The ping pong balls didn’t bounce the way of the Seattle Kraken during the NHL Draft Lottery on Monday night.
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The Kraken, who had the sixth-best odds of landing the No. 1 overall pick at 7.5%, dropped two spots to the eighth overall selection. It marks the second straight year Seattle received the No. 8 pick and the fourth time in five drafts it has had a top-10 pick.
The Kraken will also have two second-round picks, two fourth-rounders, one fifth-rounder and one seventh-rounder in the 2025 NHL Draft.
The New Jersey Islanders were the big winners during the lottery, landing the first pick while entering the night with the 10th-best odds. The draft takes place June 27-28 in Los Angeles and will be aired on ESPN.
The Kraken finished seventh in the eight-team Pacific Division with a 35-41-6 record and 76 points this season, falling 20 points shy of the Western Conference’s final wild card berth. The club parted ways with head coach Dan Byslma following his only season at the helm and is set to have its third coach in three years next season. Seattle’s coaching search is still ongoing.
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Sportsnet.ca ranks 18-year-old Swedish forward Victor Eklund as its No. 8 prospect for the upcoming draft. There’s also a couple prospects with local ties in the Western Hockey League projected to be viable picks for the Kraken at eighth overall. Everett Silvertips forward Carter Bear and Seattle Thunderbirds defenseman Radim Mrtka check in at ninth and 10th, respectively, in Sportsnet’s rankings. Seattle used its first-rounder on WHL product Berkly Catton of the Spokane Chiefs last year.
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