On Monday, Sep. 21, the Kraken announced the first wave of Training Camp cuts and reassignments. In today’s edition of Kraken Contracts Corner, we’ll break down those moves and then pick up with Part II of our two-part series grading the Seattle Kraken’s significant offseason signings. We’ll then conclude with a few other contract odds and ends you need to know as the Kraken continue preparing for the season.
Seattle Kraken trim camp roster to 27 players
After two preseason games that gave the coaching staff an opportunity to see several of the team’s prospects up close, the Kraken announced a number of transactions Monday morning that trimmed the NHL Training Camp roster.
Following those moves, there are 23 “veterans” still in camp, including “roster-bubble” veterans Curtis Douglas, Ben Meyers, Jacob Melanson, Cale Fleury, and Josh Mahura. There are also four younger players still with the NHL team: Oscar Fisker Mølgaard, Jake O’Brien, Ville Ottavainen, and Nikke Kokko. I suspect that Mølgaard is the only player in the younger group who has a chance to stick around and displace a veteran on the initial roster, absent an injury.
Going through the transactions, the Kraken reassigned defensemen Finn Kearns, Rylan Singh, and Will Reynolds to their junior clubs, as expected. The team also released Brody Gillespie and Maks Corovic from their Rookie Camp tryouts. Gillespie and Corovic will rejoin their respective junior clubs, too, and again be draft eligible in 2027.
The Kraken’s other moves are intended to send players to the Coachella Valley Firebirds. The following 16 players are waivers-exempt and were assigned to the AHL directly:
| D Alexis Bernier | D Tyson Jugnauth | F Carson Rehkopf |
| D Lukas Dragicevic | F Andrei Loshko | F Lleyton Roed |
| F Ryden Evers | F Julius Miettinen | F Eduard Sale |
| F Jagger Firkus | D Ty Nelson | F Nathan Villeneuve |
| F David Goyette | F Jani Nyman | |
| D Kaden Hammell | D Caden Price |
It was surprising to see some of these players sent down so early, but this is a product of the shorter Training Camp this season.
The most interesting transactions are the players who, due to age and service time, require waivers to be assigned to the Firebirds:
| F J.R. Avon | F Logan Morrison |
| F John Hayden | G Victor Ostman |
Other teams have a 24-hour window to claim any one of these players off waivers. If unclaimed, the players will report to Firebirds camp. Ottavainen will also require waivers if he does not make the NHL team, as would any of the bubble “veterans” listed above. O’Brien, Mølgaard, and Kokko are waivers-exempt.
Finally, the following four players are signed to AHL contracts and will now report directly to Firebirds camp following their release from NHL camp agreements:
| F Justin Janicke | D Gustav Olofsson |
| F Ian McKinnon | F Mitchell Stephens |
Grading the offseason signings
Curtis Douglas signs a two-year, $1.25 million AAV UFA contract on signed Jul. 1, 2026
The takeaway
Rugged forward depth and roster competition at a bubble NHL-AHL rate.
Details
Market analysis
Douglas was a “Group Six” unrestricted free agent on Jul. 1. Most often, a player becomes an unrestricted free agent when his contract first expires after his 27th birthday. Douglas, 26, became a free agent earlier because he was over 25 years old, had played more than three “professional seasons,” and had accumulated fewer than 80 NHL games.
For our comparables, we looked at unrestricted free agents between 25 and 29 years old with at least 20 NHL games played but fewer than five goals and 10 points in their last season preceding free agency. Since much of what Douglas trades on is his physicality, we also required that the player have at least 30 hits in that season. (Douglas had 64 for the Canucks last season in 43 combined games between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Vancouver Canucks.)
This returned a list of 28 comparable contracts from the last four offseasons. The deals averaged 1.5 years in length and were valued near the league minimum at 1.1 percent of the Year 1 salary cap. The Kraken gave Douglas a two-year contract at 1.2 percent of the cap. Both figures are just slightly above average, meaning favorable to the player.
Context analysis
The Kraken clearly valued Douglas’s very specific physical profile. In a way, it’s hard to separate the Douglas signing from the next one we’ll discuss, Jacob Melanson. They will likely push each other for the same checking role, and the loser may find himself on the outside of the NHL roster looking in. I suspect the team would prefer that Melanson emerges victorious and Douglas is AHL depth, but Douglas at least protects against a “sophomore slump” for Melanson. Both players have the same marching orders (whether express or not): Play sound defensive hockey, but protect the team’s top young players when necessary.
If Douglas does not make the NHL team, Douglas would require waivers to go to the AHL. The two-year term could dissuade a potential claimant. If or when Douglas is in the AHL, he would only count $50,000 against the Year 1 NHL salary cap, with the remainder “buried” in the minors.
Grade: C+
Even if the term or value may be slightly high, it was likely necessary to secure the player. We are essentially talking about rounding errors in the big picture. And one could argue it’s really a one-year deal because Douglas’s contract could be fully buried in the AHL for the 2027-28 season without cap consequence.
Jacob Melanson signs a three-year, $1.45 million AAV RFA contract on Sep. 4, 2026
The takeaway
Finding precedents for this contract is difficult. It’s a unique contract for a uniquely physical player.
Details
Market analysis
Melanson has played in only 37 NHL games, with 36 of them coming last season. He has two goals and three assists at the NHL level, all during the 2025-26 season. At the AHL level, he has played parts of three seasons, never topping 19 points in any campaign.
Typically, when a 23-year-old restricted free-agent forward with this resume goes to the negotiating table, he is bargaining for guarantees on a two-way contract or maybe a multi-year term.
We know Melanson’s case is different. Scoring really isn’t his value proposition. He is a fourth-line forechecker, and his speed and physicality do create advantages for his team when he is out there. Teams rarely pay for that skill set, though. The player has to be special in his contributions. Brandon Tanev is a player who earned a big contract playing this way, but the examples are few and far between.
Over the last four seasons, there were 16 contracts for RFA forwards aged 21 to 26 with 20 or more NHL games but fewer than five goals and five assists in their last season before the contract. Until June 2026, none of those contracts were worth more than $1,000,000 annually or more than 1.02 percent of the cap. Only four players had received three-year contracts, with the rest two- or one-year terms.
Between June and Melanson’s signing in September, however, two interesting contracts were signed:
- Zach Ostapchuk signed with the Sharks in June for four years and 2.26 percent of the cap; he had four goals and three assists in 59 NHL games last season.
- Ville Koivunen signed with the Penguins in August for eight years and 3.85 percent of the cap; he had two goals and five assists in 39 NHL games last season.
Koivunen is a different kind of player; the Penguins are clearly betting long-term on middle-six scoring upside after the player posted 56 points in the AHL in 2024-25 and 41 points in 34 AHL games last season. Melanson is unlikely to score like that.
Ostapchuk may be a more revealing comparison, though. Similar in age to Melanson, he also fits more of a checking profile, with 140 hits in 2025-26. Though this falls well short of Melanson’s hit rate (more on this in a moment), it’s notable physicality. Beyond that, Ostapchuk has a longer track record than Melanson, with 122 total NHL games played.
All told, even when accounting for Koivunen and Ostapchuk, Melanson’s comparable contracts were for 2.4 years and 1.18 percent of the cap. Melanson signed well above those marks, getting a three-year deal worth 1.39 percent of the cap.
Why? Melanson’s money-maker is his physicality. Melanson’s career mark of 33.2 hits per 60 minutes leads all NHL players with at least 10 games played going back at least 50 years. (I stopped looking at that point.) His 33.5 hits per 60 minutes last season led the league and would have led any individual season going back at least 10 years among all players with at least 10 games played. (I stopped looking at that point.) You get the idea.
This makes him such a unique case. How does the league value this type of physicality from a young restricted free agent? We just don’t have recent precedent for it. Ostapchuk is our best evidence that other teams are willing to pay for it like Seattle did here.
Melanson will still be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights when this deal expires in 2029.
Context analysis
Melanson’s value may ebb and flow depending on the matchup and flow of a game, but he has the ability to change a game’s course with a high-energy shift or bone-crunching hit. There’s no other forward on the roster (except for perhaps Douglas, now) who can do that. It makes him a good fit as the team’s 12th (or perhaps 13th) forward. His relative youth also works in his favor. The team surely hopes he’ll be able to hold up his physical play for at least the next three years.
While it is a “big” contract for the type of player Melanson is, it’s also a very modest sum in the grand scheme and won’t prevent the team from doing anything else it wants to do contract-wise.
Grade: C+
This deal seems like a concession by the Kraken in the direction of unique contract demands by a unique player. The Kraken didn’t “win” the deal, but it’s also not necessary to do so. Squeezing every penny on these restricted free-agent deals may not always be the right play—particularly so given the team’s ample cap space—when the downside is alienating the player.
Contract odds and ends
- Assuming he is not claimed, goalie Victor Ostman will play this season in Coachella Valley on a one-year contract. After the season ends, he will be a Group Six unrestricted free agent unless the Kraken re-sign him sooner or he plays in 26 NHL games this season (adding to his two previous NHL games).
- The rule change allowing 19-year-old first-round picks from the CHL to play in the AHL will be in effect for this coming season. Jake O’Brien is almost certain to be the Kraken’s first such assignment taking advantage of this rule.
- Teams had until 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 15 to sign players to contracts under the previous CBA. Since that time, certain deal structures are no longer allowed. The maximum term for re-signing a team’s own player is now seven years, not eight. And certain front-loaded and bonus-heavy deal structures are no longer permissible. Unlike several other teams around the league, the Kraken did not get any last contracts “under the wire.” The players who were technically eligible for such a deal included Jared McCann, Vince Dunn, Ryker Evans, Shane Wright, and Philipp Grubauer.
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 was hoping to see one or more of Jugnauth, Nelson, Nyman, or Firkus stick for a bit longer. However with there being one week left of training camp, I understand the desire to put more focus on getting ready for the season. The 4 aforementioned guys all show some promise but if the coaching staff doesn’t fully trust them yet, I think they’re better served playing full time in CV and getting called up for an injury rather than being scratched for most games. OFM has shown his game is mature and I think he has the kind of game where he can handle competing for the 4th line. I’m glad to see O’Brien getting a little extra attention as well.
So many victims of a shortened preseason! I get it, though. The team needs to get the starters on the ice for the last couple games to get some practice in before the games start counting. October is going to be slop for all of the league, and the teams that play the least sloppy will be able to rack up the points. We will see the young guys again after they have played some games in the desert. The real try-outs are going to be in the AHL, because teams don’t have time for proper try-outs anymore.
Ugh. Here we go again with this 84-game season nonsense. Has Vegas set an over-under for how long it will take to fail this time?
I think it’s most on a lot of the fanbase that you send down your waiver exempt guys now since you’re not going to play them this week and they can continue into camp. If you want to make a roster decision and move on from someone, you can still do that after the two preseason games.
It also seems like many struggle to acknowledge that skill players need to prove they can play better than the NHL vets in the top 9 (or 4 for D) to have a chance at the spot. While Firkus and Nelson looked good, they were also largely playing against AHL competition and didn’t stand out in an “OMFG they’re dumpstering fools” kind of way.
They did stand out more the the NHL veterans that they were playing with. Worthy of a deeper look.
Your unrelenting desire to show how little you pay attention and that you don’t know the game will never cease to amaze me. Back to ignoring you again.
Back to preschool name calling….
im going to disagree with you here. while i do think they played very well, i dont see firkus as “better than” any top 9 forward, keeping him would impact winterton or melanson who are part of the youth movement youre a fan of. i dont want to see our young guys cannibalizing each other for bottom 6 spots. nelson didnt look better than our top 4 D (assuming top 4 are larsson, dunn, montour and evans) but i can see him taking mahuras spot. again i think ottvainen is staying up (for now) because of his size. i think depending on where the team is after thanksgiving you may see some movement and im sure we will see both players this year on the big team.
I can agree with that, my point to what’s his name was that the played better then the vets playing in that game and for that matter the game before. I don’t see Firkus beating out a top 9 player for a job and he’s not suitable for a 4th line role.
This is the problem with this team and it always has been, we were told this season that they were going to leave an opportunity for some young players to win a roster spot. Botterill Said as much himself but look at the roster it’s simply not true. We have zero space for who’s next, every year we block out potential by overbuilding our roster with absolute plugs.
Look at the kraken we are an absolute bottom dwelling talentless team. We go through an audit and the one thing that they openly admit they were doing wrong they can’t even fix.
If someone looks good at camp you should be allowing them to put pressure on a vet for a roster spot, you should not be saying you had no chance from the start now go home. Especially considering the position the kraken are in.
I don’t disagree with your point that Botterill oversold the fanbase on leaving room for young talent, or at least he didn’t frame it well because he didn’t provide specifics. On opening night, I think there is a good chance the Kraken will have 8 players that are 23 or younger, which is I think what he had said. Samoskevich is a new young player, Melanson’s contract makes me think he’s sticking and will be a rotational 4th liner, and I think OFM has a good shot at making it and will start as 4th line competition. If that happens, those are 3 new names that are young players compared to this time last year. Ottavainen may push one of Fleury or Mahura out, which would be another young-ish player.
The problem is, none of those guys is coming in hot and looking like they’re going to make a significant impact, at least not yet. Training camp just started. If Samoskevich is looking good and can stick on the top line, and if Shane and Berkly take noticeable steps and earn bigger roles, I think it starts to feel different.
We don’t just need young players on the team, we need young players that are making an impact. It’s frustrating that Botterill’s messaging is technically true while not necessarily having meaningful substance, but its also too early in pre-season to really tell. FWIW I also think letting guys like Jani, Firkus, Jugnauth, and Nelson get off to hot starts in CV does put pressure on veterans to perform, because the second someone gets hurt they can be elevated and they’ve been in the rhythm of playing heavy minutes already. I get the frustration given the messaging implying things would look a lot different, but I do think its too early to actually make a judgement given we haven’t seen the starters actually play.
CG agreed but this is what this team does not understand and why the audit pointed it out. You need to find ways to get your talented players developed and into the NHL. We have not done that well and most of these players we touted as young kids making the team have no upside to speak of they are just role players that are pretty much a dime a dozen.
legitimately, OFM is the most likely candidate for a roster spot. i hope they trade or drop freddie G and unless hes a glue guy or something i dont see why they wouldnt before this season is over. i dont know. its hard to tell what this team is going to do. i think most of them are coming in with a chip because of the robertson media kerfuffle. i wouldnt be surprised if everyone plays with more edge this year. catton and wright are really the biggest question marks for me this season. catton still needs to get bigger, apparently wright came in in top shape. maybe they both unlock something this year. im not as hopeful as i wanted to be when last season ended (really thought wed get robertson, like…. since december i thought we would get him and if im being honest? before last season even started, so that hurt) however, something looks different on the players faces as they gave their intro camp interviews. i think theyre pissed. that gave me a little bit more optimism. i know its generally the same group of names in the comments so we will be talking all year. lets see how the first month of hockey goes.
I think you are right about a chip and that could have a boost but if it goes away it’s gone. It’s a long season.
We could name a few forwards that are questionable and Freddie is definitely on that list. There is also the age long why is Chandler on this team question and we could bring up the newly acquired Samoskevich, is this really a guy that’s deserving of a top line position? What has he done to deserve this over current young players? It’s an interesting signing for a team in the krakens position… maybe just another body blocking a potentially better future option. 🤷♂️
I’ve got to agree wrath.
Beniers
Samoskevich
Wright
Catton
Melanson
Winterton
Molgaard
That’s seven forwards age 23 or younger on opening night. They’ve already squeezed in so many young guys it’s hard for me to see how you squeeze in yet another without diminishing returns. I’m no development expert, but to me top line/top pair minutes in Coachella are a better option than trying to parcel out starts and minutes on the big club. Whose minutes would you even give to Firkus?
If history is any indication, there may be a spot sooner than not unfortunately, but I just don’t see it right now.
Well yes and I’ve already agreed with him….
Point being is what we are doing and how we are doing it. We haven’t learned, take a look at our roster and tell me who scares the opposing team and why.
We keep doing the same thing every year, we give an opportunity to our “top drafted prospect” we allow a few bottom six roll players at best who have no real upside aka winterton. We bring in some middle of the road vet we expect to play top line minutes.
It’s the same broken playbook every year, I had hopes that this season might be different because of what Botterill said in the offseason but we can clearly see it’s just the same playbook.
I’m not disagreeing the Firkus would have ended up in the AHL but give the kid a fucking chance when he plays for it.
This isn’t just about the forwards there might have been a defensive spot available….
One thing that comes to mind is hearing over and over that a GM loves it when a prospect forces their hand and they need to make a trade to open up a roster spot… answer me this would the kraken even think of such a thing? Now answer me this have the kraken ever been in a position or currently in a position to be thinking the way that they do.
I’m absolutely no expert but after the first two games I seriously question whether Ottavainen will ever be able to handle NHL speed, even in a bottom pair role. He just turned 24 last month and I’m wondering if he’s being kept up for a “last chance look”?
personally, i wish theyd just go get stanley. between him, douglas and melanson the team would be MISERABLE to play against. i agree with you about ville, i think jugnauth and nelson are definitely better options than he is. luckily in another year or 2 fiddler and reid will be on the team. beginning of the offseason i assumed dunn would be gone by march, the letter on his jersey makes me less sure. i still wish theyd go get nikishin, would solve 2nd pair left side immediately. again, i know nikishin is my own personal fantasy as ive heard nothing about the team pursuing him.
I’m not so sure Douglas can play in the NHL, you have to be pretty talented to be that big and be able to keep up in today’s NHL and he’s not. I also feel that if a rebuilding team gives up on a big young body they know something that we don’t…. I feel like his NHL role is pretty limited and most teams don’t want to waste a roster spot for what he brings to the table.
You are correct here and the comparison to the bottom of the lineup vets doesn’t help the case when the players he deems so valuable need to play top of lineup roles to be effective. OFM is really the only player who I think can and he’s, not surprisingly, the only one still up.
Ironically he partially agrees with me below wrt Firkus) so all of this was just performative on his part. He just WAY overvalues Firkus. He’s factually not better than any in our top 9 and him doing good against AHL talent, but not good enough showed he’s not really ready to challenge for that spot.
You’re clueless and talking about my post as if you are talking to someone else is replying to me.
What I’m saying is this is the same broken playbook that we have used in previous years. I never said that Firkus was going to make the team I said if he’s showing that he might be ready he has earned a chance to show us more.
Look seriously at our top two lines, we have possibly two players that deserve to be playing there, we keep adding players that are essentially third line players moving them up to the top six and pretending to be trying to build a better squad. It’s a broken record that just keeps spinning.
I honestly don’t know where you got those rose colored glasses, you a clearly in denial and haven’t been following the krakens development and progress vs other teams in the NHL.
The D are interesting, the choice of Ottavainen over nelson to stay up could come down to future plans and nothing more. Maybe they don’t see a future spot for Nelson with Reid in our future? I like the idea of having a good puck moving D pairing with a big body defensive D but I’d also like to see the player the preformed better get the chance…. My thought process would be this… we already have Dunn/Monty/Evens filling those roles with Reid needing a spot, let’s see what Ottavainen can do as a shutdown option.