$2,345,300
84	Tyler Bertuzzi	26	F	$2,343,800
85	Alex Goligoski	35	D	$2,303,100
86	Jake Bean	22	D	$2,300,700
87	Carter Hart	22	G	$2,208,300
88	Yegor Sharangovich	23	F	$2,180,600
89	Casey Cizikas	30	F	$2,179,700
90	Zach Sanford	26	F	$2,157,800
91	Erik Haula	30	F	$2,133,600
92	Alexander Wennberg	26	F	$2,087,000
93	Sami Vatanen	30	D	$2,068,800
94	Jason Dickinson	26	F	$2,048,000
95	Rudolfs Balcers	24	F	$2,047,500
96	Alexandre Texier	21	F	$2,035,300
97	Nolan Patrick	22	F	$1,991,700
98	Keith Yandle	34	D	$1,979,900
99	Derek Forbort	29	D	$1,975,800
100	Victor Mete	23	D	$1,969,900
101	Jaroslav Halak	36	G	$1,956,400
102	Luke Glendening	32	F	$1,856,400
103	Carl Grundstrom	23	F	$1,810,500
104	Pius Suter	25	F	$1,808,200
105	Ryan Getzlaf	36	F	$1,788,600
106	Adam Erne	26	F	$1,771,100
107	Antti Raanta	32	G	$1,759,000
108	Zach Aston-Reese	26	F	$1,752,900
109	Michael Rasmussen	22	F	$1,735,200
110	Max Jones	23	F	$1,717,700
111	Sam Steel	23	F	$1,709,800
112	James Reimer	33	G	$1,684,300
113	Mathieu Perreault	33	F	$1,632,800
114	Artturi Lehkonen	26	F	$1,605,600
115	Adam Gaudette	24	F	$1,584,400
116	Brandon Hagel	22	F	$1,576,800
117	Bobby Ryan	34	F	$1,575,900
118	Tomas Nosek	28	F	$1,560,200
119	Danton Heinen	26	F	$1,558,300
120	Christian Djoos	26	D	$1,545,000
121	Ian Cole	32	D	$1,535,200
122	Tucker Poolman	28	D	$1,519,500
123	Trevor Moore	26	F	$1,518,700
124	Conor Timmins	22	D	$1,484,500
125	Michael Del Zotto	31	D	$1,479,700
126	Ondrej Kase	25	F	$1,469,400
127	Jordan Oesterle	29	D	$1,468,800
128	Isac Lundestrom	21	F	$1,467,000
129	Mike Smith	39	G	$1,466,500
130	Jordan Martinook	28	F	$1,451,500
131	Ivan Barbashev	25	F	$1,432,100
132	Ross Colton	24	F	$1,411,800
133	Derick Brassard	33	F	$1,408,400
134	Tyler Bozak	35	F	$1,382,000
135	Marcus Johansson	30	F	$1,377,000
136	Libor Hajek	23	D	$1,367,100
137	Riley Nash	32	F	$1,351,600
138	Tyson Jost	23	F	$1,346,100
139	Eric Staal	36	F	$1,331,200
140	Callan Foote	22	D	$1,324,700
141	Erik Gustafsson	29	D	$1,323,000
142	Adin Hill	25	G	$1,315,300
143	Logan Stanley	23	D	$1,303,600
144	Devan Dubnyk	35	G	$1,255,400
145	Alex Chiasson	30	F	$1,250,300
146	Travis Hamonic	30	D	$1,196,000
147	Mark Jankowski	26	F	$1,194,500
148	Joel Kiviranta	25	F	$1,191,400
149	Travis Boyd	27	F	$1,167,700
150	Morgan Geekie	22	F	$1,161,400
151	Sam Gagner	31	F	$1,158,400
152	Brian Elliott	36	G	$1,153,600
153	Michael Bunting	25	F	$1,152,500
154	Nicholas Merkley	24	F	$1,143,300
155	Travis Zajac	36	F	$1,127,800
156	Julien Gauthier	23	F	$1,114,800
157	Keegan Kolesar	24	F	$1,070,100
158	Evan Rodrigues	27	F	$1,067,800
159	Alex Galchenyuk	27	F	$1,066,500
160	Kale Clague	23	D	$1,064,800
161	Mikko Lehtonen	27	D	$1,057,700
162	Zach Parise	36	F	$1,051,700
163	David Rittich	28	G	$1,051,100
164	Mikhail Grigorenko	27	F	$1,021,300
165	Olli Juolevi	23	D	$1,005,000
166	Brandon Sutter	32	F	$1,001,200
167	Jujhar Khaira	26	F	$993,200
168	Rasmus Asplund	23	F	$986,300
169	Jordie Benn	33	D	$985,400
170	Zdeno Chara	44	D	$984,600
171	Filip Gustavsson	23	G	$957,500
172	Josh Mahura	23	D	$954,600
173	Laurent Brossoit	28	G	$946,600
174	Alexander Nylander	23	F	$945,900
175	Dominik Kahun	26	F	$940,900
176	Zach Bogosian	31	D	$910,800
177	Pierre-Edouard Bellemare	36	F	$898,100
178	Ryan Dzingel	29	F	$885,400
179	Evgeny Svechnikov	24	F	$853,600
180	Vinnie Hinostroza	27	F	$838,800
181	Lias Andersson	22	F	$829,700
182	Tanner Jeannot	24	F	$821,800
183	Noah Gregor	22	F	$790,900
184	Marc Staal	34	D	$780,800
185	Jayce Hawryluk	25	F	$776,000
186	Dennis Cholowski	23	D	$774,900
187	Kyle Clifford	30	F	$766,100
188	Logan Brown	23	F	$761,100
189	Derek Ryan	34	F	$759,600
190	Michael Raffl	32	F	$756,900
191	Alex Barre-Boulet	24	F	$750,000
192	Henri Jokiharju	22	D	$750,000
193	Kieffer Bellows	23	F	$750,000
194	Joe Thornton	42	F	$750,000
195	Corey Perry	32	F	$750,000
196	Michael Dal Colle	25	F	$750,000
197	David Kampf	26	F	$750,000
198	Nikita Gusev	29	F	$750,000
199	Michael Amadio	25	F	$750,000
200	Kevin Roy	28	F	$750,000