Rumour: Seattle will make surprise pick from Montreal with contract already in place

If accurate, this one will surprise a few people, to say the least. A report out of Quebec states the Seattle Kraken will completely skip over Carey Price in the upcoming expansion draft, having instead already worked out a long-term deal with one of the Habs' pending unrestricted free agent.

According to reporter Jonathan Cossette with the Hebdo Journal, a "source" tells him Seattle GM Ron Francis will select Canadiens forward Phillip Danault, with the two sides already agreeing on an eight-year contract extension that will be worth $5.8 million per season.

However, it is worth noting that TVA Sports reporter Renaud Lavoie insists this is not the case at all, saying Kraken management and Danault haven't even spoken about a possible deal.

Personally, I tend to side with Lavoie in this one. All signs definitely point to Danault leaving Montreal, and he may even sign with Seattle as a free agent come July 28th, but I don't see GM Ron Francis shelling out $5.8 million for eight seasons for a defensive forward. There's no denying that Danault is one of the best shut-down forwards in the league at the moment, but that amount for that many years seems excessive.

Danault is rumoured to have turned down an offer of $5 million per season with the Habs, opting instead to test free agency. Honestly, even $5 million seems high, unless he can put up 50 plus point per season like he did two years ago. At 28, and eight year contract would mean Danault would be in the 35 year old range when it expired.

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