With the NHL Trade Deadline approaching on March 7, I wanted to review the Seattle Kraken players with expiring contracts. Three players are set to become unrestricted free agents, while three others will be restricted free agents. In this article, I will cover the UFAs, with RFAs to be discussed in a separate article coming soon.
UFAs
- Yanni Gourde (age 33)
- Brandon Tanev (age 33)
- Josh Mahura (age 26)
During the offseason, these three players will be free to sign with any team.
RFAs
- Kaapo Kakko (age 23)
- Tye Kartye (age 23)
- Ryker Evans (age 23)
These players could be extended, traded, or allowed to walk at the end of the season.
The Kraken are expected to be sellers at the deadline, with every rostered player potentially available if the price is right, but the pending UFAs have the highest likelihood of being moved. We’ll assess each UFA’s situation and potential paths forward.
The current $88 million salary cap will increase over the next three seasons—$95.5 million in 2025-26, $104 million in 2026-27, and $113.5 million in 2027-28—so these figures will factor into projected contract values.
The Pepper Pot – Yanni Gourde
Target: Extend for two years at $3.5 million AAV
Or
Trade for a second-round pick plus an additional pick
Gourde has been with the Kraken since their inaugural season and is a two-time Stanley Cup champion with Tampa Bay. His energetic, hard-nosed play has made him a fan favorite, but his offensive production has declined in recent years.
Currently in the final year of a six-year contract with an average annual value of $5.16 million, Gourde is on long-term injured reserve after undergoing sports hernia surgery but is making progress toward a return that could end up aligning with the trade deadline. His skill set includes strong penalty killing and the versatility to play either center or wing, and his veteran leadership could attract interest. His injury status and drop in production (just 16 points this season) may limit his trade value, though.
A comparable return could be similar to last year’s Alex Wennberg trade (second-round pick in 2024, fourth-round pick in 2025). If he stays, Gourde will likely see a pay cut. Comparable contracts for players of similar signing age and role include:
- Erik Haula – Three years at $3.15 million AAV (3.8 percent of cap)
- Adam Henrique – Two years, $3 million AAV (3.4 percent of cap)
- Nick Foligno – Two years, $3.8 million AAV (4.7 percent of cap)
A realistic offer for Gourde would be in the range of $3.5-$4.5 million for two to three years. In terms of cap percentage hit this represents a range of 3.4 to 4.7 percent. If the Kraken can target the lower end of that range, they should attempt to hold onto him. His leadership, versatility, and experience would be valuable, while allowing top center prospect Berkly Catton more time to continue his development.
Turbo – Brandon Tanev
Target: Trade for third-round pick
Tanev, another fan favorite from the inaugural team, is known for his high-energy, physical play and defensive contributions. The 33-year-old winger leads Kraken forwards in penalty-killing minutes per game. Offensively, he has only exceeded 30 points once in his 10-year career (35 points in 2022-23).
Given his playoff experience (46 games) and penalty-killing ability, Tanev could be an attractive depth piece for contenders. Comparable trades include:
- Kyle Okposo (traded for a defense prospect and a fifth-round pick)
- Pat Maroon (traded for a forward prospect and a sixth-round pick)
In terms of resigning a 33-year-old high-energy player, here are some comparable contracts:
- Pat Maroon – Two years at $1 million AAV (1.2 percent of cap)
- Cal Clutterbuck – Two years at $1.75 million AAV (2.1 percent of cap)
- Andrew Cogliano – One year at $1 million AAV (1.2 percent of cap)
Re-signing Tanev would likely mean a contract in the $1.5-$2 million range, which is 1.6 to 2.1 percent of the cap. This is not a big cost, but the Kraken should be able to move him at the deadline and open up a fourth-line position for players like Jacob Melanson, which could be beneficial.
As much as I don’t like seeing fan favorites go, the Kraken should target trading Tanev.
Muzz – Josh Mahura
Target: Extend one year at league minimum
Mahura has been a serviceable third-pairing defenseman on a league-minimum contract ($775,000). While plus-minus is an outdated stat, it is impressive that Mahura is tied for second on the team at plus five. This is partly due to how he is selectively deployed and his sheltered 13:29 of ice time per game.
There is no trade market for Mahura as an individual, but he could be included in a package deal. His playoff experience (21 games, one Stanley Cup ring) adds some value. The market for signing a 27-year-old (currently 26, but will be 27 for next season) third-pairing defensemen is minimal, with most players in that range signing near the league minimum.
A one- or two-year deal between $775,000 and $1 million would be a reasonable re-signing range. With three right-shot defensemen in Coachella Valley (Cale Fleury, Ville Ottavainen, and Ty Nelson), the Kraken may opt to give one of them a chance instead. That said, Mahura is a good candidate to keep on as the seventh defenseman and has shown ability to play on the right side as a left-shot defenseman.
Coachella Valley Firebirds UFAs
The Firebirds have 10 UFAs to deal with this offseason.
- Ales Stezka
- Cale Fleury
- Daniel Sprong
- John Hayden
- Luke Henman
- Brandon Biro
- Ben Meyers
- Gustav Olofsson
- Maxime Lajoie
- Nikolas Brouillard
Most on this list will not see NHL time, so I will only touch on the first three players.
Ales Stezka
Target: Let walk
With just one NHL game under his belt, it’s unclear if Stezka can handle a full-time backup role. The Kraken may give him a few more starts before the season ends to further evaluate his potential. However, with Nikke Kokko making steady strides in Coachella Valley, Seattle will likely turn to free agency or a trade for a backup goaltender. Meanwhile, Victor Ostman has been impressive with the Kansas City Mavericks in the ECHL, making it possible that Kokko and Ostman could share the crease in Coachella Valley next season. It is also possible that the Kraken sign 22-year-old Russian goalie prospect Semyon Vyazovoy and bring him over to the AHL.
Cale Fleury
Target: Extend for one year at $800K (one-way)
Fleury is set to become a Group 6 UFA unless he plays 10 more NHL games this season. The Kraken’s cap constraints have limited his opportunities, but with a potential opening on the right side of the third pairing, he could still have a path to sticking around. A contract in the range of his current $800K one-way deal seems reasonable.
One wrinkle is that Fleury will lose his veteran-exempt status in the AHL, meaning the Firebirds would need to move on from another veteran player to keep him. However, with 10 UFAs on the roster, this shouldn’t be a major hurdle.
Ding Dong – Daniel Sprong
Target: Let walk
Despite averaging over a point per game in the AHL (19 points in 16 games), Sprong has not been recalled. Having cleared waivers, his trade market is virtually nonexistent. The Kraken appear to have no plans for him on the NHL roster.
A few decisions to make
Compared to last season, when the Kraken had seven UFAs on expiring contracts, this year’s list is more manageable with only three. The likely departures of Gourde and Tanev present an opportunity for the team to get younger.
Seattle is expected to be active at the deadline. General manager Ron Francis could explore multi-player deals, where UFAs, prospects, and/or players with term left on their current deals are packaged together. With the current season’s results, any player should be on the table if the price is right. The next couple weeks could be exciting as we get glimpses into next season’s roster.
What are your thoughts on which UFAs should be extended or traded? What do you think about the expected returns? Leave your 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.
Daniel Sprong must have a something going on that no one is talking about. Coming from Vancouver with the biggest asshole coach and GM in the league even the rumor trolling Vancouver press are even privy too. You do not score that many points in the AHL without skill. He is a team leader and a very good mentor.
Yani and Branden will get traded and perform better than they do with the Kraken, Killing penalties is very valuable for teams heading for a cup run.
There are a lot of players in the valley that could be released due to the fact that the are some skilled juniors ready to make the jump and with the Kraken heading for top 5 pick added to that.
Keep Mahura. He is steady, still young by defensemen’s standards.
I find it weird that other players we not added to the trade list or are the Kraken players that poor with high salaries a big reason
On a final not: Are going to give Francis more money to waste on under performing players with a poor coaching staff. Fire Ron>please
The crazy thing about Sprong is what Powers said in his interview on the podcast — that he was clearly the best player on the team immediately when he showed up. Maybe he meant that more as a commentary on the huge gap between AHL and NHL talent, but if he’s the best player and he’s a release candidate, I don’t love what that says about the rest of our CV players.
If you get bumped down from NHL to AHL – you’d better be the best player on that team!
and how would someone else as GM be any different? There are worse options out there that could GM for Seattle…
I think the main thing is for someone to make more shrewd financial transactions (example; Stephenson, Grubauer, etc)
The Grubauer signing was widely applauded at the time and the knock on the Stephenson contract is ill informed… in my opinion.
Not saying I’m fully on the fire Francis train, but to answer the question, I think he does a solid job drafting, but leaves plenty to be desired in the off-season and trade negotiating aspects of the job.
Sprong has zero defence to his game. He’s not good enough to play in the top 6 and lacks the game for the bottom 6. That’s why he can’t stick in the NHL. He’s too one dimensional and he hasn’t bothered to fix that ever.
Don’t forget he was a Kraken even before he was in Van! He’s like they forgot who he was or maybe they thought he’d changed his game. Who knows but he clearly isn’t coming back. I think the lack of defense was the an issue.
The interesting question is how does all this make your team better? If you’re a seller at the deadline, you’re just trading for draft picks. Then you’re either picking an 18 year old in rounds 2-7 hoping someday they make you better, or you are flipping those draft picks to another team in a trade for one of their players, usually because they couldn’t afford them because they had another player needing an increase on a new contract. With the cap increases coming, maybe that helps those teams keep those 1-2 really good players they really didn’t want to trade but previously had to, because they wouldn’t be able to fit them in due to cap pressure.
Sometimes a decent player, like a Jake DeBrusk, just wants to leave a team for a change of scenery and asks for a trade, but then they have to be interested in coming to Seattle. Usually, they want to be on a “contender”.
There are going to be teams, Seattle included, who might have good young players who just can’t fit in the lineup, like Kakko in New York. Then maybe you can get a really good player with the picks you acquired at a deadline.
Seattle might need a couple of offensively talented players who can drive play and actually hit the net. The Kevin Fiala’s and Kirill Kaprizov’s. How do you get those when you’re the Seattle Kraken? Of course, both those guys were on The Wild at the same time, and they weren’t winning Cups.
LA traded Brock Faber and a 1st (19th overall) for Kevin Fiala. I worry more about the GM in LA that makes that deal than the GM in Seattle.
I think it would be a mistake right now to trade the sort of assets necessary to get a difference maker. To me the team isn’t there yet. LA could probably have made the case, but since then the “difference” has been a first round exit in six to the Oilers rather than seven followed by losing to the same team in five.
Ugh… you get them by overpaying for them. Then you’re stuck in the cycle.
Then at the end of the day, hockey is a team sport for men. Not an individual sport for boys. How do you build a good hockey team that battles for each other for 82 games, then takes things to another level in the playoffs?
Correction…NHL hockey…
Blaiz… nailed it!
The Kraken are an old team, top third in the NHL. An old team going nowhere at light speed demands huge changes. It’s not only the UFAs that should be on the block, but the UFAs to be next summer too.
With the cap finally starting to move after the long post-Covid years a lot of teams will look to benefit. Where they before had to make do with cheap placeholders, contenders can now add a quality player or two to their teams. Since Seattle at this point if very far from a contender they should look to pry young players, in exchange for some of our good veterans on good contracts soon to time out, from the teams that do want to push for the cup over the next couple of years. The Kakko trade has to be the model.
Now’s the time for Francis to be nimble and smart. Will it happen? Doubt it, I expect the usual (habitual) UFA trades at the TDL followed by an UFA signing or two over the summer… UFAs that will block the kids from developing properly while not really boosting the team to contender level. In other words, the same old lazy GM-ing you see every year from dozens of GMs. If Francis doesn’t get moving it’s time for a smart guy like Zito, one who can think for himself and who isn’t part of the Old Boy’s club.
Who are the “smart guys like Zito”?
There are two ways to think about Gourde, one is what Blaiz wrote above. The other is that here is a guy who fits what every contenders needs, a 3C with Cup-winning playoff experience who will be extremely fresh for the playoffs with the long time out and his injury probably explains his low numbers this season. I tend to this explanation and I still hold that a top-level GM could fetch a 1R pick for him.
The other thing that should be considered, according to the grapevine (was it Friedge?), was that people are calling about Kraken defensemen. So who in the top 4 would you trade for the right return? Dunn? Larsson? Oleksiak? If this team is ever going to be anything but mediocre, a trade of one of those makes sense if a decent F or two comes back or a decent F and a high pick. But for a top-level GM.
I would trade Oleksia or Larsson, easily. Both have shown some serious signs of aging this year. Dunn has too much promise and nobody is trading for Montour’s contract.
Really? No one wants Montour? Any GM will tell you contracts don’t matter. It’s the player that matters. Do you think Seattle should get rid of Montour?
Yes, I do, because by the time this team actually has the young talent it requires to be competitive (3-4 years), he will be well into his decline phase. But also he had a NMC so trading him is unrealistic.
Your boy Seravalli was seriously back-peddling on his “first round pick” take today, going so far as to say even before the injury he wasn’t the player he was last season… that player would get you a first, but this season – and with the injury – more like a second.
But hey… whatever.
The other thing to consider is that a lot of these contenders need salary retention to make this stuff work. If you retainhalf of Gourde’s salary, now it’s worth a higher pick. It’s the same with Tanev – retain salary and he probably fetches a second. We have all 3 slots open
Re Sprong: last year, I heard someone ask a knowledgeable person in the organization why the team let him walk after the 22/23 season. The response was that there were (long pause) “other issues” with him not related to his play.
There was some press about 18 months(?) ago about him being in an altercation with a race car driver in Detroit. Not sure what became of that. Doesn’t sound like any charges were filed, or what happened with a civil suit.
Do people genuinely think re-signing a 33 year old 4th Line C that’s been in decline to a 2 to 3 year contract makes any sense when they’re so far from contention? Based on the results of these last two season the franchise should be moving on from this veteran group.
I agree they should be moving on from this veteran group… but for the next two seasons they need someone to get them to Catton. To me what’s so appealing about extending Yanni is they can do short term, the cost is controlled, and it’s good PR on both the fan front and the player front. If they really need the $2m cap savings to make a different move this offseason, I could see it, but otherwise landing a 2nd and going with “who knows what” at 4C has plenty of it’s own downsides… and before you crap on PR – that stuff matters. Fans in Carolina would say otherwise, but they know it’s true… in case you missed the Athletic article.
I hear folks like Seravalli say, “they keep resigning old players” as if Eberle at $5mx2 is some how the problem with this team… Eberle is not the problem. If they trade Yanni or they keep him for two seasons I’m cool with it either way… but to me there is value in either approach… and risk.
I can totally see how some folks think re-signing Yanni makes sense.
Moving on to what?