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West Snapshots: Duclair, Tippett, Hintz

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Speaking with offseason acquisition, Anthony Duclair of the San Jose Sharks, Sharks beat writer, Curtis Pashelka, reports that the new forward may have some interest in signing an extension in San Jose. Duclair did indicate that there have been contract talks up to this point, as he looks to remain focused for the upcoming season.

Largely a salary dump addition by the Sharks this summer, Duclair is coming off a largely successful three-year run with the Florida Panthers. In 137 games in Sunrise since the start of the 2020-21 NHL season, Duclair has 43 goals and 56 assists, which amounts to the most points scored for any team he has played on throughout his career. Nevertheless, there is some injury concern along with him, as he was unable to play in the regular season last year until late February due to an Achilles injury.

Acquired at the start of free agency by the Sharks for forward Steven Lorentz and a 2025 fifth-round draft pick, Duclair should get plenty of opportunity in San Jose this year. Clearly in a rebuilding effort, Duclair is one of eight expiring contracts on the roster and should see an ample amount of time in the team’s top six. If Duclair remains healthy and continues to perform well, he is poised to be a probable mover at next year’s trade deadline if the two parties cannot come to a contract extension.

Other snapshots:

  • Before accepting the position as head coach of the Edmonton Oilers from 2019-22, Dave Tippett was working as a Senior Advisor for the upstart Seattle expansion franchise, before they had even been given a formal name. After taking a year away from the game, the Seattle Kraken announced that Tippett would rejoin the organization, this time as a Coaching Consultant. A head coach of nearly 1,300 games, Tippett will bring a wealth of experience to the coaching staff of the Kraken, who are hoping to return to the playoffs for the upcoming 2023-24 season.
  • Mike Heika, a Senior Staff Writer for the Dallas Stars, reports that forward Roope Hintz is to be considered day-to-day, with the Stars remaining cautious on his timeline. Dealing with an upper-body injury, Hintz was unable to practice with the team today. The organization has only played two preseason matchups up to this point, one against the Arizona Coyotes, and the other against the Minnesota Wild, with Hintz being scratched for both matchups.

Winnipeg Jets Injury Notes: Ehlers, Capobianco, Barlow

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Unable to play in either contest against the Edmonton Oilers earlier in the week, Nikolaj Ehlers appears to be out even longer. Still dealing with the lingering effects of neck spasms, Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press reports that Ehlers will miss tonight’s game against the Calgary Flames, as well as Friday’s game against the Ottawa Senators.

Missing a handful of regular season games from 2020-2022, Ehlers spent one of his longest bouts on the injured reserve last season, missing six weeks of action due to a hernia. Only suiting up in 45 games, the Winnipeg Jets are hoping this injury does not continue to linger.

There is reason for optimism, as Wiebe notes that Ehlers is progressing nicely through the injury, but without being able to play a single game in the preseason, Ehlers may need a bit longer to acclimate himself than other players on the opening night roster. Although this is positive news in terms of his eventual return to the ice for Winnipeg, there is no specific timetable set for Ehlers’ return.

Other Winnipeg injury notes:

  •  In the same report, Wiebe writes that Jets’ depth defenseman, Kyle Capobianco, will be left off the roster for tonight’s game against the Flames due to a groin injury. Instead, the 164th overall selection of the 2020 NHL Draft, Tyrel Bauer, will take his place in the lineup. After agreeing to a deal with defenseman Logan Stanley in mid-August for the 2023-24 NHL season, Capobianco will be hard-pressed to find a spot on the Jets’ blue line to start the season, even after playing in 14 games for the team last year.
  • Lastly, in his return from an illness that kept him out a few days, Winnipeg’s first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, Colby Barlow, will return to the ice with the team. Unable to find himself in the lineup for a preseason game up to this point, Barlow could see his first taste of professional action as early as tonight against Calgary.

Blues Injury Notes: Kyrou, Faulk, Kapanen, Ratcliffe, Burns

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Speaking with head coach Craig Berube of the St. Louis Blues today, Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that two of the most important players on the Blues roster, defenseman Justin Faulk, and forward Jordan Kyrou are both “fine” and should be back with the team relatively soon.

Both players are dealing with lower-body injuries, likely sustained in their most recent preseason matchups. In Faulk, he played in the team’s winning effort against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday, playing a little over 16 minutes, failing to land on the scoresheet. Kyrou, on the other hand, has not played since the team’s split-squad matchup against the Arizona Coyotes on September 23rd, where he would play in almost 18 minutes of that game, scoring one goal and one assist.

It is unknown whether or not either player will play in the team’s upcoming matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks tomorrow night, or this weekend’s game against the Dallas Stars. Nevertheless, it appears that both are dealing with minor injuries and should be available for either of those two games.

Other Blues injury notes:

  • In the same report, DeFranks mentions that Blues’ forward Kasperi Kapanen is dealing with an upper-body injury, and should be able to return to practice tomorrow. Much like the status of Faulk and Kyrou, it is unknown whether or not Kapanen will play in the organization’s upcoming games this week, but should be ready to factor in if necessary. Kapanen has only played one game this preseason, playing just over 18 minutes of the team’s win against Arizona, registering zero points.
  • For some longer-term injury notes, St. Louis forward Isaac Ratcliffe is confirmed out at the moment, with no timetable for his return. Factoring into Tuesday’s game against the Blue Jackets, Ratcliffe tallied a goal in 13 minutes of ice time, earning the third star of the game. On the bubble of the Blues’ roster heading into this season, for his own personal benefit, Ratcliffe can not afford to miss too much time if he hopes to crack the regular season lineup.
  • St. Louis’ third-round selection of the 2023 NHL Draft, Quinton Burns, has been unable to return to practice following a lower-body injury sustained in the game against the Coyotes. In all likelihood, even without the injury, the young defenseman would have been returned to his OHL team, the Kingston Frontenacs, for the 2023-24 season. In his game against Arizona, Burns accrued 16 minutes of ice time, earning 2 PIMs and one registered hit.

Flyers Sign Carson Bjarnason To Entry-Level Contract

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7:26 p.m.: CapFriendly has the full breakdown of Bjarnason’s deal, which has a cap hit of $913K:

Year 1: $775K base salary, $95K signing bonus, $80K games played bonus
Year 2: $825K base salary, $95K signing bonus, $30K games played bonus
Year 3: $855K base salary, $95K signing bonus

1:12 p.m.: Having already signed their second of two first-round selections in the 2023 NHL Draft, the Philadelphia Flyers will now ink their second-round selection to his entry-level contract. The Flyers announced via a press release they have signed Carson Bjarnason to a three-year contract, who was originally drafted 51st overall in June’s draft.

Being the fourth-highest goaltender selected in the 2023 NHL Draft, Bjarnason has spent the last two years with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL and is poised to suit up for them again for the 2023-24 season. He improved significantly from his rookie season, posting a 21-19-5 record in 47 games played, carrying a SV% of .900 and a GAA of 3.08. Although not outright impressive numbers at face value, it is important to note the Wheat Kings finished 10th in the Eastern Conference last year, finishing with a losing record and a -30 goal differential.

In the Flyers organization specifically, it will likely take several years for Bjarnason to move up the depth chart. The team already has three goaltenders pegged for the NHL level this season, with both Ivan Fedotov and Samuel Ersson on the cusp. Given his play at the KHL, Fedotov appears poised for the longer-term answer in net, with the team also having the ability to sign Carter Hart to an extension next summer. Nevertheless, Bjarnason has his work cut out for him to eventually suit up in Philadelphia over the next several seasons.

East Snapshots: Edmundson, Jarnkrok, Cross

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Earlier this morning, it was reported that the new Washington Capitals’ defenseman, Joel Edmundson, would not partake in team activities after suffering an injury during a team scrimmage. Unfortunately for both he and the team, Stephen Whyno of AP, is reporting that Edmundson’s prognosis is not good, but it was not similar to the injury that kept him out of the lineup for all of February last season.

Hoping for a rebound season during his arrival in Washington, Edmundon’s last season in Montreal was one of, if not the worst of his career. In 61 games played, Edmundson would score two goals and 11 assists, posting career lows in plus/minus, CF%, and oiSV%. Still averaging almost 20 minutes a game for the Canadiens, Edmundson looked like a completely different player than the one Montreal had during the 2020-21 season.

Given the current makeup of Washington’s blue line, if he was to have a season of rejuvenation, Edmundson conceivably could have slotted in anywhere between three and six on the Capitals’ defensive depth chart. If Edmundson is to indeed land on the injured reserve for a while, Washington’s blue line will look remarkably similar to last season, while hopefully receiving a full year of play from both John Carlson and Rasmus Sandin.

Other snapshots:

  •  Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun is reporting that Toronto Maple Leafs forward, Calle Jarnkrok is considered day-to-day, and could skate as early as tomorrow. Jarnkrok did not play in the team’s second preseason game last night against the Ottawa Senators, but given his timeline, could play in Toronto’s game tomorrow against the Buffalo Sabres. During the regular season, Jarnkrok will likely slot into one of the top fourth lines in the league, next to David Kampf and Ryan Reaves.
  • A veteran of over 500 games in the American Hockey League, former defenseman Tommy Cross has found his new career off the ice. Spending the last several years in the St. Louis Blues organization, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic is reporting that the Columbus Blue Jackets have hired Cross as a defensive development coach. In his new role, Cross will primarily be working with Columbus defensemen who have yet to crack the NHL roster.

Cory Schneider To Officially Retire

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A New Jersey Devils reporter for the Star-Ledger, Ryan Novozinsky is reporting that goaltender Cory Schneider is officially retiring from the National Hockey League. A 13-year veteran, Schneider had lengthy stays with the Vancouver Canucks and Devils, while he would finish his career with the New York Islanders organization.

Originally the 26th overall selection of the 2004 NHL Draft, Schneider would go on to spend three seasons with the Boston College Eagles of the NCAA, before finally signing his entry-level contract with the Canucks before the start of the 2007-08 season. Schneider would help lead Boston College to back-to-back National Championships in 2006 and 2007, losing to Wisconsin University and Michigan State University, respectively.

He would spend the entire 2007-08 season playing for the then-AHL affiliate to Vancouver, the Manitoba Moose, before finally getting his cup of coffee in the NHL in the 2008-09 season. As the Canucks continued to build a Stanley Cup contender, Schneider made the full-time jump to the NHL during the 2010-11 season, primarily playing behind Roberto Luongo. The team would make it to the Stanley Cup Final that season, losing to the Boston Bruins in seven games.

Due to the incredible play from both Luongo and Schneider, rumors began to swirl surrounding both, as all signs pointed to the Canucks eventually moving on from one of them. At the 2013 NHL Draft, the domino fell, as Schneider was dealt to the Devils for the ninth overall pick, which would land the Canucks Bo Horvat. Expected to fill the shoes that would be left by franchise legend Martin Brodeur, Schneider got control of New Jersey’s net for the 2014-15 season. He would finish his career as a Canuck with a 55-26-8 record in 86 starts, carrying a .927 SV% and a 2.20 GAA over five seasons.

His first year with the Devils was exceptional, leading then-General Manager Lou Lamoriello to sign Schneider to a seven-year, $42MM contract extension, giving New Jersey their long-term answer in net as Brodeur had moved on to the St. Louis Blues. The 2015-16 season would be the last truly impressive season of Schneider’s career, as he would see his numbers continually decline each year after. Schneider would only lead the Devils to the playoffs once during his seven years with the club, losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the 2017-18 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Originally, his seven-year extension with New Jersey would have taken Schneider to the 2021-22 season, but the team decided to buy out the last two years of his deal after the 2019-20 season. Following Lamoriello to Long Island, Schneider would spend the next three seasons playing on one-year deals for the Islanders, only seeing one game at the NHL over that time. Although it was an unceremonious end to an incredible start to his career, Schneider would finish his career with 410 games played, posting a 171-159-58 record, with a SV% of .918 and a GAA of 2.43.

We at Pro Hockey Rumors congratulate Schneider on a respectable career, and we wish him the best as he moves into the next chapter of his life.

Kevin Constantine Under WHL Investigation

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While preseason matchups are underway in the NHL, a bit of drama is coming out of the Western Hockey League this evening. The WHL announced via a press release that the head coach of the Wenatchee Wild, Kevin Constantine, has been suspended for the foreseeable future.

Without much specificity into the allegations, the WHL will investigate Constantine due to alleged WHL Regulations and Policy violations. Constantine was originally hired as the first coach in franchise history for the Wild this summer, having recently moved and rebranded away from the Winnipeg Ice.

This is not the first time that Constantine has found himself in hot water, having been suspended twice already as a professional coach. In 1996, as an assistant coach for the Calgary Flames, Constantine and fellow coach, Guy Lapointe, were suspended one game, and two games, respectively, after trying to assault a fan during a game against the Edmonton Oilers. During his first run as head coach of the Everett Silvertips, in 2006, Constantine was suspended four games and fined $5,000 USD for forcing his players to only remove their helmets, skates, and gloves, requiring them to wear their full gear to eat the post-game meal, as well as on the bus ride back to Everett.

He previously had a run as the head coach of a few NHL organizations from 1993 to 2002 with the San Jose Sharks, Pittsburgh Penguins, and New Jersey Devils. After his last head coaching stint in Everett at the conclusion of the 2016-17 WHL season, Constantine spent time being a head coach in South Korea, Poland, and Hungary, before finally returning to North America this summer.

It is important to note, that prospects for the Buffalo Sabres Zach Benson and Matthew Savoie, as well as Arizona Coyotes prospect, Conor Geekie, were all projected to start the year in Wenatchee, now leaving their head coaching situation in doubt for the upcoming season. Last season in Winnipeg, the team finished first in the Eastern Conference, losing to the Seattle Thunderbirds in the WHL Finals.

Summer Synopsis: St. Louis Blues

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For only the second time in the last decade, the St. Louis Blues failed to make the Stanley Cup playoffs. In a disappointing season seeing them finish sixth in the Central Division, and 12th in the Western Conference, the Blues moved on from big-name players such as Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O’Reilly at last year’s trade deadline.

Now, St. Louis will be leaning more into their young stars, such as Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas. However, even after some notable additions this offseason, the Blues will still have an uphill battle to return to the Stanley Cup playoffs out of the Western Conference in the 2023-24 NHL season.

Draft

1-10: F Dalibor Dvorsky, AIK (HockeyAllsvenskan)
1-25: F Otto Stenberg, Frolunda HC (SHL)
1-29: D Theo Lindstein, Brynas IF (SHL)
3-74: D Quinton Burns, Kingston (OHL)
3-76: F Juraj Pekarcik, HK Nitra (Slovakia)
4-106: F Jakub Stancl, Vaxjo HC (SHL)
5-138: D Paul Fischer, USNTDP (USHL)
6-170: D Matthew Mayich, Ottawa (OHL)
7-202: F Nikita Susuyev, Spartak (KHL)

Putting quite an importance on building up their long-term center depth at this year’s draft, the Blues’ first selection, Dvorsky, should provide the team with just that. In some pre-draft boards, Dvorsky was seen going as high as sixth overall to the Arizona Coyotes, giving St. Louis the benefit of not having to reach for a center early in the first round. Last season playing for AIK, Dvorsky would suit up in 38 games for AIK, scoring six goals and 14 points.

On the latter two of their first-round selections, there were much more mixed reviews surrounding Stenberg and Lindstein. Lindstein is through-and-through a defense-first defenseman and should be a safer bet than Stenberg long-term for the Blues. Stenberg was not a bad selection for St. Louis by any means but did show some cause for concern in his first year of professional hockey in Sweden. Playing mostly against players much older than him, Stenberg only suited up in 23 games for Frolunda HC last season, scoring one goal and two assists.

UFA Signings

D Joshua Jacobs (one year, $775K)*
D Wyatt Kalynuk (one year, $775K)*
F Mackenzie MacEachern (two years, $1.55MM)
G Malcolm Subban (one year, $775K)*
F Oskar Sundqvist (one year, $775K)

*-denotes a two-way contract

Without much in the way of salary cap space due to the long-term extensions for both Kyrou and Thomas kicking in this year, the Blues mostly spent their dollars on forwards that could potentially help in the team’s bottom six, as well as defensemen and goaltending depth for their AHL affiliate. Sundqvist is the only free-agent acquisition likely to crack St. Louis’ roster out of camp, as he should be extremely familiar with the style of play in the organization, given his five-year run with the Blues from 2017-2022.

Most of these UFA signings will directly impact the Springfield Thunderbirds, who will look to make the Calder Cup playoffs for the third season in a row. Defense being the team’s biggest strength, they were able to finish ninth in the AHL in goals against last year, a statistic that Jacobs, Kalynuk, MacEachern, and Subban should all help continue. Now two years removed from reaching the Calder Cup Finals, the Thunderbirds could be a team to watch in the AHL yet again for the 2023-24 season.

Trade Acquisitions

F Kevin Hayes (acquired from Philadelphia)

A cousin of Blues legend, Keith Tkachuk, Hayes should shore up the void left by O’Reilly at the center position in St. Louis. Signing a massive seven-year, $50MM contract with the Philadelphia Flyers back in 2019, Hayes’ career in Philadelphia came to a close after regularly disagreeing with head coach John Tortorella. In his last season for the Flyers, Hayes would actually have one of the best offensive seasons of his career, even after being benched in several games. Playing in 81 regular season games, Hayes would score 18 goals and 36 assists, good for second on the team in scoring. With the Flyers retaining 50% ($3.57MM) of Hayes’ contract for the next three seasons, the Blues should get some solid value out of him on the second line.

RFA Re-Signings

F Hugh McGing (one year, $775K)*
D Scott Perunovich (one year, $775K)
F Alexey Toropchenko (two years, $2.5MM)
D Tyler Tucker (two years, $1.6MM)

Handling the would-be RFA status of both Kyrou and Thomas a little over a year ago, St. Louis did not have much in the way of notable RFA candidates this summer. If the rest of the blue line is healthy, Tucker should see limited action, and may even be a demotion candidate as the year continues.

Toropchenko, on the other hand, should see a decent amount of playing time in the team’s middle six this season. Playing in 69 regular season games last year, Toropchenko found the back of the net 10 times, while also tallying nine assists. The Blues only gave him about 12 minutes a night last year, and it is reasonable to assume that he will be around that number again, depending on the play of both Jakub Vrana and Kasperi Kapanen.

Departures

F Logan Brown (Tampa Bay, one year, $775K)
F Matthew Highmore (Ottawa, one year, $775K)
D Brady Lyle (Calgary, one year, $775K)
F Tyler Pitlick (NY Rangers, one year, $788K)
D Steven Santini (Los Angeles, one year, $800K)
F Nathan Todd (San Jose, two years, $1.55MM)

Much like their potential RFA candidates, the Blues didn’t stand to lose too much this offseason via free agency, especially after moving out O’Reilly and Tarasenko for future assets at the trade deadline. Their most notable loss will come from Pitlick, who played in 61 games for the Blues last season, scoring seven goals and nine assists.

This list could have been longer, however, as it was rumored the club was putting significant effort into moving out the contract of Torey Krug at the beginning of the summer to the Flyers in the Hayes deal, but was unable to include him in the transaction as Krug was able to deny the trade due to the No Trade Clause in his current deal.

Salary Cap Outlook

With a full roster and no LTIR candidates heading into the 2023-24 season, the Blues will have approximately $200K available in cap space, which will turn into $1.37MM in deadline space. Depending on which direction the Blues head this season, they will have plenty of established assets to move out at the trade deadline, and very little cap space to work with if they are hoping to gain a player or two.

Next summer, they will have around $13.4MM coming off of the books, giving them the option to add a few decent players via free agency or trade. If St. Louis is once again out of playoff contention in February/March of 2024, multi-year contracts such as Krug, Brandon Saad, and Nick Leddy could be on the trade block to loosen up even more financial flexibility.

Key Questions

Will They Get Back Into The Playoffs? Last season, the Blues were one year removed from a 109-point season, finishing third in the Central Division, losing in six games in the second round of the playoffs to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche. In disappointing fashion, St. Louis was only able to reach 81 points on the year, finishing in sixth place in the Central, finishing well outside the playoff picture. The Avalanche and Dallas Stars project to be the top two teams in the division heading into the upcoming season, but the third spot seems relatively up for grabs. The Minnesota Wild and Winnipeg Jets should still factor into the playoff picture, with the Arizona Coyotes looking more and more like a complete team, giving the Blues a lot to think about concerning their short-term competitive window. Kyrou and Thomas are already stars in the NHL, but the Blues still feel a player away to be considered a playoff lock for next season.

How Will The Team Improve Its Defense? It is true that Jordan Binnington shares a big part of the blame for the Blues finishing 27th in Goals Against last year, given that over a full year, the 2022-23 season was by far the worst of his career. Justin Faulk had a solid season by most standards, but Krug and Colton Parayko took a step back, with Nick Leddy, Robert Bortuzzo, and Marco Scandella continuing to lose the battle with ’Father Time’. Parayko, Leddy, and Krug are all signed for at least the next three seasons, with the team being able to move on from Scandella and Bortuzzo next offseason. If he maintains his health, prospect Scott Perunovich should be able to take one of the spots left by either Scandella or Bortuzzo, but it’s beginning to appear the Blues need to make a big-time move for a top-two defenseman, having failed to adequately replace the void left by Alex Pietrangelo.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Training Camp Snapshots: Voracek, Othmann, Zibanejad

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In a press release coming out of the Czech Extraliga, former player Jakub Voracek will be joining the Kladno Knights as a powerplay coach for their 2023-24 season. Born and raised in Kladno, Voracek will return home, having his career cut short last year due to concussion symptoms.

A long-time member of both the Columbus Blue Jackets and Philadelphia Flyers organizations, Voracek is currently under contract with the Arizona Coyotes for the 2023-24 season, with his $8.25MM salary currently in one of the team’s LTIR slots. Last March, once it was understood that Voracek would likely never play again due to his concussions, the Blue Jackets traded him, along with a sixth-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, to the Coyotes in exchange for goaltender Jon Gillies.

Finding his path in life after hockey, it would have been difficult to find a better powerplay specialist for Kladno. During his time in the NHL, Voracek was one of the better playmakers of his generation when healthy, scoring 55 goals and 204 assists on the powerplay throughout his 1,058 games in the NHL over 15 years.

Other snapshots:

  • The New York Rangers will be missing top prospect Brennan Othmann for a few days of training camp, as the team announced this morning he is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Already carrying a solid top-six forward group heading into the season, it would have been difficult for Othmann to crack the Rangers’ roster out of training camp regardless of this injury. However, he is poised to wreak havoc at the AHL level for the Hartford Wolf Pack, after having scored 29 goals and 38 assists in 56 games during his last season in the OHL.
  • Vince Mercogliano of USA Today reports that the top center for the New York Rangers, Mika Zibanejad, was seen going to the locker room this morning, favoring his right arm after slowly getting off the ice. It’s still to be seen whether or not Zibanejad will miss time, or the seriousness of the injury altogether. The Rangers currently have the center depth necessary to weather the storm of potentially losing out on Zibanejad for the time being, but can not afford to lose him for a considerable time with Stanley Cup aspirations.

Summer Synopsis: Seattle Kraken

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Not only did the sophomore year of the Seattle Kraken organization in the NHL result in a playoff berth, but the team was able to impress even further by eliminating the then-defending Stanley Cup champion, Colorado Avalanche, in their seven-game opening-round matchup. Led by emerging star and 2023 Calder Trophy winner Matthew Beniers, as well as a hodgepodge of veteran leaders thanks to the expansion draft, free agency, and well-timed trade acquisitions, this team still has an uphill battle in the Pacific Division.

It was a relatively quiet offseason for the Kraken, who are looking to build on their impressive season last year. Most of the talent acquired this summer primarily came out of the draft, with the team making no trades and largely nibbling around the edges of the free-agent market.

Draft

1-20: F Eduard Sale, HC Kometa Brno (Czechia)
2-50: F Carson Rehkopf, Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
2-52: F Oscar Fisker Molgaard, HV71 (SHL)
2-57: D Lukas Dragicevic, Tri-City Americans (WHL)
3-84: D Caden Price, Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
4-116: F Andrei Loshko, Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL)
5-148: D Kaden Hammell, Everett Silvertips (WHL)
6-168: G Visa Vedenpaa, Karpat U20 (U20 SM-sarja)
6-180: F Zeb Forsfjall, Skellefteå AIK (SHL)
7-212: F Zaccharya Wisdom, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL)

Carrying a healthy mix of forwards, defensemen, and goaltenders, as well as a balance between North American and European skaters, the Kraken organization deepened all facets of their prospect cupboards at the 2023 NHL Draft.

The prize of the draft for Seattle, Sale, was one of the better selections in terms of return on investment. Only one year ago, Sale was frequently cited in the top 10 on most draft big boards, scoring 89 points in 39 games during his last season in Czechia’s top junior league. Unfortunately, in his first season against more seasoned veterans in Czechia’s professional league, Sale was only able to score seven goals and seven assists in 43 games, playing in an extremely limited role overseas. Nevertheless, Sale has all the intangibles to be a top-six forward in the NHL and should have better luck playing for the Barrie Colts this season.

In one of the higher upside swings for the team at this summer’s draft, the Kraken were able to select Dragicevic at 57th overall, the highest-scoring right-handed defenseman in the draft. Playing for the Americans last season in the WHL, Dragicevic put up 15 goals and 60 assists in 68 regular season games, showing excellent vision in transition and on the powerplay. There are quite a few questions surrounding his defensive side of the game, but most teams in the NHL would overlook defensive shortcomings for a potential point-per-game blueliner.

UFA Signings

F Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (one year, $775K)
D Connor Carrick (one year, $775K)*
D Brian Dumoulin (two years, $6.3MM)
F John Hayden (one year, $775K)*
D Mitch Reinke (one year, $775K)*
D Jimmy Schuldt (one year, $775K)*
F Devin Shore (one year, $775K)*
F Marian Studenic (one year, $775K)*
F Kailer Yamamoto (one year, $1.5MM)

*-denotes a two-way contract

By most metrics, Dumoulin had a subpar season last year with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was able to earn a career-high in assists (24) and points (25) but did see his CF% dip under career averages with a 45.2% showing, as well as his oiSV% at 88.5%. At only a two-year deal, it’s a relatively low-risk deal for the Kraken, who are now able to use Dumoulin to round out their top four and still have many of the blueliners present on the team last season.

One of the more under-the-radar signings not only for Seattle but across the entire NHL this summer is the one-year deal the team handed out to Yamamoto. He was originally acquired by the Detroit Red Wings in a salary dump deal earlier in the summer, and thanks to a buyout on June 30th, Yamamoto entered unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career. At still only 24 years old, Yamamoto still has quite a bit of talent to showcase, and with his offensive capabilities, as well as his above-average speed with and without the puck, should be able to translate smoothly to the Kraken organization.

RFA Re-Signings

D William Borgen (two years, $5.4MM)
D Vince Dunn (four years, $29.4MM)
D Cale Fleury (two years, $1.6MM)
F Kole Lind (one year, $775K)*

*-denotes a two-way contract

Heavily blocked on the depth chart during his time with the St.Louis Blues from 2017-2021, Dunn has thrived since joining the Kraken organization. Based on his last two seasons in Seattle, Dunn is one of, if not the best player selected by the Kraken in the 2021 Expansion Draft.

Matching a career-high in points in Seattle during the 2021-22 season, Dunn accelerated into an entirely different form last year, scoring 14 goals and 50 assists in 81 regular season games for the Kraken. Carrying his season momentum into the playoffs, Dunn would score one goal and six assists in 14 games, finishing second amongst defensemen on the team in points. Although the Kraken would have likely wanted to sign Dunn to a longer-term extension, this four-year deal will take Dunn to his age 30 season, giving him ample opportunity to get paid once again in unrestricted free agency.

Departures

F Ryan Donato (Chicago, two years, $4MM)
F Joonas Donskoi (Retirement)
F Morgan Geekie (Boston, two years, $4MM)
D Brogan Rafferty (Detroit, two years, $1.55MM)
D Carson Soucy (Vancouver, three years, $9.75MM)
F Daniel Sprong (Detroit, one year, $2MM)
F Alexander True (Florida, one year, $775K)

Much like Dunn, thanks to increased playing time with the upstart Kraken organization, Soucy was able to turn his career around in Seattle. Becoming one of the more unheralded two-way defensemen in the NHL, Soucy would regularly use his body to make important hits during the game and spend plenty of time on the Kraken penalty kill. The loss of Soucy shouldn’t slow down Seattle, however, as the acquisition of Dumoulin should offset much of the lost value.

The Kraken did lose three key middle-six forwards in Donato, Geekie, and Sprong, but the team should once again recoup a lot of the lost value with the acquisition of Yamamoto, and a full season from both Eeli Tolvanen and Shane Wright. As far as departures go for most cap-strapped playoff teams, the Kraken will leave this summer relatively unscathed.

Salary Cap Outlook

With only a little over $900K in cap space to work with for the regular season, the Kraken should be able to add one or two depth pieces at this year’s trade deadline, barring any players going on LTIR throughout the season. Next summer, not taking into consideration the eventual increase to the upper limit of the salary cap, the team will have approximately $23.7MM coming off of the books.

A good chunk of that money should go to contract extensions for both Beniers and Alexander Wennberg, with the team having the option to bring back Tolvanen, Yamamoto, Justin Schultz, and Jordan Eberle as well.

Key Questions

Can The Team Rely On Its Current Goaltending? As well as Philipp Grubauer played in the playoffs last year, the regular season was currently not as kind to him. Throughout the regular season, even on a team that won 46 games in the regular season, Grubauer would post a record of 17-14-4, carrying a SV% of .895 and a GAA of 2.85. These are not horrible numbers by any means, but the Kraken should be expecting more from a goaltender they have to pay $5.9MM a season for the next four years. If Grubauer can continue last year’s playoff performance into this year’s regular season, Seattle will be very comfortable with their goaltending situation. However, if Grubauer is not able to string along his successes, the Kraken do not have much in the way of internal solutions to shore up their goaltending.

Will This Team Make The Playoffs? Although not having a poor team on paper last season, few would have expected Seattle to make the playoffs out of the Western Conference. This season, with raised expectations, they are once again due for a bloodbath in the West. They will have plenty of problems in their own division, as the Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers, and Los Angeles Kings are some of the most dangerous teams in the sport, and the Calgary Flames appear poised for some rejuvenation after last year’s disappointment. In the Central Division, the Kraken shouldn’t have to worry about the Avalanche or the Dallas Stars in the wild-card race but should face some competition from both the Minnesota Wild and Winnipeg Jets. It’s once again difficult to project the Kraken as one of the three divisional locks in the Pacific, so they will likely once again be locked into a tight wild-card race.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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