Evening Notes: Kane, Klingberg, Team USA, Backlund, Alexeyev
After giving up six goals on 30 shots, it was clear throughout Game One that the Edmonton Oilers could use some reinforcements. According to Sportsnet’s Jack Michaels, that could be a realistic possibility relatively soon.
Michaels publicized a note from Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch indicating that there’s a “very good possibility” Edmonton will have forward Evander Kane and defenseman John Klingberg for Game 2 in their opening-round series against the Los Angeles Kings. Neither player offers much in the defensive zone, but could prove valuable on the Oilers’ forecheck.
Kane will be the most interesting of the two to reinsert into the lineup. Despite letting in six goals, Edmonton still produced five, meaning Kane could give them the offensive edge to win the one-goal contests if their defense and goaltending struggle. Meanwhile, Klingberg failed to garner much offensive consistency with the Oilers in limited action this year, scoring one goal and four points in 11 games.
Other evening notes:
- Earlier today, USA Hockey announced the rest of their coaching staff for the 2025 IIHF World Championships. According to the announcement, Mike Vellucci (Pittsburgh Penguins), Kevin Dean (Chicago Blackhawks), and Adam Nightingale (Michigan State University) will serve as assistant coaches to head coach Ryan Warsofsky. Meanwhile, Thomas Speer has been named the team’s goaltending coach, while Nick Gialdini (San Jose Sharks) and Lawrence Feloney (Nashville Predators) will be the team’s video coaches.
- On the other side of the bracket, the Calgary Flames announced an important for Team Sweden this afternoon. The Flames shared that captain Mikael Backlund will participate in the World Championships for Sweden for the first time in seven years. Backlund delivered an outstanding performance in the 2018 IIHF World Championships, scoring two goals and accumulating nine points in 10 games, which helped lead Sweden to consecutive gold medals.
- Despite winning in overtime in Game 1 against the Montreal Canadiens, the Washington Capitals had an injury scare late in the third period when defenseman Alexander Alexeyev left the game due to being high-sticked by Jake Evans. Fortunately, Alexeyev’s absence will not be lengthy, as Sammi Silber of The Hockey News reports he will rejoin the lineup tomorrow night. It’s an important injury update for the Capitals as the team recently lost defenseman Martin Fehérváry for the postseason due to knee surgery.
Central Notes: Foligno, Heiskanen, Robertson, Bridgestone Arena
In an engaging article from Joe Smith at The Athletic, Smith performed a deep dive on the injury-plagued seasons of Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Foligno over the past few years. Foligno’s injuries, largely in his core abdominal muscles, began negatively impacting his life off the ice, leading to doubt concerning his playing career.
As Smith points out in the article, Foligno’s play style has a part to play. He’s been an aggressive forechecker for his entire career, amassing 2,614 hits (2.98 hits/game) in 875 regular-season contests. That aggression only increases in the postseason, where Foligno has delivered 154 hits (5.31 hits/game) in 29 playoff appearances.
Unfortunately, as Foligno puts it in the article, his tenacity on the ice caught up to him off the ice. Smith quoted Foligno saying, “There were some dark days going through that stuff and thinking about the future and thinking about, how are you going to manage through this injury? You’re thinking about it: ‘Will this (surgery) really solve all my problems?’ You’re really banking on coming out of it. There’s always a bit of gray area, little bit of fogginess where it comes to like, ‘Am I going to be the player I once was before these injuries started piling up?’”
Now that his surgery is in the rearview mirror, we know how the surgery turned out for Foligno. The 14-year veteran appeared in 70 or more games for the first time since the 2021-22 season, scoring 14 goals and 29 points. Meanwhile, he set a career-high in hits with 253, placing him in the league’s top 10.
Other notes from the Central Division:
- After splitting the first two games in Dallas, the Stars and Avalanche are headed north for Game 3 and Game 4 of their opening-round matchup. According to Sam Nestler of DLLS Sports, defenseman Miro Heiskanen will travel with the team while forward Jason Robertson will not. Given that he’s already returned to skating, there’s a strong chance that the Stars will welcome Heiskanen back at some point in Colorado. Meanwhile, Robertson’s recovery is only a few days into a week-to-week prognosis, meaning there’s very little chance of him returning during Round One.
- Bridgestone Arena, home of the Nashville Predators, is getting a major makeover (Article Link). The arena announced a $1B renovation set to take place over the next 15 to 20 years that “aims to increase seating capacity, introduce new seating options, and create various fan communal areas.” The project will begin after the 2026-27 NHL season and will start with replacing the outer concrete of the building with glass walls facing Broadway.
San Jose Sharks Sign Matt Davis To AHL Contract
For the second time in as many years, the San Jose Sharks organization has signed another National Championship-winning netminder out of the University of Denver. The Sharks AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda, announced they’ve signed goaltender Matt Davis to an AHL contract through the 2025-26 season.
The news comes exactly two years and 12 days since the Sharks signed Magnus Chrona out of the Pioneers program. Davis, who played as Chrona’s backup for his freshman and sophomore campaigns, won the first National Championship of his career in 2022. Once Chrona transitioned to professional hockey, Davis was given the reins in southern Denver once the 2023-24 season began.
It’s a move that worked out well for the program. Davis was flat-out electric in his first season as the Pioneers’ starter, managing a 25-5-3 record in 34 games with a .917 SV% and 2.34 GAA, including two shutouts. He backstopped the University of Denver to a second-place finish in the hotly contested NCHC Conference. He helped knock out the University of Massachusetts, Cornell University, Boston University, and Boston College en route to their 10th National Championship in program history.
Even though Davis did not receive any awards in the NCHC Conference, he was named the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player and the HCA’s Goaltender of the Month for March. Remarkably, Davis had an even better season in 2024-25.
He finished his senior campaign with a 29-10-1 record in 40 games with a .924 SV% and 2.07 GAA. Unfortunately, despite knocking out Providence College and Boston College, the Pioneers ran into a red-hot Western Michigan University in the Frozen Four, ending their chance at a repeat victory. Still, he earned one NCHC Conference award, the 2024-25 Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Davis finished his NCAA career with a 63-17-4 record in 90 games with a .921 SV% and 2.13 GAA. Assuming Yaroslav Askarov becomes a full-time netminder for the Sharks in 2025-26, Davis has every opportunity to become the Barracuda’s leading man.
Panthers Activate Matthew Tkachuk From LTIR
April 22: As expected, Tkachuk is off LTIR ahead of tonight’s Game 1. He’s officially a game-time decision.
April 17: The Panthers will have all their injured players in the lineup for Game 1 of their first-round series against the Lightning, head coach Paul Maurice told reporters today (via George Richards of Florida Hockey Now). As such, star winger Matthew Tkachuk will come off long-term injured reserve in the next few days before Florida begins their Stanley Cup defense on Sunday or Monday.
Tkachuk, 27, will return to the Panthers’ lineup after a two-month absence. He missed the final 25 regular-season games due to a groin injury he sustained while playing for the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
The news is far from unexpected. Maurice said earlier this week that Tkachuk would return to practice with the team after skating on his own. He wouldn’t commit to Tkachuk being available for Game 1 but said his return would be early in the first round in a worst-case scenario. Now, it looks like he’ll be available as soon as the Cats hit the ice for the fourth Battle of Florida in the last five years. Maurice adds that Tkachuk won’t skate during Florida’s practice tomorrow but will do so Monday, indicating that’s when Game 1 will take place (via Colby Guy of The Palm Beach Post).
Florida underwhelmed without Tkachuk down the stretch, posting a 13-11-1 record and a plus-two goal differential coming out of the 4 Nations break. That was enough to keep them in the playoff race, but not enough to keep them atop the Atlantic Division, where they were tracking to finish for a good portion of the season. Instead, they were lapped by the Maple Leafs and Lightning and lost home-ice advantage in their matchup with the latter. Of course, Tkachuk wasn’t the only player missing for an extended stretch. Trade deadline pickup Brad Marchand and defenseman Dmitry Kulikov each missed more than four games at a time, and top right-shot defenseman Aaron Ekblad hasn’t been available since early March while serving a 20-game suspension for consuming a performance-enhancing substance. Of course, that discipline will keep him out for the first two games of the first round.
Before the injury, Tkachuk clinched his fourth consecutive season above a point per game. The 6’2″, 202-lb pot-stirrer posted 22-35–57 in 52 regular-season contests, leading the Panthers in points (1.10) and shot attempts (6.08) per game. Only one Florida skater shot at a higher rate than Tkachuk’s 14.1% – that was Sam Reinhart at 18.3%.
A minus-three rating indicates a poor defensive outing for Tkachuk at face value, but that’s not the case. He continued to boast elite two-way impacts, logging a 59.9 CF% and 58.6 xGF% at even strength. The former ranked second on the team behind Aleksander Barkov.
Of course, the two-time All-Star has been instrumental in Florida’s back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances. He’s scored 17-29–46 with a +12 rating in 44 postseason games as a Panther, ranking fourth in the NHL in playoff scoring over the last two seasons. They’ll look for a repeat performance, presumably in a familiar second-line role at even strength with Sam Bennett and ex-rival Marchand on his opposite wing, to help them get over the first-round hump against a highly formidable Tampa squad in their quest for a repeat.
Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro-Imagn Images.
Canucks Interested In Re-Signing Derek Forbort
The Canucks have held preliminary extension talks with defenseman Derek Forbort, Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK reports. The pending unrestricted free agent is coming off surgery on his orbital bone after breaking it in a fight with Wild forward Yakov Trenin, ending his season earlier than planned on April 12.
Forbort, 33, landed a one-year, $1.5MM commitment from Vancouver last summer. He was coming off a three-year deal with the Bruins that ended poorly. His 2023-24 campaign was sidetracked by multiple lower-body injuries and he only made 35 appearances as a result. He didn’t draw into the postseason lineup, either, as Boston reached the second round against the eventual champion Panthers.
A stay-at-home defender only capable of depth minutes at this stage of his career, Forbort struggled with knee issues this year but was able to record 2-9–11 in 54 games with a minus-seven rating. He averaged 17:06 per game with Vancouver, roughly in line with his usage in Boston but technically the lowest deployment of his NHL career since his 14-game rookie trial with the Kings in 2015-16. He contributed 77 blocks and 65 hits and, while his even-strength minutes were limited, was one of the team’s most frequently-used penalty killers alongside Marcus Pettersson, Filip Hronek, and Tyler Myers.
Possession metrics aren’t always the best judge of defensive specialists, given their deployment. That’s true in Forbort’s case, considering he started 62.1% of his shifts in the defensive zone at even strength. His 46.4% Corsi share and 43.4% expected goals share are still underwhelming but not as damning as they would be for a defender deployed in more two-way situations.
Forbort may have earned a small raise on a one or two-year extension since he managed to stay in the lineup for over half the year and was a legitimate factor on the Canucks’ above-average PK (82.6%), but likely not enough to push him much over the $2MM mark against the cap. The Canucks already have $23.6MM committed to their top-four group of Hronek, Myers, Pettersson, and Quinn Hughes next year, and youngsters Victor Mancini and Elias Pettersson (the defenseman) will be in competition for opening-night roles. Re-upping Forbort would presumably mean a lack of activity from Vancouver on the UFA defenseman market this summer unless they pursue an unforeseen trade.
Islanders Part Ways With Lou Lamoriello
The Islanders will not renew general manager Lou Lamoriello’s contract, the team announced Tuesday. Minority owner John Collins will lead the search for a new GM on Long Island.
It’s not clear who will handle interim GM duties for the Isles if they don’t have a new GM in place by the draft. For now, Chris Lamoriello (Lou’s son) and Steve Pellegrini remain in their roles as assistant general managers and will presumably handle any minor moves or re-signings until a new top hockey operations decision-maker is appointed.
One of the longest-serving and most accomplished executives in league history, Lamoriello’s tenure with the Islanders ends after seven seasons. They brought him in during the 2018 offseason after his contract to serve as GM of the Maple Leafs expired, initially just as president of hockey operations. He quickly fired then-GM Garth Snow and appointed himself in the role.
The early stages of Lamoriello’s time at the helm were an unequivocal success. He poached head coach Barry Trotz from the reigning Stanley Cup champion Capitals, a decision that immediately helped put the Isles back in the postseason after missing out for two years. Trotz won Coach of the Year honors in 2018-19 as the Islanders rattled off 48 wins, their most in a season since winning 50 games in 1983-84, and swept the Penguins in the first round. While they didn’t advance to the Conference Finals, they would do so in 2020 and 2021, taking the eventual Stanley Cup champion Lightning to six and seven games, respectively.
In the four seasons that followed, the Islanders have won just three playoff games, including two first-round losses to the Hurricanes (2023, 2024). They finished with a .500 record this season and missed the playoffs, failing to secure more wins than regulation losses for the first time in Lamoriello’s tenure. They’ve also now failed to win at least 40 games in back-to-back 82-game seasons since 2010-11 and 2011-12.
It’s not as if Lamoriello’s successor is walking into a five-alarm fire on the Island, but there’s much work to do this summer. Chief among a long list of to-dos is a new contract for No. 1 defenseman Noah Dobson, who’s an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent this summer. Most of their other defenders don’t have deals for next season – only Scott Mayfield, Adam Pelech, and Ryan Pulock are signed for 2025-26 among rearguards who ended the year on the active roster. There has been reported progress on a contract extension for their top pending UFA, Kyle Palmieri, but it’s unclear how the GM change will affect talks there.
One thing is clear – the Islanders’ new GM will come from outside the organization. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports the Islanders won’t be making any coaching changes or hockey operations staff alterations until the new hire is in place. They’ll have a say in determining the future of head coach Patrick Roy, his staff, and the rest of the front office.
Lamoriello was already the oldest-serving NHL GM in history at age 82. Whether it’s the end of the road for him after a 38-year run in NHL front offices with New Jersey, Toronto, and New York remains to be seen. It’s almost certainly his last GM role, but a senior advisor role somewhere may be of interest.
Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images.
Sharks Reassign Zack Ostapchuk, Jack Thompson
The Sharks announced they reassigned center Zack Ostapchuk and defenseman Jack Thompson to AHL San Jose on Tuesday. Both were injured to end the regular season last week but will now head to the Barracuda to suit up in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Ostapchuk was brought in at the trade deadline from the Senators as part of the return for winger Fabian Zetterlund. Ottawa selected the 21-year-old early in the second round of the 2021 draft, the same year San Jose landed cornerstone rebuild piece William Eklund with the No. 7 overall pick. After getting his first taste of NHL action in a seven-game trial late last season, Ostapchuk spent most of 2024-25 in the NHL. He appeared in 56 games for Ottawa and San Jose, but the 6’4″, 212-lb pivot didn’t demonstrate much offensively.
The Alberta native averaged just 9:25 per game – still seeing less than 10 minutes of ice time in 13 games down the stretch with the Sharks – and was limited to four points (one goal, three assists) as a result. However, he was decent on draws (48.6 FO%) and was a factor physically with 110 hits on the season. He also helped drive play for the Sharks at even strength in his limited minutes down the stretch. He spent most of his time centering a checking line with Barclay Goodrow and Carl Grundström and helped the trio control 51.4% of expected goals, per MoneyPuck.
Ostapchuk will be making his Barracuda debut when he suits up for them in the postseason. He’s eligible to play in the AHL playoffs because he was on assignment to AHL Belleville when Ottawa and San Jose executed their trade, so he was briefly on the Barracuda’s roster before the Sharks recalled him. He had 2-9–11 in 15 showings with the B-Sens earlier this season.
The 23-year-old Thompson also spent a solid portion of the season on the Sharks’ roster. Acquired from the Lightning in last year’s Anthony Duclair trade, the offensive-minded righty managed 4-6–10 with a minus-nine rating in 31 games while averaging 15:47 per contest. Half of his assists came on the power play, where he was sometimes deployed on the second unit and averaged 1:08 per game.
While not an overly physical one-on-one defender, the 6’1″ rearguard is willing to block shots and had good possession results in his rookie season. San Jose controlled 45.4% of shot attempts and 50.4% of expected goals with Thompson on the ice at even strength, both around or above team averages. Both he and Ostapchuk are candidates to start next season on the opening night roster, particularly the former, although he requires a new contract as a pending restricted free agent. He’ll now aid the Barracuda in the postseason after posting 3-11–14 in 27 regular-season AHL contests.
Danila Yurov Released From KHL Contract
Top Wild prospect Danila Yurov has been released from his contract with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Kontinental Hockey League a few weeks ahead of schedule, the league announced. Minnesota is now eligible to sign the 21-year-old to his entry-level deal, although Michael Russo of The Athletic reports no contract is in place yet.
Still, it’s incredibly likely Yurov is in St. Paul for training camp next fall and, if all goes to plan, will be on the Wild’s opening night roster. The No. 24 overall pick in the 2022 draft went lower than most expected given his skill level, largely due to his contract status with Magnitogorsk.
For Minnesota, he’ll be a player worth waiting for. He was the top forward in their system and second-ranked prospect overall behind defenseman Zeev Buium in Scott Wheeler of The Athletic’s midseason rankings, and for good reason. A well-rounded 6’1″, 176-lb right-winger, Yurov has posted 41-47–88 in 209 career KHL games over the last five years with Metallurg. That included a team-leading 21-28–49 scoring line in 62 games in 2023-24 before leading Magnitogorsk to a Gagarin Cup.
This season wasn’t as productive for Yurov. Injuries took a bite out of his campaign, and he was limited to 46 of Metallurg’s 68 regular-season games. His point per game rate dropped off when dressed, and he finished the year with 13-12–25 and a +15 rating, the latter of which ranked second on the team. He was limited to one goal in five playoff games as the defending champions were stamped out of the first round of the KHL playoffs by Avangard Omsk.
If all goes to plan, Yurov should be a cost-effective addition to the top nine that allows more cap space for the Wild to devote toward a new deal for pending RFA center Marco Rossi as well as external additions in free agency. If he doesn’t crack the opening night roster, though, don’t expect him to report to Minnesota’s AHL in Iowa.
Any ELC will likely include a clause that allows the Wild to loan Yurov back to Metallurg, who retains his KHL rights, if he doesn’t make the team. It’s probably for the best. Iowa hasn’t served as a good developmental partner for the Wild in the past few years, finishing well under the .500 mark for the second straight season in 2024-25.
NHL Releases First Round Schedule
This article will be updated as further start times are announced.
After the Canadiens clinched the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference yesterday, the playoff field is set ahead of tonight’s final regular-season games. The league has thus announced the full first-round schedule (via David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period). Games are listed in Central Time, along with US broadcast details:
Saturday, April 19
Blues vs. Jets, Game 1: 5 p.m. on TNT, truTV and Max
Avalanche vs. Stars, Game 1: 7:30 p.m. on TNT, truTV and Max
Sunday, April 20
Devils vs. Hurricanes, Game 1: 2 p.m. on ESPN
Senators vs. Maple Leafs, Game 1: 6 p.m. on ESPN2
Wild vs. Golden Knights, Game 1: 9 p.m. on ESPN
Monday, April 21
Canadiens vs. Capitals, Game 1: 6 p.m. on ESPN
Blues vs. Jets, Game 2: 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2
Avalanche vs. Stars, Game 2: 8:30 p.m. on ESPN
Oilers vs. Kings, Game 1: 9 p.m. on ESPN2
Tuesday, April 22
Devils vs. Hurricanes, Game 2: 5 p.m. on ESPN
Senators vs. Maple Leafs, Game 2: 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2
Panthers vs. Lightning, Game 1: 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
Wild vs. Golden Knights, Game 2: 10 p.m. on ESPN
Wednesday, April 23
Canadiens vs. Capitals, Game 2: 6 p.m. on ESPN
Stars vs. Avalanche, Game 3: 8:30 p.m. on ESPN
Oilers vs. Kings, Game 2: 9 p.m. on TBS and Max
Thursday, April 24
Panthers vs. Lightning, Game 2: 5:30 p.m. on TBS, truTV and Max
Maple Leafs vs. Senators, Game 3: 6 p.m. on ESPN2
Golden Knights vs. Wild, Game 3: 8 p.m. on TBS, truTV and Max
Jets vs. Blues, Game 3: 8:30 p.m. on ESPN2
Friday, April 25
Capitals vs. Canadiens, Game 3: 6 p.m. on TNT, truTV and Max
Hurricanes vs. Devils, Game 3: 7 p.m. on TBS and Max
Kings vs. Oilers, Game 3: 9 p.m. on TNT, truTV and Max
Saturday, April 26
Lightning vs. Panthers, Game 3: 12 p.m. on TBS, truTV and Max
Golden Knights vs. Wild, Game 4: 3 p.m. on TBS, truTV and Max
Maple Leafs vs. Senators, Game 4: 6 p.m. on TBS, truTV and Max
Stars vs. Avalanche, Game 4: 8:30 p.m. on TBS, truTV and Max
Sunday, April 27
Jets vs. Blues, Game 4: 12 p.m. on TBS, truTV and Max
Hurricanes vs. Devils, Game 4: 2:30 p.m. on TBS, truTV and Max
Capitals vs. Canadiens, Game 4: 5:30 p.m. on TBS, truTV and Max
Kings vs. Oilers, Game 4: 8:30 p.m. on TBS, truTV and Max
Monday, April 28
Lightning vs. Panthers, Game 4: 6 p.m. on ESPN
Avalanche vs. Stars, Game 5: 8:30 p.m. on ESPN
Tuesday, April 29
*Senators vs. Maple Leafs, Game 5: TBD
*Devils vs. Hurricanes, Game 5: TBD
*Wild vs. Golden Knights, Game 5: TBD
*Oilers vs. Kings, Game 5: TBD
Wednesday, April 30
*Panthers vs. Lightning, Game 5: TBD
*Canadiens vs. Capitals, Game 5: TBD
*Blues vs. Jets, Game 5: TBD
Thursday, May 1
*Maple Leafs vs. Senators, Game 6: TBD
*Stars vs. Avalanche, Game 6: TBD
*Golden Knights vs. Wild, Game 6: TBD
*Kings vs. Oilers, Game 6: TBD
Friday, May 2
*Lightning vs. Panthers, Game 6: TBD
*Capitals vs. Canadiens, Game 6: TBD
*Hurricanes vs. Devils, Game 6: TBD
*Jets vs. Blues, Game 6: TBD
Saturday, May 3
*Senators vs. Maple Leafs, Game 7: TBD
*Avalanche vs. Stars, Game 7: TBD
*Wild vs. Golden Knights, Game 7: TBD
*Oilers vs. Kings, Game 7: TBD
Sunday, May 4
*Panthers vs. Lightning, Game 7: TBD
*Canadiens vs. Capitals, Game 7: TBD
*Devils vs. Hurricanes, Game 7: TBD
*Blues vs. Jets, Game 7: TBD
*if necessary
Kraken Name Jason Botterill GM
April 22: The Kraken confirmed Tuesday they’ve elevated Francis to president of hockey operations and named Botterill executive vice president and general manager.
April 21: It turns out that relieving head coach Dan Bylsma of his duties isn’t the only notable change coming for the Kraken today. E.J. Hradek of the NHL Network was the first to report (Twitter link) that assistant GM Jason Botterill will be appointed as the team’s new general manager. Meanwhile, Arthur Staple of The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that current GM Ron Francis will now serve as the team’s president.
This will be Botterill’s second opportunity to serve as an NHL GM. He spent three years running the Sabres before being let go in 2020 where he was quickly scooped up by Seattle a year before the Kraken officially joined the league. He also spent several years working in Pittsburgh’s front office, primarily as an assistant GM so he was certainly one of the more experienced managerial options around the league.
Over his three years in Buffalo, the Sabres struggled, missing the playoffs in all three seasons. They did, however, draft relatively well during Botterill’s tenure, landing Rasmus Dahlin first overall in 2018, Dylan Cozens seventh overall a year later, and starting goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in the second round in 2017. Other NHLers drafted by Buffalo under Botterill include Casey Mittelstadt, Jacob Bryson, and Mattias Samuelsson.
Botterill’s trade history showed that he wasn’t hesitant to make a big swing. Among the notable trades he swung was moving Evander Kane to San Jose for Danny O’Regan and a pair of draft picks. He also dealt Ryan O’Reilly to St. Louis for a package that included Vladimir Sobotka, Patrik Berglund, and Tage Thompson, along with a pair of draft picks; while Thompson has panned out well, the rest of the trade package hasn’t performed as well. He also acquired Jeff Skinner from Carolina before signing him to an eight-year, $72MM extension that Buffalo exercised a buyout on last summer.
With his track record from before, Botterill had come up as a speculative candidate for GM openings in recent years and if another one became available this spring, he likely would have been considered for the role with that franchise. With this move, Seattle gets in front of that hypothetical, ensuring that the Francis-Botterill duo will remain in place, just with different roles than before.
As for Francis, he had been at the helm of the Kraken since 2019 as he was also hired before the team officially joined the NHL. It was his second role running a team as he also had a four-year stint as GM in Carolina among his many different roles with the Hurricanes. Knowing for being a patient manager, Francis initially brought that same approach to Seattle, opting for what looked like a slower build than Vegas had when they joined the league last decade.
But a 100-point effort in the franchise’s second season increased expectations. A step back the following season saw the team make a coaching change before handing out two of the biggest contracts in free agency as they looked to get back to playoff contention sooner than later. Instead, the Kraken scuffled more this season, resulting in not just a coaching overhaul but a front office one as well.
During his time with Seattle, Francis brought in leading scorer Jared McCann and top blueliner Vince Dunn through the expansion draft while drafting a pair of young centers with high first-round picks in Matthew Beniers and Shane Wright so his fingerprints will be felt on this franchise for many more years to come. Now, it will be Botterill handling more of the day-to-day operations as the Kraken try to get back to the playoffs next season.