If everything continues to go according to plan, Seattle will be the next city to house an NHL franchise.

The heavy lifting is being sorted out with KeyArena in the process of getting a major facelift, and a formal bid likely to be pitched, but one thing has yet to be considered - the team's roster.

It's hard to gauge exactly how the expansion draft will work and what players will be made available. However, what can be determined is which players will become free agents during the summer ahead of the 2020-21 season - the year Seattle is projected to join the NHL.

With that, here are five players who will hit the open market and could garner Seattle's attention:

Corey Crawford

Age entering 2020-21 season: 35

Crawford has been a staple on the Chicago Blackhawks for nearly a decade. He has backstopped the club to two Stanley Cup wins and has earned the William M. Jennings Trophy twice (given to the goalie or goalies of the team who allow the fewest goals against in a season).

In the 2020 offseason, Crawford will be coming off a six-year, $36-million contract. It's unlikely he will be able to ink a deal anywhere near that term or dollar amount at his age, especially with the Blackhawks.

As for Seattle, Crawford could be a solid option and provide leadership to a group that one would project to be young, much like the way Marc-Andre Fleury has done with the Vegas Golden Knights.

Nicklas Backstrom

Age entering 2020-21 season: 32

If Crawford is to Seattle what Fleury is to Vegas, then maybe Backstrom can play James Neal in this situation.

The Washington Capitals center is among the elite setup men in the league and will head into the 2020 offseason as a free agent barring a contract extension.

He's an offensive catalyst, the perfect linemate for young, talented wingers, and could even serve as team captain. Of course, he will have to be pried away from Alex Ovechkin.

Brayden Schenn

Age entering 2020-21 season: 29

Schenn finally looks to be molding into the player many expected he could become when he was drafted fifth overall in 2009 by the Los Angeles Kings.

He's tearing it up with the St. Louis Blues and is on his way to a top-10 finish in league scoring. Unlike Backstrom, Schenn will be younger when he enters the 2020-21 season - 29 - and will likely be just exiting his prime.

The Blues could have their hands full financially as captain Alex Pietrangelo will be up for a new contract the year prior, and Schenn could be in line for a raise from his $5.125-million cap hit if his current play persists. St. Louis might have to let him go, which is good news for Seattle.

Tyson Barrie

Age entering 2020-21 season: 29

Barrie may very well top the list of available high-end defensemen.

Despite enduring some rather painful years with the Colorado Avalanche, the 26-year-old has remained one of the most consistent producers in the league from the back end with 160 points in 258 games over the last three-plus seasons.

Given that he grew up just a stone's throw away from Seattle, in Victoria, British Columbia, the opportunity to be closer to home could also be attractive.

Braden Holtby

Age entering 2020-21 season: 31

If Seattle could ever find a way to nab Holtby, it would be the steal of a lifetime.

The Capitals netminder has been arguably the best goalie in the league over the last handful of seasons, but as fate would have it, he will become an unrestricted free-agent following the 2019-20 campaign.

The Capitals could ink him to a long-term extension before he gets to free agency, but given that Holtby is sure to command top dollar, and with budding goaltending prospect Ilya Samsonov in the fold, the team could decide to save money on Holtby and use it elsewhere.

It would cost Seattle a pretty penny, but as the Golden Knights have proven in the two-plus months of their inaugural season, goaltending is key to success.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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Seattle is making its case to become the NHL's 32nd team.

Formally invited to apply for an expansion franchise, Seattle is expected to submit a bid backed by billionaire David Bonderman and film producer Jerry Bruckheimer.

Seattle would mark the NHL's first entry into the Pacific Northwest and bring geographic parity to a league that currently includes 16 teams in the Eastern Conference and one less in the West.

Seattle would also be a natural fit in the Pacific Division. But, as it already has eight clubs, one would need to be bumped to the Central, thus giving the NHL four divisions of eight teams each.

A better option could be to realign into eight divisions of four teams. Here's our proposal:

• Seattle is a perfect fit in the newly created Northwest Division, which includes the three Western Canadian teams. All three could offer travelling fan bases to the NHL's newest city, while Seattle would also serve as a natural rival to Vancouver. That's something the Canucks are very much in favor of, residing less than 150 miles away.

• The Golden Knights will require little travel, slotted into a division with the three California clubs.

• Prior to the NHL's last realignment, Arizona and Dallas shared a home in the old Pacific Division. The two could be roommates again in this newly created Mountain Division. The proposed division covers two time zones differing by just one hour. The Coyotes would also make frequent trips to their former home in Winnipeg.

• The remaining clubs from the current Central Division remain grouped together, with the division name staying intact too.

• Snowbirds from Western New York and Michigan will have plenty of opportunity to see the Sabres and Red Wings in warmer locales, as they're paired with the Panthers and Lightning.

• Boston hockey fans could be considered honorary Canadians in their new grouping with the Canadiens, Senators, and Maple Leafs. Even better, any matchup within the division can be considered a rivalry.

• Plenty of time will be spent on the bus in the lightly traveled Metropolitan Division.

• The former Southeast Division returns and features two key rivalries - the classic Penguins-Capitals, and the budding Blue Jackets-Penguins.

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For the first time since childhood, P.K. Subban and Malcolm Subban will square off Friday when the Vegas Golden Knights visit the Nashville Predators.

With P.K. being five years older than Malcolm, the two were previously never able to play with or against each other in competition, making Friday's game that much more special.

"No we weren't (able to play together), when I left the OHL that's when he came in and I know he got to play with my brother Jordan," P.K. said. "I've never had the opportunity to play against any of them so it'll be pretty special seeing him on the other side tonight."

The pair's father, Karl, will also be in attendance, and will be rocking a Golden Knights jersey as he's supporting Malcolm during the Golden Knights' first father's trip.

"For sure it's pretty special," P.K. said of having Karl in attendance. "Just like any other brothers that have ever played with each other or played against each other, it's a pretty special moment when you do it and for him (Malcolm) I think he's worked really, really hard to get to the NHL and the start of his career's been great. So just going to take in the whole moment."

As fate would have it, both the Predators and Golden Knights enter Friday riding hot streaks that sees Nashville with an 8-1-1 record in their last 10 games, while Vegas is 7-3-0.

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The Ottawa Senators announced Friday their roster of all-time greats who will take on Montreal Canadiens alumni ahead of the NHL 100 Classic.

Headlining the group - that includes 19 forwards, 11 defensemen, and four goalies - are former captains Daniel Alfredsson and Alexei Yashin.

Here's the entire roster:

Forwards

Defensemen

Goalies

The game takes place on Friday, Dec. 15 on Parliament Hill in Ottawa and is free to the public.

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Just when it looked like the Vancouver Canucks were starting to round into form as a potential playoff threat, the injury bug sunk its teeth into perhaps the team's most important player.

Vancouver is facing the harsh reality of playing the next four-to-six weeks without its top forward - Bo Horvat - as he'll miss at least the next month with a fractured foot.

Let's get one thing straight: Losing one player to injury should never determine whether a club is a playoff contender or not.

But, in the case of Horvat and the overachieving Canucks, there just isn't enough talent on the roster to replace a guy who does a lot more than fill the scoresheet.

Case in point, Alex Burmistrov slotted into Horvat's spot alongside Brock Boeser against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, and while his one shot and even rating weren't the reasons for the 4-1 loss, he simply isn't good enough to fill the void in Horvat's absence.

That goes for the rest of the group tasked with filling in for Horvat up the middle, as Sam Gagner, Markus Granlund, and Brendan Gaunce all leave something to be desired. That trio, who will be leaned on heavily by head coach Travis Green over the next few weeks, has only seven combined goals to go along with a crooked minus-13 rating, and were all nonfactors Thursday.

Killing penalties, scoring on the man advantage, winning faceoffs - Horvat really does it all for a Vancouver club lacking in depth at almost every position.

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

That lack of depth is especially felt on the back end, where the Canucks employ a ragtag group of rearguards that includes Ben Hutton (minus-39 since the start of the 2015-16 campaign) and Michael Del Zotto (minus-10 with a Corsi For percentage of 45).

Now, the Canucks are far from being in the sweepstakes for the No. 1 overall pick and potential future Norris winner in Rasmus Dahlin. But, if the team starts to slide like expected, Green's men could find themselves in prime draft position for one of the three or four D-men projected to be in the top 10.

Realistically, the Canucks are too good to secure the top pick. But, Horvat was the straw that stirred the drink, and without him, Vancouver's weaknesses - such as a poor penalty kill that sits 19th in the NHL - will be magnified, especially with Brandon Sutter still on the shelf.

No disrespect to guys like Derrick Pouliot and Chris Tanev, who have performed admirably on the back end this season, and Boeser and Sven Baertschi up front, but without Horvat, the Canucks just aren't good enough to compete in the Western Conference.

With Horvat on the shelf for the foreseeable future, and the supporting cast unable to pick up the slack, an overachieving Vancouver squad is set to struggle.

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NHL general managers will have some extra money to play with next season.

The league unveiled Friday to the Board of Governors that next season's salary cap is projected to come in between $78 million and $82 million, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

The cap is currently set at $75 million, meaning teams can expect a raise of $3 million to $7 million.

The increase would also bring the salary cap to it's highest point since it was introduced at $39 million ahead of the 2005-06 season.

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With the topic of Seattle expansion running rampant, Winnipeg Jets forward Blake Wheeler instead made the case for a club to relocate Thursday.

After the Jets visited the Florida Panthers, Wheeler criticized the ice conditions at BB&T Center, suggesting the game should've been taken outside.

"We'd be better off going out to the parking lot and playing roller hockey," Wheeler said, according to Brian Blessing of SportsbookRadio.com.

Of course, the hot climate in Florida tends to be a catalyst for poor ice conditions.

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A Subban is on the move.

Early Friday, the Los Angeles Kings acquired defensive prospect Jordan Subban from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for veteran forward Nic Dowd.

Subban has spent the past three seasons with AHL's Utica Comets. He has five points in 16 games this season.

Subban is the younger brother of Nashville Predators blue-liner P.K. Subban and Vegas Golden Knights netminder Malcolm Subban.

Dowd, 27, appeared in 16 games with the Kings this season, recording one assist.

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