Welcome to Year 4 of the Sound Of Hockey Big Board. As we did last year, we’re kicking off our NHL Draft coverage midway through the hockey season with a “mid-season” version of the Big Board.
What is the Big Board? It’s a composite ranking of 2026 NHL Draft–eligible prospects based on reputable draft analyst and public scouting service lists—in this case, lists published midway through the season to account for draft-year performance. Put differently, it’s a list designed to provide the current, mid-season “public consensus” on the top players in the draft.
The Big Board does not contain any prospect-specific subjective assessments from us here at Sound Of Hockey. If you’d like a little more information on our methodology, check out our 2024 NHL Draft Big Board post.
We used the following nine sources to build the mid-season Big Board:
NHL Central Scouting just published its landmark midseason list last week, on Monday, Jan. 12. Some of the other sources referenced above are even more recent, while others date back about a month to December, 2025. It goes without saying that those earlier lists do not have the benefit of more recent gameplay or injury information. Accordingly, this list should be taken as only a rough approximation of a prospect’s current standing. Season-end lists are far more definitive.
As we progress through the remainder of the draft season, you can expect the same coverage you’ve come to know from us here at Sound Of Hockey in the past. Want our watchlist of prospects based on our “Data Score” method? We published a preseason version here, and we’ll have a final 2026 version for you soon after prospect regular seasons end.
We’ll then culminate our coverage with the final 2026 NHL Draft Big Board in June, as always.
The 2026 Sound Of Hockey Big Board – mid-season edition
All 411 players ranked by the nine sources above make up our mid-season Big Board. As you scroll across, you will see the rankings from the various sources we compiled. If a source ranking is behind a paywall, such as Scott Wheeler’s ranking for The Athletic, we have omitted it from the chart. We used those paywalled rankings to develop the composite list, but will not be sharing subscriber-only individual rankings.
Trends and takeaways
Overall, this draft appears to have more balance and depth than last year’s class, which skewed heavily toward Canadian junior forwards. The Big Board has nine Europeans within the top 32 overall prospects, whereas last year only three (including one surprise Russian goalie) were drafted in Round 1.
Six of the top 12 players on this Board are defensemen, whereas only two blueliners were drafted with the top 13 picks in 2025. Overall, there are 10 defensemen in the top 32 here. Only eight were drafted in the first round last year.
The talking point coming into the year was that this would be “The Gavin McKenna Draft.” Yet, a few months into a college hockey season that many have found uninspiring, McKenna has fallen behind fellow undersized winger Ivar Stenberg for the top spot in this mid-season snapshot.
McKenna is a perimeter player with some similar traits to his cousin Connor Bedard, and I think he is simply working through a higher level of competition earlier than Bedard did. As we have seen with Bedard at the NHL level, it can take time to rewire a junior-oriented skill game. Still, I haven’t seen enough to dislodge McKenna from the top spot personally, even if the gap has narrowed somewhat.
Ryan Roobroeck has piled up points in the OHL for three years now and has size to go with it, but analysts have soured on the prospect’s competitiveness and drive—to the extent that he barely factors into the first-round mix at this point. While McKenna’s fall from No. 1 is the most notable development, Roobroeck’s diving stock is likely the most disappointing storyline so far this season. (That said, it is very easy to imagine a team getting a steal with him or J.P. Hurlbert, another prolific junior scorer, late in the first round.)
A top goalie has not yet emerged in this class. Tobias Trejbal of the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms is the highest-ranked netminder on the Big Board at No. 61 overall. Brady Knowling from the U.S. National Team Development Program, and Dmitri Borchev of the Russian junior league, appear to be in a similar tier. It will be interesting to track how the goalie market evolves over the next few months leading into the draft.
This year’s draft doesn’t have quite as much local flair as the last few drafts did. That said, there are several current and former players on Washington State’s WHL teams that project to be drafted, including Mathis Preston (who would be a steal at No. 18 in the draft), Jakub Vanecek (No. 48, Tri-City Americans), Chase Harrington (No. 68, Spokane Chiefs), Brek Liske (No. 82, Everett Silvertips), and Noah Kosick (No. 120, Seattle Thunderbirds).
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If you have draft- or coverage-related questions, drop us a note below or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @deepseahockey or @sound_hockey or on Bluesky @deepseahockey or @soundofhockey.com.
Header photo: Chase Harrington of the Spokane Chiefs plays in a game against the Seattle Thunderbirds. Photo/Brian Liesse, courtesy of the Seattle Thunderbirds.
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.
Welcome to the Sound Of Hockey NHL Draft Live Blog! The Seattle Kraken enter Day 2 of the NHL Draft with four picks—barring any trades, that’s the fewest selections they’ve had in any draft in their five-year history.
We’ll be updating this post throughout the day as the Kraken make their picks. The most recent updates will appear at the top, so scroll down if you want to catch up on earlier news.
If you missed Seattle’s first-round selection of Jake O’Brien on Friday, you can check out our profile on him here.
2:06 PM: Round 7 is complete and the draft is done
1:59 PM: The Seattle Kraken draft Loke Krantz
With their final pick in the NHL Draft, the Seattle Kraken selected another Swede, this time, it was Loke Krantz from the Linköping HC junior team. He tallied 12 goals and 5 assists in 44 games with the J20 squad.
1:36 PM: The Seattle Kraken draft Karl Annborn
With their first newly acquired draft pick, the Kraken selected defenseman Karl Annborn from the HV71 junior team. Annborn is considered a balanced defenseman with a broad set of skills. He recorded 3 goals and 21 assists last season while playing for the HV71 J20 team.
1:25 PM: Seattle Kraken trade their 7th round pick
The Kraken traded the 198th overall pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for the 205th and 218th picks, both seventh-rounders in this year’s draft.
1:18 PM: Round 6 is complete
Draft is flying right now. Here are the picks from Round 6.
12:48 PM: Round 5 is complete
12:18 PM The Seattle Kraken draft Russian defender Maxim Agafonov
For only the second time in franchise history, the Seattle Kraken selected a Russian player, taking Maxim Agafonov with the 134th overall pick (goalie Semyon Vyazovoy was the other one in 2021). He’s currently playing for Ufa’s junior team in the Russian junior league, where he posted 14 points in 35 games this past season.
12:22 AM: Round 4 is complete
11:22 AM: Round 3 is complete
The Spokane Chiefs made their first pick of the 2025 Draft when Owen Martin was selected 92nd overall by Winnipeg. Here is the rest of Round 4.
11:02 AM: Kraken second-round selection Blake Fiddler speaks to the media
Blake Fiddler spoke to the Seattle media via Zoom after being selected 36th overall. Here are a few quotes from his media availability.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling, such a great organization. I couldn’t be happier to go to a team that seems like they wanted me, and I couldn’t be more thankful.
“A little bit emotional the past couple days, but it’s awesome to finally be picked.”
“I’m a rangy, two-way D-man that skates really well, especially for my size. I think that I use my legs all over the ice, I defend, good gaps, I can play heavy minutes, shut down top teams, and I have skills, so I’m able to use it offensively.”
10:31 AM: The Kraken select Will Reynolds
Will Reynolds is one of the younger players in this draft class, with an August birthday. He’s considered a shutdown defenseman with plenty of upside. He currently plays for the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in the QMJHL, though the team is relocating to Newfoundland next season. He had 4 goals and 14 assists last season.
With the 68th pick overall in the 2025 @NHL Draft the #SeaKraken select Will Reynolds.
Fiddler is a big defenseman for the Edmonton Oil Kings. He is the son of former NHLer Vernon Fiddler. Most analysts had Fiddler ranked late in the first round.
9:26 AM: We have a Seattle Kraken trade!!!
The Seattle Kraken traded the 36th and the 68th overall pick to the Philadelphia Flyers for the 36th and 38th pick. All picks are part of this draft.
As of now, the Kraken have four picks to start the day. Here is how they are distributed.
8:50 AM: T-minus 10 minutes until the start of Day 2
We’re back for Rounds 2 through 7 of the 2025 NHL Draft! If you missed last night’s four-hour-plus production, here are a few quick tidbits to get you up to speed.
The Seattle Kraken selected Jake O’Brien, marking the fourth time they’ve drafted a center in the first round in their five-year history. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one scouring the internet for highlight reels of O’Brien—here’s one of my favorites:
The Seattle Thunderbirds had a big night with two players taken in the first round: Radim Mrtka (9th overall) and Braeden Cootes (15th). The last time Seattle had two first-rounders was back in 2022, when Kevin Korchinski (7) and Reid Schaefer (32) were picked.
The CHL led the way with 21 players selected in the first round, the league’s strongest showing since 2013.
Canada was well represented too, with 20 Canadian-born players drafted in the opening round, the most in a first round since all the way back in 1987.
As for surprises? There weren’t many. Most players went right around where public rankings had them pegged.
Not draft related, but another piece of big news was that Philipp Grubauer will not be bought out.
Jason Botterill just confirmed that Philipp Grubauer will be back next season. #SeaKraken
We’re at that point in the season when the Seattle Kraken are playing games that no longer have playoff implications. I still enjoy tuning in, but it’s undeniably more fun when they win or battle hard in close contests.
The decreasing importance of the games got us at Sound Of Hockey thinking about how to prevent tanking in the NHL—the act of deliberately icing a subpar roster in hopes of losing and landing a higher draft pick.
Let’s walk through the pros and cons of tanking, and explore some ideas to prevent it.
NHL Entry Draft
Prior to the 1995-96 season, draft position was solely based on the previous season’s standings. The last-place team automatically got the first pick, effectively rewarding teams for tanking. So in 1995, the NHL introduced the draft lottery to curb that trend.
Today, all 16 non-playoff teams are entered into the draft lottery. The last-place team has a 25.5 percent chance at the first overall pick, with the odds decreasing incrementally up to the 17th-place team, which has a 0.5 percent chance. However, teams can only move up a maximum of 10 spots. So, for example, if the 14th-place team is drawn first, they only jump to the fourth overall pick, and the last-place team retains the first overall selection.
Two lottery draws are made: one for the first overall pick and one for the second. The remaining picks are slotted in based on the final standings.
This system is designed to help teams at the bottom rebuild by drafting the top players. A key benefit is that it adds unpredictability to the draft order, keeping hope alive for teams just outside the playoffs. But the downside is clear: bottom teams still have the best odds, and teams that barely miss the playoffs often end up stuck in the murky middle.
Rewarded for losing
Under the current system, the last-place team is guaranteed a top-three pick and holds the best odds to land the first overall selection. It’s an improvement over the pre-lottery format, but the core issue remains: the worst teams are still rewarded more than those who narrowly miss the playoffs.
The Kraken have yet to pick first overall in their young history, but they’ve benefited from the system. In their inaugural season, a postponed game, originally scheduled for April 13, against the Winnipeg Jets was rescheduled to May 1—after the NHL playoffs had already begun. The Kraken held a 3-1 lead after two periods, but Winnipeg stormed back with three goals in 4:16 to win 4-3. It looked like a meaningless game, but the outcome mattered. A Kraken win would have meant finishing 28th; a loss placed them 29th. That one loss kept them below the Philadelphia Flyers and ahead of them in the draft order. The New Jersey Devils eventually won the second lottery draw, bumping Seattle to the fourth overall pick.
With the fourth overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, the Kraken selected Shane Wright. Had they won that final game, they would have picked fifth, and Wright might be wearing orange as a Philadelphia Flyer. As of March 25, Wright leads all 2022 first-round picks in career points per 60 minutes at 2.481. Logan Cooley ranks second at 2.410.
I’m not saying Seattle tanked during its inaugural season—playoff expectations were high after Vegas’s expansion success—but it’s a good example of how losing can still be rewarded under the current system.
Burn Point Threshold
I love the competitive nature of hockey and want teams to strive for wins without being penalized for it. While the current lottery discourages blatant tanking, it still rewards losing and punishes late-season wins, leaving teams stuck between integrity and draft position.
Enter the Burn Point Threshold, or BPT—a system I created to eliminate tanking incentives while still supporting struggling teams.
Under BPT, all 16 non-playoff teams enter the draft lottery with equal odds—one entry each, no weighted balls, no rewards for finishing lower. The draft order is then shaped by a point-based threshold.
Here’s how it works:
Each non-playoff team is assigned “burn points” (BP) on a sliding scale based on standings: 32nd place gets one point, 31st gets two points, 30th gets three points, and so on up to 17th place, which gets 16 points.
The lottery draws teams at random, one at a time.
As teams are drawn, their burn points are subtracted from a 16-point threshold.
Once the burn total reaches or exceeds 16, the lottery ends.
The drawn teams receive the top picks in the order selected. Remaining teams are slotted in by reverse standings starting after the last lottery pick. In this system, the number of lottery picks is dynamic. If a playoff bubble team draws the first overall pick, the draft ends sooner, allowing lower teams to still get decent selections. But if teams near the bottom of the standings are drawn, the lottery continues until the point threshold is met or exceeded. This levels the playing field by giving equal odds to all non-playoff teams, reducing the incentive to finish last.
Burn Point Threshold examples
Here are a couple of examples of how a draft could play out:
Let’s say the 24th-place team (nine BP), the 27th-place team (six BP), and the 31st-place team (two BP) are drawn. That adds up to 17 burn points—lottery over. Those teams pick first, second, and third in the order they were drawn. The 32nd-place team would pick fourth overall.
In a separate scenario, the 17th-place team (16 BP) hits on the first draw. The lottery ends immediately. That team picks first overall, and the rest of the draft proceeds in reverse standings order, starting with the 32nd-place team picking second overall.
Data for Burn Point Threshold
We simulated 10,000 draft lotteries to test fairness and function.
In BPT, every non-playoff team has an equal shot at the first overall pick. But since the lottery ends at 16 burn points, the two last-place teams never will get less than a sixth overall pick and 99.3 percent of the time will get a top-five pick. It’s not a flat-odds system—it’s a fair-odds system.
Here are the percentages for each pick in the 10,000 draft simulations.
Pros of Burn Point Threshold
The BPT model brings a dynamic element to the draft process, introducing an increased level of unpredictability while ensuring teams aren’t penalized for competing and winning. All non-playoff teams start on equal footing while still guaranteeing the last-place team a top-six pick through the burn point structure.
It strikes a balance between fairness and function—every team gets a chance, but those who struggled still have an opportunity to land a high pick. The result is a draft system that rewards effort and maintains meaningful competition until the final horn of the season.
Tweaking the BPT model
One of the strengths of the Burn Point Threshold (BPT) system is its flexibility. The core structure—equal odds, a point-based cutoff, and reverse-standings fallback—provides a solid foundation to build on. Here are two simple, impactful ways to tweak BPT without compromising its integrity:
16+1 Rule: Requires one additional team to be drawn after the 16-point threshold is reached, guaranteeing at least two lottery winners and adding a little extra suspense to the process.
Adjustable Threshold: Raising the burn point threshold (to 20, 24, etc.) increases the number of lottery picks and spreads top selections more evenly. Lower thresholds keep the lottery shorter and offer greater protection for the league’s worst teams. I used 16 points in the initial model to emphasize support for struggling teams. But the threshold is fully adjustable. If tanking remains a concern, the league can raise the threshold. This extends the lottery, adds unpredictability, and makes it harder to game the system. At the same time, it gives the league control over how broadly top picks are distributed.
Here is how the draft pick odds change when using 24 BP, instead of 16 (10,000 simulations):
Other options to prevent tanking
There are several other proposals aimed at discouraging tanking while still supporting struggling teams. While we won’t dive into all of them here, two of the more popular ideas are “The Gold Plan” and a single-elimination tournament.
The Gold Plan
“The Gold Plan” was created by Adam Gold, hence the name. This idea awards draft order based on performance after a team is mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. The more points a team earns after elimination, the higher their draft position.
It adds competitive meaning to late-season games and may encourage teams to retain key players instead of offloading them at the trade deadline. However, one drawback is that it could incentivize teams to tank earlier in the season just to reach elimination sooner and start banking points.
Another idea is a March Madness-style bracket for all non-playoff teams to determine draft order. It’s exciting in theory but raises concerns. Would players risk injury in meaningless games? Would expiring-contract players want to jeopardize future deals? This concept is fun on paper, but it would be tough to implement in practice.
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it
Some fans are fine with tanking and think the current system works. Tanking doesn’t guarantee the first overall pick—just better odds. And it helps bad teams rebuild through the draft. That said, rewarding losses feels flawed. Systems like BPT and The Gold Plan offer a way to level the field without incentivizing losing.
Is tanking a problem in the NHL?
Tanking remains one of the most polarizing aspects of professional sports—especially in leagues like the NHL, where a single draft pick can reshape a franchise’s future when a generational talent enters the mix. While the current system tries to discourage tanking, it still leaves room for strategic underperformance. Fans want to see their teams compete every night—not quietly fold for the sake of odds.
That’s why proposals like the Burn Point Threshold or The Gold Plan deserve consideration. Both aim to reward effort, not apathy, while still helping weaker teams restock talent. Whether it’s a dynamic lottery cap or a post-elimination points race, these systems offer fresh ways to reshape the draft without penalizing teams for playing hard.
What are your thoughts? Should the NHL explore bold changes to prevent tanking? Would you prefer something like BPT or The Gold Plan, or does the current system work well enough?
Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Blaiz Grubic
Blaiz Grubic is a contributor at Sound Of Hockey. A passionate hockey fan and player for over 30 years, Blaiz grew up in the Pacific Northwest and is an alumni of Washington State University (Go Cougs!). When he’s not playing, watching, or writing about hockey, he enjoys quality time with his wife and daughter or getting out on a golf course for a quick round. Follow @blaizg on BlueSky or X.
Welcome to Year 3 of the Sound Of Hockey Big Board. As we did last year, we’re kicking off our NHL Draft coverage midway through the hockey season with a “mid-season” version of the Big Board.
What is the Big Board? It’s a composite ranking of 2025 NHL Draft-eligible prospects based on reputable draft analyst and public scouting service lists—in this case, lists published midway through this season to account for draft-year performance. Put differently, it’s a list designed to provide the current, mid-season “public consensus” on the top players in the draft.
The Big Board does not contain any prospect-specific subjective assessments from us here at Sound Of Hockey. If you’d like a little more information on our methodology, check out our 2024 NHL Draft Big Board post.
We used the following 10 sources to build the mid-season Big Board:
NHL Central Scouting just published its landmark midseason list earlier this week on Tuesday, Jan. 14. Others are not as recent, with some dating back to November or December, 2024. It goes without saying that those earlier lists do not have the advantage of recent gameplay or injury information. Accordingly, this list should be taken as only a rough approximation of a prospect’s current standing. (For example, I suspect Matthew Schaefer might be the No.1 overall prospect if you asked the same group of analysts today, notwithstanding his injury at the World Junior Championship. Indeed, Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff posted updated rankings mere minutes before this post went live that updated his order to put Schaefer at No. 1.) Season-end lists are much more definitive.
As we progress through the remainder of the draft season, you can expect the same coverage that you’ve come to know from us here at Sound Of Hockey in the past. Want a watchlist of prospects based on our “Data Score” method? We’ve got that for you today too. Scroll to the bottom of this post to find a mid-season “top 200” based on scoring data tabulated through Jan. 12, 2025. I’ll plan to share the full dataset (which is 10,000+ entries long) on the Sound Of Hockey Patreon for the draftniks over there.
Moving forward, we’ll have more scouting and video content here, on the Sound Of Hockey Patreon, and on YouTube. Then we’ll culminate our coverage with the final 2025 NHL Draft Big Board in June, as always.
The 2025 Sound Of Hockey Big Board – mid-season edition
All 396 players ranked by the 10 sources above make up our mid-season Big Board. As you scroll across, you will see the rankings from the various sources we compiled. If the source ranking is behind a paywall, such as Scott Wheeler’s ranking for The Athletic, we have omitted it from the chart. We used those paywalled rankings to develop the composite list, but will not be sharing subscriber-only individual rankings.
Mid-season 2025 NHL Draft “Data Score” watchlist
As mentioned at the top of this article, we’ve also put together a mid-season draft prospect watchlist built on a composite of player data we call “Data Score.” Data score is built from the bedrock of an NHL equivalency (or “NHLe”).
What is NHLe? It is a method to compare the scoring proficiency of players in the various professional and junior leagues across the globe. I used Thibaud Chatel’s model, which is the most up-to-date public research in the area. Check out Chatel’s Substack for an in-depth discussion of NHLe. (For this project, we used Chatel’s newest model, which has been updated to account for player data through the 2023-24 season.)
We then make adjustments for age, height, and position, as well as a modest upward adjustment to the NHLe for low-scoring draft-eligible players playing in high-level professional leagues. These adjustments are based on public research linking these traits to prospect success rates. We’ve gone through the methodology previously here and here. The end product is a number I’ve termed a prospect’s “Data Score.” This number does not “project” NHL scoring but is (hopefully) useful in describing the relative strength of prospects. (For now, this is a skater-only exercise, so you will not see goalies like Joshua Ravensbergen on this list.)
Earlier this fall, we posted a preseason watchlist based on the player’s 2023-24 season scoring data. In contrast, this list is based on scoring data from the 2024-25 season through Jan. 12, 2025, only. My current plan is to incorporate both seasons of scoring data into a final “Data Score” list after the season.
Since I’ve used a minimum 15-games-played threshold for the season-end list, I used eight games as the minimum for inclusion in this mid-season exercise. On the one hand, this likely introduces some small-sample-size issues, but, on the other, it gets projected top pick Roger McQueen (and his eight games played) onto the list.
Without further preamble, here are the 150 first-time eligible draft prospects with the highest Data Score. (If a player has played in multiple leagues, scoring data from each was incorporated into the player’s Data Score, but only the scoring data from the league in which the player has played the most games is shown in the table.)
Nine of the 10 prospects atop this Data Score list were in the top 30 on our preseason watchlist. Five (James Hagens, Porter Martone, Michael Misa, Jake O’Brien, and Roger McQueen) were in the pre-season top 10. Caleb Desnoyers (No. 17 on the preseason list), Benjamin Kindel (No. 18), Carter Bear (No. 22), and Bill Zonnon (No. 28) improved their scoring production a bit. Schaefer is the big riser, jumping up from No. 57 on the preseason watchlist.
Finally, here are the 50 re-draft prospects with the highest Data Score.
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If you have draft- or coverage-related questions, drop us a note below or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @deepseahockey or @sound_hockey or on Bluesky @deepseahockey or @soundofhockey.com.
Header photo by Caroline Anne, courtesy of the Everett Silvertips.
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.
As the smoke clears from an active opening to free agency, we at Sound Of Hockey, wanted to highlight some of the movements around the NHL. There were 190 signings on the first day of free agency and 252 signings and counting so far with more than $1 billion committed across the league. We will focus on the impacts to the Pacific Division teams, what the new additions to the Seattle Kraken mean for their chances, and touch on a few other teams that made significant moves around the NHL.
Seattle Kraken
General manager Ron Francis was not his usual conservative self and made a big splash, signing two big free-agent targets:
Brandon Montour (RD) – Seven years at $7.14M AAV ($50M total)
Chandler Stephenson (C) – Seven years at $6.25M AAV ($43.75M total)
"#SeaKraken reportedly signing defenseman Brandon Montour to a monster seven-year contract"@DarrenFunBrown gives quick analysis on the surprising seven-year signing and considers how Montour could fit with the Kraken.
"#SeaKraken make another splash, signing Chandler Stephenson for seven years" @DarrenFunBrown gives his reaction to the signing and an update on where Seattle sits after grabbing Stephenson and Brandon Montour.
The initial feedback has not been all positive. Both players are 30 years old and signed seven-year deals. If either player actually plays out the entirety of his contract, he will be in a small minority of players in the league at that point. Only 15 NHL players were 37 at the start of the 2023-24 season. The cost of each contract has been described as an overpay, but that is the cost of doing business in free agency, especially if you want to attract talented players.
There are some positives from these signings. Let’s start with a simple question, are the Seattle Kraken better with Montour and Stephenson? On paper, this is a resounding yes, they have strengthened the defense and improved at the center position. Montour will most likely play on the second defensive pairing, but is capable of a first-pairing role and led all Florida Panthers in ice time last season. Stephenson is an improvement over former Kraken center Alex Wennberg and provides a bit more offensive punch. Stephenson will also be able to fill the second-line center role, hopefully reducing some pressure on Shane Wright, who looks to make the Kraken roster full-time this upcoming season.
Contract length
Seven years is the longest contract the Kraken could award to these players. Offering this term was likely a driving factor in Stephenson and Montour choosing to play for Seattle, which does not have the allure of being a true Stanley Cup contender.
I’m not terribly worried about the contract length, though I know this is a big part of the discourse about these signings. The reason I’m not worried about it is because a lot can happen during seven years. Players can be traded, bought out, get injured, or retire. While I don’t hope for the last two, the reality is injuries happen in hockey, and it is possible these contracts get moved to long-term injured reserve after a number of years.
Average annual value (AAV)
The AAV also seems high, but remember, seven years ago the NHL salary cap was at $75 million. It has increased 17.33 percent to $88 million. If the cap continues to grow at this rate, these deals may not seem as rich in a few years. If they produce, $6 million and $7 million contracts could seem cheap a couple years from now.
Players tend to decline in performance as they age, but these are the only two contracts currently on the books from 2027-28 onward.
Acquired through free agency
There are four ways to acquire a player, drafting, signing as a free agent, trading, or claiming off waivers. It’s generally believed that the best way to build a team is to build from the draft, but that takes time. Trading or signing free agents can speed up the timeline, but both have positives and negatives.
The positive for signing a free agent is the prospect pool remains intact, whereas trading often costs draft picks and/or prospects. The Kraken have a promising prospect pool, so to be able to add two solid players to their current roster without giving up any futures is a positive. To me, keeping that pool intact is worth a few extra million in overpay.
Stanley Cup pedigree
Ron Francis has a penchant for signing players that have won the Stanley Cup. Both Montour and Stephenson have hoisted Lord Stanley’s Cup, and Francis believes that experience is valuable when it comes to the grind of the season and the playoffs. Other Stanley Cup winners that have been signed by Ron Francis include Jaden Schwartz, Andre Burakovsky, Philipp Grubauer, Justin Schultz, and Brian Dumoulin (and, of course, head coach Dan Bylsma).
Signings overall
The Seattle Kraken have improved their roster with these signings, and, at least for the next two-three years, fans will get to enjoy this benefit. Hopefully by the time the contracts start to age, we will see a boost in performance from Seattle’s prospects.
Other Signings
The Kraken also made the following signings, mainly to backfill for departures from the Coachella Valley Firebirds, although Ben Meyers and Josh Mahura will certainly be looking to secure spots on the NHL roster. Their one-way contracts give them each an inside track to these spots, but we will see how training camp shakes out.
Signed Ben Meyers (LW, C) – One year, 775K AAV one-way contract
Signed Mitchell Stephens (C) – Two year, 775K AAV, two-way contract
Signed Brandon Biro (LW) – One year, 775K AAV, two-way contract
Signed Nikolas Brouillard (D) – One year, 775K AAV, two-way contract
Signed Maxime Lajoie (LD) – One year, 775K AAV, two-way contract
Signed Josh Mahura (LD) – One year, 775K AAV, one-way contract
Kraken moves overall
The Kraken have improved on both the offensive and defensive sides of puck. But have they done enough to secure a playoff spot? Time will tell, but it is reasonable to expect growth from Matty Beniers, Eeli Tolvanen, and Ryker Evans, and Andre Burakovsky should have a rebound year as well. With the additions of two legit players, the Kraken have a deeper roster than before, and all four lines should produce offense closer to what they did two seasons ago. Seattle also has a new coach in Bylsma who hopefully can bring an uptick in production.
Pacific Division
Anaheim Ducks
Added
Lost
Same/Better/Worse
Brian Dumoulin
Jakob Silfverberg
Same – Anaheim was bad last year and will continue to build this year.
Calgary Flames
Added
Lost
Same/Better/Worse
Anthony Mantha Ryan Lomberg
Jacob Markstrom Andrew Mangiapane
Worse – They still have some work to do to get a starting goaltender to replace Markstrom.
I would love to see Dustin Wolf get a crack at the starting job, but that seems farfetched. The Flames will need to find a starting goalie. Some Seattle Kraken fans will dream of Grubauer getting traded, but Seattle needs him, especially without Chris Driedger stashed in the AHL. Grubauer also has a 10-team no-trade list and a huge contract, so we don’t see him getting traded.
Edmonton Oilers
Added
Lost
Same/Better/Worse
Viktor Arvidsson Jeff Skinner
Warren Foegele
Better – Resigned many of their current team and added, if you can believe it, more offense.
Jeff Skinner is an excellent signing and should easily replace the offensive output of Warren Foegele. This should be the year Skinner finally gets to play in a playoff game.
Los Angeles Kings
Added
Lost
Same/Better/Worse
Warren Foegele Tanner Jeannot Joel Edmundson Darcy Kuemper
Pierre-Luc Dubois Cam Talbot Matt Roy Viktor Arvidsson Blake Lizotte
Worse – Dubois never panned out in LA, but Warren Foegele’s offensive ceiling is close to Dubois’ floor. Both had about 40 points this last season. It was Foegele’s best season and Dubois’ worst season.
San Jose Sharks
Added
Lost
Same/Better/Worse
Tyler Toffoli Alex Wennberg Macklin Celebrini (Draft) Barclay Goodrow (waivers)
Devin Cooley
Better – They definitely have an improved forward group, but their defense and goaltenders still need some help. They probably are not the favorite to land another first overall draft pick, but making the playoffs would still be a huge stretch.
Back in January, we at Sound Of Hockey predicted it would take between $4.5-$5.5M to re-sign Wennberg, and that is exactly what San Jose paid, coming in at $5M AAV for two seasons.
Alex Wennberg
Vancouver Canucks
Added
Lost
Same/Better/Worse
Jake DeBrusk
Ian Cole Elias Lindholm Nikita Zadorov Casey DeSmith
Same – Lindholm did not work out, but prior to him coming, Vancouver was good. DeBrusk brings some more offense, and Arturs Silovs proved he is worthy of a backup role in the NHL.
Jake DeBrusk has averaged a 24-goal pace for his NHL career.
Jake DeBrusk, signed 7x$5.5M by VAN, is a top six scoring winger with a well-rounded offensive game and good defensive metrics who plays in all situations. Lots of goal-scoring upside even if it's not the most consistent. #Canuckspic.twitter.com/ZAyIBKjxVe
Chandler Stephenson Jonathan Marchessault Anthony Mantha Logan Thompson
Slightly Worse – The Golden Knights lost a lot of offense, but they did add Hertl last year at the trade deadline. The goalie and defense situation should be similar to what it was before, even after trading Thompson.
Hertl can replace Stephenson’s offensive production. Olofsson is a proven 20-goal scorer and did it on only 14 minutes of ice time with the Sabres. However, he will not match Marchessault’s production, which has now moved on to Nashville. Samsonov might thrive in a 1B role after shedding the pressure of playing in Toronto.
Overall Pacific Division
After a few days of free agency, it is way too early to predict standings for next season, but I’ll give it a try…
The Edmonton Oilers and the Vancouver Canucks look poised to hold onto the top two spots in the Pacific Division. The Los Angeles Kings, Vegas Golden Knights, and Calgary Flames appear ready to slide in the standings and open the door for the Kraken to slip into a playoff spot. The Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks are content in the cellar for another year.
There is a lot of offseason left, and these teams will continue to make moves. But if the season started today, here is my (way too early) prediction for the Pacific Division standings:
Edmonton Oilers
Vancouver Canucks
Seattle Kraken
Vegas Golden Knights
Los Angeles Kings
Calgary Flames
San Jose Sharks
Anaheim Ducks
Around the NHL
A handful of teams set off some fireworks in the early goings of free agency. We will not review every free agency move, but we will highlight some teams that made a big boom or lit a dud. Moves include trades and draft picks that happened around free agency as well. With it being a long 4th of July weekend, we will provide ratings using fireworks.
Boston Bruins
Players added: Elias Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov, and Joonas Korpisalo (trade)
Players that left: Jake DeBrusk and Linus Ullmark (trade)
Firework rating: Firecracker thrown from your hand. Definitely made a bang with their signings, but there is risk in signing Lindholm at $7.75M AAV after his struggles in Vancouver. I like the Kraken’s signing of Stephenson better.
Carolina Hurricanes
Player added: Shayne Gostisbehere
Players that left: Jake Guenztel (traded rights away), Brady Skjei, Teuvo Teravainen
Firework rating: Bottle rocket dud. Carolina was not able to capitalize on Guenztel, who seemed to fit into their system, scoring 34 points in his 28 games after being acquired at the deadline.
Nashville Predators
Players added: Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei
Players that left: Anthony Beauvillier and Jason Zucker
Firework rating: Mortars with report. Nashville was not happy with its first-round exit and brought in some big names on offense and defense. This improved team might be able to exceed its 18-game point streak from last season.
Breaking: The Predators are adding star forward Steven Stamkos, former Conn Smythe winner Jonathan Marchessault and Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brady Skjei. pic.twitter.com/a7CRkcLkcJ
Firework rating: Ground Snake. Lou Lamoriello was able to keep this signing quiet, but Duclair is a solid pick-up.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Player added: Jake Guentzel
Players that left: Steven Stamkos, Tanner Jeannot (trade), and Matt Dumba
Firework rating: Ground Fountain. Tampa is out with the old and in with the new. It will be a new era in Tampa Bay with long-time captain Stamkos moving to Nashville. Guentzel was a nice piece of work, though.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Players added: Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Players that left: Tyler Bertuzzi, T.J. Brodie, and Ilya Samsonov
Firework rating: Saturn missile. You never know which way the missiles are going to fire. This year, Toronto is adding veteran defense and a new coach in Craig Berube. The team should be playoff bound again, but it will be interesting to see how this roster responds to the offseason changes.
Washington Capitals
Players added: Jakob Chychrun, Logan Thompson, Andrew Mangiapane, Pierre-Luc Dubois, and Matt Roy
Players that left: Nick Jenson and Darcy Kuemper
Firework rating: 500-gram firework cake. The Capitals did most of their moves through trades, but they have brought in a good group of players. These players should be able to improve Washington’s record, but the Caps are currently projected to be ~$13M over the cap. So, some work still needs to be done.
Wrapping up
It has been a busy start to the summer with all the free-agent signings, the trades, the NHL Draft, and Kraken Development Camp all hitting at about the same time. We are only a couple weeks into the official offseason, and I am already looking forward to the start of next season.
Please let me know your thoughts on the players acquired or traded and how you think this impacts the Kraken and/or league. You can follow @blaizg on x.com
After drafting Julius Miettenen toward the beginning of the second round, the Kraken returned at the end of the round to draft a third-straight center prospect, Nathan Villeneuve of the OHL Sudbury Wolves. The pick used to select Villeneuve was the selection acquired from the Rangers in the trade that sent Alex Wennberg to New York at the trade deadline in March.
If Villeneuve’s junior team sounds familiar, it’s because Seattle Kraken prospect David Goyette has played his entire junior career for Sudbury. Both Goyette and Villeneuve were drafted as centers and selected in similar spots in the draft—Goyette No. 61 overall in 2022 and Villeneuve No. 63 overall in 2024. Beyond that, their profiles are fairly different. Goyette is a skilled, playmaking forward who recently has been skating more on the wing. Villeneuve is a grit-and-grind, two-way center.
Evaluating Villeneuve, the prospect
Villeneuve’s motor never stops running. He beats junior competition with pace and work ethic. In particular, he delivers tenacious effort on defense, backed up by smarts and skill to shut down opponents.
He also qualifies as a pest, which is a high compliment in hockey parlance. Though he’s not a large player (he’s 5-foot-11), he nonetheless brings a menacing style, playing physically through the echo of the whistle. Add to that an agitating on-ice vocabulary, and fists that have been known to fly, and you have the archetypical “hard to play against” player—the player you only love if he plays for your team. The smile says it all really.
At the Scouting Combine in Buffalo, Nathan Villeneuve and Anthony Romani inquired about photos from the podium and FloHockey had their backs👍 Of course, we made sure to get a few shots just from us after they were drafted to the @SeattleKraken and @Canucks!#NHLDraftpic.twitter.com/4EUzaq0t4v
I watched at least a half-dozen of his games between monitoring Goyette and getting a feel for Sudbury’s 2024 NHL Draft prospects. His physical edge, not to mention a fight or two, always stood out. So too did his pro-ready movements and game. He’s not flashy but it all looks NHL-translatable, at least in a depth role.
Scouts see a true center in the long term, perhaps as a third liner or an outstanding fourth-line player.
But several analysts noted that he is one to watch for a late breakout beyond his current checking profile. Why? First, he has a high-end pedigree, having been drafted No. 3 overall in the 2022 OHL Draft on the strength of a well-rounded skillset.
Second, he was a bit limited by context during the 2023-24 season. He played behind a top-heavy all-star group of forwards for Sudbury this past season. Players like Goyette, Dalibor Dvorsky, and Quentin Musty consumed crucial offensive 5-on-5 minutes and No. 1 power-play opportunities. In this context, he was asked to drive a third line and take key penalty kill minutes, along with a second unit power-play role. Villeneuve excelled in his assignments, but there should be an opportunity for more offense with a top-six role and top-unit power-play time.
Particularly encouraging is this nugget from Elite Prospects: “Third-line minutes didn’t prevent Nathan Villeneuve from scoring at a near-point-per-game pace. Through the regular season, he amassed even-strength primary points per minute at a higher rate than Beckett Sennecke, Jett Luchanko, and multiple first-round NHL draft picks.” Sennecke was drafted No. 3 overall.
Both Corey Pronman of The Athletic and Elite Prospects see near-NHL-average skills across the board. When you combine that with a relentless work ethic and a coming opportunity to be a featured offensive player in the best junior league in the world, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic that Villeneuve will avoid typical prospect setbacks and continue to ascend.
The Sound Of Hockey Big Board had Villeneuve as the No. 91 overall prospect. Superficially, one might surmise that Seattle would have had a shot at nabbing the forward at either of its third-round picks (pick Nos. 73, 88). However, Bob McKenzie’s scout-informed list had Villeneuve at No. 73 overall, and my data score analysis put Villeneuve at No. 71. These data points suggest Villeneuve may have been a candidate to go off the board shortly after pick No. 63 if Seattle did not draft him.
So, I don’t have issue with where the Kraken took Villeneuve, assuming they didn’t want to lose the player, nor do I have many qualms with the player himself. He’s precisely the type of player I love to watch.
My questions by this point in the draft were more focused on the players Seattle was bypassing—Zeev Buium at No. 8, Andrew Basha at No. 40, and now, at No. 63, a number of players with higher public scouting marks and scoring data profiles, including Henry Mews, for example. Seattle was having a solid draft, but was it leaving value on the table? Surely, Seattle’s draft board said no, and only time will tell.
Villeneuve’s highest rankings tracked on the Big Board came from HockeyProspect(dot)com, which had Villeneuve as the No. 29 overall prospect in the draft, Scouching, which had Villeneuve at No. 52, and McKenzie, who had the Sudbury center at No. 73. NHL Central Scouting had him as the No. 60 North American skater.
Video scouting Villeneuve
Scouting breakdown
Strengths:
“[Villeneuve’s] an all-around forward who plays with good pace and isn’t afraid to mix it up along the boards. Villeneuve loves to spend time causing havoc in front of the net and plays a strong off-puck game compared to many others around this point in the list. His energy and feistiness will give him a shot in the NHL, even if he doesn’t have the pure skill to burn.” – Steven Ellis, Daily Faceoff
“Villeneuve’s a feisty, high-pace attacker with a lockdown defensive game. When he’s not throwing hits and winning battles, he’s eliminating off-puck threats and pickpocketing the puck carrier. When the puck arrives on his stick, he instantly takes the middle or starts a give-and-go to attack the zone with speed.
“The high-pace transition game allows Villeneuve to create scoring chances off the rush, often by cutting in front of the defense or dropping the shoulder to cut to the net. He always makes sure to establish body positioning en route.” – Elite Prospects
Weaknesses:
“Villeneuve is bound to be penalized by NHL scouting staffs for his violation of the OHL’s social media policy that saw him earn a lengthy suspension (15 games) for inappropriate game-related comments, bringing his judgment into question…
“An early pick in his OHL draft year, Villeneuve has yet to truly reach his upside as an OHL player. His creativity and playmaking ability have not translated as well as anticipated, leaving some concerns over his NHL upside. However, he possesses a solid floor, but also some intrigue over his offensive ceiling once he receives more ice time.” – McKeen’s
Final thoughts
For me, Nathan Villeneuve wasn’t the highest-ranked player on the board when he was picked. Add in his involvement in and 15-game suspension relating to allegations that Sudbury players discussed putting a bounty on Barrie defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson after Aitcheson hit Villeneuve in a Jan. 18, 2024, game, and I admit to feeling some doubt about the wisdom of the pick at the time. That said, assuming Seattle is confident there are no lingering off-ice judgment concerns with the young man, I like Villeneuve’s game. I’d expect him to show well at the team’s Development Camp, which starts on-ice work on Tuesday, and follow that up with a step forward for Sudbury during the 2024-25 season.
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.
