Octopus protected lists are here! Big names, surprises, toughest decisions and what’s next – The Athletic

Darkness is omnipresent as the dark blue strobe lights flash in the Climate Pledge Arena. Speakers blow the bass and snare beats harmonize subtly with the synthesized sound of the Seattle duo Odesza, while every second of their hit “Loyal” echoes through a venue specially reconfigured for the sound.

Soon attention will turn to a graphic on the ice. Immediately afterwards the public address speaker follows emphatically: “And start for your octopus on the right wing! He is number 91! He is Vladimiiiiiiir Taraaaaasennnnnkooooooo! ” in a way that makes everyone in this place go insane, in a way that only works in sports.

Maybe it will. Maybe it won’t. Perhaps it is someone else who receives this pomp and circumstance. As Sunday showed, there will be many options for the Kraken ahead of the expansion draft.