The COVID-19 pandemic is complicating preparations for the Seattle Kraken, which is due to begin its run in the National Hockey League (NHL) in the 2021-2022 season.
A little over two years after securing the Bettman Tour dealership, the Washington State club already has over 120 employees, including a full team of recruiters who will be of considerable importance as training will need to be built from scratch.
Small flat, however: the NHL is currently on forced leave and few junior circuits are in action. It is therefore difficult to assess the talent of the players. And unlike other teams, scouts keep few details about the athletes.
“Everyone has to deal with this,” agreed general manager Ron Francis on the official NHL website recently. It’s not just us. But we probably have less data, context and information than the other teams. ”
Several questions remain unanswered in this period of uncertainty, whether it is the format of the next offseason or the dates of the various events, including the expansion draft and the amateur auction.
“Will there be any changes to the rules of expansion with what we live?” the former Hartford Whalers wondered. What will we do with the amateur draft? Are we moving forward with what is planned or will there be changes? The expansion draft, the timing of it all … I have a lot of questions. We’re just not at a time when we can have answers. ”
“We look at all the questions and say, if it turns out this way, what would we do? And if it’s like that, what would we do? And we try to be ready for what will lie ahead. ”
Still, there is a definite advantage that could help Francis: he will have $ 81.5 million to build his roster and the other teams will for the most part be stuck under a ceiling which should not climb for a few years.
“I think a lot of other teams and GMs maybe had more time than in the previous expansion draft [pour les Golden Knights de Vegas en 2017] in a way to prepare their teams and their training for that. “
“But I think the most important thing for us is to come up with the space under the ceiling and see how it’s going to play out in the future, not only for the first year, but also for the rest.”
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