The Seattle Kraken emerged from the 2025 NHL Draft with a projectable top-six scoring forward, a consensus late first-round defense talent, and several depth blueliners who are lottery tickets to contribute at the NHL level but can fill the organizational need for defensive depth. All in, it was a productive draft that received positive reviews from many analysts. Let’s take a look at each of the selections before concluding with a few general takeaways.
Seattle Kraken 2025 NHL Draft picks
Round 1, Pick 8: Jake O’Brien, C, Brantford Bulldogs (OHL)
Age: 18 | Height: 6-foot-1.5 | Weight: 177 | Shot: Right
Big Board: 7th | Data Score: 65.88 (4th) | Games: 66 | Goals: 32 | Assists: 66 | PPG: 1.48
Pick analysis: Though it was disappointing to some fans (and perhaps also in the Kraken draft room) to see Porter Martone and James Hagens come off the board with the two picks before Seattle’s No. 8 pick, Jake O’Brien is not just a consolation prize. His scoring production over the last two seasons was rivaled only by Michael Misa among OHL first-time eligible 2025 draft picks. (He was No. 5 overall on our preseason data-only watchlist, based on 2023-24 season data, and No. 4 on our final watchlist, based on data from the 2024-25 seasons.)
O’Brien is a 6-foot-2 playmaking, right-shot, center-capable forward who brings offensive and transition skill reminiscent of Wyatt Johnston, according to Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects. Brantford relied on him heavily in all situations, including on the power play and penalty kill. Some scouts expressed concern that most of his scoring production came on the man advantage, rather than 5-on-5. At this point, I don’t project him as a game-breaking, star forward, but the tools are there to contribute in a top-six role, whether at center or on the wing.
For more on O’Brien, check out John Barr’s draft-day post here.
Scouting report: “O’Brien displays the high-end patience and vision to hold onto pucks for an extra second to make difficult plays and run an NHL power play. He’s extremely skilled with the puck, showing the soft touch and quick hands to create a lot of scoring chances and improvise on difficult plays often. He’s a decent enough skater. His game can lack pace at times in part because he pulls up to make his skilled plays too much, but when he gets going, he moves well. O’Brien isn’t overly physical, but he gets to the net to create chances, can kill penalties and isn’t a pushover. He projects as a very good top-two-line center who could score a lot in the NHL.” – Corey Pronman, The Athletic
Scouting video:
Round 2, Pick 36: Blake Fiddler, D, Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)
Age: 17 | Height: 6-foot-4.5 | Weight: 220 | Shot: Right
Big Board: 27th | Data Score: 33.74 (94th) | Games: 64 | Goals: 10 | Assists: 23 | PPG: .52
Pick analysis: The 6-foot-4, 209-pound, native Tennessean brings a physical element, as well as strong speed and agility for his size. He also has NHL experience in the family; his father Vernon Fiddler played 14 years in the NHL as a forward for the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars, among other teams.
Fiddler was viewed by most scouts as a late-first-round talent. He was No. 27 overall on the Sound Of Hockey Big Board. Of the sources we gathered, Tony Ferrari of The Hockey News was the highest on Fiddler, ranking him No. 17 overall. Elite Prospects had him ranked No. 23 overall, and McKeen’s had him at No. 22.
For more on Fiddler, check out Saturday’s instant reaction post here.
Scouting report: “With three-zone skills and unusual mobility for a player this size, it’s impossible not to see Fiddler’s potential. In a single shift, he dangles through the opposition for an entry, blows up an opposing rush, and then stretches the ice with a long-range breakout pass while fending off pressure. . . Mostly, Fiddler’s impact comes through his defensive impact and frequent advantage creation. With explosive backward crossovers, he wins the race to the middle before pivoting and surfing into the stop. Always thinking about body position, he skates through the hands, intercepts opponents with his back, and eliminates off-puck threats. On retrievals, he picks up the puck cleanly, waits for pressure to engage, and places it in a good spot for a teammate to carry it out.” – Elite Prospects
Scouting video:
Round 3, Pick 68: Will Reynolds, D, Acadie-Bathurst Titan (QMJHL)
Age: 17 | Height: 6-foot-3 | Weight: 192 | Shot: Left
Big Board: 137th | Data Score: 11.74 (1995th) | Games: 64 | Goals: 4 | Assists: 10 | PPG: .22
Pick analysis: Will Reynolds was No. 137 on the Sound Of Hockey Big Board—ranking behind a few players the Kraken later selected—but the Kraken saw a lot to recommend his profile in this range. Reynolds is a relatively young (August birthday) defender with a good frame and skating skill. Public analysts that had him graded in the third- or fourth-round range noted Reynolds’ offensive skill level came along as his draft season progressed. That said, Reynolds’ profile and projection is mostly about his ability to shut down the opposition defensively.
For more on Reynolds, check out our instant reaction post here.
Scouting report: “The 6-foot-2 blueliner is an excellent athlete who is very mobile; he is nearly impossible to beat off the rush already. His four-way mobility is excellent, and this allows him to not only shut down the transition game of the opposition, it makes him routinely first to retrievals so that he can kickstart his own team’s transition game. Over the course of the QMJHL season, Reynolds’ play with the puck greatly improved, making him a much more effective two-way defender. While his skill and creativity with the puck are pretty limited, he can make a solid first pass and that bodes well for a future pro career.” – McKeen’s
Scouting video:
Round 5, Pick 134: Maxim Agafonov, D, Tolpar Ufa (MHL)
Age: 18 | Height: 6-foot-2 | Weight: 198 | Shot: Right
Big Board: 60th | Data Score: 24.93 (285th) | Games: 35 | Goals: 6 | Assists: 8 | PPG: .4
Pick analysis: Agafonov is the first Russian-born skater ever drafted by the Seattle Kraken, and just the second player overall the Kraken have drafted out of Russia. When asked what gave the Kraken the confidence in their evaluation given the difficulty of getting crossover scouts into Russia, GM Jason Botterill pointed to the fact that Director of Amateur Scouting Robert Kron was able to view and interview Agafonov at the Gold Star Hockey Development in Florida the week before the draft.
Agafonov was well-regarded by public analysts going into the draft, landing at No. 60 on the Sound Of Hockey Big Board. Corey Pronman of The Athletic had Agafonov at No. 79 on his board, while Craig Button of TSN had him at No. 78. NHL Central Scouting slotted Agafonov as the No. 33 European-born skater in the class. He was the sixth-highest-ranked player and second-highest ranked defenseman still available on the Sound Of Hockey Big Board when Seattle selected.
In addition to 35 games at the junior level in Russia, Agafonov logged 12 games in the VHL, Russia’s lower-level pro league that scouts analogize to the ECHL. He had one goal and two assists in those 12 games.
Scouting report: “[Agafonov] plays with confidence and wants to attack and make plays. He absorbs pressure and protects pucks well, frequently looking to carry the puck past the first layer of pressure and move off of the pass. He walks the line well and can snap it. He’s strong and has a pro body. But he also doesn’t think the game well, makes his fair share of mistakes with and without the puck and needs to learn to defend better and make better reads. He’s worth drafting as a long-term project that you leave with Tolpar and reassess in a few years, though, as there is something there.” – Scott Wheeler, The Athletic ($)
Scouting video:
Round 7, Pick 205: Karl Annborn, D, HV71 J20 (J20 Nationell)
Age: 17 | Height: 6-foot-1 | Weight: 187 | Shot: Right
Big Board: 124th | Data Score: 15.50 (1079th) | Games: 39 | Goals: 3 | Assists: 21 | PPG: .62
Pick analysis: The Kraken traded their seventh-round pick (No. 198 overall) for two seventh-round picks (Nos. 205 and 218). At No. 205, the Kraken selected another defenseman who fell farther than some might have anticipated, selecting right-shot defenseman Karl Annborn. According to some scouts, the Swedish-born defenseman fell short of lofty expectations coming into the year, but he played 21 games for the Swedish U18 team, typically earning first- or second-pair minutes with Sasha Boumedienne and other well-regarded prospects. He also earned five SHL games with HV71 this past season, during which he recorded his first professional point, an assist.
Annborn was No. 124 on the Sound Of Hockey Big Board. Only one other seventh-round pick (Filip Ekberg) ranked higher. NHL Central Scouting had Annborn one spot ahead of Agafanov, at No. 32 among European skaters.
Scouting report: “[T]here isn’t a single area of the game where [Annborn] isn’t able to contribute, at least to some extent. While the term ‘two-way defenceman’ fits the bill well with Annborn, in our eyes, the most projectable parts of his game are the defensive work and the puck-moving. He’s got strong defensive habits, breaking up plays cleanly with his stick while also holding his own in battles along the wall and very rarely getting caught out of position. Once a breakup is created, Annborn also knows what to do next with the puck. He keeps his touches simple yet reliable and occasionally wows with a more complex breakout sequence. What ultimately kept Annborn from rising higher on our board is that while he’s well-rounded, he’s also not exceptional in any aspect of the game.” – Elite Prospects ($)
Scouting video:
Round 7, Pick 218: Loke Krantz, F, Linköping HC J20 (J20 Nationell)
Age: 18 | Height: 6-foot-2 | Weight: 181 | Shot: Right
Big Board: 2314th | Data Score: 11.07 (2214th) | Games: 44 | Goals: 12 | Assists: 5 | PPG: .39
Pick analysis: With the team’s final pick of the draft, Seattle went with a player largely unconsidered by public analysts. Krantz, a winger in the Swedish junior league, was not ranked by any of the sources we gathered for the Sound Of Hockey Big Board. His scoring in the Swedish junior league was also fairly pedestrian for that league.
Krantz is a 6-foot-2 right-shot forward, and, based on two games viewed (so far), presents with plus speed and release on his shot. This pick seems to be an investment in tools identified and valued by Seattle’s Swedish area scouts. With a four-year time horizon to sign the player, it is likely Krantz will remain in Sweden for the foreseeable future and work to climb the ranks there.
Scouting video:
Draft news and notes
Beefing up the blue line
In Seattle’s first four NHL Entry Drafts, the Kraken did not shy away from shorter (e.g., Ty Nelson and Tyson Jugnauth) or slighter (e.g., Ryker Evans and Lukas Dragicevic) prospects on the blue line. In fact, the team had selected just two defensemen taller than 6-foot-1 in their history: the hulking Finn Ville Ottavainen and Dragicevic, who continues to work on filling out his 6-foot-2 frame.
This draft was a different story for Seattle, with the Kraken adding four defensemen, all of whom were at least 6-foot-1: Fiddler (6-foot-4.5), Reynolds (6-foot-3), Agafonov (6-foot-2), and Annborn (6-foot-1).
This followed a league-wide trend toward taller defense prospects in this draft. Indeed, not one blueliner who measured in below the 6-foot threshold was drafted this year. This is a small sample, of course, and these things can be cyclical, but it’s something to keep an eye on as we move forward and factor into prospect rankings.
Revisiting NHL Draft Combine performances
Botterill recently told Sound Of Hockey that he viewed the physical testing at the combine as the most important part of that event to his draft evaluations. Looking back at the results, it is possible that Fiddler’s performance pushed him up Seattle’s board. Fiddler measured in taller (.5 inch) and heavier (11 pounds) than he had been listed previously. And Fiddler himself just told us this week that he’s “still growing.” His wingspan (79.75 inches) was sixth-largest in the class, and he ranked in the top five of grip strength in both his left and right hands.
The Kraken got younger
Whether by design or coincidence, Seattle drafted the youngest class by average age of any team in the league based on data compiled by John Barr.
Average age of the 2025 NHL Draft class by team. #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/kx6sAjwDr5
— NHLtoSeattle (@NHLtoSeattle) June 29, 2025
When asked about the youth of the class, Botterill and Kron emphasized that youth is a factor in a propsect’s favor because it means there is a longer runway for both physical and skill development.
Scandinavian competition
Following the selections of Annborn and Krantz, Seattle has now drafted three Swedish players in its history, but, interestingly, none of those has come higher than pick No. 180 where Seattle selected Zeb Forsfjall in the 2023 draft. By contrast, Seattle has selected five Finns within the top 100.
Trading for Fiddler
After the draft, we asked Botterill about the process that led to Seattle trading their two second-round picks (Nos. 38 and 57) to Philadelphia for pick No. 36 and a third-round pick (No. 68) early on Day 2. Botterill indicated that the team evaluated Fiddler to be in a tier of defensemen that began to come off the board in the mid-to-late first round. His presence on the board to begin Day 2 immediately appealed to Seattle, and the Kraken had conversations with multiple teams at the top of Round 2 in an effort to move up for the player.
#SeaKraken GM Jason Botterill said the team started talks with teams on trade up before round 2; PHI deal was preferable bc the team also got the third-rd pick back. Seattle had Blake Fiddler in a tier of D who were selected starting in the mid-to-late first rd. Those picks ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/YqVVUGEXS2
— Deep Sea Hockey (@DeepSeaHockey) June 29, 2025
Botterill indicated that the team was comfortable with the Flyers trade because it was a two-for-two swap where Seattle also got back a third rounder. I infer from this that other teams were asking for both of Seattle’s second-round picks to move up and/or were offering back a second pick that Seattle did not view as valuable. Fortunately for the team, Fiddler was still on the board at No. 36, and Seattle made the trade.
Semyon Vyazovoi likely to stay in Russia another year
As noted, Afagonov is just the second Russian player Seattle has ever drafted and the first since Russia was expelled from the international hockey community in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine. The other player is goalie Semyon Vyazovoi, a 2021 sixth-round pick. Vyazovoi, 22, excelled in his first opportunity in the KHL, Russia’s top-level professional league, last season, recording a league-leading .938 save percentage in 28 regular-season games. Despite some media speculation in Russia that Vyazovoi may come to North America next season, Botterill indicated that the team expected him to stay in the KHL another year.
Kraken Development Camp underway
Kraken Development Camp kicked off Monday, June 30, with physical testing, and the players have been participating in split-group on-ice sessions Tuesday and Wednesday. The roster includes almost all of the younger prospects in Seattle’s system, with the exception of Clarke Caswell, a handful of Europeans (Forsfjall, Vyzaovoi, and Kim Saarinen), and players who have played a full season at the AHL level (including Eduard Sale and Jagger Firkus).
Among the non-roster invites listed, 6-foot-1 defenseman Reese Hamilton is a name that stands out. Hamilton had a hugely productive draft-minus-one year in the WHL, piling up 31 points in 42 games for the Calgary Hitmen. This placed him sixth overall on our preseason data-only watchlist, just behind Jake O’Brien. As you likely guessed, his draft season did not reach the same level. He struggled in Calgary and was eventually traded to Regina. While scouts continued to credit his standout skating skill, they noted that he was repeating mistakes throughout the 2024-25 season. Ultimately, he landed at No. 102 on the Sound Of Hockey Big Board and went undrafted. Check out his shifts from his October 5, 2024, game against Red Deer here.
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.
Say, don’t they still have to sign Vyazovoy? At what point does he hit the open market without a contract?
Rights to MHL/KHL players don’t expire since there is no transfer agreement like with CHL (OHL, WHL, QMJHL) and many European leagues. So no risk of losing him, it’s more of when can we pry him away from the KHL.
Fidler was a very good pick, I think. Skates well, is physical. His mistakes while possessing the puck are almost comical to watch, but they’ll coach that out of him. 2nd pairing stay-at-home D at a minimum. Doesn’t even turn 18 until later this month but has already played two seasons in WHL. I wonder if he could (at this point) go the college route.
So, Jake O’Brien projects to be a middle-six forward. The farm system is currently stocked with middle-six kinds of guys. They had a great chance for a talent upgrade by drafting Roger McQueen who has been described as a “unicorn” and a potential star. Yes, he had a back injury – which now fully healed (per McQueen). He scored 20 points in 17 games upon his return from injury.
Opportunities to acquire elite talent are so rare you must be bold enough to take advantage when given the opportunity. It’s the best way to acquire top level talent and upgrade the franchise’s long-term prospects. And yet the Kraken didn’t have the guts to pull the trigger. Taking calculated risks is necessary to build a top-tier franchise. For example, Las Vegas traded for Jack Eichel BEFORE he had neck surgery. The Kraken are going to regret passing on RQ.
And if RQ is forced to retire in three years because of chronic back injuries? My response:
“Hey – at least you took a shot.”
I’m not sure where you’re getting “middle-six”. In this article both Curtis and Pronman went with top-six and it seems to me there are a lot more folks who think of O’Brien as “top of the lineup” rather than third line. Add in the fact that Seattle is getting one of the youngest center options in the draft rather than a back injury history and I don’t think it’s even close.
On Chris Peters Called Up podcast he asked Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects to name one player who he thought – besides Schaefer – had the potential to end up being the top pick in the draft and he went with Jake O’Brien. He called him the most creative player in the draft and added it isn’t even close.
I think most of this is obviously completely up in the air and anything can happen, but I’m just not sure how folks come away thinking this was some sort of dreadful miss.
I think they had an opportunity to add a player that was hard to play against with skill, they didn’t do that even though it’s something that the kraken need. They didn’t do it because they wanted another center and the safest option on the board. I don’t think it was a great pick for the kraken, for another team maybe but he’s not a player who is much different from the previous first round picks.
You know who did well in the draft, the islanders. Not just because they had the first overall pick but their selections are the type of players that can win you cups. They weren’t the safe picks the picked for effort and grit, I’m grown very tired of RF. I’m feeling like a trained monkey could equally his success.
Every Islanders pick was a no-brainer. Yeah, they did “great” by not screwing it up.
I’ve grown tired of “every move is a screw up.”
Not so sure, there were a lot of teams that had picks before #17 and #18. They picked for their organizations needs and picked players that will make them a very difficult team to play against. They took a look at the FP and obviously realized that it’s not the most skilled players that win you a cup.
We could have let the talking heads draft for us and gotten the same results. Actually no the talking heads probably would have thought we had enough moderately skilled centers in our organization and maybe they would have drafted for our team needs?
I think Chuck’s Microsoft app might have done a better job.
And seriously no offense to o’Brian he’s a good player but common it’s time to start trying to draft for our needs. The last thing we needed was another non physical center.
Whatever Nino
Nino, you did it again: ” I’m grown very tired of RF. I’m feeling like a trained monkey could equally his success.”
For years I have proposed that an AI app could easily have outperformed GMRF at a fraction of the cost. Too bad that Bill Gates was not the principal owner of the team, it would have been fun to follow the app’s every move. All the techie fans could then be coding their own apps to try and outperform the Kraken GM app. It is the future, so why not start now?
I get that this is hyperbole, but I’ll play along. An “AI app” as you described it would input data such as stats, NHLe, and probably would have also factored in the analysis of several of the most reputable scouts/analysts to try and sort through who the best pick would be. All of which would have led it to the conclusion that the best available pick at #8 was Jake O’Brien (#7 on the Consensus Big Board, #4 on the Data Score).
It’s would be really great if one of the writers on this site somehow did all of the work to compile that data and published it for all of us to look at.
Gold.
As the response feature no longer appears this deep in a thread, I will have to simulate it.
“Chas G on July 2, 2025 at 3:21 pm
I get that this is hyperbole, but I’ll play along. An “AI app” as you described it would input data such as stats, NHLe, and probably would have also factored in the analysis of several of the most reputable scouts/analysts to try and sort through who the best pick would be. All of which would have led it to the conclusion that the best available pick at #8 was Jake O’Brien (#7 on the Consensus Big Board, #4 on the Data Score).
It’s would be really great if one of the writers on this site somehow did all of the work to compile that data and published it for all of us to look at.”
Response from CH:
1. I was referring to all five years of drafting, both expansion and amateur, and all the trades made and UFAs signed, not solely the most recent amateur draft or the drafting of O’Brien, which was fine.
2. What you have said exactly proves the point, that the Kraken GMs do not think outside the box but merely take the consensus, which as TotemforLife recently stated means they take no risks.
3. I’ve published books on generative AI (GAI) and know well what it can do. You?
4. Because GMRF never grew in the job, a simple app could have done what he did. A GAI app that grows in intelligence over time could easily have outperformed him.
5. Much like most humans in current office jobs, if they are not able to exceed the capabilities of a GAI app, they will soon find themselves unemployed.
6. Any other wise responses you wish to make?
Like when they took Ryker Evans with the 35 pick overall and everyone went… Yeah, I mean of course!
The thing the Kraken are most in need of is playmaking forwards that can score, and that’s exactly what they got…by also taking the best player available. He’s 6’2″ and very young for the class, so he’s got plenty of room to fill out his frame as well. Great pick.
I stand corrected – top six was their characterization. I don’t think the draft was a “dreadful mess.” I just think it was an opportunity lost to acquire a real difference maker
The term “Unicorn” gets thrown around way too easily with McQueen. 20 points in 17 games is good in your draft year. It’s not like he had the scoring pace to match what Quinton Byfield did (82 points in 45 games) in his pre-draft season. He’s got good puck skills and a great shot, and people were enamored with is size. Its a stretch to label him as “elite talent” and compare him to Jack Eichel (71 points in 40 games at BU pre-draft year).
O’Brien has been described as having some of the most high end tools and IQ of any prospect in the draft. He’s got a good enough sized frame to grow into, and is generally viewed as a top-6 forward. EP Rinkside does their breakdown on prospects and projects chances of becoming a star in addition to chances of being a full time player. O’Brien (38% chance of becoming a star, 90% chance of being a full time player) vs McQueen (15% chance of becoming a star, 65% chance of becoming a full time player).
If McQueen had put up the numbers of a Byfield, an Eichel, or even a pre-injury Cayden Lindstrom I’d agree with you, take the swing on the skill with the injury risk. But I don’t see elite talent there, I see good talent with great size and a big injury asterisk.
My point wasn’t that 20 points in 17 games was great – project that out over an entire season and that would be “meh.” My point was that he played well enough (after a long layoff) to suggest that he has recovered from his injury (McQueen has stated this much). I still think he’ll be a difference maker,
One thing I found interesting.
Philadelphia swapped picks with Seattle in the second round… and then took an RD just like the Kraken did. For me, some Kraken players are linked to other players through the draft – Catton/Buium, Wright/Slafkovsky, Giordano/Cornato – and now Fiddler/Amico.
McQueen didn’t score 20 after he came back from injury, he got those points at the beginning of the season before going out injured. He came back for a little bit towards the end of season but then went out injured again. Aside from the back injury, there were still questions about his potential, he definitely wouldn’t have been considered a “sure thing.”
Although O’Brien is not as exciting as a pick as maybe a Martone or Martin, I find it really hard to say the Kraken should not have taken him based on what players were available at the time. We will just have to see how he develops. He could turn into a legit top line guy, he could totally flame out… who knows. Seems like every year some super high end can’t miss prospects just don’t pan out, and anyone on here thinks they can predict which players that will be should be working in the scouting department instead of reading some blog.
Regarding McQueen’s scoring I stand corrected. Your snide comment regarding “working in the scouting dept” is assinine, I’m allowed to have an opinion (which of course could be right or wrong).
So the Kraken add O’Brien and Fiddler to their list of future NHLers. Next year, they should have three 1R picks, if they play the Oleksiak trade market just right. That should further beef up the prospect pool, along with the two 1R picks the following year. Let’s hope Tampa Bay begins to suck from next season.
No idea whom of all these prospects current and future will turn into top-end everyday NHLers but the focus really now comes down to the development staff and the strength coach. Those people really have to do a number on these prospects to make sure they are NHL competitive.
Mixing together the five years of amateur drafting, what year will it be before the team is significantly playoff competitive, with the homegrown prospects Mike Vorel says the team needs? Anyone for the 2027-28? How about 2028-29? Or is it not until 2029-30?
Not sure every year I keep pushing it out a few years, trying to be moderately competitive and having the “goal” to make the playoffs is a very dangerous road trip. I wish a few years ago we were willing to trade a few more vets away and focus on developing our prospects. We just marched along signing aging vets, spending to the cap but putting together a bad combination of mostly over paid vets. I feel we had a very good opportunity to get some quality picks but we flushed that away, seriously why was it so important to finish out so strong last season. Think about who was available three picks ahead of us. Boston was still fighting for a playoff berth and ended up below us in the standings. The priorities are just not there with the kraken, we seem to be fighting for something that isn’t achievable with our current roster.
That being said I feel like we have crossed the line where we should not be looking to “rebuild” and we should be focusing on adding pieces. The problem is we are probably going to see teams that were under us in the standings the last few seasons win cups before we do. We are most likely in for a long road of being a middling team, a least we have hockey. I wish we had a more aggressive GM but RF and co won’t last forever.
What prospects were you going to develop “a few years ago”? There wasn’t any… we had like two classes of draft picks of which the overwhelming majority weren’t even close to ready for the NHL. Did you want the Kraken to roll out Firkus three years ago? This doesn’t make any sense.
And by the way, Francis isn’t the GM anymore.
Developing prospects is exactly what they have been doing. They haven’t been surrounding Beniers with crap like Chicago did with Bedard – that seems to be going great – so they could tank for consensus No.1 overall and exceptional status player Shane Wright… oops, they accidentally got him anyway. They haven’t been rushing Shane to the NHL (see every Rangers prospect) so he could “learn” how to play the NHL game. Evans, Kartye and Nyman… all second round, all making that big step.
Giving your young centers veterans to learn from and play with and not rushing guys IS development. Having an AHL program that brings guys along is development.
Tanking… “playing the young guys”… that’s just crossing your fingers and hoping for the best.
Am I now gonna have to hear about how “stupid GMRF/GMJB” don’t know how to develop players and need to be fired? Is that what’s next?
The neighbors to our North have yet to win the cup in their 55 years of existence. They have been close a couple times, but no cigar. I say chances are the Kraken will eventually win one before they do.
Go Kraken!!!
Oh, and it is always funny when they almost win. It’s too bad that Edmonton has been the Canadian team on the wrong end of the Cup Finals these past couple years, because the reaction from fans in Vancouver or Toronto to back-to-back losses would have been priceless.
Yeah, all of Canada actually must be pretty depressed that no team based on their side of the border has won the Cup since “93”
The window for Edmonton may be closing as well with questions about McDavid and his sure to be monstrous contract talks in the near future. Just how all that plays out will be interesting too.
Exactly.
Anaheim blew past us last year, and I would expect them to be better this upcoming season. Ducks’ offseason acquisitions suggest their FO thinks there ready to compete for a playoff spot NOW. Any inference that fans should be patient for 2-3 years to make the playoffs is a dangerous game – it’s not like the teams below (or ahead) of us are sitting still. San Jose and Chicago have been bad for quite awhile, but have good farm systems. Who’s to say they go past us in the next couple of years? And the Kraken shouldn’t act as if their current prospects are the pot at the end of the rainbow – what happens if they’re just not good enough to build a playoff contender and they have no plan beyond that?
Last season the Kraken finished 20 points , the Kraken will to improve significantly relative to every team directly ahead of them – Utah, Calgary, Vancouver, St. Louis. They’ve already added some decent pieces. If the FO added just ONE decent goal scorer I think that would be a huge help. This team has declined significantly the past two years, and yet the fans have been patient. But that won’t last forever. The FO needs to show that they’re paying attention….
I do think the Pacific (the whole western conference actually) really looks tough, but I think one of the worst things a management group can do is let what other teams are doing dictate their building strategy. I can see the utility of considering it when an organization is at an inflection point like whether they should tear it down or double down… but I don’t Seattle as being at that point. If you haven’t been able to recognize what looks like a pretty obvious direction this team has been following from the get go, then you might believe that every day of their existence the Kraken have been at an inflection point and they’ve just been dithering. On the other hand, if you believe what they’ve been saying all along about building the team through the draft and building the culture into everything they do… well then it seems like taking into account what other teams are doing seems, to me, to be a mistake.
Yes of course, be patient, be wise, be prudent, build for the future via the draft. It’s such a cliche. I wonder how many stolid, solid GMs have uttered that phrase.
Sure, it’s good to build through the draft, but every other team does that as well. Of the teams mentioned above, the two that finished below the Kraken last season (Chicago and San Jose) and Minnesota have farm systems ranked consistently in the top 5 by multiple sources. Utah’s farm system is consistently in the top 10. Seattle is in the 10-12 range. Getting to the playoffs requires the Kraken to move past teams ahead of them, and not let others leapfrog them; their current farm system may not provide any advantage in that regard.
My definition of tipping (inflection) point differs from yours – I simply want the team to have a reasonably chance to compete for a wildcard spot. Adding just one more skilled goal scorer (in addition to McCann) would really help. Separating them could create two lines with legit scoring ability and create more difficult matchups for opposing teams. After next season Eberle (35) and Schwartz (33) will be gone, so this doesn’t in any way block out or impair the development of home-grown forward prospects.
The ancillary benefit (from the above) would be the message it sends to veteran players. If you want any chance to retain upcoming UFAs (Tolvanen, Marchment) the FO had better demonstrate the team is at least TRYING to be competitive. Veterans want to be part of a winning organization – they don’t give a flying shit about the Kraken’s prospect pool.
It will be a terrible look if RF/GMJB sit on their thumbs and the team struggles again, which right now seems a likely scenario. But if all their eggs are in that one (prospect) basket the team could be BAD for the next two seasons at least. And if the prospect pool disappoints, add another 3+ years on top of that. The fanbase won’t and shouldn’t tolerate that. At some point Samantha Holloway would have to step in and clean house. I hope she’s not too patient.
What scorer who is in the neighborhood of Jared McCann is available out there? There is Patrik Laine if you don’t mind picking up an $8.7 million contract this year (it reminds one of what an otherworldly bargain Jared McCann’s contract is for the team), but you have to expect that he is not going to play for more than half the season. Seattle is probably not on his no-trade list. Montreal might even give him up for free, given their cap situation. He does not seem like the guy you want around when you are trying to build a culture of effort and responsibility, but he can score. He is a traffic cone on defense, but he isn’t more of a liability than, say, Brock Boeser is. Would you do it? Or would you hang on to the cap space and hope for some unforeseeable issue to pop up during the season where a team desperately needs to dump a contract?
I think firing the coach and shaking up the front office is sending a message. I think going out and getting the No.1 defenseman and the No.2 center in free agency is sending a message. I think trading for Kakko is sending a message. I think not tearing it down to the studs – like some folks have been calling for – is sending a message. But I also think to do it right takes time.
I was listening to a podcast on the Athletic today and the folks were talking about Chicago. They couldn’t believe they weren’t adding pieces and pushing forward and they pointed to the Ducks. At some point, they said, you’ve got to go for it… like the Ducks. The Ducks have finished sixth or worst in the Pacific for seven straight years. Building it up takes time.
I think it would be great if they could make a big deal and land a big name. I think it would be great if they could push for the playoffs and give fans something to cheer for… but not if it means turning into LA. It wasn’t long ago they had the No.1 prospect pool in the entire league and then they decided to push past a couple teams in their division and get themselves into the playoffs sooner rather than later. As it stands right now I’d say they’re a team on the decline… already.
Our definitions do differ. I’d like them to make the playoffs for sure, but I want them to be in a position to not only maintain a playoff caliber team, but also one that can actually compete for a Cup. They might have the guys they need to do that on this team right now – Buffalo had those guys at one point – but no move they could make this off-season is going to make them into that team next season. At least that how I see it.
I was never suggesting a “MM” type of player. Above I mentioned “one decent goal scorer.” In earlier posts I suggested Alex Tuch would have been a great acquisition and Brock Boeser would have been a good player to target. Both no longer options, obviously.
The age callout is an interesting one. Basically we have kids a draft class younger than some of the teams. Seeing how much stronger a lot of players are the year after they are drafted it shows how big 6-12 months of development can be.
It will be interesting if we start holding off on signing some of these younger guys who won’t be AHL eligible like Wright/Catton. Instead guiding them to go the NCAA route – maybe even helping direct them to teams who have more pro style approaches.
Well said Smitty, couldn’t agree more on both accounts… but especially on the NCAA with the defensemen. As someone was pointing out the other day, every one of the very top young defensemen in the league came out of college. Quinn and Makar both went back for two years. With the amout of time it takes to develop defensemen I think the structure of less games, more practice, and older opponents really helps somehow… just a thought.
Good to see all the enthusiasm coming from the kids from the Development camp. From the videos I have seen they seem very happy and having a great time and learning experience. Even Jake O’Brien whom looked kind of disappointed at the draft is now happily speaking pretty positively and really glad to be here….
Late to the party, just like Loke Krantz who is an intriguing pick. How unusual is it to draft this far ‘down’ (based on Curtis’ big board)? Did any other teams select a player unconsidered by major analysts?
Don’t know anything about him and really don’t see much in the way of scouting, just curious what you like about him.
I don’t know anything about him. I meant I was late to comment in this thread, the same as Krantz was a late draft pick. My bad turn of phrase. I thought it was interesting to select someone nobody else appears to have considered. Good luck to him.
Just heard Friedman say Tambelini is being considered for an assistant general manager job in Tampa Bay… yikes!