Seattle Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn sustained an injury during the team’s 6-4 victory against the Philadelphia Flyers on Oct. 17. Dunn has since been placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR). Per the Sound Of Hockey Twitter intern, “Vince Dunn just went down the tunnel. He took an awkward fall on his last shift and looked uncomfortable on the bench.” That happened with about five minutes remaining in the first period.

Vince Dunn just went down the tunnel. He took an awkward fall on his last shift and looked uncomfortable on the bench. #SeaKraken

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) October 18, 2024

While Dunn played the second period, he did not play a shift in the third. Head coach Dan Bylsma described the injury as a mid-body issue and initially said his removal from the game was “precautionary.” But Dunn was later placed on LTIR, retroactive to Oct. 17, meaning the earliest he can return is the Nov. 12 game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. As the team’s top-pairing defenseman and power-play quarterback, his absence will be felt on the blue line.

Following the Kraken’s 2-1 overtime win against the Calgary Flames on Oct. 19, in which Dunn did not play, he was seen walking stiffly in the background of a Sportsnet After Hours interview with Kraken captain Jordan Eberle. The full interview with Eberle is worth watching, though it’s unrelated to Dunn’s injury.

While I’m not a medical professional, it’s clear from the video that Dunn is experiencing discomfort while walking.

LTIR primer

Long-term injured reserve (LTIR) is an NHL mechanism that allows teams to temporarily exceed the salary cap. To be eligible for LTIR, the injured player must be expected to miss at least 10 games and 24 days. When a player is placed on LTIR, the team receives cap relief equal to the injured player’s annual average value (AAV) minus the amount of available cap space the team has.

For example, if a team has a player with a $5 million AAV and $1 million in free cap space, the team can exceed the salary cap by up to $4 million while the player is on LTIR.

It’s important to note that LTIR relief does not accrue and cannot be saved for future use. The LTIR pool is only available while the player remains on LTIR. Once the player is healthy, the team must be cap compliant again, and LTIR relief is no longer accessible.

How this affects the Kraken

In the Kraken’s case, Dunn’s $7.35 million AAV and the team’s minimal cap space of just $4,286 (yes, that’s four thousand, not four million) resulted in an available LTIR pool of $7,345,714. This amount is calculated by subtracting the Kraken’s free cap space from Dunn’s AAV.

The LTIR pool is money the Kraken can spend, but it’s important to remember that this pool is temporary. The Kraken can use the LTIR pool to recall players from the Coachella Valley Firebirds, which they did when they brought back defenseman Cale Fleury on Oct. 21. This pool provides roster flexibility by allowing the Kraken to add players up to the 23-player limit as needed. However, it is not intended for the Kraken to sign a $7 million player to replace Dunn. Before Dunn’s injury, the Kraken were limited to a 21-player roster due to their tight cap situation, and that limitation will continue once he returns.

The #SeaKraken have recalled defenseman Cale Fleury from Coachella Valley.

Additionally, the team has placed defenseman Vince Dunn on long-term injured reserve (retroactive to 10/17). pic.twitter.com/JLVUBs4bSz

— Seattle Kraken PR (@SeattleKrakenPR) October 22, 2024

It is interesting that the Kraken have yet to recall a forward from Coachella Valley, even though they have the LTIR pool available to use. There are a couple potential reasons for this:

• The Kraken may be waiting until their upcoming road trip to Montreal on Oct. 29, as they are currently in the midst of a five-game homestand.
• The next player called up from Coachella Valley might be a younger player whom the Kraken want to continue getting playing time in the AHL rather than having be a healthy scratch.

On a recent Sound Of Hockey Patreon Mailbag podcast episode, there was a question about who would be the next forward called up to the Kraken. Here were the selections:

• Ryan Winterton (Darren)
• Jacob Melanson (John)
• Ben Meyers (Curtis)

Other possibilities include John Hayden, Logan Morrison, and Lleyton Roed. If you would like to support Sound Of Hockey and gain access to special Patreon-only content, sign up here.

Cale carousel

Cale Fleury was with the Kraken for two days before being reassigned back to Coachella Valley on Oct. 23. He was recalled again on Thursday morning. We believe the purpose of sending Fleury down is to pause the clock on his NHL waiver eligibility. Players who have previously cleared waivers can play in up to 10 NHL games or remain on an NHL roster for 30 days before needing to clear waivers again. By sending Fleury down, the Kraken can extend this 30-day window. This move could indicate that Dunn’s recovery is expected to take longer than 30 days, or it could just be that the team is trying to get as much time with Fleury at the NHL level as possible before they have to put him on waivers again.

Defense without Dunn

During the 2023-24 season, Dunn missed 23 games due to injury. Seattle’s record during that span was a dismal 6-15-2. While this year’s team is better equipped to absorb his absence, Dunn’s absence remains significant.

Brandon Montour, a puck-moving defenseman, will run the top power-play unit and bring his offensive punch to the Kraken attack. Ryker Evans, who has made significant strides this season with five points (two goals, three assists) in the first seven games, will quarterback the second unit. Additionally, Josh Mahura has slotted to fill the hole on defense and provides stability and experience.

While Dunn’s injury is not ideal, the Kraken’s defense is in good hands with the additions of Montour, Evans, and Mahura. This combination of the three players can contribute offensively while maintaining a strong defensive presence.

Trade implications

While Dunn’s injury has created temporary salary cap flexibility due to the LTIR pool, it has also reduced the perceived urgency for the Kraken to make a trade to be able to roster more than 21 players. However, general manager Ron Francis has remained calm and not rushed a deal that would negatively impact the team.

Through the team’s early success and the temporary LTIR pool, Francis now has an extended window to assess possible trade options while maintaining the ability to call up players as needed. Any trade leverage other NHL GM’s perceived to have over the Kraken has been significantly reduced.

While the LTIR pool provides some breathing room, it’s important to note that it’s still a temporary solution. Once Dunn returns from injury, the Kraken will need to be cap compliant. Therefore, any trades made will need to ensure Dunn can be activated when fully recovered.

Sound Of Hockey’s own John Barr recently wrote about the cap, injuries, and potential trade candidates like Brandon Tanev and Yanni Gourde. Defenseman Will Borgen is another possible candidate for trade. These three players get pulled into trade rumors only because they are all in the last year of their contracts. Freeing up any of their AAV’s would give the Kraken the cap space needed to go up to the 23-player roster limit when Dunn returns.

Gourde and Tanev have been playing exceptionally well so far this season, which could increase their trade value. However, at the same time, they are part of the reason for the early success of the Kraken, so perhaps Seattle simply continues to operate with minimal flexibility even when Dunn comes back.

Dunn’s injury creates a challenge

While injuries are never a positive occurrence, Vince Dunn’s injury has presented the Kraken with a challenge, and they are making the best of it. The LTIR pool has provided temporary salary cap flexibility, allowing the team to maintain a competitive roster and explore potential trade opportunities with less urgency. This gives the Kraken the advantage of being more selective and patient in their decision-making.

If you have any questions, thoughts, or suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments below, or reach out to me on the X @blaizg.