Welcome to “Down on the Farm,” your weekly Seattle Kraken prospects update. Sorry we’re a day late this week. As you probably noticed, yesterday was the NHL trade deadline and the Seattle Kraken made two notable moves. The team re-signed Captain Jordan Eberle and traded for winger Bobby McMann. Sound Of Hockey‘s Darren Brown broke down the news here.

Today, we’ll follow up on what the trade means for Seattle’s asset pool and ongoing attempts to secure a premier scorer. We’ll also highlight what the Kraken added to the system in signing undrafted WHL center Ryden Evers earlier this week.

Then we’ll have Kraken prospect news, video, and data updates, the Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week, and a preview of the week ahead, as always. (The data in this week’s post was gathered the morning of Friday, Mar. 6.)

If you have a Seattle Kraken prospect–related question you’d like to see featured in a future column or answered in our next mailbag, drop us a note below or on X or BlueSky at @deepseahockey or @sound_hockey.

Kraken trade draft assets for Bobby McMann

Following the McMann trade yesterday, Darren Brown analyzed the context and immediate implications for the Seattle Kraken roster. We plan to return with a deep dive on what Seattle is getting in McMann the player soon. Today, we’ll take a brief look at what Seattle gave up from its asset pool to acquire the speedy, pending UFA winger.

Rewind to December, when the Kraken traded Mason Marchment to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a 2026 fourth-round pick originally belonging to the New York Rangers and the Blue Jackets’ own 2027 second-round pick. As it turns out, this trade nailed—or, perhaps, set—the market for comparable moves at the trade deadline, including the McMann deal.

Following the Marchment transaction, the Kraken had three 2026 fourth-round picks and three 2027 second-round picks. It’s no coincidence that Seattle dipped back into those areas of depth and paid a similar price for McMann that they received for Marchment. Seattle gave Toronto a 2026 fourth-round pick originally belonging to Anaheim (acquired for Brian Dumoulin) and the worse of the 2027 second-round picks originally belonging to Winnipeg (acquired for Brandon Tanev) or Columbus (acquired for Marchment).

All told, this price is just slightly less than what the team obtained for Marchment. The 2026 fourth-round pick given up should be about half a round worse, and the 2027 second-round pick given up will be the same pick or a worse one, depending on next year’s standings. Importantly, the team did not encumber or trade any of its own picks, either. This leaves open the possibility of an offer sheet using those picks in the next two years (since offer sheets must utilize a team’s own pick).

It always seemed unlikely the Kraken would utilize three fourth-round picks in this year’s draft, particularly with the team’s prospect pipeline at full flow. Utilizing one of those picks and a future asset to obtain immediate value makes a lot of sense.

In his most recent 32 Thoughts Podcast, Elliotte Friedman indicated that the Kraken were working toward bigger moves on the level of the Artemi Panarin transaction at the trade deadline but couldn’t get those trades done.

On the Called Up Podcast, Cam Robinson suggested that some inactivity on the high end at the deadline was due to an industry belief that additional big names could come available at or before the NHL Draft, such as Auston Matthews, Brady Tkachuk, or Nico Hischier. Potential buyers were reticent to empty the assets cupboard now for fear of sidelining themselves in those conversations later.

Seattle’s quest for a first-line difference maker will continue this offseason, with four first-round picks and three second-round picks in the next two drafts still at their disposal.

Kraken sign undrafted WHL center Ryden Evers

March 1 is the first day NHL teams can sign players to entry-level contracts that begin the following season. This makes it effectively the “opening day” of undrafted free agency. College and European free agents tend to sign a bit later, when their seasons are over. Junior players can sign immediately, though. Seattle signed Tye Kartye on Mar. 1, 2022, for example, while the Soo Greyhounds were still in action.

History repeated itself this season. The Kraken were the only NHL team to dip into CHL free agency on day one, signing 20-year-old centerman Ryden Evers to a three-year entry-level contract earlier this week. Evers received the CBA-mandated maximum 10 percent of total contract value as a signing bonus. This could indicate there was interest from other teams, but it should be noted that Seattle has given a 10 percent signing bonus to most of its rookie free agent signings—including Kartye and Logan Morrison.

What did the Kraken like in Evers? The first thing that jumps off the page is that he’s a 6-foot-4 center. This size profile is coveted in the NHL, particularly given that he has a real shot to stick up the middle. Evers’ 1,424 total faceoff attempts and 852 wins are both by far the most in the WHL this season. His 59.8 percent win rate is sixth-best among all players with at least 200 draws this season. Add in a hardworking defensive profile, physical puck protection ability, and a sturdy net-front presence in the offensive zone, and you can see the makings of a bottom-six pivot.

Yet it was Evers’ scoring this season in the WHL that elevated him into a legitimate NHL prospect. Until last season, Evers played in the BCHL, a junior league that is a step below the WHL. He topped out at 1.11 points per game in the BCHL in 2024–25, which is an unremarkable figure in NHL prospect circles. This year Evers has actually improved that mark against significantly better competition, posting 1.14 points per game. This baseline of offensive production is an important indicator that he has a chance to bring enough offense at the next level.

Ryden Evers had been committed to attend Clarkson University next year, but signing an entry-level contract means he’ll no longer be going the college route. Penticton sits second in the WHL Western Conference, so, depending on how long his WHL playoff run goes, Evers will either debut professionally late this season or at the beginning of next year.

For more on Evers’ play, check out his shifts from Penticton’s Jan. 31, 2026, game against the Portland Winterhawks above. We’ll plan to circle back with a deeper dive on Evers’ game in an offseason “film room” post once we’ve had the chance to watch some more tape on him.

Notes on three Kraken prospects

Julius Miettinen | F | Everett Silvertips (WHL)

Julius Miettinen exploded with seven goals and four assists in three games last week, which makes him one of the easier choices for Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week in recent memory. Miettinen was the WHL Player of the Week as well.

Miettinen’s big week included a hat trick and an overtime game-winner in Kent against the Silvertips’ rival Thunderbirds last Saturday. The celebration made it fairly clear that the sports hate is alive and well between these two Puget Sound WHL franchises. Check it out below. Sound Of Hockey’s Cameron Riggers wrote an (incredibly well-timed) profile on Miettinen last week, too. Give that a read.

🎙️ “JULIUS MIETTINEN COMPLETES THE COMEBACK FOR EVERETT!”

Superior Concrete BoothCam time from Kent with @CaseyBryant51! pic.twitter.com/73ZbRBfFew

— xy – Everett Silvertips (@WHLsilvertips) March 1, 2026

Kim Saarinen | G | HPK (Liiga)

Kim Saarinen continues to stack strong performances for HPK, even as the rest of Liiga’s top goaltenders have cooled in recent weeks. His .917 save percentage is now seven points clear of the second-best figure in Finland’s top professional league. And Saarinen is doing this at 19 years old. Like Nikke Kokko before him, Saarinen is likely pushing the timeframe for a North American arrival much earlier than the team could have reasonably projected.

The challenge is in finding North American playing time for him, particularly if Semyon Vyazovoi comes to Coachella Valley next season as expected. Saarinen is signed with HPK through 2027–28, per Elite Prospects, so it’s possible, if not likely, he’ll stick around in Liiga at least another season despite his stellar play.

Gustav Olofsson | D | Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL)

While not exactly a “prospect,” Gustav Olofsson, 31, finds himself within the ambit of these updates for the first time this season as a player signed to an NHL contract. The 6-foot-3 blueliner is an “original Kraken” and in his fifth season with the organization. He had been playing under an AHL-only contract this season, but team and player ripped up that contract, and Olofsson signed an NHL deal on Mar. 2. After passing back through waivers—as is necessary for any non-exempt player on an NHL contract to play in the AHL—he is back with the Firebirds again. He is now available to be recalled to the Kraken should the need arise. Olofsson’s 17 points this season matches his previous AHL career high.

Kraken prospects data update

Alexis Bernier continues to drive positive results when he is on the ice. He is a remarkable plus-17 in just 14 games played.

Jake O’Brien is back atop the heap in the OHL with 1.72 points per game this season. His pace is second in the entire CHL behind only Tij Iginla among those with more than 15 games played. We’ve previously analyzed what junior scoring like this means for a player’s NHL projection.

Saarinen matched his .917 season mark in three starts this week, including a win opposite fellow Kraken prospect Visa Vedenpaa on Friday, Mar. 6.

Vedenpaa earned two Liiga starts last week (plus another today, Mar. 7 not included within this update).

Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week tracker

3: Jagger Firkus, Julius Miettinen, Kim Saarinen

2: Jake O’Brien, Nathan Villeneuve, Semyon Vyazovoi

1:Alexis Bernier, Barrett Hall, Ollie Josephson, Tyson Jugnauth, Nikke Kokko, Oscar Fisker Mølgaard, Logan Morrison, Victor Ostman, Zaccharya Wisdom

Previewing the week ahead

This week’s Deep Sea Hockey Games of the Week are two matchups between Saarinen’s HPK and Vedenpaa’s Karpat on Friday and Saturday. Elsewhere the NCHC Playoffs are underway with a Kraken prospect participating in each first-round matchup.

Tracking 2026 NHL Draft prospects: Ryan Lin

Ryan Lin is a five-foot-11 right-shot defenseman who makes up for a lack of size with keen offensive instincts and an efficient skating and transition game. He’s been a bit quiet in overall impact in the couple of games I’ve watched, but that’s a small sample and doesn’t mean a lot. He looks like a right-handed Ryker Evans with a slightly higher talent level to me. His 1.20 points per game are second among first-time draft-eligible defensemen in the WHL. Lin ranked No. 15 on the midseason Big Board.

Recent prospect updates

February 27, 2026: Rangers claim Tye Kartye, Kraken re-sign two forwards

February 20, 2026: David Goyette suspended for 20 games

February 13, 2026: Projecting NHL futures for Logan Morrison and Jagger Firkus

February 6, 2026: Seattle Kraken prospects midseason mailbag

January 30, 2026: Kraken prospect trade value tiers

January 23, 2026: Alexis Bernier set to return, early 2026 NHL Draft thoughts

January 16, 2026: Jacob Melanson is speeding toward an NHL future despite the demotion

January 9, 2026: World Juniors reports, CHL trades

January 2, 2026: Mid-season Kraken prospect ranking