SEATTLE – Shane Wright said it best this week when describing how hearing his name called at the NHL Draft fulfilled a childhood dream. He’s right, and most of the players participating in the Seattle Kraken’s first development camp lived that dream out in some way. They heard their names called, and those in attendance at the draft got to pull an NHL jersey over their heads and pose for pictures.
Kraken prospect Tye Kartye didn’t get to live out that dream, but the forward was at camp this week with an NHL contract in his back pocket.
“There’s a lot of different paths,” Kartye said after the final day of development camp.
He was passed up by the NHL, first in 2019 after scoring four goals and 24 points for the Ontario Hockey League’s Soo Greyhounds. The following season he scored 26 goals but was passed up again as well as in 2021 when the OHL shut down due to the COVID pandemic.
“The first year I went through it, I don’t think I deserved to get drafted. So obviously it’s disappointing, but I kind of saw it coming,” Kartye, 21, said. “Then got passed up again and that was after a good season. That was a little more disappointing.”
While they didn’t draft him, the Kraken were interested enough and invited him to their training camp last fall. He said it didn’t take long to say yes to the invite.
Kartye gets Kraken camp invite
He played well in camp before last season, just hoping to expose the Kraken to his skill and leave an impression. Eventually he was returned to the Greyhounds for his final year of junior with no promises of where he would play in 2022-23.
“It was kind of like ‘you did a good job, and we’ll keep watching you,’” he said about the message Seattle gave him. “That obviously gave a boost to your confidence after a good camp. So, I kept that going through the start of the year.”
Armed with renewed confidence and positive encouragement from his coaches with the Greyhounds, Kartye had a good 2021-22 season. His coaches reminded him to keep grinding, knowing that his path to pro hockey was far from over.
He responded with a monster season, scoring 45 goals with 34 assists for 79 points in 63 games, good for fourth in the league scoring race.
“Everything came together for me, and the hard work for the first four years really paid off in that year,” Kartye said. “Just being older doesn’t mean you’re gonna have a good year. You look at the league and there’s guys throughout the league who are 20 and don’t live up to expectations. I definitely think that part of it was having the experience, but there’s a lot of other factors that went into that as well.”
It turns out that the Kraken were watching and started checking in with him around the holidays.
Signing his first NHL contract
Impressed, Seattle offered him an entry-level contract in early March.
“I was just ecstatic because this is what you’ve been trying to do for your whole junior career and you never know if it’s gonna happen,” Kartye said. “When you finally get that call with the offer. It’s a pretty special day.”
Getting signed is exciting enough, but when it comes from a hall-of-famer like Kraken general manager Ron Francis, who just happened to play his junior hockey for the same Soo Greyhounds franchise, it’s a little extra special.
“He’s a legend in the Soo,” Kartye said with a smile. “The rink is on Ron Francis Way.”
Kartye, who is listed at 6-foot-1 and 199 pounds, had a good showing at development camp. It was highlighted by him scoring a goal during the team’s midweek scrimmage.
He likely will start the season in the American Hockey League with the Coachella Valley Firebirds for his first pro hockey experience. Growing up in Ontario, he’s not familiar with the Valley but has heard about the weather and, as a golfer, is going to bring his clubs with him.
Expect to see Kartye at Kraken training camp in the fall, and since the Firebirds are starting their season in Seattle, he’ll be around one way or another. Even though he has a signed contract, Kartye isn’t taking things like development camp for granted.
“I’m just taking all the things I learned here and trying to implement them throughout the summer,” he said. “Just trying to be the best player I can be for training camp.”
It remains to be seen how much NHL time he’ll get, but Kartye is an example for younger players. He’s proved that even if you’re overlooked and passed up in the draft, that doesn’t mean giving up on pro hockey dreams.
“I would always tell the younger guys on my team in their draft year this is what happened to me,” Kartye said. “I had a good year and was one of the leaders on the team, so I tried to just implement to the young guys that the draft is not the be-all end-all. Obviously, everyone wants to get drafted and that’s your first option. But if it doesn’t work out, it’s definitely not the end of the road. There’s a lot of different paths.”
Day one of free agency promises a frenzy of activity around the NHL, and in Seattle we were not disappointed. It is true that some of the higher profile names did not end up with the Kraken (at least not yet). Johnny Gaudreau opted to sign elsewhere and defenseman John Klingberg went through the day without an agreement.
But the Kraken were nonetheless heavily involved in free agency, signing a total of nine free agents to contracts within the first eight hours. In addition to reshaping the NHL roster, general manager Ron Francis and his staff were hard at work building up a depth chart of players to man the inaugural season of the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
So, what happened on day one? Where do we stand? And what might be next for Seattle? Let’s dive in.
Recapping day one of free agency
The Kraken signed the following free agents within hours of the opening bell of NHL free agency:
C Andrew Poturalski, 28, signed a two-year, $762,500 AAV deal. The right-shot forward had 28 goals and 73 assists in 71 regular season games for the Chicago Wolves (AHL) last year, becoming the first player to score more than 100 points in the AHL in 12 years. Poturalski scored another 23 points in 18 post-season games en route to a Calder Cup with the Wolves. His deal is a one-way deal, meaning he will make NHL dollars even if he is sent to the AHL.
G Magnus Hellberg, 31, signed a one-year, $750,000 AAV contract. Hellberg played for a few club teams last year, but most of his time came with Sochi (KHL). He posted a 2.42 GAA and 0.917 save percentage in Sochi. Hellberg has appeared in five NHL games with the Rangers, Predators, and Red Wings. His contract is also a one-way deal.
C/LW Cameron Hughes, 25, signed a two-year, two-way contract. Hughes had 14 goals and 21 assists in 2021-22 with the Providence Bruins (AHL).
RW Austin Poganski, 26, signed a one-year, two-way contract. Poganski appeared in 16 games for the Winnipeg Jets last year but did not record a point. He scored nine goals and 21 assists during the remainder of his 2021-22 season with the Manitoba Moose (AHL).
And that wasn’t all the Kraken accomplished on a busy July 13. The team also signed draftees Shane Wright, Ryan Winterton, and Jacob Melanson to entry-level contracts.
Stacking the depth chart
After the aforementioned moves, here is a quick snapshot of the organizational depth chart (names in italics signed to AHL contracts):
Roles are not yet defined. For example, I have not heard one member of the Kraken organization suggest that Shane Wright could play on the wing this year if he sticks with Seattle. This is just my speculation, in part inspired by the depth at center, (lack of) depth on the right side, and scouting reports on Wright’s defense.
And there is certainly more work that needs to get done to round out these depth charts. (More on this below.) But this is a tremendous amount of roster building achieved in just one day, especially for the new team in Coachella Valley. Impressive work by the Seattle staff.
Resetting Seattle’s needs and opportunities going into day two
After these first-day moves, the Kraken have $10.61 million in cap space. And restricted free agents Cale Fleury, Morgan Geekie, Kole Lind, and Carsen Twarynski remain to be signed. Assuming Fleury, Geekie, and Lind make the NHL team, I will allocate $3 million of cap space to those players, leaving $7.61 million to spend.
The team could theoretically spend even more than that by moving Chris Driedger’s $3.5 million cap hit onto Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) before the season starts. But I doubt the team will want to hamstring its flexibility in that way. In fact, I expect they probably wouldn’t want to get closer than $3 million or so under the cap. Still, this leaves a good chunk of change for additional business.
The team has a vacancy on the NHL roster for at least one more forward, and perhaps more than one forward if Kole Lind is sent through waivers to the AHL or Joonas Donskoi is bought out or traded. On the blue line, the team could add another piece and waive Cale Fleury after camp, or stand pat.
Returning to my pre-free-agency team needs, I identified five NHL-level needs. Four of those needs have been addressed, at least in some form:
Top-nine LW: Andre Burakovsky signed
Top-nine RW: Not addressed
Top-four RD: Justin Schultz signed
backup goalie: Martin Jones signed
Depth center: Andrew Poturalski signed
So, the team could still use a winger that can score from the right side. Who fits the profile and Seattle’s remaining budget? Let’s run down a few options.
Evan Rodrigues. The former Penguin’s days are likely over in Pittsburgh given the cap crunch there. Rodrigues, 28, tallied 18 goals and 43 points in his breakout 2021-22 campaign. His underlying analytics are sound, and I liked what I saw in the few viewing opportunities I had last season. Evolving Hockey projects a three-year, $3 million deal for Rodrigues. If his ask comes down into this range, that contract is a quick and easy “yes” for me as (mock) Kraken general manager.
Jesse Puljujarvi. Puljujarvi is a restricted free agent qualified by Edmonton. But a trade remains likely here. I think he would be a strong compliment to the other members the Kraken top nine who play more of skill-oriented game. Puljujarvi’s ability to drive play as a power forward would be a boon for the Kraken. Evolving Hockey projects his AAV on a new contract above $4 million. Even if he hits that number, the Kraken can handle it with their remaining cap space.
Calle Jarnkrok. Old friend Jarnkrok struggled early on in his Kraken tenure for various reasons, but there was a long stretch last winter when he played like the best Kraken forward. Evolving Hockey projects a four-year, $4 million AAV deal. I would not encourage the Kraken to go to that number, but on a shorter term, modest AAV deal, I would welcome the reunion.
Instead the Kraken could target one of several intriguing left wingers that remain on the market with the plan of playing Burakovsky (or another player) on his off wing. Notable left wings remaining on the market include Dylan Strome (though he may be better at center), Sonny Milano, and Danton Heinen.
Alternatively, or in addition, the Kraken could use some of their remaining cap space to target another puck-moving defenseman. If, for example, RD John Klingberg could be signed to a two year, $5 million AAV contract because his high-end market did not materialize, I would be interested in that. I would also continue to entertain the prospect of bringing RD Ethan Bear back to Seattle in a trade with Carolina. With Adam Larsson and Justin Schultz ahead of him on the depth chart, Bear could take on low-stress third-pair minutes to start.
What did you think of day one of free agency? Anything you would like to see on day two? Let us know in the comments below or reach out to us on Twitter.
Before the opening bell of free agency, it was reported that Seattle was linked to goalie Martin Jones, and then quickly confirmed by some sources. The Kraken later confirmed the signing.
What is the deal?
Martin Jones signed a one-year deal with the Kraken worth $2 million.
Player profile
Age: 32 Birthdate; Jan. 10, 1990 Birthplace: North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Height: 6’4″ Weight: 190 lbs Catches: Left Experience: 396 games played in the NHL; 327 games played with the Sharks where he was the primary starter from 2015-2019.
Recent statistics
Seson
Team
Games Played
Goals Against Average
Save Percentage
2019-20
San Jose Sharks
41
3
0.896
2020-21
San Jose Sharks
34
3.28
0.896
2021-22
Philadelphia Flyers
35
3.42
0.900
What do the analytics say?
In 2021-22, Martin Joes saved -11.25 goals above expected, per Evolving Hockey, and -9.4 goals above expected, per MoneyPuck.
Chris Driedger (IR/expected back in February or March 2023)
With Chris Driedger starting the season on IR and with Coachella Valley starting play this year, the Kraken need to add (at least) two goaltenders that could hypothetically perform at the NHL level in order to fill out their NHL-AHL depth chart. Martin Jones would seem to fill one of those spots. Whether it is at the NHL level or AHL level remains to be seen, but the contract suggests it would be at the NHL level.
Seattle also announced it had signed Magnus Hellberg on Wednesday, who will surely be bound for the Firebirds.
Where do the Kraken go from here?
I identified five needs before the draft: (1) left wing, (2) right wing, (3) right defense, (4) backup goalie, (5) depth center. This checks box number 4. The Kraken have also addressed defense with right-shot blueliner Justin Schultz and a need on the wing with Andre Burakovksy. The Kraken’s focus will be on adding skaters in the remaining need areas.
Media reaction
Immediate reaction about the signing from media-types was less than enthusiastic about the signing. I would caution against jumping to any conclusions without knowing how everything fits together. Martin Jones is just one piece of the puzzle.
Jones, 32, has a .897 SV% over 172 games across the last four seasons.
It appears he is still considered a credible candidate for regular NHL work. https://t.co/3JrURksjLP
UPDATE: This signing was confirmed by the Seattle Kraken at 2:00 pm PT on July 13, 2022.
What is the deal?
Andre Burakovsky has reportedly agreed to sign a five-year deal with the Kraken worth $5.5 million AAV.
Player profile
Age: 27 Born:Feb. 9, 1995 Birthplace: Klagenfurt, Austria Nationality:Sweden/Austria Height: 6’3″ Weight: 201 lbs Shoots: Left
Recent statistics
Year
Team
GP
G
A
TP
PIM
Plus-minus
2019-20
Colorado Avalanche
58
20
25
45
22
11
2020-21
Colorado Avalanche
53
19
25
44
10
4
2021-22
Colorado Avalanche
80
22
39
61
18
12
What do the analytics say?
I have written about Andre Burakovsky’s analytics profile in the past, particularly as a comparable for Jared McCann. The offensive contributions he will bring may be similar to McCann, though the defense is not quite as strong.
The Kraken’s NHL left wing depth chart looks like this:
Jared McCann
Jaden Schwartz
Brandon Tanev
If slotted on the left side, Burakovsky would fall somewhere in the top-nine, likely on the second line. It is also possible he could factor into the top-nine on the right side, his off wing, depending on other moves. Our own John Barr identified Andre Burakovsky as a fit. Burakovsky was my number one forward target after Johnny Gaudreau. This has been my view for a while.
Where do the Kraken go from here?
I identified five needs before the draft: (1) left wing, (2) right wing, (3) right defense, (4) backup goalie, (5) depth center. This checks box number 1. The Kraken have also reportedly addressed defense with right-shot blueliner Justin Schultz and backup goalie with Martin Jones.
Shortly after the bell rang opening free agency, the Seattle Kraken reportedly signed right-shot defenseman Justin Schultz. There has not yet been an official announcement from the team.
What is the deal?
According to Elliotte Friedman, Schultz has signed a two-year deal, in the neighborhood of $3 million AAV.
UPDATE: The team confirmed that the AAV is $3 million at 3:17 pm on July 13, 2022.
Evolving Hockey projects Justin Schultz at approximately replacement level in 2022-23, but he has contributed positive value as a power play quarterback, which is a need for the Kraken.
The Kraken’s right-shot defense NHL depth chart looks like this:
Adam Larsson
Will Borgen
Cale Fleury (received qualifying offer)
The Kraken were lacking a top-four right-shot defenseman. It was a priority to add one this offseason, as we wrote about yesterday. With Schultz added to that mix, Will Borgen and Cale Fleury are left to compete for the third-pairing role. Schultz may not be an elite producer any longer, but there is a reasonable chance that he provides solid second-pairing production. The Kraken need more transition and passing skill on the blue line. These are Justin Schultz’s strengths.
