Mikey Eyssimont is making a strong case to stick with the Seattle Kraken next season

When the Seattle Kraken traded Oliver Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourde to the Tampa Bay Lightning for two first-round picks, a second-round pick, and depth forward Mikey Eyssimont, our immediate reaction to Eyssimont’s inclusion in the deal was that he was some sort of throw-in from the Lightning. We figured it was akin to Daniel Sprong coming back from the Washington Capitals when Seattle traded Marcus Johansson at the 2021-22 trade deadline, when general manager Ron Francis called Sprong a player that Washington wanted the Kraken to take.

After all, Eyssimont arrived in Seattle on an expiring contract, had been in and out of the lineup in Tampa Bay, and was claimed off waivers by the San Jose Sharks as recently as January, 2023, before being traded to the Lightning at the 2022-23 deadline and then subsequently signing a two-year deal, which the Kraken inherited.

But Francis’ tone when speaking about Eyssimont’s acquisition was different from when he discussed Sprong’s arrival. Rather than Eyssimont being a player Tampa Bay wanted Seattle to take, Francis made it sound like the Kraken were going to give Eyssimont a good look to determine if there could be a future for him in the Pacific Northwest.

Embracing his role with the Kraken

In watching him since the deadline, we at Sound Of Hockey are sold that Eyssimont should be back next season, and he seems to want to be here as well.

“I’ve been loving it here,” Eyssimont said. “I love the boys, love the arena, the amenities, the organization itself. I’ve really enjoyed it. I’ve enjoyed my time in the city of Seattle; I mean, I truly do love it here.”

According to Eyssimont, several players—like Matty Beniers, Joey Daccord, Tye Kartye, John Hayden, Josh Mahura, and Cale Fleury—have gone out of their way to make him feel welcome in the organization since his arrival.

“It’s been nice to just— the boys have kind of showed me around a bit, gone out to dinner quite a few times here, which has been nice. It’s not something that I think the guys normally do very much, but in the interest of kind of bringing me into the fold, guys have gone out of their way to show me the city and take me out. It’s been a great time.”

A perfect fourth-line fit

What we’ve liked about Eyssimont’s game is the way he embraces the fourth-line role he has been given. In a way, he is a perfect—and much cheaper—replacement for Brandon Tanev, who was also moved at the deadline.

Eyssimont, making $2.7 million less than Tanev, brings many of the same elements as Tanev, from his speed to his grit, minus the penalty killing that was such a hallmark of Tanev’s game in Seattle. But one could argue he plays that fourth-line role even better than Tanev did, simply because he understands that it’s his role, and he just wants to be his very best within that role. He’s not trying to do anything more than be the best fourth-line player he can be.

Earning praise from Dan Bylsma

While he’s been an every-night player for Seattle since his arrival, Eyssimont, 28, is not playing huge minutes, averaging just 10:11 per night. But he’s doing everything he can to leave a lasting impact every time he hits the ice.

“I guess when you’re not playing much, you probably smell blood a little bit more and want to push a little bit harder,” Eyssimont said. “I know that when I’m playing my best, I’m a little bit more poised and confident, so I mean, as far as my role here, I’m not playing special teams, but you just try to do your best and do what you can to help the team win with the minutes you get.”

You can tell that Dan Bylsma loves Eyssimont’s game, too. In Seattle’s 6-1 drubbing of the “Edmonton Oilers” (said in quotes because they were without Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Stuart Skinner, Mattias Ekholm, and others) on March 27, in which the Kraken piled on five goals in the second period, Bylsma pointed to Eyssimont’s hard-nosed forechecking as the catalyst that got the team rolling. Eyssimont was awarded the player-of-the-game championship belt that night.

More recently, Bylsma gushed more about Eyssimont’s approach to playing as a fourth-liner.

“I think that’s the role, and what he does makes him an effective player. The speed, the physicality, the tenacity, a little bit of snarl in there is always making him an effective player,” Bylsma said. “That’s a hard thing to do, I think, when you come to a new team… With what Mikey brings, and what he does with how he plays, with speed, with tenacity, we’re starting to see [effectiveness] every night with him.”

Growth and future potential

The Littleton, Colo., native also got the scoring started last Wednesday in Vancouver on a quintessential Eyssimont hustle play, stealing the puck on a backtrack, then racing in and slipping it through Thatcher Demko’s five-hole.

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Michael Eyssimont takes the puck away and opens the scoring 🐙 pic.twitter.com/oIZdPpSNl6

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 3, 2025

Having comfort in that position—playing limited minutes but flying around, throwing hits, and creating energy for his teammates when he does play—is not by accident. As many young players have had to learn when moving from a developmental league or (in Mikey’s case) college hockey to the pro ranks, continuing to play the same way you always have simply doesn’t work.

“I learned early on in my career in the AHL with Mike Stothers [with the Ontario Reign] that the way I played in college wasn’t going to cut it in pros and wasn’t going to get me to the NHL,” Eyssimont recalled. “So there was a lot of developing and additions I had to add to my game to get to this level.

“And as hard as it was on me during those seasons in the AHL with Stothers, it developed me into the player I am today and ultimately an NHL player, so it was all worth it.”

And even now that Eyssimont has finally stuck in the NHL for the last two full seasons and seems to have solidified himself in the Kraken lineup for the rest of 2024-25, he’s not resting on his laurels. He brings a refreshing attitude to his game, aiming to improve every day, even as he gets deeper into his career.

“There’s been points in my time here in Seattle, there have been moments where I feel like I’ve been playing the best hockey I’ve ever played in the NHL,” Eyssimont said. “And that’s something I try to find every season, is a point in the season where I’m playing the best hockey I’ve ever played in my life.

“To me, that means that you’re elevating your game and you’re continuing to develop. So I’m really pleased to have found that kind of gear and that confidence, because it shows that I’m still developing as a player and have more room to grow.”

Will Eyssimont return next season?

Eyssimont said nothing has been discussed with the Kraken yet about a potential extension, and who knows what other teams will throw at him if nothing materializes before the opening of free agency on July 1? But assuming Eyssimont is willing to take a reasonable cap hit for next season, we have to think there will be mutual interest in an extension, even if it’s for a 13th-forward spot.

What say you, folks? Would you pencil Eyssimont into the Kraken lineup for next season?