The Seattle Kraken took the ice together Monday for the first time since Jan. 28, and it was a sight for sore eyes in several ways. Not only was it the team’s first action since breaking for bye week and the NHL All-Star festivities, but there were several indicators that the previously banged-up group could be made whole again very soon.
We were pleasantly surprised to see every Kraken player (except Joonas Donskoi) present and accounted for at Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow, N.Y. That included the likes of previously injured players Matty Beniers, Justin Schultz, Jaden Schwartz, and even Chris Driedger, who took live reps from his teammates for what we believe was the first time since tearing his ACL in the offseason.
Good morning from Long Island, where the #SeaKraken are on the ice.
EVERYONE is here and accounted for, including Justin Schultz, Jaden Schwartz, Matty Beniers, Jaycob Megna, and Chris Driedger. pic.twitter.com/MwsPsTGjS2
Coach Dave Hakstol was unwilling to say who would be officially available for Tuesday’s game against the Islanders, but he did reveal to Sound Of Hockey that at least *some* of the injured players are on track to play.
“We’re gonna wait until tomorrow to get closer to making some decisions,” Hakstol said. “I think a couple of guys should be ready to go by the looks of it, but we wanted to get through today’s practice, and then as we get to tomorrow morning, we should be able to make some final decisions. And there might even be a game-day decision in there.”
So, take that as you will, but all three of Beniers, Schultz, and Schwartz were full participants.
Here is how line rushes shook out for the Kraken at Monday’s practice:
Those who have paid close attention to the team’s lineup this season would recall that before Schultz went down, the defense pairings were practically set in stone, with Jamie Oleksiak playing alongside Schultz on the second pairing.
But, Will Borgen was still paired with Oleksiak Monday, indicating Hakstol and his staff really liked what they saw from that duo in Schultz’s absence.
“We left [Borgen] together today with [Oleksiak],” said Hakstol. “Those two played really well over the last few games with Schultzy out of the lineup. So there’s a potential of leaving that group of four together, and then depending upon Schultzy’s availability coming off the injury, there’s likely some different options in that third pair.”
The “group of four” that Hakstol was referring to was Vince Dunn with Adam Larsson on the top pair and Oleksiak with Borgen on the second pair.
Jaycob Megna’s first Kraken practice
The makeup of Seattle’s third pairing will be interesting to monitor moving forward, especially if Schultz truly is ready for a return. Lest you forget, the team acquired Jaycob Megna Sunday for a conditional fourth-round draft pick, adding another depth left-shot blueliner to the mix.
First look at big Jaycob Megna in #SeaKraken gear, acquired from the Sharks yesterday.
Based on what we saw Monday, we would guess Hakstol is leaning toward keeping Carson Soucy in the lineup for Tuesday, but it’s only a matter of time before Megna, the 6-foot-6 former Shark who played big minutes next to Erik Karlsson, makes his debut.
After seeing Megna practice for the first time, Hakstol said he likes what the 30-year-old brings to the table. “He’s had a pretty fast-moving last 12 hours, but it was good to get him in for practice,” Hakstol said. “He’s done a real nice job this year in a two-way role. He’s been really solid in playing some important minutes, so he’s a guy that we feel really adds to our group on the back end. He’s reliable, he’s a big, heavy body, he can move the puck.”
If everybody is healthy, Seattle looks poised to go back to carrying two extra defensemen and one extra forward, as it did most of last season. We suspect that means Cale Fleury will return to being a healthy scratch (rather unfairly, considering how well he has performed), while one of Megna or Soucy will get the nod each night on the left side of the third pair.
It was a needed break for a banged-up team
The long layoff came at an ideal time for this group, which had recently gone from having all its regulars in the lineup every night to us wondering, Who is actually available to play tonight?
Injuries aside, even the healthy players were showing signs of fatigue after battling through an arduous January schedule.
“The break was good; I mean, we needed a break,” Hakstol said. “Obviously health-wise, we needed a break, mentally, I believe it’s a good time for the break. The guys are— you know, you can see the energy coming back, and you could feel that last night and today. Now we have to dial that into a game level.”
The Kraken coach said he believes the team is ready to get back to work and knows the task at hand on what could be a tough road trip through the New York metro area, then Philadelphia and Winnipeg. He did mention he thinks the “crispness and sharpness” could take a dip in the early going against the Isles, but he expects his club to have good energy.
“It starts tomorrow,” Hakstol added. “Grinding starts tomorrow, and that opportunity starts again.”
Did the team grow closer during the break?
If you follow any Kraken players on Instagram, you know several of them jetted off to tropical locales during the hiatus, with several players heading to Los Cabos and several more checking in from Hawaii.
For the closeness of the team, it was encouraging to see many of the players together, soaking up rays, going on deep-sea fishing excursions, and celebrating a successful first half of the season.
“That’s a characteristic of this group,” Hakstol said. “They like spending time together, and that’s why they spend a ton of time together away from the rink. That’s been part of what’s translated on the ice for us into being a pretty tight, hard-working team.”
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The Kraken get back to game action Tuesday against Bo Horvat and the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on Long Island. Our “Twitter intern” plans to be at morning skate, so drop us a follow @sound_hockey for lineup updates.
Darren Brown
Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at soundofhockey.com and the host of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is a member of the PHWA and is also usually SOH’s Twitter intern (but please pretend you don’t know that). Follow him @DarrenFunBrown and @sound_hockey or email darren@soundofhockey.com.
There has not been a single Seattle Kraken game since last week’s Monday Musings, but that has not stopped me from obsessing about this team. I have been digging into game logs, goalie data, shooting percentages, and more. Like all good data analysis, not all explorations bear fruit, but I did find some interesting observations in my data journeys this last week.
Shooting percentage
The early season narrative by some in the national media was that the Kraken were on a shooting percentage bender during the month of November, and ultimately their shooting percentage would slide back to Earth and the team would assume their expected place near the bottom of the Pacific Division. Obviously, that has not happened. The Kraken still maintain the highest shooting percentage in the league at 12.0 percent.
I am sure there are still some doubters, but eventually people might need to be open to the idea that this team could be one of the better shooting teams in the league. Some team needs to lead the league in shooting percentage, and it might as well be the Kraken.
Strength of schedule remaining
Another piece of data I looked into was the strength of schedule of the remaining games for Seattle. A concern I wondered about is if the first-place record in the first half was based on the fact the Kraken have generally played weaker teams in the league. Conversely, what does the rest of the season look like from a strength-of-schedule standpoint?
To my surprise, the Kraken have one of the weakest schedules remaining, which should give the team an easier road to the postseason compared with some of its challengers.
This bodes well for the boys of the Puget Sound, but it is worth pointing out the Kings and Flames also have a relatively weak schedule remaining this season.
Trade deadline
We have been getting a ton of questions about what the Kraken should do at the NHL trade deadline. Darren Brown and I were asked about it on KJR last week.
In my humble opinion, I wonder about adding some toughness for the playoffs. No, I am not talking about adding a goon or a fighter, those days are done. I would like to see the team add a bit of a bully that won’t let the Kraken get pushed around in the playoffs. Anybody that has watched the Stanley Cup Playoffs before knows that there is a scrum after every whistle and the checking seems heavier and more frequent. I just wonder what Seattle Kraken player will get opposing teams to think twice before running Matty Beniers. I think of players like Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow for Tampa in their two Stanley Cup wins. Both can score, and they brought a bit of a snarl to the Lightning.
I am not questioning the Kraken’s toughness. There have been several games where it would appear the opposition is trying to bully the team around only to see the Kraken respond in kind. Ryan Donato and Will Borgen have both impressed me with the ability to step up the physicality when needed, and we all know Yanni Gourde does not back down from anyone. So, it is entirely possible that this “skill set” is not needed, but it is something I would like to see.
Other Kraken musings:
The Kraken penalty kill has been on fire lately, having not allowed a power-play goal in seven games. That is 17 power plays killed in a row.
Oliver Bjorkstrand looks like his normal self these days. After posting a 4.0 shooting percentage in his first 30 games with the Kraken, he is shooting 11.8 percent in his 19 games since Dec. 18. He has not finished an NHL season with a shooting percentage under 10 percent since 2017-18, his first full NHL season. He is sitting at 7.1 total for the year right now.
The Kraken announced trading a fourth-round draft pick to the San Jose Sharks for defenseman Jaycob Megna. This was a depth add for an area that was becoming increasingly worrisome. Cale Fleury has stepped in nicely since Justin Schultz went out with an injury, but even with Schultz nearing a return, the blue line was still thin. Gustav Olofsson has been out injured in Coachella Valley, which left just three other defensemen under NHL contracts. Two of those defensemen are Ryker Evans and Peetro Seppala. Evans is having a great season, but he might not be ready for NHL action. Darren had a good write up about the trade and what Megna might bring to the table.
Chris Driedger has been back on the ice for a while now, but Monday marked another milestone by getting onto the ice and taking live reps from his teammates. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time he has been taking in a regular practice with the rest of the team.
Chris Driedger in net taking actual reps with his teammates.
It is not Kraken specific news, but it was announced last week that Mark Stone of the Vegas Golden Knights had back surgery and would be out indefinitely. Even in limited time, Stone was second in goal scoring for the Golden Knights this season. Vegas could be in real trouble here with a 2-6-2 record over its last 10 games. It is conceivable that the Golden Knights miss the playoffs for the second year in a row.
By now we have all gotten over that the Kraken were not represented at the NHL All-Star Game, but you still have an opportunity to check out some Kraken prospects representing the Coachella Valley Firebirds at the AHL All-Star Game. Ryker Evans and Max McCormick will play in the game on Monday, airing at 4 P.M. Pacific on the NHL Network.
Shane Wright returned to the lineup for the Windsor Spitfires Thursday and posted a one-goal and two-assist night in the Spitfires 7-4 victory against the Soo Greyhounds. The return was short lived. He was back out of the lineup for the Spitfires two games this weekend due to a lower-body injury.
Kraken prospect and third-round selection from the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, Ty Nelson, posted his first career hat trick in the OHL on Sunday. The defenseman has been lighting it up this season with 60 points over 49 games.
The Arizona Coyotes announced that 2021 first-round selection, Dylan Guenther would be assigned to an already stacked Seattle Thunderbirds roster. I thought the 2016-17 Thunderbirds were a lot of fun to watch, but this is going to be insane. There are still plenty of home games before the playoffs start in late March.
The Thunderbirds welcome the Red Deer Rebels to town on Friday. This game should be a good showcase on how the Thunderbirds matchup against one of the top teams from the Eastern Conference.
A bit off the radar, but the University of Washington ACHA club hockey team finished its regular season with a record of 22-2-0. It has been an incredible season for the Huskies as they head to Cheney, Wash., for the Pac-8 Tournament. Good luck to the boys.
Kraken themes for the week ahead
This feels like another tough road test for the Kraken with four games over six days, including a run through the New York City metro area. Game action kicks off Tuesday against the revamped New York Islanders, which now feature Bo Horvat. After the boys go through the New York teams, they play the Flyers in Philadelphia, a team they have never beaten, and then finish the five-game swing in Winnipeg next Tuesday. Hitting the road right after the bye week/All-Star break can be a bit of a challenge, so capturing five out of the possible 10 points would be a success.
Outside of the team success, I think it will be interesting to keep on eye on Bjorkstrand to see if he maintains the same level of play we saw heading into the break. We also will be looking for the returns to the lineup for Beniers, Schwartz, and/or Schultz. Based on early reports out of New York this morning, things are looking good for at least a couple of the injured players to return.
Here are the lines for the #SeaKraken at this morning's practice.
Jacob Melanson (PDS/SEA) – Melanson continues his torrid pace since being traded to the Sherbrooke Phoenix of the QMJHL. He has six points in his last four games. Ty Nelson (NBB/SEA) – As mentioned above, Nelson had his first career OHL hat-trick on Sunday. Tye Kartye (CVF) – Kartye was an undrafted free-agent signing over the summer and is quietly having a good season in his first year as a professional. Kartye has four goals and three assists over his last six games.
Goal of the week
Add David Goyette to the list of Kraken prospects having excellent seasons for their respective teams. The late second-round draft pick has 30 goals and 31 assists over his 42 games with the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL.
Going into the season, one of the big question marks around the Seattle Kraken was goaltending. The tandem of Philipp Grubauer and Martin Jones has been decent for the season as a whole, but since Dec. 15, they have been performing above the league median.
If you have any questions or comments on the Monday Musings, please leave them below, and I will get back to you as soon as I can. In the meantime, enjoy the week. The Kraken are back!
After a Kraken-player-less NHL All-Star weekend and what has felt like a never-ending hiatus from game action, Seattle finally goes back to work this week with a five-game road trip through the New York Metropolitan area, Philadelphia, and—oddly—Winnipeg. The Kraken acquired Jaycob Megna from the Sharks Sunday, so we wanted to touch on that, but we also thought it was a good time to take stock in what the organization has, consider how it got to its current spot in the standings, and think ahead to what else it might want to add at the NHL Trade Deadline.
Before we get to the Megna deal, we wanted to mention that last season, we wrote a similar State-of-the-Franchise-type article when the Kraken returned from a COVID-induced extension of the Christmas break that resulted in an 11-day layoff. Writing that article was a reckoning for us here at Sound Of Hockey. We are perpetual optimists, but even we had a hard time putting a positive spin on the situation and had begun to realize that the inaugural season had gone sideways with no hope of salvaging it.
The tone of this “State of the Franchise” article will be markedly more positive than that one, as the Kraken exit the All-Star break in first place in the Pacific Division with reason to believe that the team can have sustained success well beyond this season.
Kraken acquire Jaycob Megna from San Jose
Kraken general manager Ron Francis made his first deal in the lead-up to the NHL Trade Deadline Sunday, acquiring 6-foot-6, 220-pound defenseman Jaycob Megna from the Sharks for a conditional fourth-round pick. Megna, 30, is a left shot and has spent most of the season as Erik Karlsson’s defense partner in San Jose, regularly logging north of 20 minutes of ice time in games.
A stay-at-home defenseman that can help on the penalty kill, Megna has four goals and 21 assists in 135 career NHL games over five seasons between Anaheim and San Jose. The 48 games he has played this season are the most he has played in a single campaign in his career, explaining the relatively low cap hit.
Megna figures to be a depth addition to the blue line in Seattle, but interestingly, he is not just a traditional rental; he has a year left on his contract after this season at a team-friendly $762,500. That seems to imply that even if fellow left-shot defenseman Carson Soucy stays with the team past the deadline, Megna would replace Soucy for next season, as Soucy is on an expiring deal.
Jaycob Megna, traded to SEA, is a solid defensive defenceman who has been Erik Karlsson's primary partner on the Sharks' blueline this season. #SeaKrakenpic.twitter.com/iECtXJ8oQ1
This is exactly the type of trade we would have expected from Francis and company, and it seems to be a good deal for the Kraken in terms of value. Megna brings size, depth, good analytics, PK improvement, a low cap hit, and another year of term, and he cost Seattle next to nothing.
It will be interesting to see where he slots in.
Are the Kraken nasty wasty?
There’s a running not-so-inside joke between Sound Of Hockey and Kraken radio voice Everett Fitzhugh that dates back to the pre-season. Seattle got off to a great start in its September and October tune-up games. Even as the lineup got shuffled to give bubble players opportunities and to manage workloads, the team was finding different ways to win, regardless of who was playing each night. Fitzhugh said he would look around the arena during games and wonder to himself, Are the Kraken… good?
Sound Of Hockey shared the cautiously optimistic sentiment with Fitzhugh and escalated the question to, Are the Kraken… nasty? And then, Are they… nasty wasty?
Fast forward four months, and the Kraken have proven that they are, in fact, nasty. But are they nasty wasty? We say the jury is still out on wastiness, but the first unofficial half of the season laid a solid foundation for Seattle to hit nasty wasty status.
Coming in, we knew the team had improved over last season, but in the early stages, we had a hard time believing it would be competitive all season long.
We started to trust our eyes in early November. Backstopped by Joey Daccord, Seattle came back from two goals down in the third period to beat Calgary on the road, then followed that up with impressive wins in Minnesota and Pittsburgh to sweep the three-game trip.
From there, the club steamrolled its way through November with an outrageous 10-1-1 record before predictably faltering in December. As it always goes after long win streaks in the NHL, bad habits crept in while the team was cruising through victories in the month prior.
But, to the credit of the players and the coaching staff, they all seemed to get pissed off after getting smoked on home ice by Edmonton to close out the 2022 calendar year, and they responded by righting the ship and putting together an exceptional month of January. The team set an NHL record with a perfect two-week, seven-game road trip to earn 14 standings points and closed out the month with an 11-3-1 record.
If Seattle has a similarly successful month of February, it will officially be time to call the Kraken nasty wasty.
How we got here
Before the season, Francis, coach Dave Hakstol, and several Kraken players indicated the team’s goal was to make the playoffs. We are certain none of them expected to be in first place in the Pacific Division at the All-Star break with 63 points, having already surpassed their 2021-22 total for the entire season.
So how did this turnaround happen?
First, Francis and his front office made a series of shrewd moves in the offseason that changed the makeup of the roster. By signing Andre Burakovsky to a five-year, $27.5 million contract, trading for Oliver Bjorkstrand, and getting Matty Beniers back for his first full NHL season, the Kraken effectively added a full top-six forward line.
Though streaky in his productivity, Burakovsky quietly leads the team in scoring with 39 points. Bjorkstrand hasn’t scored in the way we would have expected, but even when he isn’t scoring, he finds ways to make himself impactful. He has also now settled onto a line with Yanni Gourde and Eeli Tolvanen (more on him in a moment) that looks like the real deal. Beniers, who leads all NHL rookies in goals (17) and points (36), was selected for the All-Star Game but couldn’t attend due to injury.
Andre Burakovsky leads the Kraken in scoring with 39 points on the season. (Photo/Brian Liesse)
That’s an impactful trio of Killer B’s.
And let’s not forget the offseason additions of defenseman Justin Schultz, who has quarterbacked the power play and brought balance to Seattle’s blue line, and goaltender Martin Jones, who has had a renaissance year en route to a 23-7-3 record.
Via waivers, the Kraken also layered in an in-season steal of the 23-year-old Tolvanen, who has burst onto the scene with eight goals in 13 games. His wicked shot and hard work away from the puck have earned him the trust of the coaching staff, and as he continues to impress on that line with Gourde and Bjorkstrand, he’s looking more and more like one of the best waiver wire pickups of all time.
Improvement from within
The turnaround hasn’t just been about personnel changes, though. Seattle has gotten contributions from the entire roster, from Cale Fleury, who has recently filled in seamlessly for an injured Schultz, to Jared McCann, who could pot 40 goals this season.
And one of the great constants of the group has been its non-traditional fourth line, which wreaks offensive havoc on its opponents night in and night out. The key players on that line, Daniel Sprong, Ryan Donato, Morgan Geekie, and sometimes Brandon Tanev, have brought a consistent effort that creates chances without giving up much defensively.
Sprong and Donato are both having career years, and both are remarkable stories. Neither player was qualified by the team after last season, and after testing the market, the duo ultimately landed back with the Kraken on one-year deals. Heck, Sprong didn’t even have a contract when he got to training camp on a professional try-out, but he has earned everything he’s gotten this season, including his career-best 15 goals.
Speaking of career years, Vince Dunn has blossomed on Seattle’s top defense pairing, meshing with stay-at-home veteran Adam Larsson and contributing at both ends of the ice. Dunn has erupted for 36 points on the year and set a franchise record by recording a point in eight straight games in January.
Vince Dunn has been a leader on Seattle’s blue line. (Photo/Brian Liesse)
In the goal crease, Philipp Grubauer has effectively lost his starter role to Jones, but he too has improved after a disastrous first season in deep sea blue. Grubauer hasn’t gotten the same goal-scoring support from his team as Jones, which has led to an uninspiring 5-8-2 record. But, according to MoneyPuck, his expected goals saved has improved from -33.7 last season to +2.9 this season, while his save percentage has risen marginally from .889 to .897.
We expect Hakstol to continue giving Jones the lion’s share of starts—sticking with one primary goalie has been Hakstol’s modus operandi over the last two seasons—but Grubauer will undoubtedly play a key role down the stretch.
Mix all those impressive individual performances with a group that appears to have fully bought into Hakstol’s systems and philosophies, and you get a massive improvement from one season to the next.
Health concerns
Helping Seattle’s cause in its first half was a remarkably healthy squad… until recently.
The injury bug started biting when Jaden Schwartz disappeared from the lineup on Jan. 12. Schwartz, who is a key cog in Seattle’s top six, missed 45 games in 2021-22 with an issue that we believe he is still managing. It has become commonplace for Schwartz to either miss morning skates or to skate on his own in a tracksuit, only to be in the lineup that same night. It remains unclear if Schwartz’s recent absence is related to the same issue from last season or if it is something new.
Schultz left the game in Edmonton on Jan. 17 and hasn’t been seen on the ice since. The puck-moving defenseman took an innocuous-looking hit into the end boards and skated off looking fine. But he exited early and is on injured reserve, deemed “week-to-week” before the break by Hakstol.
Meanwhile, the Beniers injury was downright disappointing. After getting tossed by a completely unnecessary hit by Vancouver’s Tyler Myers, Beniers twisted awkwardly and then hit his head on the ice. With the timing of the All-Star break, the budding star has only missed two games but had to sit out from what should have been an unforgettable experience in South Florida.
The good news on this front is that Hakstol shared after the Columbus game on Jan. 28 that he doesn’t think any of the injuries are “too long term.” That’s about as specific as we’ve ever heard Hakstol get with timelines, so we’re hopeful the injured players will be able to return soon after the break. If that ends up being the case, the hiatus came at exactly the right time, giving Seattle time to lick its wounds after a brutal January schedule.
What else to add at the Trade Deadline?
The front office and the coaching staff have pressed all the right buttons this season. After selling off anything of value at last season’s NHL Trade Deadline and collecting up a treasure trove of draft picks, the Kraken are poised to be buyers before March 3. Francis has already showed with the Megna trade that he is willing to continue pressing buttons.
Francis is notorious for playing his moves close to the vest—the trades for Megna and Bjorkstrand are great recent examples—so throwing out any other specific trade targets would be complete speculation. That said, the team has a plan for long-term success, and we do not believe it will make moves that blow holes in that plan, i.e., trading away top prospects or first-round draft picks for rental players. Megna fits this profile.
In addition to this defensive depth, we think a forward that can provide grit and an occasional offensive punch could also help, and players like that can be added without altering the chemistry dramatically or breaking the bank.
The Kraken will return to the ice for practice Monday on Long Island before taking on the Islanders Tuesday at UBS Arena.
Darren Brown
Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at soundofhockey.com and the host of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is a member of the PHWA and is also usually SOH’s Twitter intern (but please pretend you don’t know that). Follow him @DarrenFunBrown and @sound_hockey or email darren@soundofhockey.com.
The Seattle Kraken have hit the NHL All-Star break in first place in the Pacific Division. On this episode of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast, John, Andy, and Darren answer oodles of your Mailbag questions as the primary focus of the show.
Before the Mailbag, they break down Seattle’s last two games before the break, discuss Matty Beniers having to miss the All-Star Game due to injury, and take a trip Down on the Farm.
After the Mailbag, the show shifts to segments, which this week include:
The Seattle Kraken have hit the NHL All-Star break in first place in the Pacific Division. On this episode of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast, John, Andy, and Darren answer oodles of your Mailbag questions as the primary focus of the show.
Before the Mailbag, they break down Seattle’s last two games before the break, discuss Matty Beniers having to miss the All-Star Game due to injury, and take a trip Down on the Farm.
After the Mailbag, the show shifts to segments, which this week include:
Monday Musings is a collection of random thoughts and observations about the last week of activity from the hockey world with an emphasis on the Kraken and other happenings around the Puget Sound hockey community.
Kraken Thoughts
The Kraken head into the bye week and All-Star break with a 29-15-5 record and the most points in the NHL since the turn of the Gregorian calendar year. The Kraken went 2-1-0 this week with first-time-in-franchise-history wins against the Vancouver Canucks and Columbus Blue Jackets, and they are sitting in first place in the Pacific Division. I mentioned it on the Sound Of Hockey podcast last week but I felt the win against the Canucks was important to finally get that rivalry monkey off Seattle’s back. The Kraken are still a miserable 1-5-1 against the Canucks in their first two seasons.
It would have been nice to get the win against Calgary, but getting four out of a possible six points is more than adequate and a nice way to enter the bye week.
Penalty kill
If you just look at the penalty kill stats across the league, the PK does not look good for the Kraken. They have a penalty kill success rate of 72.3 percent which is good— er, bad enough for 31st in the league. However, sometimes you need to unpeel the onion to see what is inside.
For starters, the Kraken give up the 12th fewest short-handed opportunities per game, which is not outstanding, but it is better than average. The logic is even though their penalty kill is performing poorly, if you give fewer opportunities per game, you are not allowing as many power-play goals against.
All that said, the real story is that the penalty kill has been outstanding as of late, having not allowed a power-play goal in the last seven games. The reality is the Kraken’s power penalty kill numbers for the season are low because of a brutal penalty kill mid-November to early December. We cannot just throw those numbers out and say, “Look, the PK is good,” but if you consider its success over time, you can see how Seattle’s PK has had stretches where it is in the top half of the league.
Here is a look at a ten-game moving average for the Kraken in relation to the rest of the league.
I am not saying the Kraken now have one of the best penalty kills in the league, but it is certainly an encouraging trend that we will continue to monitor.
Eeli Tolvanen
The Eeli Tolvanen waiver claim in December could go down as the most brilliant/lucky front office move of the season. Tolvanen had a goal in each of the Kraken’s three games last week. He leads the Kraken with eight goals since he entered the lineup on Jan. 1. To add to the Nashville humiliation, Tolvanen’s eight goals are three more than Cody Glass and Filip Forsberg’s team-leading five goals since Jan. 1.
EELI GOALVANEN! 🚨
Can’t believe the #SeaKraken got this guy off waivers.
Last week, Geoff Baker from the Seattle Times wrote an article about lower TV viewership for Kraken games on ROOT Sports this season. The article is fine but as a seasoned data analyst, it is hard not to point out the flaws in some of the conclusions of unnamed sources.
First, remember that a lot of TV ratings have some kind of seasonality associated with them. We all know the Seahawks suck all the sports media coverage in season, so it is a challenge to divert eyeballs when the Seahawks are playing well. Comparing October through January ratings to October through April from the season before is incomplete. Second, winning will impact things like TV ratings and attendance, but there tends to be a lag in the success on the ice to show up in the TV ratings.
In addition to seeing a full-season comparable, I would love to evaluate ratings on the day of the week, time the game starts, opponent, and then evaluate how those change season over season. Some of those variables might not materially impact the ratings, but they are part of the exploration and analysis.
There was a take in the article that a “lack of local personalities might also be dragging on ratings,” and I personally don’t agree with that at all. I have heard from countless people that are in awe over the talent of the Kraken broadcast. We are so lucky to have this crew covering Kraken games, and in watching literally hundreds of games a season across the league, this crew stands up with the best of them. The content in intermission is insightful, and thank goodness they do not do a betting ad during the broadcast disguised as a segment.
I know there are a lot of people who have been arguing for a direct-to-consumer model, but the economics and reach of offering something like that do not make sense right now. Trust me, I wish it did. Regional sports network or RSN (i.e. ROOT Sports) deals are lucrative to sports teams because when they have RSN’s in their offering, it increases their value proposition to the consumer.
For you gamers out there, think of it like Halo’s relationship to the game console. If I really want to play Halo, the only console I can play on is Xbox, so what do I buy? An Xbox. If Halo was available on PlayStation as well, then to me—the avid Halo fan—the Xbox lost some value, so I might consider buying a PlayStation.
I do expect a day where you can subscribe to ROOT and ROOT only through a direct-to-consumer model, but as of now, it might not be economically viable.
In the meantime, I wish ROOT could add a few more over-the-top virtual MVPD providers like Hulu and YoutubeTV. Root Sports is available on Fubo TV, but since Fubo does not have a distribution deal with TNT, it is not a perfect solution for hockey fans.
Other Kraken musings:
It was fun to see Alexander Wennberg score a goal in his 600th career NHL game against the team that drafted him. Wennberg has been strong and steady all year and does not get nearly enough credit for the contributions he has made to this team’s success. Stick taps for Wenny.
Trade deadline chatter is going to heat up over the next month. There is an argument to be made that the Kraken should stand down from doing anything major. This team has been extremely balanced with goal scoring throughout the lineup, and you never know how changes could impact the chemistry we are seeing.
The injury bug has started to bite. Matty Beniers joined Justin Schultz and Jaden Schwartz as the latest Kraken to be out for injury for the Friday and Saturday games. As Darren mentioned in his Walk and Talk after the Columbus game, Dave Hakstol mentioned that none of the injuries seem too serious, which implies that all these guys could be returning sooner rather than later.
Cale Fleury has really stepped in nicely since Schultz went down with an injury. The two play different roles in the Kraken defensive core, but Fleury looks comfortable in there, and Hakstol seems to trust him in most game scenarios.
Hakstol sounded very impressed with Cale Fleury’s game tonight. Called it “seamless” the way he slid into the lineup.
Speaking of Hakstol, there have been a few awards projection articles in the national media, and none of them have Hakstol very high on their list for Jack Adams candidates. It seems silly to start arguing who should get the awards at the end of the year, but the fact that he is rarely even mentioned is another testimonial to the fact that a lot of the national media continues to sleep on the Seattle Kraken. I’m fine with that.
Daniel Sprong has not scored in five games, which is his longest goal-scoring drought of the season. In a backwards way, this is a nod to how good of a season he is having.
The Kraken goalie tandem of Martin Jones and Philipp Grubauer continues to play well. Jones will end January with a 9-2-0 record and a .916 save percentage, while Grubauer will end with a 2-1-1 record and a .940 save percentage. The league average save percentage in January is .907 through Sunday’s games.
It does not seem to be that serious, but Shane Wright suffered a lower-body injury last week and missed the three Windsor Spitfires games over the weekend.
ICYMI, it was reported that Joonas Donskoi suffered his seventh career concussion in the pre-season, which has kept him out all season. This one seemed to be more severe than prior concussions, shedding more doubt on his return this season.
Kraken fifth-round draft pick from the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, Jacob Melanson, has not missed a beat since being traded to the Sherbrooke Phoenix in the QMJHL. He has 11 goals and eight assists over 11 games since the trade. Melanson is signed by Seattle and is likely to be playing for the Coachella Valley Firebirds next season.
Kraken themes for the week ahead
There’s not much going on this week for the Seattle Kraken as they enter their bye week. Expect a lot of Instagram photos of the players on beaches and golf courses. The boys have had one heck of a season so far, so hopefully they get some rest and relaxation to recharge the batteries for a final push.
Despite the injury last week, Matty Beniers appears to be the Kraken representative to participate in the All-Star Game. As much ire as traditional hockey fans have for the All-Star Game, I still enjoy it. It is a chance to see some of the personalities and skills of the stars in the NHL, something that is hard to replicate during the regular season. The Skills Competition takes place on Friday at 4pm Pacific on ESPN. The 3-on-3 All-Star tournament starts Saturday at noon Pacific time on ABC.
Player Performance / Stick Taps
Oliver Bjorkstrand (SEA) – Bjorkstrand had four points in three games for the Kraken including two goals against the Vancouver Canucks. After being relatively snake-bitten most of the year, Bjorkstrand has been due for a pop. We hope he can keep it rolling after the break.
David Goyette (Sudbury-SEA) – The 2022 second-round draft pick has 14 points in 11 games during the month of January. He leads the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL with 61 points this season.
Jackson Boboth (SEA) – Make-A-Wish Alaska & Washington teamed up with the Kraken to get this young goalie an opportunity to skate and “sign” with the Kraken. Boboth appeared to be the lucky charm to beat the Canucks on Wednesday night and was named the first star of the game.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Adam Larsson ⭐️⭐️ Oliver Bjorkstrand ⭐️ Jackson Boboth 🥹
Who would have thought that Sprong and Donato would be top-5 in scoring per 60 for the Kraken at the All-Star break?
Thanks again for all your engagement and questions on these posts. If you have anything you want me to look into, feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments.
The Kraken earned two important points by knocking off the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, retaking first place in their final game before the NHL All-Star break. After an uninspired performance Friday, Seattle rebounded with a mostly dominant—but not always perfect—game against Columbus and took a 3-1 win.
Not only does Seattle have the most points in the division now, it also holds the best points percentage and still has games in hand over the Los Angeles Kings and Vegas Golden Knights. Worth noting, the Kings play one more game before they go into their break, so they could go back ahead in total points. Still, the Kraken have put themselves in a terrific spot.
“It’s a really good response coming off of last night, and it’s a great way to finish off the month of January for our team,” said coach Dave Hakstol, just 24 hours after he voiced his displeasure with the way his group had played against the Calgary Flames.
Morgan Geekie, Alex Wennberg, and Eeli Tolvanen had the goals, and Philipp Grubauer had what Hakstol called an “undercover” good performance, stopping 24 out of 25 shots.
Here are our Three Takeaways from a 3-1 Kraken win over the Blue Jackets.
Takeaway #1: A big night for Morgan Geekie
It had been a long time since Morgan Geekie last found the back of the net for the Seattle Kraken. He scored four goals in five games between Oct. 25 and Nov. 3. Aside from that little stretch? Nothing.
Entering Saturday, Geekie had not scored in almost three months. On the eve of a nine-day respite from games, he finally got that monkey 10,000-pound gorilla off his back and potted his fifth of the season.
Geekie got the Kraken on the board 8:40 into the first period. Carson Soucy passed to Geekie in the neutral zone, and he one-touched it to Tanev. Tanev then handed back to Geekie in the slot, and Geekie rifled it against the grain, fooling Elvis Merzlikins.
MORGAN GEEKIE! 🚨
Nice shot against the grain, and that’s his first since Nov. 3!
“It’s been three months,” Geekie said with an exasperated chuckle. “So, yeah, I’ve had chances. It’s not really something I worry about; that’s not really my role here. We’ve got lots of guys that score goals, and I know it’s not something I’m looked upon to do. But mentally, it was nice to see it go in for sure.”
He can say scoring goals doesn’t concern him because of his role, but Geekie is an offensive player at heart. The long drought had to be eating at him, especially considering how effective his usual fourth line has been this season, while he personally has gotten none of the shine.
But with two top-six forwards in Jaden Schwartz and Matty Beniers out of the lineup, and the team coming off a poor performance Friday, Hakstol jumbled his lines Saturday. Geekie was the primary beneficiary, as he was elevated to a quasi-third (or maybe second?) line, centering Brandon Tanev and Andre Burakovsky. Geekie got 15:40 of ice time, his highest of the season, and you could see his confidence building as the game went on.
“It’s a really good way to finish, going into the break,” said Hakstol of Geekie’s play. “He played a significant role, he played well, he’s jumping in there. He’s played quite a few minutes with Tanev, and Burakovsky added to that group. They did a good job tonight.”
Geekie said he knows he can play, and being lower in the lineup and even—at times—a healthy scratch is just how it is with the way the team is built. “We’ve got a great lineup, and if I’m out, I’m out,” he said. “But I know I can play a big role when called upon. With Matty being out, someone needs to step up, and I know I can be that guy for sure.”
Takeaway #2: Reminder that the Kraken got Eeli Tolvanen off waivers
Did you know the Kraken acquired Eeli Tolvanen because the Nashville Predators just decided they didn’t want him on their NHL roster anymore? No, seriously, that’s how they got him. The Predators just put him on waivers, and the Kraken were like, “Ok, we’ll take him.”
Well, since then, Tolvanen has carved out a key spot in the lineup, playing wing next to Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand, and he has been filling the net with pucks. The 23-year-old Finn is now up to eight goals in 15 games for Seattle, and he has scored in three consecutive contests.
His latest tally was a huge one. It put the game back on the rails for the Kraken after Kent Johnson had gotten the Blue Jackets back within one late in the second period.
EELI GOALVANEN! 🚨
Can’t believe the #SeaKraken got this guy off waivers.
Hakstol is a coach that might care more about what a player does on the defensive end of the ice and away from the puck than he does about how many goals a player scores. And he seems to love Tolvanen.
“He’s just a good hockey player,” Hakstol said. “You know, he does way more than score. You see his hockey sense, he’s got some defensive DNA to him. He understands the game, where to be. He’s one of those guys that finds the shooting lane defensively, he’s got a good stick, he’s got some toughness to him.”
That’s a sign that Tolvanen’s usage will not wane, even if his scoring takes a dip in the later stages of the year. Either way, he seems to be enjoying the early parts of his time with Seattle.
“There were some rough patches at the start of this year,” Tolvanen said. “Hockey wasn’t that much fun, and you know, coming here and getting the trust from the coaches and getting the opportunity to play a lot, it feels really good.”
Takeaway #3: What a ride this has been so far
We’re going to use this third takeaway to wax poetic for a moment, because this has been an awesome second season of covering the Seattle Kraken so far. The inaugural year was fun for different reasons, but the hockey wasn’t all that inspiring.
Now, as Seattle heads for the break in first place, it’s easy to envision this group making a run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in a few months. That’s wild to think about, and something we would have had a hard time truly believing at the start of the season. The group has come a long way and should be proud of what it has accomplished.
“It means a lot,” said Wennberg. “That’s pretty much why we’re putting in all the work, all the hard effort behind it, to be on top. And right now, we’re doing a lot of good things. We’re scoring goals, we’re working on special teams to be better, and goaltending has been unreal.”
Seattle has found a winning formula, and everyone is contributing. Still, the break comes at a great time, as the team is banged up right now.
With key players like Schwartz, Beniers, and Justin Schultz out, we’ve wondered how long the Kraken will have to find stopgaps and shuffle lines, even after their hiatus.
“We’ve got some guys that obviously are nicked up, guys that are out of the lineup,” said Hakstol. “Right now, we don’t feel like there’s anything that’s too long-term, so this seven days is well timed, and for the guys that are in the lineup, this has been a hell of a month.”
That’s about as specific as we’ve ever heard Hakstol get about injury timelines, so keep your fingers crossed that we will see those important players back soon after this break.
Seven minutes into the second period Friday, Brandon Tanev raced across the offensive blue line and leaned into a shot. Before the puck took off, though, his stick snapped in two, so he curled right and headed to the bench. As he stepped through the door on what looked like a legal change, the officials blew the play down and gave Seattle a too-many-men penalty. The sequence pretty much summed up how that game went for the Kraken against the Flames.
It wasn’t so much about the penalty being called, it was about the feeling that Seattle was finally about to get something going, only to have things unravel again.
Coach Dave Hakstol did not like his team’s effort, repeatedly using some variation of the phrase, “We just weren’t that good tonight,” in his post-game press conference. We think some of his verbalized dissatisfaction may have been messaging to get his team ready for one last game before the All-Star break Saturday, but nonetheless, he made it clear he was unimpressed.
Here are our Three Takeaways from a stinky 5-2 Kraken loss to the Flames.
Takeaway #1: A terrible first half
For the first few minutes of the game, it appeared as if the same Seattle team we’ve been seeing through most of January had taken the ice and was in control. But after John Hayden tipped his first goal as a Kraken past Dan Vladar at 5:20, things turned quickly, and the Kraken seemed to have no answer.
JOHN HAYDEN! 🚨
Disgusting tip on a Will Borgen shot and the #SeaKraken are on the board first!
On a pretty passing play, Elias Lindholm deflected a Tyler Toffoli offering past Martin Jones to tie the game at 7:16. Then Toffoli scored a goal of his own at 13:28. The third one was the real backbreaker, though, as Calgary got a late push in the offensive zone, and Nikita Zadorov scored with just four seconds left on the clock.
That’ll sting in the dressing room. Flames score with 4.5 seconds left in the 1st to make it 3-1. #SeaKraken got on the board first with a John Hayden tip, but they gave up three unanswered.
You never want to go to a period break seconds after giving up a goal, and that third Zadorov goal was the icing on a very stinky cake.
“You can pick any one of the goals,” Hakstol said. “I mean, we had great momentum after going up 1-0. We give one up, right? That’s a complete momentum changer two-on-two. Second goal, similar, third goal, it’s at the wrong time with four seconds to go.”
The beginning of the second period was more of the same, as Seattle was hemmed in its zone for about five straight minutes, unable to get tired players off the ice with the long change. At one point, the Flames held a 26-8 shots-on-goal advantage in the game, before the Kraken finally woke up and started pushing back.
“I just think it was an incomplete effort,” said Hayden. “Lost too much of the game missing out on some fundamentals, and this team’s had a ton of success in January. It seems like tonight was sort of an anomaly.”
To the team’s credit, it did battle back and have a fleeting chance to tie the game. In fact, Seattle actually scored two goals in a row, which would have tied the game in the third period, but one was negated with a good goalie interference challenge for Flames coach Darryl Sutter.
On the goal, which was scored by Alex Wennberg, Jared McCann crashed the net and made contact with Vladar in the crease. It wasn’t much, but when contact happens in the blue paint, the call usually goes the goalie’s way.
We were happy to see the team push back after such a terrible start, but it was too little, too late.
Takeaway #2: Power play struggles
The disallowed Wennberg goal came on a power play. Had that counted, this probably wouldn’t have been a takeaway from this game, but it didn’t count, so the narrative becomes that Seattle’s power play failed to connect on five opportunities.
In the second and third periods, the Kraken manpower advantage did have lots of good looks, and Hakstol called out two situations in addition to the disallowed goal in which Seattle had open nets and lost the handle on the puck.
But the power play could go back to being a big issue for this team, as long as it is dealing with injuries. On Friday, three regular power play participants were absent in Jaden Schwartz, Matty Beniers, and Justin Schultz. As a result, the second unit consisted of Ryan Donato, Eeli Tolvanen, Daniel Sprong, and Oliver Bjorkstrand, with Carson Soucy quarterbacking. We don’t think that’s what Hakstol would have drawn up as his ideal second unit, but he doesn’t have many options.
Once the first unit would leave the ice Friday, there wasn’t much cooking for the second unit, meaning each two-minute power play was effectively turned into a one-minute power play. In fact, on one power play in the second period, Soucy rushed the puck up the ice and handed it off to Bjorkstrand, who dumped the puck in for a rim around. It actually worked, as Seattle forechecked and gained possession, but it’s never a good sign when the power play is dumping the puck.
Seattle sure could use an All-Star break right about now.
Takeaway #3: Yanni Gourde is a warrior
We already knew Yanni Gourde was a warrior, but he proved it again Friday, and in a big way.
With the long change, Seattle was badly hemmed into their zone for several minutes to start the second period. Michael Stone wound up at the blue line and launched a heat-seeking missile toward Martin Jones. Gourde got his right foot in the way of the shot, and immediately went down to the ice in a heap.
In true Gourde fashion, he got back up and tried to fight through the pain, but ultimately collapsed back down, as the referees mercifully whistled the play dead.
Gourde was helped off the ice and down the tunnel, and we were sure he was done for the night, adding to Seattle’s ever-growing list of key injuries.
Lo and behold, there was Gourde, three minutes later, back on the ice killing the bogus too-many-men penalty that had been called against the Kraken.
Here’s what Gourde’s teammates and coach said about his gutsy play:
“It’s no surprise,” said Hayden. “He has such a good reputation. He’s had so much success in the league and he’s a warrior, so that was a big deal for us.”
“It’s huge. He battles through whatever, you know?” said Eeli Tolvanen. “He’s that kind of guy; he’s a team guy, and it tells a lot about him. It doesn’t matter if it’s a big slap shot in his ankle, he’s coming back no matter what.”
“For as tough a night as it was, guys were trying,” said Hakstol. “It didn’t look very good, but when you have a guy like that put that kind of effort in— I’m not sure how he was when he took his boot off. I’m sure it doesn’t feel real good.”
Gourde played the remainder of the game and racked up 16:18 of ice time in all. What a beauty.
With just two games left before a lengthy break for the Kraken, first-place Seattle is limping in, with injuries piling up. The latest player to get hurt is star rookie Matty Beniers, who took a cheap hit from Tyler Myers on Wednesday and hit his head on the ice. On this episode of the Sound Of Hockey, John, Andy, and Darren discuss this and much more about the last week for the Kraken.
After recapping the latest games, the guys talk about the Bruce Boudreau/Rick Tocchet mess in Vancouver, which made an appearance at Climate Pledge Arena this week.
They also do a Hype-o-Thetical to determine if it would make sense to move Shane Wright for a guy like Bo Horvat.
This season hasn’t played out the way Kraken forward John Hayden envisioned. He signed a one-year, two-way deal with Seattle in July and entered the team’s training camp on a mission to make the opening-night roster.
After three seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks and one each with New Jersey, Arizona, and Buffalo, Hayden saw an opportunity with Seattle.
“In talking to my family, my agent, it just was the right fit,” Hayden said of his decision to sign with the Kraken. “We just thought that top to bottom, this staff and this organization— I mean, there were a lot of good options, but this just felt right.”
He had a solid camp and made his physical—and offensive—presence known in Seattle’s penultimate preseason game in Vancouver. That night, Seattle came back from a two-goal deficit and won 4-3 in overtime. Hayden was a central figure in the comeback, with two separate fights against Kyle Burroughs and Dakota Joshua, and he scored the tying goal in the third period.
It was a nice exclamation point on the preseason for Hayden, who left Seattle’s coaching staff with a difficult decision on whether to keep him with the NHL team or send him to the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds.
The decision didn’t go Hayden’s way. Daniel Sprong and Cale Fleury ended up as the last bubble players to make the roster, while Hayden was placed on waivers with the intention of assigning him to Coachella Valley. Despite his 241 games of NHL experience, Hayden was one of Seattle’s two final cuts along with Michal Kempny.
Clearing waivers the following day meant Hayden would see his first action in the AHL since the 2017-18 season, the only other time he’s ever played in the minors.
Still, Hayden wasn’t shocked to be sent down. “I knew it was a possibility,” he said. “I mean last year, I was on a two-way deal in Buffalo, but I spent the whole year in the NHL. [It was the] same thing, on a two-way this year, but I thought I had a real good chance of making the team. And that was my full intention and goal during training camp.”
A hectic start for Coachella Valley built strong bonds
Of course, being sent to Coachella Valley didn’t really mean Hayden would physically be moving to the desert right away. The Firebirds’ home venue, Acrisure Arena, was not yet finished, so Hayden and his new teammates spent two months in hotels and AirBNB’s around Seattle with Kraken Community Iceplex as their temporary home base.
For Hayden personally, being on the road was nothing new. As a kid, he moved around a lot; from Chicago to Denver and Denver to Connecticut with his family, then Connecticut to Ann Arbor to join the National Team Development Program, and Ann Arbor back to Connecticut to play at Yale. “I’m used to living out of suitcases and hotels,” Hayden said. “It’s just part of the job.”
John Hayden skates for the Coachella Valley Firebirds against the Abbotsford Canucks. (Photo/Brian Liesse)
As for the Firebirds, Hayden thinks the extended time on the road helped bring them together as a team.
“I thought it was actually pretty good for us to be able to have two months on the road together out of hotels and bonding,” he said. “The team ended up winning most games during that stretch, so now we’re in a pretty good position.”
The successful start to the year has only led to more winning for the Firebirds, who are in first place in the Pacific Division with a stunning 28-6-4 record. Hayden credits the success to how close the players are to one another and the amount of fun they have off the ice. He thinks may not be doing as well if it weren’t for their long road trip to start the season.
At 27 years old, Hayden is a seasoned veteran by AHL standards. He has put up good numbers down there, with 13 goals and 12 assists in 34 games, along with 49 penalty minutes, a sign of a player who is willing to get involved in physical play.
Hayden hasn’t been the only veteran helping to lead the team, though.
“I think a lot of guys down there are in the same boat, where they’re middle-aged or veteran guys,” Hayden said. “Our rookies are great, but it’s a lot of guys who’ve been in pro hockey for a few years.”
No regrets in signing with the Kraken
It’s easy to wonder if maybe Hayden wishes he had signed elsewhere in the offseason, being that he has spent most of the season in the minors. But he has found good value in his time playing under Dan Bylsma in the AHL and has nothing but good things to say about the organization as a whole.
Now that he’s back up with the Kraken, Hayden is excited to be on an NHL roster again, but he isn’t losing sight of the positive experiences he’s been having in Coachella Valley.
“It feels great [to be back],” Hayden said. “It doesn’t really change my mentality, whether I’m here or in Coachella. I’m really just trying to put myself in the best spot from a development standpoint and helping the team win.”
Meanwhile, Hayden is getting positive reviews from Kraken coach Dave Hakstol for the way he has worked since returning to Seattle and how he performed against Colorado on Saturday in his first appearance with the team.
“It’s not an easy role,” Hakstol said. “For [Hayden] to come up here and just jump in and play his eight-to-10 minutes when he got one seven-second shift in the first period of that hockey game, but to do his job for the second and third, that just shows you he knows who he is. He knows what he has to do to help us.”
Hayden hopes that the work he’s putting in this season will help make him an NHL regular again one day soon.
“Of course I would like to be in the NHL full time,” he said. “But the experience I’ve had so far from a development standpoint with Coachella, all the staff down there, it’s been great. So, just really a first-class organization.”
