Sep 13: The Kraken have officially announced the contract, confirming the $750K salary. GM Ron Francis released a short statement on Donato:
Ryan’s hockey sense and ability to contribute on the scoresheet are two ingredients we are excited to add to our forward group. We like his offensive potential and believe he can add scoring depth.
Sep 12: Seattle has added to their forward depth heading into their inaugural training camp as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that they’ve inked forward Ryan Donato to a one-year deal. The one-way contract pays the league minimum salary of $750K.
The 25-year-old is coming off a disappointing season with San Jose. He managed just six goals along with 14 assists in 50 games with the Sharks while rarely being able to make it into the top six. That led them to not tender a $2.15MM qualifying offer earlier this summer, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Considering that Donato has shown the ability to be a serviceable depth scorer in the past, this is a nice low-risk move for the Kraken. He’ll give them some extra depth on the wing and actually becomes one of their younger players. With a decent showing this season, he could also be controlled through restricted free agency although he’ll once again have salary arbitration rights.
Seattle GM Ron Francis has been active in adding forwards through free agency this summer. Donato becomes the fifth NHL roster forward to join the Kraken via the open market, joining Jaden Schwartz, Alexander Wennberg, Marcus Johansson, and Riley Sheahan. With nearly $7MM in cap space per CapFriendly, they have the cap room to continue to add although roster spots will be hard to come by given their depth, particularly on the back end.
why not at that price
Nothing to lose at that price.
Thats a steal for seattle
NHL scorer with ECHL defense.
I mean, “NHL scorer” is a bit of a stretch lol. The guy has 35 career goals.
That stat is relative! is that in one season or ten seasons?
Nice to see Seattle get Kraken with the depth signings…
… I’ll just see myself out.
‘Ability to contribute on the scoresheet’ is an interesting evaluation…. Take the chance at that price, of course, but let’s not pretend he’s done much of anything to show himself as someone who counts ‘contributing to the scoresheet’ as a skill set.
His Breakout threshold (200 games) is coming in the first quarter of this season. He’s on a team starving for offense. If he’s ever going to produce, this season is the one.