Seattle Kraken – Setting expectations for unrestricted free agents

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!