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Roster Decisions Loom For Seattle Kraken

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The Seattle Kraken approached the Expansion Draft differently than the Vegas Golden Knights in a number of ways. They did not make any side deals, they wasted fewer selections on players they did not intend to sign, and they made fewer trades after the draft. While the results were too similarly deep teams, with the Knights adding talent through side deals and the Kraken going after several big free agents, Vegas did not face the roster crunch that Seattle is now staring down. The Knights pared down their roster strategically early on, while the Kraken are seemingly waiting to see how the preseason plays out. With those game already underway, the regular season is right around the corner and the Kraken’s inaugural 23-man roster is far from set.

The biggest question facing the NHL’s newest franchise is just how risk-averse are Ron Francis and company. Francis was a slow and methodical builder in Carolina who was actually criticized for taking too few changes and missing out on potential big swings. That Francis would look at this current roster and see a worrisome number of potential waivers casualties – and he would be right. CapFriendly currently projects forwards Morgan Geekie and Kole Lind and defensemen Dennis Cholowski and Cale Fleury as being among those sent down to the AHL. The odds of any of those players clearing waivers, nevertheless all five, seem slim. Geekie especially would be a can’t-miss waiver claim (and as such won’t be waived). Lind and Fleury are each only 22 and were highly-regarded prospects in the 2017 NHL Draft, while Cholowski has a 2016 first-rounder and already has 100+ NHL games under his belt.

Yet, the trade-off is obvious. The Kraken could take their chances and try to slip some or all of these names through waivers and establish elite depth in the minors or they could find space on the roster to avoid the threat of waivers. The latter would not be easy. Again, CapFriendly already has Seattle at 24 roster members, one more than is permissible. This is likely in recognition that Yanni Gourde is expected to begin the season on the injured reserve, but still presents issues once he returns. Clearly space for upwards of four additional contracts is a daunting task. The roster is rife with veteran talent, all of whom have been skating together in camp and building chemistry. The vast majority simply will not be assigned to the AHL, but even those on the bubble may have carved out a role for themselves already. Could the Kraken demote late-summer signings Riley Sheahan and Ryan Donato? Possibly, but that is just two openings and both at forward. On defense, there is seemingly no one that could be sent down and the Kraken are not going to carry nine or ten blue liners.

All of this leads to the real roster crunch question: trade or cut? Seattle will have to decide who they want on the 23-man roster and from there decide whether to test the trade market on the outliers or take the zero-sum approach of waivers. They would have little leverage in making deals with the roster crunch looming unless they decide to dangle players with enough value to create a bidding war. Constructing their opening night roster thus could mean determining not the 23 best players, but the 23 players that maximize their value with the others either possessing trade value or lesser waivers risk.

The roster crunch could go in a number of different directions for the Kraken. The one thing that is certain is that NHL’s newest roster is not going to look the same by the franchise’s regular season debut. Change is coming and it is key for the expansion club that they are the right changes.

Yanni Gourde Could Return Ahead Of Schedule For Seattle Kraken

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The Seattle Kraken could be getting a top-six fixture back in the lineup earlier than expected. General manager Ron Francis reported in his press conference today, on the opening day of training camp for the team, that Gourde’s recovery from injury was progressing “ahead of schedule,” meaning he could be back in the lineup earlier than the previously projected early-December return.

Gourde was Seattle’s selection from the Tampa Bay Lightning in this year’s expansion draft, and he was immediately expected to take on an increased role in Seattle. Serving as arguably the best third-line center in the league behind Brayden Point and Anthony Cirelli, Gourde brings a hard-working, solid two-way game with 50-60 point upside. Widely projected as the team’s no. 1 or no. 2 center, it was revealed just days after the draft that Gourde would miss the first two months of the season after having shoulder surgery.

It should be noted that Gourde was indeed at Seattle’s first day of training camp today, albeit in a red non-contact jersey.

The 29-year-old (soon to be 30) Gourde is among one of the best undrafted talents in the NHL. He’s brought home the Stanley Cup in two of his four full NHL seasons, all with Tampa Bay. His rookie campaign in 2017-18 saw him elevated into a top-six role due to injury, and he didn’t disappoint. Despite being 26 years old at the time, his 25 goals and 64 points in 82 games was good enough to earn him some Calder votes, finishing sixth overall in voting for the trophy.

Seattle hopes that a healthy Gourde in a top-six role this season can offer similar production.

Poll: How Many Top Unsigned Free Agents Will Play In NHL This Season?

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Following a massive first day of free agency late last month, not to mention several more signings since, it may seem that there aren’t many big-name free agents left on the market. Yet, quietly there is still and abundance of quality players left unsigned. This includes ten of PHR’s Top 50 UFA’s i.e. 20% of the players that we believed were the best available. It also includes another 13 players who played in 40+ games out of 56 this past season. There’s also Bobby Ryan, who was on pace for 22 points in 53 games before season-ending injury, which would have made him the highest scoring player still unsigned, and Artem Anisimov, whose nine points in 19 games is the second-best per-game mark among remaining UFA’s. With a nice round number of 25 top players still unsigned, which still ignores plenty of other capable NHLers, how many of these can be expected to play in the NHL next season? Time is running out and so are roster spots. Late-offseason signings are not impossible and a fair number of PTO’s are expected in camp this year, but realistically how many of these players will be able to land an NHL deal?

The top available name may also be the hardest to predict because his market is just one team and he isn’t ready to play. Future Hall of Fame goaltender Tuukka Rask (No. 14) remains a free agent and at 34 and recovering from major surgery it is fair to be skeptical that he will ever play again. The career Bruin reportedly will only play in Boston and recent comments by some of his teammates suggest that they expect him to do so at some point this year. But with Linus Ullmark signing a substantial contract to play alongside rookie sensation Jeremy Swayman, do the Bruins need Rask, especially coming in cold mid-season?

While Rask stands out as the only high-end goalie left available, the same cannot be said for forwards. Kyle Palmieri (No. 16), Tyler Bozak (No. 35), Casey Cizikas (No. 36), Zach Parise (No. 37), Nikita Gusev (No. 41), Alex Chiasson (No. 47), and Eric Staal (No. 48), as well as the aforementioned Ryan and Anisimov are all unsigned. Several of these names – Palmieri, Cizikas, Parise – have been linked to the New York Islanders, but no deals have been announced. All three have seemingly done enough to earn new contracts, but are still waiting. Bozak, meanwhile, was arguably the best of the players still available last season, with the top points per game mark even in a season plagued by injury. Gusev is a unique talent that has the chance to excel in the right system, Chiasson is a hard-working, consistent contributor, and Staal is one of the most respected veterans in the game. Ryan and Anisimov each showed that they still have gas left in the tank. It is hard to envision any of these players not playing this season, unless it is their own decision. Yet, none have signed on yet.

On the blue line, top talent is more scarce. Only Sami Vatanen (No. 43) and Erik Gustafsson (No. 44) remain from the Top 50 list and while each brings considerable strengths, they also have major weaknesses. With that said, each has been a regular in the NHL and are perhaps even more valuable as a depth option. Will Vatanen and Gustafsson find the right spot once more this season?

Among the players who were regulars in 2020-21 even though they may not come to mind as top options is a mix of aging veterans, versatile depth players, and discarded youngsters. Legends Patrick Marleau and Zdeno Chara lead the way as players who should be able to find a home if they want to keep playing just purely based on their Hall of Fame pedigrees, but lack the impact they once had. Other veterans still searching for work include Derick Brassard, Travis Zajac, and Jason Demers. Capable bottom-six forwards like Riley Sheahan, Colton Sceviour, Mark Jankowski, and Tobias Rieder are still available, as it stay-at-home defender Erik Gudbranson. Finally, formerly promising prospects Ryan Donato, Jimmy Vesey, and Dominik Kahun are all still looking for another chance.

Each player brings their own case for why or why not they should be employed in the NHL this season. All have been impact players in the league, but in a game progressively more dominated by younger players, history is no longer enough on its own to win a job. The supply of talent in the NHL currently seems to be greater than the demand, even with the expansion to 32 teams. Is there enough room for these 25 top players to find a new team this summer?

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Seattle Kraken Sign Kole Lind

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The Seattle Kraken continue to make moves today, now signing expansion draft selection Kole Lind. CapFriendly reports that Lind accepted his qualifying offer, giving him a one-year two-way deal worth $874,125 at the NHL level and $70,000 at the minor league level.

Lind, a 2017 second-round selection by the Vancouver Canucks, will continue his development with the Kraken organization after they selected him in the expansion draft. Lind got his first taste of NHL action this season, going pointless in a seven-game stint with Vancouver. But what those numbers don’t show is his quick scoring development at the minor league level. Lind had somewhat of a breakout season for the Utica Comets in 2019-20, his second professional season, posting 44 points (14 goals) in 61 games. And while Lind didn’t play much this year as he served a decent portion of the season on Vancouver’s taxi squad, he did score eight points in just eight AHL contests.

Due to Seattle’s deep forward group, a return to the AHL (now with the Charlotte Checkers) is likely for Lind, especially with the team’s signing of Marcus Johansson today. However, Lind’s development over the past few seasons shows extreme promise, and he could be a long-term middle-six piece as the Kraken continue to take shape.

Will Borgen Agrees To Terms With Seattle Kraken

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The Seattle Kraken have agreed to terms with one of the players they selected in the expansion draft and will sign Will Borgen to a two-year deal. The contract will carry an average annual value of $900K. Borgen was the team’s choice from the Buffalo Sabres at last month’s draft. Kraken GM Ron Francis released a short statement:

Will is a responsible, defensive defenseman who’s size and physical style of play can add a spark to a lineup. He’s still young and developing. We believe in his upside.

Borgen, 24, ended up being left unprotected by the Sabres in order to secure the substantial return they received for Rasmus Ristolainen a few days later. Even with Jeff Skinner waiving his no-movement clause, the team decided to protect seven forwards and three defensemen, leaving the inexperienced blueliner on the outside. The Kraken snapped him up and now have him signed through 2022-23 for a very reasonable amount.

Of course, it would have been hard for Borgen to negotiate much more, given he’s played just 14 NHL games and doesn’t have a single point to his name. The 6’3″ defenseman was a fourth-round pick by the Sabres in 2015 and is only just emerging as an NHL option. Whether he gets regular playing time in Seattle isn’t even clear, given how many other defensemen the team still has under contract. The Kraken already had six defensemen on one-way contracts, plus Vince Dunn, Cale Fleury and Dennis Cholowski still to sign as restricted free agents. They brought in Connor Carrick yesterday as well, meaning things are quite crowded on the Seattle back end.

That long defensive depth chart actually suggests that the Kraken will have to make a move or two before the start of the season, given that none of them are waiver-exempt. Whether that will be Borgen or someone else isn’t clear, but an acquiring team would at least know what to expect in terms of his contract now.

Chicago Blackhawks Acquire Marc-Andre Fleury

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The Vegas Golden Knights are trading the first icon in franchise history. Marc-Andre Fleury, who has been the face of the Golden Knights since the expansion draft is on his way to the Chicago Blackhawks, according to Emily Kaplan of ESPN. Kaplan adds that the Golden Knights are not retaining any salary and that the Blackhawks will send just Mikael Hakkarainen in return. On a press conference later in the day, Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon confirmed that though they will own the contract of Hakkarainen, he will stay with the Rockford IceHogs.

Bob McKenzie of TSN tweets that Chicago was not on Fleury’s no-trade list, and the goaltender did not want to play anywhere but Vegas. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet tweets that there are “rumblings” the veteran goaltender might even choose to retire due to family reasons. Jesse Granger of The Athletic adds that Fleury learned of the trade via Twitter.

Though there had been speculation about Fleury’s future in Vegas ever since Robin Lehner arrived and signed an extension with the club, this is still a stunning move just weeks after he was awarded the Vezina Trophy as the league’s best goaltender. The team has cleared his entire $7MM cap hit, giving them room to make additional moves this summer, but it’s still a hard way for the organization’s first-ever superstar to leave town.

From the moment he was selected, Fleury became the center of the Golden Knights marketing strategy given his Stanley Cup resume and outgoing personality, but he soon became much more than that. The backbone of the roster for four seasons, Fleury actually experienced his own late-career renaissance, posting stronger numbers in Vegas than he had ever registered in Pittsburgh. He finished fifth in the Vezina voting during the 2017-18 season, while leading the team to the Stanley Cup Finals in year one.

Now, at age-36, no one would blame Fleury for hanging up his pads. He sits third all-time on the NHL wins list, tenth in games played, and has now taken home the top individual and team trophies available. Going to Chicago, where there is certainly no guarantee of Stanley Cup contention, would be an odd footnote on the end of a career spent exclusively in two cities. He would however be walking away from the $6MM he is still owed, quite the complicating factor in any decision.

For Vegas, opening up this amount of cap space will lead to wild speculation about their offseason plans. The team now has more than $12MM in cap space with only Nolan Patrick to sign as a restricted free agent. Never afraid to go after the big fish, they now have enough money to pursue the top free agents or trade targets.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Expansion Tracker: Seattle Kraken

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The Seattle Kraken expansion picks were submitted to the league this morning, and after the conclusion of tonight’s Expansion Draft, everything has become official. It was a rather anticlimactic evening, as all of the picks had been leaked accurately throughout the day. It is important to note that considering some puzzling player selections and a large amount of cap space, more moves from the Kraken should happen later this week.

Anaheim: D Haydn Fleury
Arizona: F Tyler Pitlick
Boston: D Jeremy Lauzon
Buffalo: D William Borgen
Calgary: D Mark Giordano
Carolina: F Morgan Geekie
Chicago: F John Quenneville
Colorado: F Joonas Donskoi
Columbus: D Gavin Bayreuther
Dallas: D Jamie Oleksiak
Detroit: D Dennis Cholowski
Edmonton: D Adam Larsson
Florida: G Chris Driedger
Los Angeles: D Kurtis MacDermid
Minnesota: D Carson Soucy
Montreal: D Cale Fleury
Nashville: F Calle Jarnkrok
New Jersey: F Nathan Bastian
New York Islanders: F Jordan Eberle
New York Rangers: F Colin Blackwell
Ottawa: G Joey Daccord
Philadelphia: F Carsen Twarynski
Pittsburgh: F Brandon Tanev
San Jose: F Alexander True
St. Louis: D Vince Dunn
Tampa Bay: F Yanni Gourde
Toronto: F Jared McCann
Vancouver: F Kole Lind
Washington: G Vitek Vanecek
Winnipeg: F Mason Appleton

The Kraken finish with $29MM in cap space, via CapFriendly. Notable RFAs include Twarynski, Dunn, Borgen, and Cholowski. They could be looking at players like Geekie to make the full-time jump to the NHL next season, but for now, the roster looks relatively filled out. It’s got to be expected at this point that some defensemen will be dealt off the roster, as they currently sit with 10 at the NHL level with none of them being waiver-eligible.

This page will be updated as further reports come in, and the official list will be published later tonight.

Seattle Kraken Ink Jamie Oleksiak To Five-Year Deal

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The Seattle Kraken have made waves ahead of the Expansion Draft’s start, signing pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Jamie Oleksiak to a five-year deal. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the contract carries an average annual value of $4.6MM while CapFriendly adds that the breakdown is as follows:

2021-22: $3.5MM, full no-trade clause
2022-23: $4.25MM, full no-trade clause
2023-24: $6MM, full no-trade clause
2024-25: $5.5MM 16-team no-trade clause
2025-26: $3.75MM 16-team no-trade clause

Oleksiak had a coming-out party in last year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, playing a crucial role on Dallas’ second pairing with Miro Heiskanen on the Stars’ run to the 2020 Stanley Cup Final. Oleksiak’s strong play continued into 2020-21, earning him this big payday.

Averaging over 20 minutes a night last season, Oleksiak’s defensive results improved with his ice time. Cementing himself as a true top-four body, it’s entirely possible that Oleksiak finds himself on a pairing with another new Kraken addition in Adam Larsson. It could end up being one of the better shutdown pairings in the entire league, albeit an expensive one with a combined $8.6MM cap hit between the two. Oleksiak scored 14 points in 56 games last season, so his offensive upside is limited, but he still might provide 25-point potential.

For the Stars, they lose a big minute-munching body. Finding a new partner for Miro Heiskanen will likely come down to securing a new name on the open market. While no-one left on the market will have the size and physical appeal of Oleksiak, there are other acceptable options through free agency.

All salary cap information via CapFriendly.com.

Seattle Kraken Will Not Select Carey Price

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The Seattle Kraken will not select Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price at tonight’s expansion draft, according to several reports including Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff tweets that the Canadiens are likely to lose young defenseman Cale Fleury.

Price, 33, waived his no-movement clause and was left unprotected by the Canadiens in order for the team to retain backup Jake Allen. He was an intriguing option, and many reports indicated that the Kraken did full due diligence on the veteran netminder before eventually deciding not to take him. With Price, there are just too many question marks and risks for an expansion franchise. Not only does he carry a $10.5MM cap hit through the 2025-26 season, but he’s owed an $11MM signing bonus for this season and could need major surgery in the coming weeks.

It’s not even just the cost an injury issues though, as Price has also been an inconsistent performer the last several seasons. With .909 and .901 save percentages the last two seasons, there’s no guarantee he can even help the Kraken to a playoff spot in their first year, an obvious target given some of the players that have already been linked to the team. Price has performed exceptionally well in the postseason once Montreal got there, but there is just too much risk involved in taking on that big of a contract when other goaltenders are available.

In Fleury, the Kraken would receive a 22-year-old defenseman who was once seen as a top prospect in the Montreal organization. He played 41 games with the team during the 2019-20 season, but hasn’t returned to the NHL since. In 22 games for the Laval Rocket, he recorded six points this season. That’s not to say his place as a future NHL defender is gone, but he’ll have to show improvements in Seattle to crack the lineup for 2021-22. No longer waiver-exempt, he’ll either have to make the roster or be available for the rest of the league at the end of training camp.

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