It looks like Seattle has found its first big name player

With the expansion draft coming up on Wednesday, there are a ton of potential good players the Seattle Kraken will have access to when the protection lists are released. However, there's word that one is being made available that will almost certainly be snapped up by the Kraken.

According to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, the St. Louis Blues have decided to leave Vladimir Tarasenko exposed during the draft, choosing instead to protect Ivan Barbashev.

While surprising, the move makes sense. It has been widely reported that Tarasenko has requested a trade from St. Louis as he is unhappy with his position within the team. Tarasenko has missed a lot of time over the past two seasons due to shoulder injuries. However, he is healthy now and there's no sign that he's taken a step back in his offensive ability. Tarasenko has had three season with 70 plus points, and another two with 60 plus. He is a former first-round pick, going 16th overall in 2010.

Tarasenko, 29, has two seasons left on his current contract that carries a cap hit of $7.5 million (AAV).

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