In the two weeks before the NHL Trade Deadline every single team projected into the playoffs or within four standings points of projecting into the playoffs made a trade—that is, except for the Seattle Kraken.
Of course, it is not breaking news at this point that the Kraken sat out the flurry of league activity at the trade deadline. The team did make a minor deal four weeks before the cutoff date for depth defenseman Jaycob Megna. Kraken general manager Ron Francis explained that the team needed to protect itself with Coachella Valley defenseman Gustav Olofsson injured at the time.
After the deadline, Francis explained that the first day of free agency and the trade deadline are the two most dangerous dates on the calendar for an NHL front office. The risk of overpaying scarce draft assets and salary cap space for a player is acute.
Ultimately, the Kraken did not see a deal they liked. But did they miss opportunities? Today, I wanted to dive into some of the better trade acquisitions at the deadline to see if there was a fit Seattle could have explored to their advantage. After that bit of work, we’ll be in a position to make an informed assessment of the team’s decision against buying or selling at the trade deadline.
One caveat: I’m going to do my best to avoid speculating about deals that did not happen. This means avoiding counterfactual assumptions except to the extent rooted in commentary of NHL front offices. For example, I’m not going to suggest that Francis should have convinced Tampa Bay to part with five draft assets for Daniel Sprong or Ryan Donato instead of Tanner Jeannot. In that case, I assume the Lightning zeroed in on the specific player and no amount of salesmanship by Francis and his team would have made a difference. Likewise, I am not going to speculate that Seattle could have acquired a player I liked (such as Detroit defenseman Jake Walman, for example) if they had simply offered enough.
OK, let’s dive in.
What was available on the trade market?
Sorting through the deadline trades, I was able to quickly eliminate the large majority of the acquisitions as either (a) overpayments the Seattle front office was correct to avoid (such as for depth centers Lars Eller or Nick Bjugstad) or (b) deals that I could not rationalize as a fit for Seattle (such as trading a first-round pick for young defenseman Rasmus Sandin). In the end, I settled on a list of ten potential targets that were available on terms relatively favorable to the acquiring team. This should give us a better sense of what trades Seattle could have been in on.
Deal No. 1: The New Jersey Devils acquire forward Timo Meier from the San Jose Sharks for forwards Fabian Zutterlund and Andreas Johnsson, defensemen Shakir Mukhamadullin and Nikita Okhotiuk, a 2023 first-round pick, and second- and seventh-round picks in 2024. Meier is a restricted free agent after the season.
The target. Timo Meier is a well-rounded All-Star-level winger in his prime at 25 years old. He can shoot, forecheck, and get to the front of the net, generate shots for his teammates, and play defense. He is in the final year of his deal and a restricted free agent this season. He is likely to seek an eight-year extension valued at between $8 million and $9 million annually.
Reasons for the Kraken to do it. Timo Meier is the real thing—a bona fide first-line player who generates high-danger scoring chances at a rate far higher than anyone currently on the Kraken roster. And he is in his prime. With Beniers competing at a high level from the jump, the Kraken have a window to compete with their current veteran core this year and next. Adding Meier would have been a real difference maker in this window. He is also young enough to bridge into the next wave of players such as Shane Wright. His contract demands are easily justifiable based on what he brings.
Reasons for the Kraken to pass. The Kraken have done a good job drafting so far, but the talent pool is still shallow after just two drafts. The Kraken need to build out their prospect pipeline to supplement the NHL roster as veteran players like Jordan Eberle or Jaden Schwartz phase off the team in the years ahead. A trade like this would significantly reduce the team’s margin for error in the medium term. If prospects like Wright and Jagger Firkus don’t pan out, the team could get stuck in the mediocre middle of the league for the next half decade. Finally, the positional fit is not ideal. As I’ll refrain here, winger is probably the team’s deepest position, and it could use an upgrade at virtually any other position first.
The verdict. I have been opposed to making deals parting with premium assets, but the price New Jersey paid was reasonable. An analogous deal from the Seattle Kraken could have looked something like this: Eeli Tolvanen, Ryker Evans, Kole Lind, and first-, second-, and seventh-round draft picks. (The Kraken may have had to do more since they play in the same division as the Sharks.)
If the Kraken wanted to go all in, this was the player to be “all in” on at this deadline. That said, at the end of the day, I’m not going to fault the front office for bypassing this deal. It is almost always better to try to complete a deal like this in the offseason—as with Oliver Bjorkstrand. If Anaheim winger Troy Terry came available this offseason, for example, the cost would probably be lower. All of that said, I think New Jersey did extremely well here. Even when accounting for the trade deadline hype, Meier is still underrated.
Deal No. 2: The Ottawa Senators acquire defenseman Jakob Chychrun from the Arizona Coyotes for a 2023 first-round pick, 2024 second-round pick, and 2026 second-round pick. Chychrun has two more years on his contract at $4.6 million per season.
The target. Jakob Chyrchrun is a 24-year-old, top-pair left defenseman with a strong shot and solid play-driving results both on offense and defense. He is under contract for two more years at a below-market rate.
Reasons for the Kraken to do it. The Kraken are looking at a tough negotiation with pending RFA, top-pair left defenseman Vince Dunn. Chychrun would provide insurance against the team and Dunn failing to reach a compromise contract moving forward. In the immediate term, Chychrun would have greatly improved the team’s depth on defense for a playoff drive.
Reasons for the Kraken to pass. Acquiring Chychrun would have come at a significant cost in draft assets, even if it was not so much as we originally expected. At this price, the team would likely be able to acquire a higher-impact forward such as Timo Meier. This acquisition could also nudge Vince Dunn toward the exit after this season or next. The team could be better off re-signing Dunn and allocating its cap and draft assets elsewhere.
The verdict. Though the price fell below expectations, I think it was still too rich for the Kraken to consider.
Jakob Chychrun waits for a faceoff at Climate Pledge Arena (Photo/Brian Liesse)
Deal No. 3: The Winnipeg Jets acquire Nino Niederreiter from the Nashville Predators for a 2024 second-round pick. Niederreiter has one more year on his contract at $4 million.
The target. Niederreiter is a 30-year-old winger who plays a physical, offense-driving game at even strength. He signed with Nashville this past offseason for a remarkably light two-year, $8 million contract when his market did not materialize following a strong run with the Carolina Hurricanes (and former GM Ron Francis).
Reasons for the Kraken to do it. Niederreiter can play anywhere up and down the lineup and drive good outcomes at even strength. His play style fits the cliché of a “playoff” player: He can play through his opponents in all three zones and compliment less-physical linemates by taking on the “dirty work” for a high-performing line. The acquisition cost was a premium pick, but it still represents good value for a top-six forward on a team-friendly contract for another year.
Reasons for the Kraken to pass. Niederreiter is a pure winger with another year left on his deal, making him an uneasy fit for Seattle. Andre Burakovsky is skating again, and when he returns, Seattle’s depth on the wing is one of team’s biggest strengths. And the extra year on Niederreiter’s contract creates an offseason conundrum: The team’s top-nine forwards are all under contract for next season and Seattle may be adding Shane Wright to that crowded situation already. He doesn’t really address a “need” now and would likely force an offseason trade of another player. The cost was a valuable pick.
The verdict. Hard to pass on the opportunity to acquire Niederreiter on his contract. A 2023 second-round pick (of which Seattle has three) likely would have gotten the player. I understand why Seattle did not do it given the team’s needs and roster, but it was a very good deal for Winnipeg in what was generally a tough market for buyers.
Deal No. 4: The St. Louis Blues acquire forward Jakob Vrana from the Detroit Red Wings for a 2025 seventh-round pick and AHL defenseman Dylan McLaughlin. Detroit retains 50 percent of Vrana’s salary, and Vrana has one year left on his deal.
The target. Jakob Vrana is a 27-year-old Czech winger, who scored 49 goals in a two-year stretch for the Washington Capitals from 2018-2020. He shoots at an elite rate: 14.2 percent for his career. (For context, Andre Burakovsky is a career 14.4 percent shooter and Jared McCann is at 12.2 percent for his career.) He has one more year left on his contract. Detroit retained 50 percent of his salary and therefore he will count only $2.625 million against the Blues’ cap next year.
Reasons for the Kraken to do it. The acquisition cost was close to “zero.” McLaughlin is not a prospect. A 2023 sixth-round pick (of which Seattle has two) would have easily bested St. Louis’ offer.
If Vrana can stay on the ice (more on that below), he is a clear top-six, offense-first winger. Scoring is the hardest thing to do in hockey and Vrana is great at it. To make things more appealing, some of Vrana’s most successful seasons came paired with Andre Burakovsky in Washington. With Burakovsky, Vrana, and Jared McCann topping the lineup, concerns about “where will the goals come from?” should go away. There is no long-term risk, and the cost for next year after the salary retention is akin to an average third-line forward.
Reasons for the Kraken to pass. Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Vrana’s strengths do not fit with Seattle’s “needs.” He is a pure offense-first winger, and, unlike Niederreiter, he cannot play down the lineup. Furthermore, while Vrana is still in his “prime,” he is several seasons removed from his best performance. He did not live up to expectations in Detroit. And it has to be noted that he spent much of this season in the NHL Player Assistance Program. I don’t want to speculate about the reason for that, but it is fair to question whether you can bank on his availability going forward.
The verdict. This was pure value proposition. While acknowledging the unknown of his off-ice situation, Vrana’s on-ice talent is immense. I would not be surprised if he finds his stride in St. Louis, scores 15+ goals heading into the trade deadline next year and fetches the Blues a premium draft pick. A good bit of business that makes more sense for St. Louis than Seattle, but it still feels like a missed opportunity.
Deal No. 5: The New York Islanders acquire forward Pierre Engvall from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a 2024 third-round pick. Engvall is a pending unrestricted free agent.
The target. Much maligned in Toronto for what he supposedly cannot do (hit and grind in the corners), Engvall is a 26-year-old, tall, fast, and talented winger who was jettisoned to make room for the small gang of players the Maple Leafs acquired at the deadline. Engvall has tallied 15 goals in 2021-22, 12 goals in 2022-23, and 12 goals this season with limited offensive opportunities playing down the lineup on a strong Toronto team.
Reasons for the Kraken to do it. Seattle likely could have completed a deal without parting with a first- or second-round pick, which is a priority due to the value of those picks. A third-round pick in 2024 (of which Seattle has two) and a sixth-round pick in 2023 (of which Seattle also has two) probably would have topped the Islanders’ offer.
Engvall generates offense like a top-six winger and appears to be an undervalued asset. He doesn’t bring the defensive value Jared McCann does, but otherwise his situation reminds me of McCann’s difficulties breaking through before he came to Seattle. The on-ice contributions have been good, but he has never had enough opportunity to compile raw counting stats.
Reasons for the Kraken to pass. Engvall is an unrestricted free agent and could prove to be just a “rental” if he preferred to go to market. Engvall is not a fourth-line player. He does not fit a glaring roster need, assuming Burakovsky is on his way back.
The verdict. This was an opportunity to get a prime-aged, undervalued forward in the organization and evaluate him for a contract extension. On the other hand, the fit as a “rental” for a playoff push without future control isn’t ideal.
Deal No. 6: The Nashville Predators acquire forward Rasmus Asplund from the Buffalo Sabres for a 2025 seventh-round pick. Asplund is a restricted free agent after this season.
The target. Asplund is a 25-year-old depth winger, having tallied only 49 points across 167 career games, but generates solid value driving play on both the offensive and defensive ends.
Reasons for the Kraken to do it. The acquisition cost was negligible and Nashville has control of Asplund moving forward as a restricted free agent. With Seattle he would fit as a bottom-six, penalty-killing, defense-first forward for years to come. The Kraken do not have a player that fits that profile moving forward aside from Brandon Tanev.
Reasons for the Kraken to pass. Asplund would likely be in-and-out of the lineup as a fourth-line candidate for the remainder of this season. Needless to say, that kind of player does not move the needle for the playoff push. Furthermore, acquiring Asplund would have caused the Kraken to move a similarly talented depth player off the roster.
Verdict. While there was no clear role on this year’s team, Asplund is an NHL-caliber bottom-six forward who was available essentially for free. This was a good deal for Nashville and would have also been a win for Seattle, particularly if joined with a trade of a bottom-six forward off the existing roster for a real asset.
Deal No. 7: Carolina Hurricanes acquire defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere from the Arizona Coyotes for a 2026 third-round pick. Gostisbehere is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.
The target. Gostisbehere is a 29-year-old, offense-first left defenseman with a good shot and ability to set his teammates up for shots. Defensively, he is best deployed in a sheltered third-pair role. He can quarterback a power play but will not help on the penalty kill.
Reasons for the Kraken to do it. The Kraken have been looking for a player to unlock their power play. And it just so happens Gostisbehere has been doing exactly that for the Hurricanes. He has two goals and two assists on the power play in five games with Carolina. Given the modest price Gostisbehere ultimately fetched, it is probable that Seattle could have traded a player like Carson Soucy in conjunction with acquiring Gostisbehere and come out net positive in their draft assets.
Reasons for the Kraken to pass. Shuffling the blue line at the trade deadline is a gamble. Soucy has struggled at times, but he clearly fits what Seattle is trying to do on defense. Gostisbehere verges on “defensive liability” and may not be a very good fit for a team with deep playoff aspirations, particularly with a somewhat similar player, Justin Schultz, already on the team.
Verdict. It seems clear to me the team was not interested in Gostisbehere. Seattle could have beaten Carolina’s offer by moving a 2024 third-round pick (of which the team has two). I’m not going to question it if Seattle felt that Gostisbehere’s defense would not work down the stretch.
Shayne Gostisbehere stick handles at Climate Pledge Arena (Photo/Brian Liesse)
Deal No. 8: The Pittsburgh Penguins acquire center Nick Bonino from the San Jose Sharks in a three-team deal for a 2023 seventh-round pick, a 2024 fifth-round pick, and the rights to European defenseman Tony Sund. Bonino is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.
The target. Nick Bonino is a solid, depth center who can win face-offs and kill penalties. I identified Bonino as a lower-cost alternative to other forward targets like Noel Acciari and Sam Lafferty.
Reasons for the Kraken to do it. Bonino would buoy the Kraken in two areas they have struggled (face-offs and penalty kill at times, although that has improved) without hurting them otherwise. He would have also extended the team’s center depth for the playoff push. As it stands, the team is one center injury away from playing Ryan Donato or Jared McCann as a center, neither of which is ideal. The acquisition cost was in the range the Kraken could comfortably do. A 2023 sixth-round pick (of which Seattle has two) and a 2024 fifth-round pick likely would have secured the player.
Reasons for the Kraken to pass. While Bonino is a solid fit on the ice there is some question about how an acquisition like this would have impacted the locker room, since he would likely play over Morgan Geekie. Francis mentioned that team chemistry concerns factored into their evaluation. Furthermore, an acquisition like Bonino is unlikely to move the needle on Seattle’s playoff performance, should the team get there.
Verdict. I think it would have made sense for Seattle to be involved in these discussions. Bonino could take some key draws and kill some penalties, helping on the margin. Bonino could also sit on the bench as depth. Either way it would have been an acceptable outcome given the minimal acquisition cost.
Deal No. 9: The New Jersey Devils acquire center Curtis Lazar from the Vancouver Canucks for a 2024 fourth-round pick. Lazar has two more years left on his contract a $1 million per year.
The target. Lazar is a fourth-line center who can help keep pucks out of the net at even strength and on the penalty kill. He doesn’t have a strong record on the face-off dot though.
Reasons for the Kraken to do it. Lazar is on a team-friendly deal and could be a good start to a re-shaped fourth line moving into next year, particularly if he could be paired with a left-handed forward who can also take face-offs and play the wing. He would provide some depth for the stretch run this year.
Reasons for the Kraken to pass. Putting Lazar in the lineup would likely decrease the fourth line’s offensive production, and Lazar could not be used situationally to win key face-offs. It is unclear he would be an upgrade right now. An acquisition would be more of a futures move.
Verdict. This player has value, is signed to a team-friendly deal, and moved for reasonable compensation. That said, I do not see a clear role on this year’s team, so it makes sense to me that Lazar would not have been squarely on Seattle’s radar.
(Potential) Deal No. 10: Flyers forward James van Riemsdyk. van Reiemsdyk is a free agent at the end of the year.
The target. James van Riemsdyk is a veteran forward who still gets to the front of the net and generates scoring chances at even strength and on the power play.
Reasons for the Kraken to do it. van Riemsdyk was not traded, but we have it on good authority he was available and the acquisition cost would have been minimal. Since-dismissed Philadelphia general manager Chuck Fletcher said he was looking for a third-round pick and was willing to retain salary or take back another player’s salary, but he did not find a taker. Accordingly, we can be relatively confident that a future fourth-round pick would have secured the player. For the Kraken, van Riemsdyk would have been insurance up front in the way that Jaycob Megna is insurance for the defense. In the short term he would add some scoring until Burakovsky returns. Over the balance of the season he would create competition for bottom-six ice time.
Reasons for the Kraken to pass. This would have been strictly a depth addition, and the Kraken are already deep on the wing. Historically, he has performed well on the power play, but that slipped a bit this year. And the Kraken like to play at a high pace, but that is not van Riemsdyk’s game at this point.
The verdict. Here again it is easy enough to understand why the Kraken did not feel compelled to pull the trigger given the team’s depth on the wing.
Did the Kraken make a mistake sitting out the trade deadline?
After sorting through a handful of potential acquisitions, my top line takeaway is that the market did not break Seattle’s way. The prices for interesting defensemen (like Chychrun, Rasmus Sandin, or Mattias Ekholm) were too high. Some auxiliary parts that I had targeted as fits for the Kraken—such as forwards Sam Lafferty and Noel Acciari—were packaged with other players in larger deals that the Kraken had no business matching. For example, on Feb. 27, Chicago sent Lafferty and defenseman Jake McCabe in a packaged deal to Toronto for a first-round pick and a second-round pick. I profiled both of those players as fits for the Kraken. But the combined cost did not make sense for this Seattle Kraken team.
There were some deals for depth players that may have made some sense for Seattle—such as the Asplund or Bonino deals—but those transactions were unlikely to move the needle in the short or long term and are hardly worth second guessing. Beyond that, every deal the team could have made also brought question marks for the Kraken. I would like to think the Seattle front office investigated a Vrana acquisition after Detroit made it clear they would give him away, but it is difficult to criticize that choice given the risk profile.
I do not fault the Kraken for resisting the seller market either. Think back to when the trade deadline actually happened: Hands were hovering over the panic button. The Kraken had suffered consecutive losses to San Jose, Boston, and Toronto, followed by uninspiring victories over deadline sellers St. Louis and Detroit. With market prices high, a player like Carson Soucy likely could have fetched a favorable return, but a move like that had the potential to worsen Seattle’s skid. It would be hard for the front office to recover if it made a move that contributed to a late-season collapse and knocked the team out of the playoffs.
With the benefit of hindsight, I’d give the Kraken a solid grade for standing pat at the deadline. The worst outcome would have been to overpay for a marginal upgrade, or even something that negatively impacted the chemistry. Seattle avoided this pitfall, unlike many of its rivals. The team will still have four picks in the first two rounds in a deep draft this summer. This is what is most important at this stage in the organization’s trajectory.
One year ago, the Seattle Kraken traded six of their regular players away for 10 draft picks in a flurry of activity in the lead-up to the NHL Trade Deadline. General manager Ron Francis and his staff were in full sell mode with the team proving to be one of the worst in the league. They offloaded almost all their expiring contracts with hopes of bringing back whatever assets they could get.
At the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline, the situation for the Kraken was different. We expected them to be cautious buyers, making subtle deals here and there to upgrade the team, as it prepares for its first playoff push.
In the end, Friday’s 12 p.m. deadline came and went and the Kraken did… nothing.
Even minutes after the deadline had passed, we still anxiously awaited news to break of a deal done by Seattle, but such news never came.
Now, you could technically call Seattle’s acquisition of defenseman Jaycob Megna on Feb. 5 a “deadline” move, but even so, this was about as quiet as we could have imagined the team being at this stage of the season.
Seattle’s inaction was amplified as teams around the league beefed up their rosters this week. Superstars like Ryan O’Reilly, Timo Meier, and Patrick Kane headed east to Toronto, New Jersey, and New York, respectively. Meanwhile, within the Pacific Division, the Kraken’s rivals all made shrewd moves to address specific needs. The Edmonton Oilers got better on defense by adding defenseman Mattias Ekholm, the Vegas Golden Knights got better up front by adding forward Ivan Barbeshev, and the Los Angeles Kings got better by swapping out aging franchise legend Jonathan Quick for Joonas Korpisalo in net.
Even so, the Kraken stood pat, and Francis told media on Friday that he’s happy with the group and the chemistry that they have shown.
“At the end of the day, we believed in the group we had,” Francis said. “I [didn’t think] there were prices that we were willing to pay at this point to change that chemistry that we have in our locker room currently.”
What the Kraken could have done
Perhaps the Kraken could have used another addition on the blue line (supposedly Seattle was in on John Klingberg up until the very end when he was traded to Minnesota). We like the balance Seattle has on the back end, both in terms of right-shot and left-shot blueliners and with the mix of puck-moving and stay-at-home guys.
But we really would have liked to see a middle-six forward added to the group. Seattle has shown that its forward corps is not quite as deep as it seems on paper, especially with Andre Burakovsky out these past few weeks. Coach Dave Hakstol has a hard time backfilling any injuries up front, which is why you saw players like Brandon Tanev and Jesper Froden inserted onto a line with Jaden Schwartz and Alex Wennberg.
Hakstol finally made the move to break up his lovable third line of Eeli Tolvanen, Yanni Gourde, and Oliver Bjorkstrand before the St. Louis game on Tuesday, moving Bjorkstrand into Burakovsky’s spot and Ryan Donato onto that third line. Those adjustments seemed to have worked in the short term, as Seattle beat the Blues and Red Wings to start the road trip, and the team is suddenly scoring goals again. Plus, Francis said Burakovsky was getting back on the ice Friday, a huge step toward a return for the winger.
BUT… there were players out there that could have been had that would have made Seattle significantly deeper. The trickle down of adding a player like Philadelphia’s James van Riemsdyk—who wasn’t traded, but linked to the Kraken on Friday’s deadline, Barbeshev, or Detroit’s Tyler Bertuzzi—who was traded to Boston — would have been immense and would have made Seattle’s forward group even more formidable.
Why the Kraken did not make moves
Francis went back to the “chemistry” piece in his press conference on several occasions, and he held firm that he is happy with the group as it stands. He also made it sound like keeping some of the players that had been rumored to be available—Carson Soucy, Will Borgen, and Morgan Geekie were all supposedly discussed, according to various insiders—was a message to his players that they deserve to stay together and make a run at the playoffs.
But wouldn’t a better message be to add even one player to show the existing group that Francis believes they can go beyond just making the first round of the playoffs?
As far as Francis was concerned, not if it meant overpaying just because it was the deadline and teams around the league were making shocking moves.
“I think it’s easy to overpay for players at this point in the season,” Francis said. “Your emotions get involved, and you want to do that. I’ve always said the two most dangerous days are trade deadline day and free agency day.”
Francis also made the point that the front office has not sat on its hands over the past nine months. He reminded the media that including Sprong at the last deadline, Matty Beniers joining the club, acquiring Burakovsky, Bjorkstrand, and Martin Jones in the offseason, and plucking Tolvanen off waivers, Seattle actually has made a lot of moves, even if they didn’t come during deadline week.
Like the patient approach or not, this is the group Seattle will march down the stretch with.
“I’ve got complete faith in them,” Francis said. “They can do this.”
Earlier this week I looked at Seattle Kraken GM Ron Francis’s history at the NHL Trade Deadline and what it can tell us about the likely approach of the Kraken front office this year. In this second installment of the trade deadline series, I’m going to take a look at the areas of the Kraken roster that could be addressed through a trade, and then set out the cap space and trade assets the Kraken have to get a deal done. Let’s dive right in.
What areas could the Kraken address via trade?
Good morning. Only two more days until the #SeaKraken play again. In the meantime, here is a chart of the number of different 10-goal scorers by team. pic.twitter.com/oOmNvruFl9
So far, Seattle has succeeded on the strength of: (1) an improved top-six forward group that is closer to league average when compared with last year’s low-producing group, (2) a dominant bottom-six forward group that is scoring in droves at even strength, and (3) stable work on the blue line and in goal that has produced at or around league average and avoided the untimely gaffs that so often cost the team last year.
To be clear, the team will not (and almost certainly cannot) address each of these areas. And one acquisition could address more than one of these needs. For example, defenseman Jaycob Megna arguably addresses both the need for a depth defenseman–he is a first-time lineup regular this year on a league-minimum contract–and a shutdown penalty killer who led the San Jose Sharks in relative xGF% during his time with the Sharks.
To further illustrate: a hypothetical acquisition of a player like Arizona defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere could address three needs at once–for a power play playmaker, depth defenseman, and offensive-minded defenseman.
I would expect that if the Kraken make additional trades before this year’s March 3 trade deadline, it will be because the deal checks more than one of these boxes. So, let’s dig on these areas of need a little bit before turning to the assets available to the Kraken to get a deal done.
Depth left-shot defenseman
Prior to the Jaycob Megna trade, the Kraken lacked depth on the blue line, particularly on the left side. The issue has been the most acute when injuries have cropped up. With Justin Schultz out in recent weeks, the team turned to Cale Fleury to fill in. To his credit, Fleury has held his own, but he is not going to contribute much on the offensive end (he has just two points in 61 career NHL games) even if he keeps his head above water in his own zone.
Beyond Fleury, the Kraken have Gustav Olofsson in Coachella Valley, but he is currently injured and without a timeline to return. In any event, Olofsson is clearly behind Fleury in the organizational depth chart.
The Kraken also have prospect Ryker Evans, but, having watched him semi-regularly with the Firebirds, my sense is that he needs more time to develop because he is not yet ready to contribute in the defensive zone. Thrusting him into a stretch run or playoff role when he is not ready could be detrimental to his development.
Ryker Evans takes a shot for the Coachella Vallery Firebirds. (Photo/Brian Liesse)
Even with Justin Schultz returning from injury, and assuming the blue line remains healthy through the end of the year, there was still a need for depth.
One theory about the success of Seattle’s fourth forward line attributes it to the lineup pressure being placed by those on the periphery: The healthy scratch forward is a very good player, and if an active forward lets up, he could find himself on the bench. On the defensive side, Cale Fleury has not been a real threat to replace any of the top-six defensemen even when undisciplined play from those in the lineup has cost the team. Seattle’s overall defensive production may benefit from a bit more upward pressure from the bottom of the roster.
Newcomer Jaycob Megna provides some of that urgency. He ate minutes for the San Jose Sharks this year playing next to Erik Karlsson and generally does a good job of suppressing scoring. In his last game with the Sharks, ten total goals were scored. Megna played more than 22 minutes–more than a third of the game–and he was on the ice for only one goal, a score by the Sharks. This was not atypical for him. He can reliably steer the game towards mucking and grinding, which is a good insurance policy to have. (He was less successful in his first outing with the Kraken on Tuesday, registering a -2 in 18:15 of ice time.)
So, the Kraken have already made a trade that addresses the No. 1 need I had diagnosed. But I do not think the Megna acquisition will prevent any other type of opportunity that comes along. Given the marginal value of the acquisition cost–an (extra) fourth-round draft pick–all options remain on the table to upgrade other areas of the blue line. Megna gives them a workable number of total options, but if there are upgrades to be had, I believe the Kraken will still look at them.
Offensive defenseman
That brings us to another area where Seattle’s blue line could stand to improve: offensive playmaking from the back end. Seattle defensemen have activated closer to the net more this year than last year, but, even so, the group does not have any true standout performers in terms of goals and primary assists per 60 minutes.
Visualization by DeepSeaHockey; data from MoneyPuck
Looking at expected goals created–which credits defensemen not only for their own shot quality but also for their shots that create high-danger rebounds–Seattle doesn’t have any performer that breaks out from the pack.
Visualization by DeepSeaHockey; data from MoneyPuck
Several available defensemen on the market, including Arizona defensemen Gostisbehere and Jakob Chychrun, stand out in these metrics.
It may be counterintuitive, but in my opinion, the acquisition of Megna actually makes it more workable for the Kraken to make another defenseman trade if they want: The team now has the flexibility to trade from their existing blue line group to obtain assets that could be flipped for a more offense-oriented player. This remains a potential area for upgrade.
Power play playmaker
The power play (20.1 percent conversion percentage, 21st in the league) has struggled for long stretches since a scorching hot start driven by a high shooting percentage. The team’s shot chart shows the team’s struggles generating chances in the slot. Their sets are static and lacking in playmaking instinct. A player who could breakdown the defense with his skating or passing could shake things up and unlock the team’s ample shooting talent on the man advantage.
Shutdown penalty killer
The penalty kill (72.5 percent success rate, 31st in the league) has also struggled for long stretches of the season. The unit has stabilized a bit since switching to a box-oriented scheme. Indeed, as John Barr has pointed out, the team has been reasonably effective over the last few weeks. Still, the overall numbers suggest this could be the team’s Achilles heel, particularly if it ends up locked in a playoff series with a team like Edmonton.
Face-offs
Another statistic that has not been kind to Seattle is its face-off win percentage. As a team, Seattle secures just 45.5 percent of its face-offs, which is 31st in the league.
The team’s inability to reliably control draws, particularly from its top lines, has hindered the offense in creating chances, particularly on the power play. How often is the team chasing the puck down the ice to begin the man advantage? And when Morgan Geekie (who sports a team-best 48.7 percent face-off win percentage) is not on the ice, face-offs tend to be an issue in defensive scenarios too, including on the penalty kill.
Ideally, the Kraken would have a top-of-the-lineup forward who could be counted on to win tough draws and succeed in the flow of gameplay after those draws. Seattle doesn’t have that player right now. In the end, that might just be the reality for this team this season since the cost of acquiring a top-six center who is strong on the face-off dot, like Ryan O’Reilly for example, may be prohibitive.
Physical forward
Secrets to Seattle's success: How stable goaltending, the emergence of Vince Dunn and the league's deepest forward group have been the keys to a remarkable turnaround for the Kraken.https://t.co/ZJycRdL7Cspic.twitter.com/4NJ7IofZHA
I have heard it argued that the Kraken could also stand to add a bit of size to their forward lines. While it is not particularly high on my personal list of priorities, I can see the case for it. Brandon Tanev is a physical player. So is Yanni Gourde, but he is more of an agitator than an intimidator. One more piece who could help turn the tide if Seattle is getting checked into submission down the stretch or in the playoffs could be useful.
On the other hand, John Hayden could serve this purpose just as well as most who would be available at the deadline without a hefty price tag. Accordingly, I put this need, if it is one at all, a bit lower than others might. If the physical play comes in a package with face-off or goal-scoring ability, I’d get more interested.
Goal scoring, net-front forward
In theory, the Kraken lineup could use a top-of-the-lineup forward who drives scoring with high-danger scoring opportunities. Seattle’s depth forwards have clearly outproduced their counterparts, but the same cannot be said at the top of the lineup.
Seattle’s team leader in goals scored is Jared McCann with 23. The next closest player checks in with 17. McCann is having a phenomenal goal scoring year, but his success has largely been driven by his ability convert relatively low-probability outside shots. He is certainly skilled at shooting, but he is performing at a pace that far exceeds anything that can be expected to continue. Indeed, he trails only Bo Horvat in goals scored above his shooting talent.
Visualization by DeepSeaHockey; data from MoneyPuck
Seattle doesn’t have a single player in the top 100 in individual expected goals as measured by Evolving Hockey. (The highest ranked Kraken? Oliver Bjorkstrand at No. 104.) As mentioned, the Kraken have succeeded with depth, but when the defense gets tough and the checking gets closer in a playoff chase, where can the team hang its hat? Who can reliably create his own shot and get to the dangerous areas?
All of the above becomes all the more acute if Andre Burakovsky is out for a long period of time with the lower-body injury he suffered in Tuesday’s game against the Islanders. Early indicators are not encouraging, as Burakovsky was placed on injured reserve Thursday morning. He quietly leads the team in total points and has been a stalwart in the top six since he arrived in the Pacific Northwest.
Can this team survive short term without Burakovsky? Most likely, yes. The team still has impressive depth scoring. But, with or without Burakovsky, the Kraken could use someone who fits the bill of a net-front scorer. As of today, I consider this is a bit of a luxury item and a lower priority at the trade deadline.
Injury replacements
But this gets us to the “last” category–which is last but only because it’s a bit of an unknown. The Kraken play 11 games between Thursday and the March 3 deadline. Injuries could happen in that stretch. Particularly if the team is losing Andre Burakovsky for a longer stretch, it does not have surplus depth in any one area if another player needs to miss time. Depending on how things shake out, health could be a major factor in Seattle’s thinking three weeks from now.
What are Seattle’s salary cap constraints going into the deadline?
Kraken fans heard much about “weaponizing cap space” after the Expansion Draft and in the ensuing 12 months. Well, Burakovsky and Schultz are here now; so is Bjorkstrand. That weapon has been deployed, at least for the 2022-23 season.
The team’s long-term cap outlook remains good, but, for this season, there are significant salary cap constraints on what the Kraken can do at the deadline.
I have previously dug into those cap constraints in gory detail. Check out that analysis here. Updating that work to account for the recent roster movement, including the acquisition of Megna, here is where the team currently stands.
If all of the players currently on the roster or injured reserve remain on the roster through the end of the season and no other players are added (whether from the AHL or via trade), CapFriendly projects Seattle to end the season with $834,073 in excess cap space. Matty Beniers remains on track to achieve $925,000 in performance bonuses on his entry-level contract. Since the Kraken currently could not fit this entire sum in their year-end cap space in this “no-movement” scenario, they would carry a small penalty on next season’s cap of $90,927 (i.e. the excess amount that won’t fit under the cap).
This tells a story: The Kraken are right against their effective cap right now, unless they are comfortable borrowing cap space from next season to pay for Beniers’ bonuses. The team will need to move out any cap space for any it brings in. This doesn’t mean their hands are completely tied. For example, the team could gain cap space by waiving a player (such as Chris Driedger or Cale Fleury), and it could hypothetically attach assets to trade a contract off of their books (such as the contract of Joonas Donskoi).
In the trade scenarios I’ll examine in Part III, I am going to presume for the time being that the Kraken would prefer to protect 2022-23 cap space to pay as much of Beniers’ bonuses as possible out of this year’s cap.
That said, the team would gain some flexibility if it decides that supplementing this year’s team is more important than protecting $925,000 in cap space for next season. In that case, without waiving or trading a single player (with just a little bit of cap gymnastics), the Kraken should be able to add contract(s) worth approximately $7.5 million to the existing roster at the deadline by utilizing all remaining cap space and placing Joonas Donskoi on long-term injured reserve. That opens up some options, right?
And, again, I should reiterate that a trading team can retain up to 50 percent of a player’s AAV (and cap hit) in a trade. This expands Seattle’s options yet further, provided the team is willing to pay the added cost a trade partner would demand to retain the salary.
What are the Kraken’s trade assets going into the trade deadline?
The Kraken are in a solid position to make trades if they decide to do it. Among contenders, their draft assets rank near the top, and their prospect pool has some names bound to intrigue other teams, even if it does not have as much depth as some.
Starting with the draft assets, the Kraken have ten picks in the 2023 draft and nine picks in the 2024 draft following the Jaycob Megna trade.
Source: CapFriendly
If the team is going to make a move before the deadline, I would expect trade partners to be asking about the team’s surplus of 2023 second-round draft picks. And the extra 2024 third-rounder could also come up.
The Kraken are in relatively strong position to trade draft assets if they decide to do so. Among teams currently in contention (currently in the playoffs if the season ended today, or on the periphery), no team has more picks in the first two rounds of the 2024 draft than Seattle. The Buffalo Sabres also possess one first-round pick and three second-round picks. And the New York Rangers have two first-round picks and one second-round pick. Beyond that, no contender has more than one pick in each of the first and second rounds. This gives Seattle an advantage.
As for drafted players, many public scouting services and reporters rank the Kraken with an average-or-better prospect pool notwithstanding the team’s short history. The team’s top-five prospects include center, Shane Wright (four goals in five games with the Firebirds/AHL and six goals and eight assists in seven games with Windsor Spitfires/OHL); center David Goyette (30 goals and 31 assists in 42 games with the Sudbury Wolves/OHL); right winger Jagger Firkus (25 goals and 35 assists in 49 games with the Moose Jaw Warriors/WHL); right defenseman Ty Nelson (19 goals and 41 assists in 49 games with the North Bay Battalion/OHL); and left defenseman Ryker Evans (four goals and 22 assists in 40 games with Firebirds/AHL). And that’s not to mention 20-year-old Matty Beniers, who is accumulating a strong case for the Calder Trophy in the NHL.
One of those players (Beniers) is likely off limits, full stop, in trade discussions. There are others (such as Wright) that I presume the Kraken would be very hesitant to deal. GM Ron Francis has stressed the importance of building the organization from the foundation up. But there are certainly other players Seattle would move in the right scenario.
All of this puts the team in good position to get a deal across the finish line if it finds the right one. Who could they target and at what cost? That’s what I’ll tackle next time, in the last part of this series.
Emerging from the All-Star break of their second season, the Seattle Kraken sit tied atop the Pacific Division standings with 63 points. Seattle is also tied for third in total standings points and second in points percentage in the entire Western Conference. And the path from here to the playoffs is not the most difficult in the league; as measured by opponent point percentage, the Kraken have the second easiest schedule in the NHL the rest of the way.
But nothing is assured. The nine Western Conference teams on the top of the leaderboard are tightly grouped between 66 and 57 standings points. And a tenth, Nashville, checks in with 54 standings points. Any team is just one long losing streak away from wondering how it all fell apart.
The engine of Seattle’s success has been elite even-strength scoring. The Kraken are first in the league by a healthy margin with 131 five-on-five goals. As we analyzed previously, though, there is some reason to think that Seattle may project as a middle-of-the-road even-strength scoring team moving forward. Combine that with special teams units that have not found sustained success this season, and there is fair cause to project a more “average” second half for the team. If Seattle’s competitors surge, things could get very interesting for the Kraken.
But none of this is news to the Kraken front office. They know the opportunity afforded by Seattle’s sterling first half. They know the strengths and weaknesses of their team better than anyone, and they know the levers they can pull moving forward to mitigate the risk of collapse.
The most notable lever is the option to trade for reinforcements. The NHL Trade Deadline is now just 24 days away, on March 3. With the calendar flipped to February, we are already squarely into trade season. The Vancouver Canucks already shipped out one of the prizes of the deadline, Bo Horvat. And the Seattle Kraken have made a relatively minor, but savvy, move of their own, sending a 2023 fourth-round draft pick to San Jose for towering, 30-year-old blueliner Jaycob Megna. Clearly, the time is now to be looking at the options.
New #SeaKraken Jaycob Megna, 30 yo, is 6'6", 220 lbs.
In first year of 2-year, 1-way deal. $762,500 AAV.
135 career NHL games. 4 goals, 21 points.
Lineup regular for the 1st time this season. 1 goal, 11 assists in 48 gp.
What else could the Kraken do before the deadline?
A lot goes into even speculating at the question of what the Kraken could do from here. What players are likely to be available and at what cost? How much can Seattle add under the cap? What are Seattle’s needs? And how aggressive can we reasonably expect general manager Ron Francis and his front office to get?
Let’s turn to these preliminary questions first, in reverse order, before returning to the main issue. In this Part I, I’ll take a look at history to see if there is anything we can say about Seattle’s likely approach to the trade deadline. In Part II, I’ll dive in on the Kraken’s team needs and cap situation. Later, in Part III, I’ll write about the players likely to be available at the deadline, market costs, and conclude with a few speculative projections for the Kraken, depending on how aggressive the team gets.
Ron Francis and the trade deadline
What can we learn from Francis’s history at the trade deadline? First, he has been active. Across five trade deadlines as the general manager of the Carolina Hurricanes and then the Seattle Kraken before this season, he has made 18 trades in the month leading up to the trade deadline. And he has made at least one trade every single year.
That activity has already manifested this season, with the early trade for Jaycob Megna. Before that trade, Francis described his willingness to supplement the roster: “We want to make sure that we stick to our plan and build this long-term,” he said to Seattle Sports 710 AM. “But if there’s pieces that we feel we can add that make sense and that help us be more successful, we’re certainly open to doing that as long as the price is right.”
That said, here is a remarkable fact about the recent Megna deal: It is the first time Ron Francis has been a true “buyer” in a deadline deal. At each deadline before this season, Francis’s trades aimed to gather assets for the future (or fill in players) rather than build the current roster for a stretch run. To be clear, this is not necessarily due to some innate aversion to giving up assets for a stretch run, though. As reflected in the chart above, his teams have never been in a position to make a run for the playoffs.
Either way, we are in uncharted territory. Based on history and Francis’s comments, we could reasonably expect him to continue to evaluate potential upgrades, at least on the margins. “I think it’s a fine line,” Ron Francis said in a recent interview. “It’s a balance, right? You want to show your guys you believe in them and try to add something to help them. But you also understand the importance of building the (foundation) underneath as well.” How will he balance it? How aggressive will he be? We don’t really have a roadmap because Francis has not been in this situation.
We do have the broader context of Ron Francis the GM. We know he has not been overly aggressive on true high-end, high-cost players, such as Gabriel Landeskog in the Expansion Draft or Dougie Hamilton in 2021 free agency.
Indeed, Francis has never taken on any top-of-the-league contracts. The largest deal on any Ron Francis team, both in gross value and percentage of the team’s cap space, is Philipp Grubauer’s six-year, $5.9 million AAV deal. Grubauer is currently 139th in the league as measured by AAV and 149th by cap percentage. The next closest contract Francis has signed by cap percentage is a seven-year, $5.3 million AAV with Jaccob Slavin in Carolina in 2017 (which I mention mostly because it has proven to be such a tremendous contract).
It could be a coincidence. It could be Francis has a philosophical preference to construct a roster with a deep middle class of players rather than committing resources at the top. None of this necessarily means he wouldn’t ever take on a bigger deal, particularly in the context of a deadline rental. But there is at least some evidence that suggests Francis is less likely to go big-game hunting at the deadline.
So what areas of the roster will Ron Francis be looking to supplement? And what tools does he have at his disposal–both in terms of cap space and trade assets–to get a deal done? I’ll look at those issues in Part II.
At the NHL Trade Deadline, the Sound Of Hockey panel provided instant reactions to Seattle’s trades. And earlier in the playoffs, Darren Brown updated the progress of the departed Kraken. But with the playoff runs of all of the Kraken’s trade partners now at a close (Calle Jarnkrok was the last to go out when his Flames lost in the second round), it’s a good time to pick some winners and losers from Seattle’s first trade deadline.
Winners
We wanted to go beyond the obvious question of “Which team won each trade?” and also consider how the individual players fared after being moved. So we’ll start with the player and team we thought did best and work our way down from there.
Mason Appleton – For whatever reason, Appleton’s tenure was one of the bigger disappointments of Seattle’s inaugural season. Between injuries and poor play, he did not seem to find his stride until the very end of the campaign when he paired up with Yanni Gourde just before the deadline.
Appleton is a restricted free agent and likely has one more year before unrestricted free agency (unless Winnipeg signs him for longer), so he needs to produce now. And he was productive in his previous stint with the Jets. We are confident that Appleton welcomed this deal back to Manitoba both professionally and personally.
Winnipeg Jets – Appleton was an ascending power forward for the Jets before the Kraken plucked him in the Expansion Draft. Even so, Winnipeg was able to reacquire Appleton from the Kraken for a negligible cost–a 2023 fourth-round pick. Coming off a down season, Appleton should be relatively cheap for Winnipeg to re-sign, and the player should have every incentive to produce. Winnipeg did well in this deal.
From the Kraken perspective, it remains a head scratcher deal for us. Appleton’s play was trending up before the deadline. One would imagine he may have had more value in an offseason trade package if he continued to perform. Instead, the team sold low on a pending RFA, so something does not quite compute. Clearly, Seattle had seen enough to know Appleton wasn’t part of the long-term plan.
Seattle Kraken – Setting aside the Appleton deal, the Kraken did well converting bottom-pair defenseman Jeremy Lauzon and a host of pending unrestricted free agents–all of whom may very well have simply signed elsewhere anyway–into valuable draft capital as the team looks to build a prospect pipeline from scratch. The picks acquired at the deadline look like this:
2022 second-round pick from NSH (No. 49)
2022 second-round pick from TOR (No. 57)
2022 second-round pick from FLA, via CGY (No. 60)
2022 fourth-round pick from WSH (No. 116)
2023 second-round pick from TOR
2023 third-round pick from CGY
2023 fourth-round pick from WPG
2024 third-round pick from TOR
2024 seventh-round pick from CGY
The 2022 draft picks alone carry significant value. One could reasonably expect those picks to yield a solid NHL player. Particularly if the future picks bring another contributor, that’s a good outcome at the trade deadline when you’re out of contention.
Mark Giordano – A leader with the Kraken to the end, he reportedly told Ron Francis that he would not block any trade. Even still, the Kraken directed him back to his hometown, and probable preferred destination, in Toronto. Giordano apparently has appreciated his fit with the Leafs so much that he gave up the chance at a larger payday to stick around Toronto for two more seasons at just $800,000 per season. He seems content to chase a Stanley Cup in a situation he likes, so that makes him a trade deadline winner.
Marcus Johansson – It’s good to be wanted, and JoJo was able to leverage a decent bounce back season with the Kraken into a playoff role with a better team. That kind of exposure should help, even if only slightly, as he looks for a new contract as an unrestricted free agent this summer–whether with the Capitals or elsewhere.
Mixed bag
Toronto Maple Leafs – One could argue Toronto should be in the winners category. The Maple Leafs obtained Mark Giordano, a solid top-four capable blueliner, and convinced him to stay on a very team-friendly contract for two more seasons, all without giving up a first-round draft pick. The team-friendly extension is invaluable for Toronto as it looks to navigate through a cap crunch caused by committing $64 million of the $82 million salary cap to just eight players.
On the other hand, it’s difficult to give the team full marks when it conceded two second-round picks and a third-round pick for the privilege of again bowing out in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And Toronto’s draft cupboard is looking fairly barren at this point.
Jeremy Lauzon – The 25-year-old defenseman is still a work in progress. That said, he had the confidence of the coaching staff in Seattle and received regular bottom-four minutes along the blue line. It seemed like an ideal situation for him to hit his ceiling as a player. It’s hard to know whether the staff in Nashville will give him quite the same role.
On the other hand, Nashville handed over a valuable draft pick for the pending restricted free agent. To justify the move, the Predators will likely need to give Lauzon a reasonable contract and real ice time next year. So, for Lauzon, this probably qualifies as either a neutral or a “too-early-to-tell” move.
Calle Jarnkrok – He said the right things; but we got the sense that if there was a chance to move onto a contender at the deadline, Jarnkork would welcome the opportunity after his frustrating–though not unproductive–run in Seattle. Not only did he get that chance, he landed in what was likely his most preferred destination, playing with his cousin Elias Lindholm in Calgary. And he got to play through a couple rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
On the other hand, the production just wasn’t there. He scored just one goal in 29 games as a Flame. (He was stuck on zero goals for the first 28 games, but finally scored on the night Edmonton won the Battle of Alberta.) He also wasn’t able to gain the confidence of head coach Daryl Sutter to contribute in critical situations, like on the penalty kill. Thus, it strikes us as unlikely that Calgary will pay to keep Jarnkrok off the market, meaning he’ll go to unrestricted free agency coming off a down stretch. He may have been better served continuing to produce in Seattle.
Colin Blackwell – Similar to Calle Jarnkrok, Blackwell had a productive run after a challenging start in Seattle, with eight goals and nine assists in 37 games. After the trade to Toronto he settled into a fourth-line role–averaging 10:48 in ice time in 19 regular season games and just 7:12 in ice time in seven postseason games. He produced just five total points for the Leafs. Like Jarnkork he’ll head to unrestricted free agency on a down note and may have been better off continuing to play a bigger role in Seattle.
On the plus side, Blackwell finally got to play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which we’re certain he does not regret. And one could argue that exposure in the Toronto media market is not a bad thing. But, unfortunately, this one feels closer to the “losers” category to us.
Losers
Washington Capitals – Marcus Johansson is a fine player, and he may ultimately re-sign with the Capitals, but he did not make a notable individual contribution–just eight points in 24 total games–nor did he move the needle for the team. The Capitals were eliminated in the first round after giving up two low draft picks and Daniel Sprong.
Sprong may very well be bound for the AHL next season–in Coachella Valley or elsewhere–but he has a few legitimate NHL-caliber skills. And, compared with Johansson, he is younger, healthier, cheaper, has more offensive upside, and out-produced Johansson on a worse team in less ice time. Not a major deal, but also not a great one for Washington.
That said, it should be noted that the Capitals are likely still quite pleased with their preseason Kraken trade of a 2023 second-round pick to reacquire goalie Vitek Vanecek.
Calgary Flames – The Flames gave up three draft picks–a late 2022 second-round pick (No. 60), a 2023 third-round pick, and a 2024 seventh-round pick–for Jarnkrok. In terms of total value, that’s probably the equivalent of just a single mid-second-round pick. Even still, with some Calgary writers calling Jarnkrok a “failed experiment” and the disappointing end to the Battle of Alberta, Calgary grades out as a clear “loser” in this deal.
Nashville Predators – Jeremy Lauzon did not move the needle for a Predators team that was summarily dispatched by the Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Yet, Nashville conceded a valuable, mid-second-round pick for the player. Lauzon will likely return to Nashville as a restricted free agent this summer, and he may yet justify the deal, but today this looks like a clear value win for the Kraken.
Your turn
What do you think? How did the Kraken do? Which player or team came out the best or worst?
In this season of firsts, the Kraken have now made it through their first NHL Trade Deadline, and it was an active one for the franchise. Indeed, “bold” predictions calling on management to look to the future and make three trades look downright mild in hindsight.
It all started on March 16, when news broke that the Kraken sent winger Calle Jarnkrok to the Calgary Flames–to play alongside his cousin Elias Lindholm–in exchange for three draft picks. But, for several agonizing days thereafter, the silence from the Kraken front office was deafening. The anxiety in the fanbase grew.
When the team takes the ice Tuesday night in Arizona, it will look pretty different. With the Seattle Kraken v.1.0 a thing of the past, this felt like the right time to reconvene for another roundtable discussion that allows us to get out some of our traded player memories and deadline thoughts, as we pivot toward the future.
Let’s dive in.
Favorite memory of the departing players?
Andy Eide: The shootout winner from Johansson in Montreal. That was a surprisingly tense game with vital draft lotto balls on the line. The Canadiens tied the game thanks to an own goal by Adam Larsson. The game went to overtime and through to a shootout and then eight rounds with no goals. Johansson calmly flipped the winner in, and after the game Philipp Grubauer admitted he didn’t watch it, which was funny.
But seriously, it’s hard for me to pinpoint a single moment for any of the departing players, so I’m just going to reiterate what an absolute pleasure it was to get to cover Giordano. I never really understood what people meant when they called guys “consummate pros” in hockey, but Giordano brought that phrase to life. It was the way he carried himself and the way he answered every question with poise–even after the toughest of losses–without sugarcoating but also not throwing anybody under the bus. He is a fantastic human.
John Barr: Blackwell’s shorthanded goal against the Nashville Predators on March 2. Coming into the game the Kraken had lost seven games in a row. Heading into the third period it was 3-3 when the Kraken took a penalty. On an aggressive forecheck, Yanni Gourde caused a turnover and fed Blackwell in front of the net. It just felt like Blackwell would not be denied. He whacked at it three times before the puck slipped past Saros for what would be the game winner. It was the loudest I heard Climate Pledge Arena in over a month.
Curtis Isacke: Though I didn’t follow his career in particular while he was in Calgary, the tribute to Giordano in his regular season return to the Saddledome really resonated with me. It was so clear how much he meant to that community and how lucky we were in Seattle to have him–both on the ice and off.
Similarly, I also want to mention Giordano’s early first period goal in the September 29, 2021, preseason game in southern Alberta. What a moment–and at a time in the season where there was so much optimism and expectation. It reminded me that there will never be another inaugural Kraken team.
While our eyes are rightly on the future in this moment, we should all take a moment to reflect with gratitude. And, in particular, we should give thanks to the first captain. Best of luck, Gio.
How did the Kraken do at the trade deadline overall?
Andy Eide: It was a solid effort by Ron Francis and company. They acquired a number of NHL Draft picks that have value and give the franchise options over the next couple of years. Seattle went from 14 picks over the next two years to 25. I like the mindset Francis has, saying he hopes he doesn’t draft 25 players but sees those extra picks as assets that can be used for a quicker rebuild. Now, he just has to do it.
Darren Brown: It was interesting being so immersed in this trade deadline, covering a team that was an extremely active seller. I don’t know if I’ve ever paid such close attention to a team in that position, and what the Kraken got back for players on expiring contracts makes me believe that the future of this franchise is bright.
I appreciated that Francis reminded us on Monday that this was just part of the process to make the team better over time, and not the end all be all. Team brass racked up a boatload of chips, and now they can choose to cash them in or horde prospects.
John Barr: The team did very well at the trade deadline. They moved all pending unrestricted free agents plus a couple other depth pieces to accumulate a ton of draft picks in the next few NHL Entry Drafts. The returns on the Jarnkrok and Gio/Blackwell trades were about what was expected heading into the week before the deadline. With the acquisition of Sprong from Washington, the team has a low-risk depth player with some potential upside. He is in the last year of his contract but will still be a restricted free agent and can be extended should the Kraken like what they see in the remaining games of the season.
It would have been nice to get a first-round pick, but I do not believe that would have been realistic given the trade chips the Kraken had at their disposal.
Curtis Isacke: Fair or not, our perception of the deadline is colored by the deal that sent Giordano to the Maple Leafs. Some hefty prices were paid for other big name defensemen on the trade market, and the Giordano trade did not match those returns.
But it is not at all clear that Francis overplayed his hand or otherwise “missed out” on a better deal. It may be that the Panthers simply preferred Ben Chiarot and the Bruins similarly favored Hampus Lindholm and those suitors landed their primary targets without seriously considering Giordano. (It also sounds like a CBA peculiarity essentially ruled out Calgary as a bidder.) If those “overpays” weren’t really there for the Kraken, I think our perspective would be different. The Giordano return was not that far off from what the Avalanche paid for Josh Manson or what might have been reasonably expected before the trade season hit high gear.
Any move (or non-move) leave you scratching your head?
Andy Eide: The Lauzon move came as a surprise. He wasn’t a player that had been mentioned as a potential trade target. He is a young defenseman with potential and had already earned the trust of the coaching staff and organization. He was rough early on but was improving. Seattle wasn’t shopping him but getting a second round pick for him was too juicy to say ‘no’ to.
Darren Brown: I didn’t necessarily expect the Lauzon or Appleton deals, but I wouldn’t say I scratched my head after. Both players can be replaced, and it didn’t seem like Appleton ever was really a fit.
John Barr: The old “future considerations” we gave up to get Victor Rask. Rask was immediately assigned to the Charlotte Checkers. On the surface this makes little sense for the Kraken. It is a bit speculative, but I believe the Kraken are obligated to provide the Checkers with a minimum number of players. As the Kraken backfill some of the vacancies from the trade deadline moves, they might be getting close to that minimum number and thus needed some bodies to place in Charlotte.
Curtis Isacke: The Mason Appleton era was a perplexing one for me, so I guess it shouldn’t have surprised me that it came to an equally confusing close. A productive and relatively young power forward with a middle-six pedigree, I attached high hopes to the player originally. I talked myself into it because Seattle drafted him over another player, Dylan Demelo, who seemed like such a strong Expansion Draft candidate. If the front office preferred Appleton, there must be something there.
But Appleton’s Kraken tenure never truly got on the rails. He missed time early, and when he was on the ice he was frequently skating fourth-line minutes.
That said, he had been playing on Yanni Gourde’s wing in recent weeks, and he had started to re-establish his middle-six role. Still cheap and an RFA this summer, he seemed like he was playing himself onto the 2022-23 team.
So I was confused when Francis was willing to part with him for essentially nothing–a fourth-round pick more than a year away. This tells me either the team thought very little of Appleton or Appleton was demanding (or signaling) that he wanted out, and this was the best deal the team could find. Either way, this is the true head scratcher trade that stands out from a group of solid trades, and one very good one (Lauzon to Nashville for a 2022 second-round pick).
Mason Appleton makes a pass against the Detroit Red Wings. (Photo/Brian Liesse)
Most notable non-Kraken story from the trade deadline?
Darren Brown: Obviously, I’m going with the #Minnutiae pick here and saying the Wild acquiring Marc-Andre Fleury from the Blackhawks is most notable. It’s an interesting deal anyway, because Minnesota already had an All-Star goalie in Cam Talbot. But when you layer in the fact that the Wild just picked up a future Hall-of-Famer in their all-in year before their salary cap-tastrophe hits next season, I absolutely love this move. It feels like the Wild have the pieces to go on a deep run.
Andy Eide: The Tampa Bay Lightning are looking for a three-peat and went all in with the Chicago Blackhawks in a trade that netted them Brandon Hagel. It cost them two first-round draft picks, one in 2023 and another in 2024, but may be worth it if Tampa gets back to the Final. It helps to have an already loaded roster, but now somehow, the Lightning have more depth.
John Barr: The Florida Panthers made significant moves all over their lineup. They overpaid for Chiarot, went big for Claude Giroux, and added a solid depth defender in Robert Hagg. They felt like a Stanley Cup contender before the deadline and added some more firepower and depth that will be needed if the injury bug shows up in the playoffs.
Curtis Isacke: I really liked what the Anaheim Ducks did, even if their final trade for Evgenii Dadonov and a draft pick does not ultimately go through. They returned very solid draft value for Manson, got a great haul for Lindholm, and did well moving Rickard Rakell too. Zach Aston-Reese, obtained from Pittsburgh, is one of my favorites (and a preferred depth free agent target for the Kraken in the offseason). Now comes the hard part: converting those assets into good players to supplement their young core. But so far so good.
What’s next for the Kraken?
Darren Brown: I’m going to define “what’s next” as “what will happen during the offseason.” Francis has said publicly that he plans to be active in free agency. What I love about all the draft capital the team just acquired is that the Kraken can theoretically sign some big free agents, and when those big free agents start to age out, all the young guns selected over the next few years will be coming into their respective primes.
Suddenly it feels like there’s a clear path forward for this club, and the next big step is building for the immediate future with an influx of offensive talent from trades and free agency.
Andy Eide: Try to get through the final 19 games getting more ice time for the likes of Kole Lind, Morgan Geekie, Will Borgen, and Haydn Fleury, and maybe build momentum heading into the offseason. The NHL Draft will come quickly, and it will be exciting to see who the Kraken get at the top of the draft where there are two or three guys who are good enough to play in the league next season. After that, how will Francis begin to deploy these extra picks that he picked up?
John Barr: The remainder of the season feels like a mini-tryout. Not that any of the players are in danger of losing their jobs, but it will give the front office an opportunity to see what kinds of players they really have for next year. With the movement of Appleton, Blackwell, Jarnkrok, and Johansson, some of the forwards will be given more ice time and more opportunity to showcase consistently. Lind has been having a great season in Charlotte and Ron Francis stated he will be with the Kraken the rest of the year. It will also be interesting to see if Sprong will be able to show some of his potential with the expanded role he will have in Seattle.
Curtis Isacke: The clear focus is now on scouting–both internal and external. Internally, the team has decisions to make on potential building block pieces like Ryan Donato and Fleury. Looking outside, the team has 12 draft picks this summer and more than $20 million in cap space for NHL free agents. We’re looking at an enormous offseason for shaping the future of this team. That process begins now.
Separately, I’m curious to see if a clear team leader emerges over the last 20 games of the season. Will the team fade away over the last month, or will they rally around the next potential captain of the team? I want to see it.
