As Seattle Kraken fandom awaits white smoke rising from the Kraken Community Iceplex signaling the appointment of a new head coach, the front office has been hard at work developing an offseason plan for player acquisition as well. General manager Jason Botterill told Kraken season ticket holders last Thursday that the team had recently completed its pro personnel meetings. The team has its list of free agent and trade targets in hand.
With that work done, the Kraken have been implementing their plans. Botterill indicated that the team has already contacted restricted free agents Kaapo Kakko, Ryker Evans, and Tye Kartye expressing interest in new deals for those players. More concretely, the team re-signed unrestricted free agent forward John Hayden to a two-year, league-minimum deal on Wednesday.
Now, a significant offseason landmark is right around the corner. With the NHL Draft shifting to a “remote” format this year, the 2025 NHL Draft Scouting Combine, which begins on Sunday, June 1, will be the only offseason event that will bring most of the league’s top decision makers together. Many around the league expect that teams will use the combine to discuss potential trades and seek team “permission” to contact pending free agents.
So, the “real” work of offseason is just days away. With that in mind, there is no better time to examine what lies ahead in this critical period. In this part one, we’ll get into where Seattle stands and where its offseason priorities should be. In part two, we’ll return with a look at the options on the market that are both realistically available and intriguing fits to fill Seattle’s needs. We’ll conclude with a “mock offseason” to show one scenario of how these pieces could fit together. Let’s dive in.
Kraken offseason roster status
Assuming, for the moment, that all of Seattle’s young players on entry-level deals—aside from Shane Wright—will be in the AHL or another non-NHL level, the Kraken enter the offseason with $21 million of space under the projected $95.5 million salary cap for 2025-26. They have nine forwards, four defensemen, and two goalies under contract. With an assist from CapWages, here is what Seattle’s salary cap sheet looks like right now.
Forwards Kaapo Kakko, Tye Kartye, and Ben Meyers are restricted free agents, with Kakko and Meyers both being one year away from unrestricted free agency and possessing arbitration rights. On defense, Ryker Evans and Cale Fleury are restricted free agents, with Fleury being one year from unrestricted status and having arbitration rights.
There was some uncertainty publicly about whether Meyers and Fleury would be Group-Six Unrestricted Free Agents given their NHL service time. I can report that is not the case. Each remains a restricted free agent, in Fleury’s case owing to service time rules from the COVID-affected seasons.
Forward Michael Eyssimont is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent on July 1, as is defenseman Josh Mahura. Several depth pieces are pending unrestricted free agents too, including goalie Ales Stezka and defenseman Gustav Olofsson.
It is also important to remember the pieces the team already subtracted before the trade deadline, when the team shipped out defenseman Will Borgen, and forwards Oliver Bjorkstrand, Yanni Gourde, and Brandon Tanev. Each of those players are NHL-level contributors, with the subtraction of Bjorkstrand in particular being significant for the offense.
Overall this season, Seattle posted middle-of-the-pack overall offensive production (16th of 32 NHL teams in total goals scored) and shooting percentage (14th highest) and did well staying out of the penalty box (fifth-fewest penalty minutes) and avoiding goals against on the power play (second fewest), but struggled in almost every other metric conceivable. Leveraging standard and advanced data from Evolving Hockey, here is where Seattle stacked up in various metrics:
The trade losses are somewhat mitigated going into the offseason by the acquisition of Kakko, but I think it’s fair to say that absent dramatic leaps from Seattle’s young players, the team is in a relatively weaker position now, both offensively and defensively, than it was when Seattle’s lineup was fully healthy early last season.
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Looking back, it is easy to recall the preseason narratives. The Kraken would continue to be staunch defensively, buoyed by the addition of Brandon Montour, and would get back to their identity of a relentless, depth-based attack, with few “fourth lines” capable of matching Gourde, Tanev, and Kartye. As we all know, it didn’t work out that way. For example, that intimidating “fourth line” combined for just 47 points all season with Seattle.
So, the Kraken need to add pieces just to get back to this past year’s baseline—a standard that was, itself, disappointing to all involved. Additions on top of that will be necessary to push this team toward contention. No wonder, then, that the team has vowed to be “aggressive” in making roster changes for the second consecutive offseason.
Kraken offseason priorities
If we were penciling out a Kraken depth chart today, it might look something like the following. (As a disclaimer, these aren’t projected lines, and I wouldn’t put much stock in the actual order. The goal is just to display the team’s depth.)
Extrapolating from this depth chart, in the context of existing roster performance laid out above, I’ve identified the following seven personnel-related offseason priorities. (For the moment I’ll set aside the two most pressing agenda items, neither of which are personnel-related: Finding a head coach and fixing the defensive approach.)
Priority No. 1: Make a splash move
Under then-general manager Ron Francis, Seattle built a solid base of talent, organizational depth, and upcoming draft capital. Now comes Botterill and the 2025 offseason, and the goals are different. “It’s my job to go out there, whether it’s free agency or making trades, to drop in elite talent,” Botterill said.
This is the top priority. Whatever the position, whatever the means, Seattle’s focus should be on adding a “game-plan player,” a player the opposition needs to account for in their pre-scout; a player that can drag the team back into the game with a single skilled play, even on a night when everything else is going wrong. (No, unfortunately, it is not going to be Daniel Sprong.)
With a solid prospect pool and 10 picks in the first two rounds of the next three drafts, Botterill and the Kraken have the assets to make it happen. That is not the challenge. “You never know what trade is going to come, but we’re going to at least be in the discussion with those [extra first-round picks] moving forward,” Botterill explained.
The challenge is in finding a player that matches the Kraken’s short- and medium-term need. The Kraken are not one player away from a Stanley Cup, and they aren’t one year away from the Stanley Cup either. They need a player who can contribute to a playoff push now and potentially be part of a winning core years down the road. Hypothetically, this could mean targeting a true star player in his late prime years, since even the post-prime years are likely to be useful. More realistically, it means targeting players earlier in their prime window. Botterill told the season ticker holders last week, “We want to continue to add younger players to [the roster] mix in and around Matty [Beniers]’s age.” So, they’re looking for players in the 22-year-old range.
Those assets are rare and difficult to acquire. It is the challenge before them, and it might require an “overpay” to achieve.
Priority No. 2: Retain your restricted free agents
The 2025 offseason depth chart above pencils out as a playable lineup only if the team’s restricted free agents are retained. And I believe there is a solid argument to retain each of them at their market prices. Using Evolving Hockey‘s contract model, here is what it could cost to retain Kakko, Evans, Kartye, Meyers, and Fleury:
There’s a good argument the team should put pen to paper on each of these contracts now if it can. Kakko is 24 years old and only one year from unrestricted free agency. I suspect Kakko’s camp would prefer a shorter deal (getting him to unrestricted free agency sooner) or a much longer one (providing more security), so three years would be something of a compromise. Five years may be the ideal term for Seattle. If the contract were to span five seasons, Evolving Hockey projects a $5,598,000 cap hit. Failing that, the three-year term would be a reasonable outcome, locking in peak years without back-end risk.
Evans may still be an ascending player, but he didn’t show enough in our opinion to commit on a long-term deal at this juncture. A shorter bridge deal that leaves him short of unrestricted free agency at contract’s end—like Evolving Hockey‘s predicted two-year deal would—seems ideal to me. In reality, I suspect it may take $3 million-plus to sign Evans, though.
Each of the other deals are solid for the depth they would provide and could be fully (or almost fully) buried in the AHL if the player is out of the NHL mix. The Kartye contract prediction may be a bit more player-friendly, but the compromise could be a two-year deal in the $1 million average annual value range where the first year has a two-way contract split and the second year is a one-way amount.
Priority No. 3: Find a backup goalie
Seattle’s goalie depth chart looks locked in, but Philipp Grubauer’s struggles may dictate a change. Grubauer’s poor play since signing with Seattle is well chronicled, but it bears emphasis in retrospect. His .890 save percentage over the last four years ranks second-worst of the 53 goalies with at least 100 starts in that span. His -43.13 goals saved above expected and -0.30 goals saved above expected per 60 minutes are both the worst in the league among those 53 goaltenders in the last four years. His tenure with Seattle likely reached a breaking point last season when he was waived and sent to Coachella Valley for a few weeks.
A buyout of the last two years of Grubauer’s contract would save the team $3,916,667 against the cap in 2025-26. That said, the move would be less about saving money—since a quality backup would use much of that space—and more about turning the page in the pursuit of a steady backup for starter Joey Daccord. The intent would be to obtain a player who could provide closer to league average production in the short term while Nikke Kokko and Seattle’s other goaltending prospects continue to develop at other levels.
The window for a buyout opens 48 hours after the Stanley Cup Finals end, but no earlier than June 15, and it closes on June 30 at 5 p.m. ET. So, we will have an answer whether Seattle will be in the goalie market before free agency begins.
Priority No. 4: Acquire a top-nine winger
Looking at the team’s depth chart, there is both the need and the room to add another scoring winger or two. Both Andre Burakovsky and Eeli Tolvanen sit in top-nine roles on the current depth chart. Neither are guaranteed to stay there.
Burakovsky has struggled to provide any offensive or defensive value since an injury derailed him midway through the 2022-23 season. He’s a second buyout candidate if cap space becomes necessary for a splash addition. A buyout would create $3,541,667 in cap space for the 2025-26 season.
For his part, Tolvanen could be a piece the team uses in a trade to acquire a frontline player. His production (23 goals last season), contract ($3.475 million cap hit for one season), and age (26) are likely attractive to other clubs. Even if he stays, his skillset (shooting, hitting, and defense) works up and down the lineup. He’d create competitive, upward pressure on those higher in the lineup and valuable injury insurance if he started the season in a “fourth line” role.
Recently, Botterill spoke about the need to add more physicality at the net front: “[B]ringing in players with a little bit more size like a Kakko or a Jani Nyman, I think will certainly help out. [There just needs to be an] emphasis of getting to the net, being stronger in front of the net there from that standpoint.” Ideally, one of the team’s top additions fits that mold. A top-nine winger signing may be the most realistic way to add that presence.
Priority No. 5: Acquire a third-pair defenseman
The Kraken could retain restricted free agent defenseman Fleury, and I believe the organization remains high on Ville Ottavainen, but neither player (nor Ty Nelson) should be penciled into an NHL lineup without veteran competition. Ideally, the Kraken add a player with NHL experience at a low cost who could be serviceable as a No. 6 defenseman alongside Evans if Fleury or Ottavainen can’t seize the role. Pending unrestricted free agent Mahura fits the mold.
Priority No. 6: Sign a fourth-line center
Similarly, the Kraken could retain restricted free agent center Meyers, and the team has already re-signed Hayden. Those players, along with Mitchell Stephens, provide solid depth down the middle. Similar to the depth defenseman need discussed above, a free agent veteran who could win face-offs and play on the penalty kill would improve the mix and ideally win the job.
Priority No.7: Sign a fourth-line winger
The Kraken want to leave open the possibility that a prospect like Jani Nyman (or Berkly Catton, or Ryan Winterton, or Jacob Melanson) seizes a role in the fall. If a prospect forces his way into the lineup, the depth chart could get crowded, but Seattle still may be a forechecking depth winger short. Pending unrestricted free agent Eyssimont is an example of a player who would fit the need.
Bonus: Continue to be opportunistic
Finally, and this likely goes without saying, the Kraken are not talented enough to look past an opportunity for value even if it doesn’t fit the framework above. For example, suppose a finesse winger like Bjorkstrand is available on the cheap or another team wants to overpay to acquire Tolvanen. The Kraken should be in those conversations too.
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What do you think are the team’s offseason areas of need and priorities? Let us know on X @deepseahockey or @sound_hockey or on BlueSky @deepseahockey or @soundofhockey.com.
Curtis Isacke
Curtis is a Sound Of Hockey contributor and member of the Kraken press corps. Curtis is an attorney by day, and he has read the NHL collective bargaining agreement and bylaws so you don’t have to. He can be found analyzing the Kraken, NHL Draft, and other hockey topics on Twitter and Bluesky @deepseahockey.
I can’t wait to read this article but I had to rush to the comments to say keep the pope jokes coming!!!!!!
You know, sometimes, when you find your lane, you have to stick with it. 😉
Maybe in this case it would be Deep Sea Blue smoke?
Regarding the need to add a top-9 wing with some size, I wouldn’t be opposed to kicking the tires on a Geek-squad reunion. Not sure if it’s feasible given his RFA status or what salary he’ll command, but I’d love to see him back here.
If we could get rid of chandler that would definitely make sense but otherwise I don’t think he helps us, very full in the middle.
Both he and Donato had great years, but had sky high and unsustainable shooting %. They are 15-20 goal players. Useful, good, but not great.
Geekie is 26, and has improved every year since he broke into the league, finishing last year with 33 goals. That number is helped by an unusually good shooting year, but even then its reasonable to project him as a 20-goal scorer who hasn’t peaked yet. I’m not saying he’s a star, but he’s a good top-9 winger with size and upside and that’s something the team needs. As Curtis points out, Burakovsky isn’t cutting it right now.
Sounds like we agree! 15-20 goal good player. It would take a Burakovsky like contract, at least, to sign Geekie. I just don’t think that moves the needle very much.
We’re in a tough spot. We need to be competitive yet not get stuck overpaying for free agents that could take up roster spots for (what we hope is) the youth movement just around the corner. Signing KK seems like a no-brainer and dumping Burky and Grubi are a must. Catton has outgrown the WHL so to you bite the bullet and bring him in? Where’s the young D coming from? Fleury is maybe a 6 at best and Evans a 4 if paired with a good vet but I’d like to maybe see a trade for someone like Byram from Buffalo. Matty B seems destined to be a 2C unless he makes some serious improvements and Vince need to have better seasons too. Of course a new coaching staff could get all sorts of different results from everyone and the team could do just a few moves and play the “wait and see” game.
Agree with most of this; sign Kakko & Evans for sure, add the depth pieces at team friendly $$$. Prefer Essy over Tye and Mahura over Fluery. After the buyouts shop for a 34+ vet that can still contribute on a one or two year deal to keep roster flexibility. Let’s face it this roster needs to be shook up or we’ll get more of the same. The FO screwed up after we made the playoffs letting go contributing/rising stars instead of keeping the core together.
Kartye actually ended up with more points post-deadline than Eyssimont in fewer games played. Between the dysfunctional coaching and Tanev’s attitude problems, he seems to have gotten caught in the middle of a pretty crappy situation, so I’d like the team to give him a chance to prove himself in (hopefully) better circumstances.
Honestly don’t really understand or agree with the Hayden signing, 30 year old player that hasn’t cracked a full time role and really hasn’t looked any better than a 13th forward at best. Those players are a dime a dozen why sign him now? I’d think you see how your lineup looks through FA before signing a player like that? He’s definitely not in the getting younger category….
I would not be surprised to see them go after Peterson, he’s a center but he is probably the most elite player available that could be acquired at a reasonable cost. Vancouver probably wouldn’t care where he goes as it looks like they are going to probably go full rebuild. We would definitely have to move a first or second line center to the wing though.
We are going to need to leave room for Catton and Nyman to at least get extended looks, our lineup really looks crowded with middling forwards, really with that they didn’t sign Chandler last summer, he’s already a top choice for replacement and we’re in year two of his contract 😢. We’re very full up the middle with what six years left on his contract.
Really hope we don’t sign Mitch Marner, he’s already would cost us a ton and hasn’t shown he knows how to play in the playoffs. That won’t matter in the short term but he’s probably likely going to only take a six year contract and I’d like to think that he’d still be around when we could make noise in the playoffs.
Really, they should move Stephenson to wing. He’s probably got more remaining value there, and that could free up a spot in the middle. But sounds like they will not consider that.
Regarding the Hayden signing, I imagine Botteril responding to the query the same way that Abraham Lincoln did to calls for Hiram Ulysses Grant to be sacked: “I cannot spare this man. He fights.”
I just don’t see what Petterson adds with Wright and Catton in the fold.
Regarding the Stephenson signing, I am perfectly happy with it if we get second-half-of-last-season-Stephenson all season long.
I am with you on Marner. Toronto treated him dirty at the end, but there are so many ways that signing him to a big contract could go terribly wrong. I would rather see the team take a big, expensive swing in the trade/offer sheet market.
Can you explain the reasoning for Meyers not being a G6 UFA? Based on the 2020-21 transition rules I think I understand why Fleury isn’t, but Meyers wasn’t under contract until April 2022, which would be after the covid-shortened seasons. Clearly I’m missing something.
Clumsily worded by me. Sorry. In my head I was focused more on Fleury because he’s the unique case. The reason for the public confusion on Ben Meyers doesn’t have anything to do with COVID because, as you point out, he was signed later. The issue with him is the definition of 80 “NHL Games” in the CBA. He has 75 regular season NHL games, so there was a belief he may have been short of the 80-game threshold. In fact, the CBA defines “NHL Games” to include playoff games, of which he has 6. 75+6=81. Being above the threshold of “NHL Games,” he’s an RFA. Thanks for calling that out. (I clarified the article.)
Ohhh that makes sense. I always forget which things count playoff games and which don’t. Thanks for the explanation!
I feel like Nyman is a lock in, but Catton might be a good candidate for Coachella for a year. (Can’t remember what the path for him to do that is) Hopefully, Grubauer’s solid performance at Worlds makes him look attractive to goalie shopping teams.
Catton can’t go to Coachella this next season other than on a conditioning stint… he’d have to go back to Junior.
Why buy out Grubauer when they can waive him to the AHL again instead? Either way SEA still has to pay him, but by waiving him the organization either maintains veteran depth at that position or Gru gets claimed on waivers by another team that will then be responsible for the remainder of his contract. Both of those options seem better than paying him to NOT play for us anymore.
Burying his contract in the minors gives them 1.15m in cap space this year; buying it out gives them 3.91m.
This is a good call out. I agree that in some sense its poor asset management to buy out Grubauer when there are other options. Particularly if you don’t “need” the extra cap space in 25-26. On the other hand, my belief is it would not be a good situation with the player if he were waived and stuck in CV for much of the year. Possible that I’ve misread things or the sentiment has changed. But it feels to me like a fresh start is needed on a personal level. Another factor the team has to weigh is time in the CV net. Grubauer could serve a Stezka-type role, but the team likely wants more time in net for Kokko, to lesser extent Ostman, and potentially also Semyon Vyazovoy. A minor league veteran addition would likely be an AHL-ECHL flex player.
Given the insane numbers that Vyazovoy put up in the KHL this season, I would question any decision to not invite the guy to Palm Desert this year. A Kokko/Vyazovoy tandem would really be something to watch. Then the team would only need a veteran backup for the Kraken with Gru likely looking for a fresh start. There are always guys available who want to put in just one year to show GMs around the league that they still have it following a down year.
Although I’ve been highly critical of Gru, I think there’s a very good chance he’s back in training camp with the Kraken. A 2-year buyout is expensive and just a bad look for the team. Plus, Gru played better after his stint in the AHL and handled the entire situation like a pro. This summer I could see the team likely upgrading their backup in Coachella to someone with more experience than Stezka, in case they need to be called up to replace Gru when his play falters or he’s injured again. Perhaps someone like Driedger? He’s a UFA this summer…
Another alternative to a Gru b/o would be to trade him with a pick and/or prospect as a sweetener. The team has the picks and a deep prospect pool to do this. Remember when the Leafs traded underachieving goalie Petr Mrazek to the Hawks along with a 1st rd pick? It might take a similar scenario to deal Gru away but it would relieve the team of his entire contract.
If it came down to a buyout of Gru or Andre Burakovsky, I’d choose AB. I really hope the team somehow cuts ties with him this summer because he’s taking playing time away from more deserving players like Tolvanen, Wright, and Nyman.
What do you the odds are we move on from someone like Oleksiak or Schwartz? Older guys with some bigger salaries that might have some value if moved to the right team and might not be in the future plans or schemes. Could help clear up cap for guys like Ehlers, Boeser, Gavrikov, Provorov, 2nd tier free agents that would be obvious upgrades, younger, and probably more likely options for us but cost a little more
Move on from Schwartz? After this past season, I would be afraid to see what the team would look like without him. Heart, soul, veteran savvy, and guts for days–he stepped up at times when no one else did. He should have an A.
i would really like to see them offer sheet Matthew Knies. its tough because you love most of these players but we absolutely need a star player. unlikely as it may be, going after a Pastrnak trade would move the needle a lot, Boston is a shell of itself and they need prospects and picks. Sam Bennett would be a good add as well. As for Marner… like…. 100 point players dont grow on trees, hes an excellent penalty killer and a great playmaker, but we need an absolute killer out there to drive his set up passes into the net. we dont have that guy. Mccann had 2 really good years but we need more than a rocket of a slap shot. if we can get someone whose mission in life is to bury it in the back of the net then id say go for Marner. ugh, its tough though. again, 100 point players dont just come available. maybe hell have more of a spine outside of Toronto.
i am aware Boston probably will not trade Pasta, but from a parts/pieces standpoint it could work.
Oleksiak is a player I can’t imagine they’ll re-sign so I would like to see them move him out and package up some players, picks, and prospects for a pairing of Byrum and Peterka… two guys in the “Beniers” age range and rumored to be trade targets.
Curtis, (or anyone really) what do you think a Kraken offer might look like that could land those two taking into account Buffalo wants to win now. I know the Sabers are probably on a lot of no trade list.
If we want to play the long game, trade McCann and Dunn (can’t because NTC), maybe sweeten it with Schwartz for a pick or prospect. They are upgrades for Buffalo in short term and we get younger guys with more upside, accepting that it makes us worse next year.
I dunno if we get worse. Peterka could be even on McCann and Dunn didn’t seem like the stud he was before the Pospisil hit. I like the thinking. I like Tolvanen but given his contract status if he’s not willing to extend on July 1st maybe you move him… no protection.
There are different reports out there saying that the Kraken are having a problem with finalizing a head coach, because of their commitment of retaining Jessica Campbell instead of having the new head coach pick his own assistant coaches that may be a better fit…
I have nothing against Jessica, but it certainly makes sense to me.
That makes total sense, I’d question a team that was more concerned with PR then building the right coaching team.
I think a lot of fans are supportive of Jessica Campbell and proud of her place in history. I also think she did an OK job and not much blame can be placed on her. However if she wasn’t a woman she would not have the same protected status. It’s normal for coaches to pick their own staffs.
If the rumors are true then it’s another management failure because they painted themselves into this corner with their public statements about keeping her on the bench. Honestly all the remaining candidates out there are very underwhelming based on past results.
Fascinating how no one said anything like this when Lowry was retained last year.
Source? I’m definitely not a Campbell fan, but I’ve seen/heard absolutely zero from any reputable source about that being a sticking point with any of the coaching candidates.
It seems the only candidate they had genuine interest in who went elsewhere was Tocchet – and he said when he left Vancouver that he wanted to go back East, so expecting him to take the job was probably a long shot at best and likely unrealistic.
We better be willing to accept being 5 or 6 in the division again if the only moves we make are adding a third line wing, getting an acceptable backup goalie, and a third laid D-man. Like a lot of fans I am hoping for the youth to really step up and have breakout seasons but it’s a lot to pin our hopes on Wright/Kakko/Nyman breaking out to be offensive forces (Catton or one of the firebird kid as darkhorses) and for Matty to start to look like Bergeron 2.0 putting up solid numbers (25 goals / 65pts) with stellar D zone work.
We should have few untouchable players at this point and no one over 25 should be except for Joey. Obviously you want to improve so if you trade youngish players with term on great contracts like McCann or Dunn you better get a very solid return.
Marner is intriguing and I would accept he is not good in the playoffs if he got us there. He is great set up guy but who on the team is gonna go bury it in the net.
May
Good God what’s with all those no trade clauses? I didn’t realize like practically every older player has one.
As much as Schwartz, McCann, Eberle, Dunn, Oleksiak are heart and soul guys and have put up decent numbers, this team has really got to move on from probably most of them if they want to actually “get good.”. They are all very good roster players, but not game breakers. Each one seems to have some form of NTC.