Update Nov. 22: Since this article was written, Jordan Eberle has undergone successful pelvis surgery and is expected to miss at least three months. Sound Of Hockey‘s Darren Brown has the details on that here.
Kraken captain, Jordan Eberle, sustained an injury in the second period of Seattle’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Nov. 14. Despite his absence, the Kraken went on to secure a 3-1 victory that night and have won two of three since then. Still, losing Eberle for an extended period would be a significant blow to the leadership core.
Uh oh. Jordan Eberle with a VERY hard slam into the end wall.
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) November 15, 2024
He ended up getting helped down the tunnel. That didn’t look good. #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/E1rvVGLe8j
Eberle was tangled up with Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy and slammed violently into the end wall, landing back-first. The Kraken have classified it as a lower-body injury. While I’m not a medical professional, the impact looked severe, and coach Dan Bylsma has used the word “traumatic” when talking about the collision. Given the nature of the incident, injuries to Eberle’s shoulder, back, neck, head, or knee all seem plausible. It’s worth noting Eberle previously required surgery for a shoulder injury in 2015.
The right winger initially managed to skate off under his own power. However, footage from the tunnel showed a trainer assisting him on his right side while he braced himself on the glass with his left arm. This supports the classification of a lower-body injury. Furthermore, after the Kraken’s win over the New York Islanders on Nov. 16, Eberle was seen at Climate Pledge Arena using crutches.
Eberle was still producing before his injury
As of Nov. 21, Jordan Eberle has played 256 games for the Seattle Kraken, the most by any Kraken forward and second only to Adam Larsson, who has appeared in 264 games. Eberle started the season red-hot, scoring nine points in his first 10 games—his best start since his rookie season in 2013, when he tallied 10 points in the same span. However, the 33-year-old winger has cooled off in his last seven games, managing just two points. While not an excuse for the team’s play as a whole, Eberle’s dip in production coincided with a rough stretch for the Kraken, who won just one of eight games between Oct. 22 and Nov. 5.
Eberle has a reputation for playing through pain, exemplified during the 2023-24 season. On Oct. 17, 2023, he dropped the gloves with Logan O’Connor of the Colorado Avalanche. During the fight, Eberle broke his hand—reportedly his right hand. For a right-handed player, this injury is particularly significant, as the lower hand on the hockey stick generates power for shots. Despite this, per Kraken GM Ron Francis, “He continued to play for the next six weeks with a broken hand.” For Eberle to sit out for an extended time indicates he is experiencing a significant injury.
Long-term injured reserve?
Jordan Eberle has not been placed on injured reserve (IR) or long-term injured reserve (LTIR), as of Nov. 21. With Vince Dunn currently on LTIR, there is no immediate cap pressure requiring a move. Once Dunn is activated, though, the Kraken could retroactively place Eberle on LTIR, starting the 10-game and 24-day timer for when he would be eligible to return. While there’s no indication Eberle is headed for LTIR, if he were to land there, the earliest he could return would be Dec. 10 against the Florida Panthers, since the first game he missed was Nov. 16 against the Islanders.
Head coach Dan Bylsma has maintained throughout the week that Eberle and the team are still waiting on results from various tests that will give an idea of timeline.
Dan Bylsma was cagey when asked about Jordan Eberle’s status. Said he’s still having tests done. Didn’t sound great to us.
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) November 19, 2024
He said Vince Dunn still has “a ways to go.” #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/RHaQlFhnBn
Kraken GM Ron Francis also offered a brief update during an interview on 93.3 KJR, saying, “We saw a doc on Monday, we’re getting a couple of other opinions, and we should probably have more in the next 24 hours — a better, clearer picture as to what we’re dealing with and what that timeline will look like.”
Potential roster moves
While having Eberle in the lineup is certainly preferred, an LTIR designation could temporarily ease the Kraken’s cap constraints, which will tighten once Vince Dunn returns. Francis highlighted the challenge in a recent interview: “With Dunn in the lineup and 21 players, we were $4,288 below the cap, so … not a lot of wiggle room there. When we’re in (long-term injured reserve), we’ve got a little bit more room to spend, but when Dunn’s coming back, if [everyone] is healthy, then we’re going to have to do something to get underneath the cap. Whether that’s a waiver, sending somebody down, assigning somebody to the minors, or making a trade, those are all options we have to explore.”
If Eberle’s injury does not warrant LTIR, the Kraken will be over the cap by $1.74 million, according to PuckPedia, when Dunn returns. To become cap compliant, they will need to move this amount off the books. Due to the “Wade Redden” rule, which allows a maximum of $1.15m per player to be buried in the AHL, two players will likely need to be moved. Here are some options the Kraken have.
Waiver-exempt options
Francis mentioned sending someone down to the AHL as an option, but neither of the two waiver-exempt players—Ryker Evans and Shane Wright—have high enough salaries to resolve the cap issue. Additionally, Ben Meyers, who cleared waivers earlier this season, won’t require waivers again until he has played 10 NHL games or spent 30 days on the roster. Sending Meyers down seems like the most likely option, but with the Eberle injury, the Kraken will be in a pinch for forwards.
Waiver options
The Kraken need to clear $1.74 million total, so two players will likely need to be moved. Daniel Sprong is a candidate for waivers, as the Kraken acquired him for free, and his cap hit fits the requirement. But they also got him to help the team score goals, and he is currently playing in a top-six role, so would they really waive him?
On defense, Josh Mahura is the most likely candidate. He has performed solidly in Dunn’s absence, but it could make sense to swap in Dunn for Mahura, as Mahura would be the healthy scratch in that case. Meyers is the safer option to put on waivers compared to Mahura, but while Eberle is out, the Kraken will need a forward to play. If Mahura is waived for reassignment to Coachella Valley, waiving Sprong would bring the Kraken under the cap.
Tye Kartye is another possibility to return to the AHL, but he too would require waivers. Being a young, reliable player with upside makes it likely he would be claimed. To reach the $1.74 million mark, the Kraken would need to waive another player with a cap hit of at least $880K in addition to Kartye, making this path unlikely.
Probable paths forward
If no trade occurs, and Eberle is not placed on LTIR before Dunn’s return, these two moves would get the Kraken under the cap:
- Waive Josh Mahura to the AHL
- Waive Daniel Sprong to the AHL
But again, there are a lot of factors to consider and moving parts here, so it will be interesting to see how the Kraken navigate over the next couple weeks.
If Eberle is placed on LTIR, then the team will be fine with the salary cap until he returns.
Forward lines
With the acquisition of Daniel Sprong, the Kraken are in a better position to absorb Eberle’s loss from a production standpoint. However, from a leadership perspective, his absence would be felt. In the past two games, Andre Burakovsky has stepped into the first-line role and looked solid, including earning the primary assist on McCann’s tying goal against the Islanders. Oliver Bjorkstrand is another option with the ability to perform on the first line.
Meanwhile, Sprong has shown that he can play in a top-six role, as he did Wednesday against Nashville.
Here's how the #SeaKraken will line up against the #Preds.
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) November 21, 2024
Shane Wright is a healthy scratch for the second game in a row.
No Eberle, no Dunn. pic.twitter.com/m4zfTvGER1
As opposed to defensive prospects, there are more forward prospects in Coachella Valley who could step in to fill the hole in the bottom six, with Ryan Winterton leading that charge. Both Jagger Firkus and Eduard Sale have nine points this season and could push for a spot as well, but Winterton is the more likely candidate. All of these prospects make more than league minimum, though, and would require someone to be on LTIR or another rostered Kraken player to be sent down.
Hoping for the best
Injuries are an unfortunate part of hockey, and we all hope Eberle is back sooner rather than later. The Kraken will do their best to roster the best team possible if he is out long-term, and in that sense, the Sprong trade came at a very opportune time.
If you have any questions, thoughts, or suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments below.
Blaiz Grubic
Blaiz Grubic is a contributor at Sound Of Hockey. A passionate hockey fan and player for over 30 years, Blaiz grew up in the Pacific Northwest and is an alumni of Washington State University (Go Cougs!). When he’s not playing, watching, or writing about hockey, he enjoys quality time with his wife and daughter or getting out on a golf course for a quick round. Follow @blaizg on BlueSky or X.
“We saw a doc on Monday, we’re getting a couple of other opinions”
That usually doesn’t end well with a statement like that, I’m reading into it as we’re thinking it’s something serious and we want other opinions. You never want second opinions a mild injury that would be short lived.
Hopefully I’m reading it incorrectly, he’s an important part of our roster regardless if we’re won 2/3 without him.
That is how I am reading it as well. 🙁
No – unfortunately I think you’re reading exactly right. Shit.
I am going the trade direction. Yannit or Grubhub are my suggestions for a younger player with a lower salary. This all on Francisis and his generous salaries.
Neither of those are good options. The salaries he gave out are fine. All the players he signed are doing well. Our fanbase has a lot to learn.
The most likely scenario is to play the LTIR card as long as possible. Then if Eberle and Dunn are back, send down Meyers and Mahura and play 13F and 6D The only possible variation is if Shane Wright does not get out of his funk and they send him down instead of Meyers.
“As opposed to defensive prospects, there are more forward prospects in Coachella Valley who could step in” Does this mean you think there are no D prospects NHL-ready? I would think Fleury and Ottavainen fit that description.
There are defensive prospects, but I think the forward group has a higher ceiling. I would love to see Ottavainen get some NHL action this year. I liked what I saw in training camp from him.
I’d add to that that the forward group has more openings. With Mahura playing very well we’d realistically have to be down 1/3 of our defenders before we could have an opportunity to get a prospect into a game. I’d like to see Ottavainen get a few games but it’s probably unlikely unless we’re seriously hurt in the back end (please take that statement in reference to hockey..) or missing the playoffs. I’m not sure there is a future in Seattle for Fleury, always been a player I like but don’t think he’s walking away after this contract.
Based on the depth charts on Puckpedia, if Seattle wants to carry more than 20 players with no one on LTIR, they can only “afford” an extra player if that player has a league-minimum cap hit.
Mahura is the only player on the current roster at the minimum; on the Firebirds roster there actually aren’t that many players at that amount either (both Fleury and Ottavinen are above minimum).
It really seems that the only realistic options to have enough room for more than 20 players are either constantly having someone on LTIR or making a trade.
Or sending a contract to the farm as Francis mentioned recently. Probably means putting a player on the wire as players that would actually help the cap hit would need to clear.
Unfortunately I don’t think that we will need to worry about staying within the cap for awhile….
Meyers is on a league minimum as well.
Oops…forgot about Meyers – probably since I don’t see him as a long-term addition to the lineup.
My thought when they brought him up was to see if he could possibly center the fourth line in the event of a Gourde trade. With Wright’s struggles, Eberle out indefinitely and Dunn not yet back, it seemed like good timing to do it.
Unfortunately, Meyers has had a rough go so far. The effort is absolutely there, but he hasn’t fared well in face-offs, and has knocked down more of his own team members than the opponent’s (Tanev at mid-ice on Wednesday and at least one other player in the 2 games he’s played).
The issue with sending down Meyers and Mahura, once Eberle and Dunn are healthy, is that the Kraken would still be about $200k over the cap due to Sprong’s cap hit. In the long term, a trade will likely be necessary, and this situation gives Francis some time and flexibility to make a smart move. To become cap compliant, another forward would need to be removed from the roster, leaving the Kraken with 12 forwards and 6 defensemen. While this technically works, it’s a risky scenario..
A 20-man roster is just poor cap management by Francis. He MUST have a plan already figured out but he is not telling.
Apparently, according to Friedge, the Kraken intend on keeping Gourde. This really limits the expected cap relief from trading a F.
Any trade made now does not have the potential upside of one made coming up to TDL, so I would think he has a different plan.
I am beginning to think this might involve Shane Wright being demoted. Or if you believe Gabriel Foley, Wright getting traded.
I’m shocked you think those two are the waive options. I think there’s zero chance either gets sent down. I expect a trade is going to happen especially if Sprong continues to score. I wouldn’t be surprised if Eeli or Oliver are on the block.
I didn’t “like” this because I don’t like it (: But your exactly right – the only way to create “lasting” cap space this year is by trading one of the above. I don’t know what the “accrual rate” (i.e. daily cap savings) is created from Dunn’s current LTIR status, but I assume that will get consumed quickly when he returns. I any event the clock may be ticking….
We don’t accrue any cap with Dunn on LTIR atm. My real suspicion is Ebs will be out long enough (into January) and we’ll have plenty of time to deal with the cap
While I read this after the word that Ebs is indeed out for three months at least, it was a wonderfully in-depth article exploring some of the cap challenges we could be facing. I for one am not going to throw Francis under the bus though: he has put together a very competitive squad which is only going to get better. Just like any team in the NHL, it can be difficult to deal with Capital space and hold onto the talent you’ve developed — one of the reasons we had to let Spronger go in the first place (only to have him back with us now). My motto remains “In Ron we trust.” *
* Reserving the right to chang my mind as an appropriately fickle fan.
Once again, great article Blaiz!