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Jared McCann

Latest On Pittsburgh Penguins Roster

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The Pittsburgh Penguins finally found a goal scorer in their bottom six forwards as Radim Zohorna lit the lamp in the final minutes of the Penguins’ 4-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues last night. Zohorna was playing in his first game of the season after being sent down to the AHL after a strong training camp and formed a unit with fellow winger Drew O’Connor and center Lars Eller.

After the game, Penguins Coach Mike Sullivan was visibly frustrated with his team’s play, and while he didn’t talk about roster decisions going forward, General Manager Kyle Dubas has been. Dubas spoke with NHL On TNT just a few nights ago and said he wanted the bottom six forwards to be tougher to play against and added that he didn’t feel the group was there yet. Dubas’ comments sparked speculation that the Penguins could be looking to make a move in the bottom six and they did by waiving Jansen Harkins and re-calling Zohorna before last night’s game. The Penguins also health-scratched defenseman P.O. Joseph in favor of Ryan Shea who made his NHL debut on the Penguins’ third pairing.

Kyle Dubas stocked up on fringe NHL talent in the offseason and has stashed many of those options in the AHL specifically for a moment like this. The Penguins AHL affiliate has so many veterans in fact that Alex Nylander and Andreas Johnsson had to be veteran scratches for last night’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins game. On top of Nylander, Johnsson, and Harkins, the Penguins also have Vinnie Hinostroza, Rem Pitlick, and Colin White as former NHLers who could be called up to shuffle the furniture in the Penguins bottom six.

Josh Yohe of The Athletic wrote in his 10 Postgame Observations piece that Sullivan typically doesn’t make major changes after a loss, but given the team’s recent record and his comments, he implies that it could happen. The Penguins third line of O’Connor, Eller and Zohorna was very good last night, however, the fourth line of Matthew Nieto, Jeff Carter and Noel Acciari has offered very little to the team and appears to be constantly chasing the play. That group is at the bottom of the Penguins lineup in almost every analytical statistic and has a combined zero points in five games together. Sullivan has been apprehensive about scratching Carter in the past and became defensive with the media last season on multiple occasions when the topic was asked about.

It might be just five games into the season but given that the Penguins are 2-3 against five teams that didn’t make the playoffs last season, there could be big changes brewing in Pittsburgh as Dubas and company try to find an identity for the bottom six forwards. A competent bottom-six has been something the Penguins have lacked since they lost Brandon Tanev (and Jared McCann via trade) in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft and it was one of the big reasons they missed the playoffs in 2023.

Jared McCann Will Be Game-Time Decision For Game 4

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The Seattle Kraken are in position to take a stranglehold on the Dallas Stars tonight in their Second Round series, with a win giving them a 3-1 series lead. In their quest to do so, they may have regular-season goal-scoring leader Jared McCann back in the fold. Head coach Dave Hakstol would not confirm McCann’s Game 4 availability but told reporters he’d “probably” take warmups.

McCann has been out of the lineup since Game 4 of the First Round, taking a late hit from Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar which resulted in a one-game suspension. His return to the lineup could provide a potent boost to a team that lit the lamp seven times in Game 3, giving them yet another offensive weapon for Stars netminder Jake Oettinger to worry about.

The 26-year-old McCann did have just one assist in three-and-a-half playoff games against Colorado but led the Kraken in scoring with 40 goals and 70 points during the regular season. While rookie Tye Kartye has done well in McCann’s place, NHL experience tends to win out as the games get harder.

The Kraken will, however, be without forward Daniel Sprong tonight, as reported earlier.

West Notes: Jets, Mitchell, McCann

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Jets centers Mark Scheifele and Pierre-Luc Dubois enter this summer with one year of team control remaining for each of them.  Scheifele is under contract while Dubois has a final season of arbitration eligibility remaining.  While it’s possible both could play on expiring deals next season, allowing GM Kevin Cheveldayoff more time to assess the future of his core, Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press suggests doing so would be tantamount to professional malpractice.  Instead, he argues that the risk of them being injured in their walk years would be too great so if the middlemen aren’t willing to sign long-term with Winnipeg, moving them this summer would be the right approach, allowing them to get strong returns for each of them in the coming months.

More from the West:

  • Things haven’t gone as planned for Blackhawks defenseman Ian Mitchell. He has shown some promise in spurts but hasn’t been able to produce consistently and has dealt with some injury trouble, resulting in him frequently being out of the lineup.  Despite that, John Dietz of the Daily Herald argues that Chicago should give one more chance to the 24-year-old pending restricted free agent.  Even with other blueline prospects looking like they could be ready for a bigger role next season, there isn’t much risk to giving Mitchell a one-year, two-way deal.  If things don’t pan out, they can waive him and try to get him back to Rockford but if he’s able to lock down a spot in Chicago, he’ll be worth the low price tag he’ll ultimately cost.  His qualifying offer checks in at just under $875K but he could take less than that in exchange for a higher AHL salary.
  • Kraken center Jared McCann skated today for the first time since being injured in the fourth game of their series against Colorado. However, head coach Dave Hakstol told reporters, including NHL.com’s Nick Cotsonika that it’s very unlikely that the 26-year-old will be available tomorrow against Dallas.  McCann was on the ice in a non-contact jersey so until he’s cleared by doctors for contact, it’s doubtful that Seattle will have their 40-goal scorer available to them.

Jared McCann Expected To Miss First Two Games

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Earlier this morning, Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff reported that Seattle Kraken forward Jared McCann did not make the trip with the team to Dallas, and will likely miss the first two games of their second-round series. McCann has not played for Seattle since Game Four of their opening-round matchup against the Colorado Avalanche after receiving a late hit from defenseman Cale Makar.

Although the Kraken were able to weather the storm against the Avalanche, it will become increasingly challenging against the Stars without their top forward. McCann had by far the best season of his career, leading the Kraken in points, scoring 40 goals and 30 assists in 79 games played.

Since his absence from the team, the Kraken are 2-1, largely scoring by committee. In their final three games against the Avalanche, the team scored six goals in total, all scored by five different players. Unlike the Avalanche, the Stars have not been decimated by injuries in these playoffs. Their depth came in handy against the Minnesota Wild in their opening-round matchup, and the Kraken will have to match up against even more pressure without their top point-scorer in the lineup.

Injury Notes: Manson, McCann, Černák

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The Colorado Avalanche will be without defenseman Josh Manson tonight in a must-win Game 6 against the Seattle Kraken, head coach Jared Bednar told reporters. Manson played just 8:27 in Wednesday’s Game 5 before exiting with an undisclosed injury.

Manson is no stranger to injury troubles. Multiple absences during the regular season kept his games played total under 30 for the second time in three years. While he was an effective piece during last year’s Stanley Cup run for Colorado after a deadline day trade from the Anaheim Ducks, significant injury troubles in the first season of a four-year deal don’t bode well for either party down the road.

Luckily for Colorado, Manson’s lineup spot will be filled by Cale Makar, who’s returning from a one-game suspension for a hit on Kraken forward Jared McCann in Game 4. The Avs are hoping for a big performance from the superstar defenseman tonight to keep their season alive.

More injury notes as the first round of the playoffs reach its elimination stage:

  • Staying in the Avalanche/Kraken series, McCann did not join Seattle for practice this morning, per head coach Dave Hakstol, suggesting the 40-goal scorer will miss his second straight game. It means undrafted rookie Tye Kartye will likely remain in McCann’s spot for Game 6 after scoring his first NHL goal in his first NHL game in Game 5. McCann had just one assist in four playoff games prior to exiting the series.
  • As the Tampa Bay Lightning attempt to climb out of a 3-1 hole and force a Game 7, they’ll still be without shutdown defenseman Erik Černák. Černák hasn’t played since leaving Game 1 due to a hit to the head from Toronto Maple Leafs forward Michael Bunting, and head coach Jon Cooper confirmed today he won’t play in tomorrow’s Game 6. Tampa Bay has allowed over four goals a game in Černák’s absence, including blown leads in both Games 3 and 4.

Jared McCann To Miss At Least One Game

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The Seattle Kraken were able to take down the Colorado Avalanche in overtime to even their first-round series at two games apiece but will now have to go into game five without their top offensive player. Head coach Dave Hakstol told reporters including Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet that Jared McCann will miss the next game and possibly longer after leaving early last night.

After a partial breakaway during the first period that was stopped by Philipp Grubauer, McCann was run hard into the boards by Cale Makar and suffered an injury. The Colorado defenseman was originally given a five-minute major, but after review, it was reduced to a two-minute minor.

Makar was booed the rest of the night after removing Seattle’s top forward, a player that experienced a breakout campaign this year. McCann scored 40 goals for the Kraken and reached the 70-point mark for the first time in his career. His scoring came in all forms, with 30 goals at even strength, seven on the powerplay, and three short-handed.

For Seattle, losing McCann will be a huge blow to their chances. While their lineup is built on depth and versatility, there’s no question he brings the most offensive juice.

The series continues tomorrow, back in Colorado.

Jared McCann Signs Five-Year Extension

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The Seattle Kraken have signed the first contract extension in franchise history, re-upping with Jared McCann for another five years. Avoiding restricted free agency, McCann’s new deal is worth $25MM and carries an average annual value of $5MM through the 2026-27 season. It will also include a modified no-trade clause in the final four years. CapFriendly provides the full breakdown:

  • 2022-23: $5.0MM
  • 2023-24: $6.0MM (10-team NTC)
  • 2024-25: $5.5MM (10-team NTC)
  • 2025-26: $4.25MM (10-team NTC)
  • 2026-27: $4.25MM (10-team NTC)

When an expansion team comes into existence, it is often an opportunity for players who have perhaps been a bit overlooked through the early part of their careers. William Karlsson and others found new life in Vegas with the Golden Knights, and McCann has blossomed into a top offensive player in Seattle. Through 50 games, the 25-year-old has already set a career-high with 21 goals, and will soon break his previous high of 35 points (he currently sits at 33). He’s averaging the most ice time of his career, has been moved all over the lineup and is one of the team’s top powerplay options.

It comes as no surprise then that general manager Ron Francis would want to keep McCann in the fold then. The executive released the following statement:

We’re thrilled that Jared has made this long-term commitment to the Kraken and the city of Seattle. Jared has proven this year that he can be a difference maker offensively, and we’re excited to have him as a core part of our organization moving forward.

At the end of this season, McCann was set to become an arbitration-eligible RFA for the final time and could have hit the open market in the summer of 2022. This deal buys out four years of unrestricted free agency and the biggest chunk of his prime. Given his versatility–McCann can play both wing and center–he should be a useful piece to help support young players like Matty Beniers as the Kraken transition away from some of the expansion picks.

Still, there will be some who criticize a decision like this to lock in another mid-twenties player for a big cap hit. The Kraken haven’t been anywhere close to competitive enough this season and are slowly chipping away at that future cap space flexibility. The team has five forwards on the books for at least $4.5MM in each of the next two seasons, despite being one of the lowest-scoring clubs in the league. Three of those–Jaden Schwartz, Alexander Wennberg, and now McCann–are on contracts signed outside of the expansion process, decisions they made free of any league-imposed restrictions.

There is an obvious desire to avoid the bottom of the league standings in the first few years, and extending McCann will certainly help that. But it also seems unlikely that he’ll provide a ton of excess value on a deal like this, meaning it won’t move the needle toward contender status by itself. The team will have to hit on more draft picks and build up the depth of the organization in order to support moves like this and help McCann lead a more dynamic forward group in the years to come.

Kraken Activate Two Players, Place Austin Czarnik On Waivers

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The Kraken are set to welcome a pair of key forwards back to the lineup as they announced (Twitter link) that they’ve activated center Jared McCann and winger Jaden Schwartz off injured reserve.  To make room for them on the roster, they’ve also placed winger Austin Czarnik on waivers.

McCann has been out for nearly two weeks with an upper-body injury but he has still managed to hold onto the team scoring lead with 21 goals and 12 assists in 48 games.  Selected from Toronto in expansion, the 25-year-old pending RFA has already hit a new career high in goals and is only three away from setting a new benchmark in points.

As for Schwartz, their big free agent signing up front has missed two months with a hand injury, one that was originally supposed to only take four to six weeks to recover from.  The 29-year-old still leads Seattle in points per game this season and has six goals and 14 helpers in 29 contests.  While the Kraken won’t be vaulting their way back into the playoff picture this season, they’ll still benefit from getting these two players back in their lineup.

Czarnik was picked up off waivers from the Islanders last month but has played in just six games since then, collecting two assists in just under 11 minutes a game.  The 29-year-old was more productive in New York, however, notching a pair of goals and three assists in 11 games with them in nearly identical playing time.  He’s in the final season of his contract which actually carries a cap hit below the league minimum, checking in at just $725K.  While Czarnik has never been able to establish himself as a full-time NHL regular, that price tag could be intriguing for a cap-strapped team that’s simply looking to add depth.  If the Islanders opt to put in a claim and are the only team to do so, they’d be permitted t assign him to AHL Bridgeport if they so desire.

Jared McCann Placed On Injured Reserve

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If there’s a player the Seattle Kraken couldn’t afford to lose for an extended period of time, it’s Jared McCann. The 25-year-old forward has been the team’s best offensive player all season, leading the squad in both goals and points so far. Unfortunately, McCann has now landed on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury, with the Kraken recalling Kole Lind from the AHL to replace him on the roster.

McCann is an interesting case study for those who want to know how the Kraken will approach the next few years. A restricted free agent at the end of this season, he’s put himself in prime position for a substantial raise, either through a long-term extension or the arbitration process. The question now becomes whether it’s the Kraken that are the other signatory on that next contract, or if McCann will be sold off for future assets at some point. That could come at the trade deadline or the offseason, depending on what kind of offers come in the next few weeks (and what kind of injury he’s currently dealing with).

There’s a real argument to be made that any extension with McCann would cover years when the Kraken are still not competitive in the Pacific Division, though the same might have been said during the unrestricted free agent period last summer. Instead of holding onto their cap space and building through the draft, general manager Ron Francis signed multi-year contracts with free agents like Philipp Grubauer, Jaden Schwartz, Jamie Oleksiak, Adam Larsson, and Alexander Wennberg, players that were already in their late-twenties and likely aren’t going to experience much improvement over the production they had already shown. It seemed, at least at the time, like the Kraken were targeting a playoff spot in year one, something that hasn’t come to fruition.

So a long-term deal with McCann would certainly be following their previous path, though the wisdom in that strategy is still up for debate. Alternatively, selling him off at some point before UFA status–he’ll reach the open market in the summer of 2023 if not signed–would signal that perhaps those initial moves were mistakes and that it will take quite a bit longer for the Kraken to reach playoff contender status.

There is of course also the possibility that McCann doesn’t want to stay in Seattle at all and an extension isn’t even possible, though with 21 goals and 33 points through 48 games, he’s already having the best season of his career with the improved offensive deployment.

Jared McCann Removed From COVID Protocol

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The Seattle Kraken are getting a reinforcement, as Jared McCann has been activated from the COVID protocol and was back at practice today. To make room on the roster, Max McCormick has been assigned to the Charlotte Checkers.

McCann hasn’t played for the Kraken since October 28 but up to that point had been arguably the team’s best forward. With three goals and seven points in his first eight games, he was picking up right where he left off last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

In 43 games, he had 14 goals and 32 points for Pittsburgh playing mostly the wing. He has seen more time at center in Seattle and likely will be back in the middle if Yanni Gourde, who is day-to-day with a lower-body injury according to Ryan S. Clark of The Athletic, is out for long.

The Kraken haven’t been able to keep the puck out of their net this season, allowing a Pacific Division-leading 44 goals against through their first 13 games. Getting their entire lineup healthy would certainly help in that regard, but they’ll need to start getting better goaltending if they want to compete for the playoffs at all. Chris Driedger returned for his first start last night but struggled by allowing four goals on 23 shots. They now have a league-worst .868 save percentage through the first month of the season.

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