Seattle Kraken select Jamie Oleksiak in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft

The Seattle Kraken selected Stars defenseman Jamie Oleksiak in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft on Wednesday. Nicknamed "Big Rig" for his 6-foot-7, 255-pound frame, Oleksiak recorded 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in 56 games with Dallas during the shortened 2020-21 season.

Seattle had an exclusive window from July 18-21 to interview and potentially sign pending free agents who were left unprotected in the expansion draft. Oleksiak could've become an unrestricted free agent next week after coming off a three-year contract originally signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 12, 2018. (Seattle has reportedly signed Oleksiak to a five-year contract worth $23 million).
[RELATED: Outlook for the Stars becomes clearer with Oleksiak signing in Seattle\]
At the expansion draft, Oleksiak had a message for Stars fans:

Originally selected by the Stars in the first round (14th overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft, Oleksiak posted 47 points (16 goals, 31 assists) in 286 career games with Dallas over two separate stints. He spent the first six seasons of his NHL career with the Stars before the Penguins acquired him on Dec. 19, 2017. Oleksiak went on to play parts of two seasons with Pittsburgh until the Stars re-acquired him on Jan. 28, 2019.
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This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Kyle Shohara is the Digital Manager for DallasStars.com and writes about the Stars/NHL. Follow him on Twitter @kyleshohara.