Kraken Land No. 4 Pick

Going into Tuesday's NHL Draft Lottery, Seattle had roughly a 30 percent chance of winning the opportunity to pick No. 1 or No. 2 in the 2022 NHL Draft and a 70 percent chance to select at No. 3, 4 or 5 spots.

The math worked out to position the Kraken at No. 4 overall, which was the spot they were mostly likely to land (a 40.7 percent chance). Montreal won the lottery and will pick first overall while hosting the July 7 event. New Jersey will pick second and Arizona third.
Kraken general manager Ron Francis said his hockey operations group will be considering "seven or eight" players with the No. 4 selection. Some of those players may go to Montreal, New Jersey (which moved up from the No. 7 draft slot) and Arizona (which dropped one spot, similar to the Kraken).
"There are good players at all positions, especially at the top of the draft," Francis said. "We will see where the three teams go in front of us."

With the No. 4 and, for now, four second-round picks, Kraken fans will be heartened to know Francis and his amateur scouting staff considers this year's draft class "deep with good talent available at all positions."
"You don't have a [Connor] McDavid or [Auston] Matthews," said Francis, "but that's not always in the case for drafts."
While the list of NHL stars and Hall of Famers who were picked No. 4 overall in the NHL draft is impressive, Seattle fans need to look no further than the GM's office for Exhibit A. Francis, a 23-season NHL Hall of Famer, two-time Stanley Cup champion and second overall all-time in assists only behind Wayne Gretzky, was indeed a No. 4 overall pick by the Hartford Whalers in 1981.

As for the four second-round picks, as previously indicated, Francis said Tuesday the Kraken might "use all the picks" at the July 7 and 8 draft or "use picks to move up" in the draft order. Another possibility is trading second-round picks as part of a trade before the draft.
Readiness of drafted players to contribute at the NHL level is always a question posed to GMs. Most hockey evaluators contend only a handful of players are ready to make the team as 18-year-olds coming out of training camp. Francis said he thinks there are "five or six players who can step in" to significant NHL roles in the next couple of years and "a couple" who could do so this year.
Kraken fans certainly recall Seattle moving up to No. 2 last year. The franchise subsequently picked University of Michigan star Matty Beniers, who started the year playing NCAA hockey plus appearing for two Team USA squads, including representing the country at the Olympics. Beniers, of course, finished the season with the Kraken for the last 10 games of the inaugural season to much fanfare. Beniers notched three goals and six assists, registering points in nine games and impressing teammates, coaches and opposing players alike.