During the official announcement of the 30 players selected by the Seattle Kraken in the NHL Expansion Draft, it was revealed that Cale Fleury is their pick from the Montreal Canadiens.
BREAKING: Sources tell @DFOHockey the #SeaKraken have NOT selected Carey Price from Montreal in the Expansion Draft.
The #Habs keep their goaltending duo in-tact, but are likely to lose defenseman Cale Fleury.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) July 21, 2021
Only able to protect three defencemen, the Canadiens had to leave a few of their blue-liners exposed. The two top options from Montreal’s roster were Fleury and Brett Kulak, and Seattle decided to pick the younger, less expensive player.
Fleury was drafted by Montreal in the third round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, and played 41 games in the NHL two seasons later, scoring one goal. He played all of the 2020-21 season in the AHL with the Laval Rocket, spelled from Montreal’s lineup by the arrival of Alexander Romanov.
Fleury is just 22, the youngest player Montreal left exposed for the draft. He currently has no contract for the 2021-22 season, but is a restricted free agent whom the Kraken can sign for a low amount. The team has a decent pool of defencemen to choose from, so Fleury will likely have to battle for a spot in the lineup as he tries to return to the NHL game.
