Which Kraken players might be on the move at the NHL Trade Deadline?

The normal process here at Sound Of Hockey is to publish “Three Takeaways” after (almost) every Kraken game. But with Seattle’s lackluster performance Thursday, getting outclassed at home by the Toronto Maple Leafs for a fifth loss in six games, we thought the time would be better spent considering what might happen for the Kraken at the NHL Trade Deadline, now exactly one month away.

In the past four seasons, it has often been a grim thought to consider how the Kraken will approach the trade deadline, knowing that some beloved players could be on their way out. But with the team FIRMLY out of contention once again, fans should begin to wrap their heads around the fact that some Day 1 Kraken will soon be on different teams.

With the way things have gone this season, we’ve begun thinking that general manager Ron Francis will need to listen to calls made on every player on the roster. Clearly, the current collection of players donning Deep Sea Blue is not strong enough to compete for a playoff spot, so a shakeup is needed, and this is a good time to begin shifting to a younger core.

This may be a difficult conversation for some, but let’s talk about the players that we expect to be traded and those that are less obvious, but could be considered.

No-doubt trade candidates

Yanni Gourde

Until a week ago, I was 100 percent certain that center and two-time Stanley Cup winner Yanni Gourde would be dealt at the deadline. The 33-year-old is on the last year of his deal and is well respected around the league for his gritty and pesky style that is coveted by playoff teams.

I have him in the “no-doubt” bucket because he is one of just three players, along with Brandon Tanev and Josh Mahura, set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season, and contenders are looking for rentals at this time of year. But he also just had surgery to repair a sports hernia and is expected to be out through the deadline, which will surely impact the return Francis can get for him.

How low does the return have to be for Seattle to just keep him? After all, they will need a fourth-line center next season and potentially somebody who can bridge the gap until Berkly Catton is ready to become a full-time NHLer in a couple years (at that point, Seattle would theoretically have more mature versions of Matty Beniers and Shane Wright, plus Chandler Stephenson and Catton as its four centers). So if he’s willing to return on a team-friendly deal, would the Kraken bring Gourde back for another season or two?

On the other side of the coin, assuming the offers are decent and Francis pulls the trigger to move Gourde, we’re expecting this to be a painful loss for fans. Though it took him a couple months to see game action in the inaugural season because of injury, the feisty forward has been the heart and soul of the Seattle Kraken since his arrival from the Tampa Bay Lightning after the Expansion Draft in 2021.

Gourde is part of that group of players that came to the Kraken in their late 20s and are now heading toward the latter stages of their careers. He’s a great leader and brings a spark every night that he’s healthy, but with a shift toward the future needed, Gourde’s days in Seattle may be numbered.

Even worse, with his injury keeping him sidelined, it’s possible he has already played his last game as a Kraken.

Gourde has a modified no-trade clause in his contract, in which he would have had to submit a list of 23 teams to which he is willing to be traded.

Brandon Tanev

We’ve viewed Brandon Tanev as a likely trade candidate for the better part of two seasons now. The hard-checking, speedy, and gritty depth winger has been a fan favorite since his selection from the Penguins in the Expansion Draft, and to his credit, he has put together a solid season despite his team’s struggles.

Like Gourde, Tanev is on an expiring contract and plays the kind of hard-nosed style teams covet for the postseason. Will he fetch a first-round pick? Almost certainly no, although you never know how the trade market develops around this time of year. If a team is desperate enough to add some speed and grit, they may be coaxed into overpaying for a guy like Tanev, who will at least help a struggling penalty kill and provide energy.

We won’t be as sad to see Tanev go as we will be for Gourde, but he too is one of the O.G.’s that has been well liked by fans since the early days of the franchise.

Tanev has a 10-team modified no-trade clause, for which he submitted a list of 10 teams where Seattle cannot trade him without his consent.

Could stay, but a trade wouldn’t be shocking

Josh Mahura

I’m putting Josh Mahura at the top of this bunch only because he’s the last of the three pending unrestricted free agents, making him a potential trade candidate. I would guess he doesn’t move, simply because I don’t expect there to be a huge market for him. But once Ryker Evans returns from injury, it is possible that the Kraken move on from Mahura and keep Cale Fleury (who has performed well) up with the big club.

On a one-year deal, Mahura has played himself into a full-time spot on the blue line, taking over the vacated third-pairing role after Will Borgen was dealt as part of the Kaapo Kakko acquisition. He’s on a league-minimum deal and has been a good soldier, but the Kraken would surely listen if anyone comes calling on him.

Oliver Bjorkstrand

The names Oliver Bjorkstrand and Andre Burakovsky have been bandied about at times by national media pundits, and it’s easy to see why, being that they both briefly experienced healthy scratch treatment this season in an effort from coach Dan Bylsma to spark the two veteran forwards. But does that mean they’re likely to be traded?

In Bjorkstrand’s case, I would think there’s some market for him as a player that can provide depth scoring off the wing (he eclipses the 20-goal mark every season and is likely to do so again in 2024-25, despite Seattle’s struggles).

Bjorkstrand also has just one year left on his contract at a $5.4 million cap hit, and being that he’s had some turbulent moments under Bylsma, it wouldn’t shock me to see him traded.

Bjorkstrand has the same 10-team trade protection as Tanev.

Andre Burakovsky

The Burakovsky signing was great for about three months. He was leading the team in scoring in the first half of his first season with the team, but since he tore his groin during the 2022-23 season, he has never seemed to regain his confidence or produced with consistency. That trend has continued this season—perhaps the worst (healthy) campaign of his career with four goals and 15 assists in 53 games.

I also know that Burakovsky was not happy about the healthy scratches in December, so there could be some desire from his side for new surroundings.

The challenge, though, is that I’m not sure who would want Burakovsky. Yes, he has been a successful forward in the past, but he has two seasons left beyond the current one at a $5.5 million annual cap hit. What team in the NHL would buy on a “scoring” forward that has notched 11 total goals across the last two seasons and makes that kind of cheddar?

If Burakovsky is moved this season, Seattle will likely have to retain a significant portion of his contract rather than expecting him to be a highly coveted trade asset. If nobody bites, I would think he could be a buyout candidate this summer, but we shall see…

Burakovsky also has a 10-team modified no-trade clause.

Less likely, but the Kraken should listen to offers

Jaden Schwartz

Jaden Schwartz has arguably been Seattle’s best player this season and remains the only forward on the team who will consistently go to the blue paint. On pace for 27 goals, Schwartz has had one of the best statistical seasons of his career thanks, in large part, to [knock on wood] simply staying healthy for the first time since becoming a Kraken. 

He also has been a huge help in bringing up the confidence of young linemates Matty Beniers and Kaapo Kakko the last couple months, so losing him now would sting. But, there are only so many opportunities to sell high on a player, and trading Schwartz now could fetch a decent return. With a year left on his contract at $5.5 million, one would have to think that next season would be the 32-year-old’s last with the organization anyway. 

Plus, trading Schwartz hurts the team’s chances of winning many more games the rest of the season, which stinks for the fans in the short term but is probably best for the long-term future of the club at this point.

Schwartz has more control than the other players mentioned, with a 16-team modified no-trade clause on his contract.

Eeli Tolvanen

I don’t personally like the idea of trading Eeli Tolvanen, mainly because I believe Tolvanen sticking with the Kraken increases the likelihood that Kaapo Kakko stays beyond just next season (Kakko is a restricted free agent after this season, but when his next deal is up, he will be a UFA. So, he may want to re-sign for just one year and then test the open market next year). 

Plus, Tolvanen is having his best season and is in the prime of his career at 25 years old, right in the age range where I hope the Kraken will continue shifting. 

But again, Tolvanen may be a player that can bring back a significant return from a contending team looking for depth scoring, so it’s worth listening.

Jamie Oleksiak

Oleksiak could make a lot of sense for a lot of teams looking to improve their defense. While he doesn’t have the edge to his game that a lot of fans would like to see from a 6-foot-7, 252-pound blueliner, I think he’s underrated at keeping the front of the net clear. 

He’s also in that category of players in their early 30s whose contracts will be up after next season and will likely move on at that point anyway, so why not see if you can cash in on the Big Rig’s perceived playoff value now? 

Oleksiak has the same 16-team modified no-trade clause as Schwartz.

Vince Dunn

This suggestion could upset some people, but hear me out… 

As I’ve mentioned, the Kraken need to listen on offers for every player on the team. Seattle was a good team defensively last year but has struggled in that area this season. Part of that is systematic, but part of it is a shift in personnel to more offensive-minded players on the back end. 

For the team’s first three seasons, Dunn was really the only offensive defenseman Seattle had. Now that Evans is a full-timer, and Brandon Montour is in the fold, half of the regular defense corps would fit into that “offensive-minded” category. 

While Dunn is viewed as one of the Kraken’s best players, he would surely be sought after on the trade market and is one of a very select handful of players that could bring back a bounty and—potentially—some desperately needed scoring up front.

I personally wouldn’t hate if the Kraken shift back to being a bit more defensive on the blue line if it means more goals from the forwards for years to come. 

Dunn is in the last year of having a full no-trade clause on his contract, so to trade him, Francis would have to get his approval. That makes a Dunn move even less likely this season. This switches to a 16-team modified no-trade clause next season.

What will Seattle want back?

Deadline deals typically bring back draft capital, and we’ve seen Seattle load up on extra draft picks in its two previous trade deadline sales.

I do think the whole organization is feeling pressure to be better, though. The front office made some swings in free agency last summer, bringing Montour and Stephenson on splashy free-agent signings, and fired original head coach Dave Hakstol, indicating they’re desperately trying to get back into the playoff conversation.

Yet, in 2024-25, the Kraken have moved even farther from that conversation, and it’s easy to see that the fanbase is already growing impatient, while the “new franchise potpourri” quickly dissipates.

So are the Kraken really looking to trade reliable players for draft picks that may or may not help them five years down the road? One has to think there will be a desire to bring useful, younger players that have either already cracked an NHL lineup or are right on the cusp of being full-time NHLers, rather than more poker chips. 

What say you, Kraken fans?