Good afternoon… err… evening… err… morning? I DON’T KNOW! Anyway, I’ve spent seven hours trying to sleep on this flight from Seattle to Amsterdam, where I’ll connect en route to Helsinki to catch up with the Seattle Kraken for their Global Series games over the next few days. I’ve tossed and turned almost the whole flight, trying desperately to catch a few winks, but to no avail.

The good news, though, is my inability to sleep on airplanes means I’m slaphappy and ready to get weird in this Mailbag. Thanks to all the folks who responded to @sound_hockey on X with questions.

Let’s dive in.

Specs: Do you think the Kraken need an all-star veteran player from another team when Berkly Catton is on the rise with his performance?

While it is exciting to see Catton taking the steps that he has taken this season, he’s only one player. They need him to continue to get better and better over the next couple years, and they definitely need more elite talent beyond just him. There are more questions coming later in the Mailbag about what the Kraken need to improve their team, so I’ll save my thoughts on that for now.

The one thing I’ll say here, though, is that I am still of the mindset that anyone they acquire should be a player who can stay with them and produce for a long while. I don’t think Nikita Kucherov would come to Seattle anyway, for example, but I would shy away from that player, being that he’s 33 and will be heading toward the twilight of his career soon. To me, a “veteran” acquisition should still be under 30 years old.

Kraken 4 Life: Do you think the Kraken will be doing anything to shore up the blue line in the near future? What do you believe a trade for Simon Edvinsson could look like?

Jason Botterill himself has said he doesn’t think the Kraken are one player away from Stanley Cup contention, and he is correct. I do think they’re one very good player away from being a solid playoff team, and perhaps two very good players away from being more in the conversation of winning the Pacific Division. Stanley Cup conversation? Well, I’d say they need two very good players and several more years of seasoning for their rising youngsters to become the true core of the team.

The problem is, acquiring any such player means they’ll have to give up significant pieces, so it could be one step forward and one step back at the same time.

Simon Edvinsson is a prime example. I do think he’s the perfect fit for one of two areas of need (a high-scoring winger is the other). To answer your questions, yes, I believe the front office is at least trying to do something to shore up the blue line beyond just getting Ryan Lindgren back from injury. But at what cost?

For Edvinsson specifically, the thing that scares me is what they would have to give up to land him. David Pagnotta surmised that Michael Misa—the No. 2 overall pick last season—wouldn’t get it done in a 1-for-1 swap with San Jose. I’d personally be fine with them throwing a boatload of assets at Detroit to pry the 23-year-old top-pair defenseman out of there, but if they’re looking for a Berkly Catton or a Matty Beniers in return, that’s a ‘hard no’ for me. That just creates a new hole in the forward lineup.

Being that Jake O’Brien is an unknown quantity at the NHL level, and Seattle has some depth down the middle, I’d consider that trade if Seattle can package him with other less-painful-to-lose pieces. Based on the clear organizational need to improve the blue line, it would feel counterintuitive to move Chase Reid, especially considering the hype he’s garnered since dropping to Seattle at No. 7 in the past NHL Draft.

But I guess that’s the point of a deal like this: Whatever Seattle would give up to get a guy like Edvinsson would surely have to sting.

License to Will: Being that Edvinsson will likely be too expensive to acquire, what other defensemen might be available in trade and what price might we have to pay to bolster our blue line?

That may end up being the answer to the Edvinsson question: Detroit is simply asking teams to go somewhere that Botterill is not willing to go.

I’m not the best person to ask about which players could be acquired, but it was public knowledge that Alexander Nikishin asked out of Carolina before he settled on a one-year, $3 million contract. Could he still be had? He’s not the same player as Edvinsson, but he could be an upgrade over some of what Seattle has on the blue line now.

One thing that always sticks in the back of my mind, though, is that the Dallas Stars had actually accepted a Kraken trade package for Jason Robertson over the summer before he put the kibosh on it. We never heard what that trade actually entailed, but one would have to think it was a significant offer.

That’s why I don’t think it’s out of the question that Botterill takes a huge swing to land Edvinsson, but you’re absolutely right that him ending up elsewhere feels like the more likely outcome.

Justin McKrak: What’s the latest on Eduard Šalé, and do you see him eventually in the NHL?

First off, that’s a sketchy alias, Justin, if that is your real name.

Second, I’m starting to feel like the ship has… sailed (pun intended)… on Eduard Šalé as an NHLer. He’s still only 21, but it does feel like he’s slid down the depth chart of prospects knocking at the door. He did not look close to ready in Training Camp. I don’t know exactly how to explain it, but there’s something about the way he plays where he just looks… I guess, disengaged.

I hope Šalé proves me wrong. He feels like a guy that is going to have to score the lights out at the AHL level to force his way into the NHL, so maybe he’ll do that at some point.

Brooks Franklin: What outcome would be most beneficial to the franchise in the long term: trading to improve this year’s team (rentals or high-trade-cost players with more than one year of contract) in an attempt to get in this year’s playoffs or selling assets, play the kids, and draft high in 2027?

I love the “play the kids” debate. The thing that I think gets lost on fans is that having a whole lineup of young players who aren’t ready to really compete in the NHL—like, they might be able to survive for a few minutes a night, but they aren’t ready to really do the thing yet—means they will get destroyed. This is not good for any player’s development.

I believe Seattle is on the up-and-up, so I do not see a world where they will “tank,” though if things go sideways over the next couple months, selling at the Trade Deadline to recoup whatever they can is entirely within reason.

I’m all for making a couple big swings at elite talent to push the whole organization forward, but it has to be something that will help the team both now and for years to come. I like that we’ve gotten to a point where the roster is slowly turning over and being put in the hands of a much younger core, so I’d like Botterill to continue to build with players in that 26-and-under age range.

Julius Carstea: Seems like goaltending has lately become a concern for both, but especially Joey. Any fixes to turn this around? Also…enjoying your chats with John Forslund! Once a month or so seems perfect.

Thanks for the compliment on the Forslund interviews. I LOVE doing those, so I’m glad to hear there’s an audience out there enjoying them.

You’re right that the goaltending has not been as sharp lately as it was to start the season, and Joey’s stats are not good right now. Part of that is the defense needing improvement, but there’s this chicken-and-the-egg thing that happens where defense goes sour, so goalies get lit up, and because the goalies are getting lit up, that hurts the defense’s confidence, and then the whole team plays too much on its heels because the skaters are afraid to make mistakes. We’ve seen that in the past with this team.

The quick fix for goalies is to have a couple lights-out games. Goalie sharpness is all about confidence and knowing the puck is going to hit you even when you’re out of position. I thought the 2-1 Calgary win was the “get right” game for Joey Daccord, and it seemed Lane Lambert thought that as well, hence his decision to play Daccord again in the New York game on Saturday. Daccord ended up getting pulled again, though, which may have actually been another knock on his confidence.

Surely, two games in Finland against the Carolina Hurricanes will help build goaltending confidence, right?

Mark Davis: When players are injured do they still show up for meetings?

Yes, but it depends on the severity of the injury. Injured players who are working their way back are around the team all the time.

By the way, travel update: I managed to sleep a whole 40 minutes during the layover in Amsterdam—before a woman with zero self-awareness and a high talking volume sat down about a foot away from me and started chatting to her neighbor so loudly that my noise-canceling headphones didn’t stand a chance—so I’m really cooking now!

Optimistic Squid: How do you feel about Matthew Wood so far?

On the whole, I liked his first game, despite a couple mistakes. He showed flashes of his offensive prowess in that one, and Lane Lambert spoke highly of his smarts and reads. He was less noticeable in his second game against the Rangers, though. A couple times when I did notice him, it was because he was lugging the puck up ice in a way that made his relatively slow foot speed stick out. That is absolutely something that needs to improve for Wood and not something that can happen overnight.

Koko Pipkin: Who do you think will be the second goalie next season? How do you feel about a one-year extension at $2.5 million to $3 million for Philipp Grubauer? He wants to stay here, so the team has leverage.

It’s a great question. The Kraken are hoping Semyon Vyazavoi will come over from Russia, but how he will perform in North America is a complete unknown. Will the Kraken have to promise him a spot on the NHL roster to get him to come? If so, that could answer your question, but that feels like a big gamble. I like Nikke Kokko, but—despite the similarity between his last name and your first name—I don’t think I’m sold on him as a full-time NHL goalie yet either.

Heck, even if Vyazavoi ends up coming over, it still could make sense to keep Grubauer around for another season, even if it’s just an expensive insurance policy.

It’s funny to think about, though, because if we rewind to the beginning of last season, I was wholeheartedly ready to buy Grubi out. Now, I think I’m with you that a one-year extension could end up making a ton of sense.

Tyler: What grade would you give Ville Ottavainen so far? Do you think he has a shot of sticking beyond this year?

I’d give him a B. Between Ottavainen and Cale Fleury, I prefer to see Ottavainen in the lineup right now, playing alongside Josh Mahura with Lindgren out. So that’s a vote of confidence. He’s shown that he can play at the NHL level and not make glaring mistakes, which, for his role, is exactly what you want. In that sense, yes, I think he can stick in the NHL, but I don’t think he has much more upside than the third pair.

The tricky thing for Ottavainen is that if the Kraken do upgrade the blue line, it’s easy to envision a scenario where he gets pushed down the depth chart and perhaps even onto waivers. A big, young defenseman could very well get claimed if that happens.

Josh: What would a Connor McDavid trade/signing look like?

When I first read the question, I thought it was a joke, but this really is something that teams around the league need to be considering. There are so many angles to it, though. I would assume that if McDavid is not going to re-sign in Edmonton after his current short-term contract expires following the 2027-28 season, he will make that known to the Oilers so they don’t end up having to let the best player in the world walk for nothing. If he gives that notice, the sweepstakes will begin.

Remember, there are maximum contracts now, so his signing will be 20 percent of the cap in the first year of that deal, which I believe will be land him at a $25.5 million AAV. He can get an extra year of term if he agrees to a trade first, then re-signs with that new team.

I am curious to see how it shakes out, though. He’ll be able to pick his destination, and any team in the league will do whatever it takes to clear the space needed to sign him to that max deal. The question is how much Edmonton can squeeze out of that team for the rights to re-sign him. The old standard for a top-end “rental” player was a player, a pick, and a prospect, but that was never for Connor McDavid. I’m just spitballing here, but this may need to be two players, two picks, and two top prospects. And that would still be worth it.

Daniel Allen: How do you fight the feeling that hockey is nothing more than a game of just bouncing random bits like a life-size pachinko board? Maybe we should just all go down and cheer on Aunt Mary as she spins a slot machine down at Muckleshoot Machingo?

You don’t fight that feeling, Daniel, you just roll with it.

Do you think Aunt Mary would perform better or worse at the slot machine with an audience? If it were me, I think I’d get more nervous and lose my money even faster.

I know the question is intended to be a joke, but it reminds me that I had a conversation with a non-hockey-fan friend recently who was telling me how difficult he finds it to track the puck when he’s tried to watch on TV, though he has loved the few live games he’s attended. I know this is a standard issue with luring new fans to the game.

I personally have never had this problem when trying to watch a game, but maybe that’s because I’ve been around it my whole life and know how to read players’ body language to always follow the puck. I’m not really making any specific point here, other than I always find that challenge for new fans interesting.

I’m getting loopy. But I made it to Helsinki. Let’s go!