DALLAS — Every NHL team had to give up someone to the league’s newest franchise, the Seattle Kraken, and during the expansion draft Wednesday night the Kraken selected defenseman Jaime Oleksiak from the Dallas Stars.
It’s a fairly big loss, given that Oleksiak, nicknamed “Big Rig,” stands 6-foot-7.
Oleksiak, 28, a Toronto, Ontario, native, was picked by the Stars at No. 14 back in 2011. He made his debut with the team in February 2013.
Halfway through his fifth season with Dallas, in 2017, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. That’s when he really started to shine, nabbing 25 points in 83 games over two seasons and a plus-13 in 2017-18.
He was traded back to Dallas in January 2019.
For those not in the know, 6-foot-7 is definitely on the tall side for an NHL player. Washington Capitals defenseman Zdeno Chára is the tallest to ever play in the league and he’s got just two inches on Oleksiak. Still, Oleksiak is described as a smooth skater who presents a lot of problems for forwards.
The Kraken will debut at the Vegas Golden Knights in a matchup of the league’s two newest teams in mid-October and play its first home game on Oct. 23 against rival Vancouver.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.