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Kraken Reassign Ryker Evans

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The Kraken sent defenseman Ryker Evans to AHL Coachella Valley on Sunday, per a team announcement. With Seattle wrapping up their season last week, the rookie blue-liner returns to the minor leagues to suit up in playoff action with the Firebirds.

Evans, 22, was passed over when he was initially eligible for the NHL Draft in 2020, but his follow-up campaign with the Western Hockey League’s Regina Pats in 2020-21 made him a second-round pick by the Kraken the following offseason. The Calgary native has immediately cemented himself as the organization’s best up-and-coming defenseman, making a seamless transition to professional hockey after his major junior career wrapped up with Regina in 2022.

Last year on the farm with Coachella Valley, Evans immediately logged top-pairing minutes on one of the best teams in the AHL, taking home All-Rookie Team honors, an All-Star Game nod, and leading all minor-league rookies in assists with 38. His playoff run was exceptional, recording 26 points and a +13 rating in 26 games as the Firebirds lost to the Hershey Bears in the Calder Cup Final.

After another strong start in the minors, Evans received his first NHL call-up in December. He ended up playing more for the Kraken this season than the Firebirds, making 36 NHL appearances compared to 25 AHL games. Coachella Valley has one contest left on their regular-season schedule, a tilt against San Diego in a few hours, that Evans may suit up in before playoff action gets underway later this week.

Evans was strong in his first NHL showing, consistently receiving top-four minutes down the stretch with top blue-liner Vince Dunn injured. He had a goal and nine points in 36 games, and despite his -5 rating, had strong possession metrics. Seattle controlled 54.05% of shot attempts with Evans on the ice at 5-on-5, per Natural Stat Trick, the most of any qualified Kraken defenseman this season. As a result, the left-shot defender has likely locked down a spot on the 2024-25 opening night roster.

Coachella Valley has clinched first place in the Pacific Division and the first-round bye that comes with it. Their playoff run will begin with a best-of-five division semifinals series against the lowest-seeded Pacific team to win their best-of-three First Round series. He’s got one season left on his entry-level contract, which carries an $897.5K cap hit.

Kraken Reassign Cale Fleury

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April 14: Fleury was returned to Coachella Valley before today’s loss to the Blues, CapFriendly indicates.

April 12: Earlier today, Seattle returned a trio of young forwards to AHL Coachella Valley so that they can get ready for a potentially long playoff run down there.  There weren’t any corresponding recalls announced at the time but the Kraken have indeed brought a player up from the Firebirds.  However, that move came on the back end as the team announced (Twitter link) that Cale Fleury has been recalled on an emergency basis.

The 25-year-old is no stranger to being brought up under these circumstances as it’s the fifth time he has been brought up on emergency recall since last month’s trade deadline, meaning they haven’t counted against Seattle’s four regular recall limit.  However, Fleury hasn’t seen much NHL action on those promotions, suiting up just once this season, coming last Friday.

Fleury has spent the bulk of the year with the Firebirds and has done quite well, notching seven goals and 27 assists while his plus-30 rating is tied for second-best in the AHL.  Most of the time, he has been returned quickly to Coachella Valley following these recalls; we’ll see this weekend if that recent history repeats itself.

Kraken Reassign Shane Wright, Logan Morrison, Ryan Winterton

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The Kraken reassigned forwards Shane Wright, Logan Morrison and Ryan Winterton to AHL Coachella Valley this afternoon, per a team announcement. No corresponding transactions are anticipated for Seattle, which has been eliminated from playoff contention and has four games remaining on its regular season schedule. The three youngsters will now gear up for the Calder Cup Playoffs with one of the top teams in the minors after getting NHL trials down the stretch.

Wright’s two-week showing was easily his best so far in the NHL. The 2022 fourth-overall pick skated in five games, exploding for four goals and an assist while averaging 15:47 per game, the longest leash head coach Dave Hakstol has given him thus far. All four goals came at even strength, too – his assist was his only power-play point. It was his first stint in the majors since a three-game showing in November, during which he averaged less than 10 minutes per game and was held without a point.

It was surely a confidence booster for the 20-year-old, who was viewed as the consensus first-overall selection in 2022 for a number of years but has had a somewhat rocky development path since the COVID-19 pandemic. After doing well in Coachella Valley with 20 goals and 43 points in 56 games this season, he’ll throw his hat in the ring for a spot on the opening night roster next season.

Morrison and Winterton were on the Kraken roster for a tad longer, recalled together six days before Wright on March 25. It was Morrison’s first NHL recall and Winterton’s second. Morrison played more sparingly than his counterpart but was given a larger role when in the lineup, averaging 13:08 in four appearances. He was a healthy scratch in four of the Kraken’s last five games, though, and failed to record a point, posting a -1 rating and winning 14 of his 31 draws (45.2%).

The 21-year-old undrafted free agent signing has done quite well in Coachella Valley in his first professional season, ranking seventh on the team in scoring with 40 points (15 goals, 25 assists) in 60 games with a +12 rating. Both he and Winterton will likely report back to the minors to begin 2024-25 but should be in line for more call-ups throughout the year.

Winterton has totaled nine appearances across both of his recalls this season but has yet to record his first NHL point. He logged a -1 rating, four blocks, and 10 hits while averaging 9:20 per game. His 21 goals in 55 games for Coachella Valley are third on the team. All three players will see their entry-level contracts expire simultaneously in 2026.

Kraken Reassign Jani Nyman To Minors

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The Kraken have recalled right-wing prospect Jani Nyman from his loan to Ilves of the Liiga, per an official announcement. Nyman will finish the 2023-24 season on assignment to AHL Coachella Valley.

The 19-year-old Nyman was drafted by Seattle in the second round of the 2022 draft, 49th overall. Kraken GM Ron Francis signed Nyman to a three-year, entry-level contract last June before loaning him back to Ilves in July. As an entry-level slide candidate, his deal will now be active from 2024-25 to 2026-27 because he did not play at least 10 NHL games this season.

When Nyman debuts for Coachella Valley, it will mark his first game away from Ilves on a permanent basis. The Valkeakoski, Finland native has played his entire junior and professional career in the Ilves organization to date. His first professional experience came in his draft year, spending most of the season on loan to Koovee of the second-tier Mestis. There, he erupted for 18 goals and 35 points in 34 games, leading the league in power-play goals with six and capturing Rookie of the Year honors. He also made his Liiga debut that season, recording one assist in 10 games for Ilves.

Despite having the size for it at 6’4″ and 207 lbs, Nyman isn’t an overly physical player and is best described as a sniper rather than a power forward or grinder. That, plus some noticeable defensive deficiencies in his game, never gave him first-round billing in 2022, despite his strong production in a professional league.

The Kraken should still be extremely satisfied with how he’s developed. Thrust into a top-six role on his loan to Ilves this season, he responded in kind with 26 goals and 43 points in 48 games, leading all U-20 players in scoring. He also served as an alternate captain for Finland at the World Juniors, finishing with two goals and six points in seven games. His season ended late last month after Ilves, which finished second in the league with a 33-13-7-3 record, was upset by seventh-place KalPa in five games in the quarterfinals.

Nyman is likely a couple of years away from challenging for an NHL job. However, he’s proven enough overseas that he’ll likely spend next season with Coachella Valley and put himself in consideration for short-term recalls. He hits pause on his Liiga career for now after recording 36 goals, 58 points and a +19 rating in 87 games for Ilves since debuting at the top level in 2021-22.

West Notes: Demko, Dunn, McCann, Rantanen

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The Vancouver Canucks welcomed starting goaltender Thatcher Demko back to practice on Tuesday and could return him to the lineup as soon as Saturday, head coach Rick Tocchet shares with TSN’s Farhan Lalji (Twitter link). Demko is currently on Vancouver’s long-term injured reserve with a knee injury. He hasn’t played since March 9th, missing Vancouver’s last 12 games.

While Tocchet added that the team wants to be careful in easing Demko back in, there’s no doubting they’re ecstatic to have him back in time for playoffs. Demko’s success has been a big part of the Canucks’ climb up the standings, with the 28-year-old posting 34 wins and a .917 save percentage across 49 appearances this season. He ranks third in the league in wins and fifth in save percentage, among starting goalies.

Demko’s strong performances this season have continued his ascension, with the three-year starter in a good position to receive Vezina Trophy votes for just the second time in his career – joining his seventh-place finish in 2022, after he posted 33 wins and a .915 save percentage in 64 games. But he’ll have bigger goals in mind, with Vancouver poised to make the playoffs for just the third time since 2014.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Both Jared McCann and Vince Dunn will miss the Seattle Kraken’s Tuesday game against the Arizona Coyotes, per team reporter Alison Lukan (Twitter link). Head coach Dave Hakstol shared that both players remain day-to-day, with McCann facing a lower-body injury and Dunn nursing an upper-body injury. The pair have been highly impactful this year, each ranked in the top-three of scoring in Seattle, with McCann boasting a team-leading 60 points in 75 games while Dunn has 46 points in 59 games.
  • Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar has shared that forward Mikko Rantanen could return on Saturday, per Ryan Boulding of NHL.com (Twitter link). The star winger has been in concussion protocol after taking a heavy hit from Edmonton Oilers defesneman Mattias Ekholm on Friday. Rantanen eclipsed the 100-point mark for the second-straight seaosn this year, currently carrying 40 goals and 102 points through 77 games.

Jared McCann And Vince Dunn Out Day-To-Day

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  • Kate Shefte of The Seattle Times Sports tweeted that Seattle Kraken forward Jared McCann and defenseman Vince Dunn are unlikely to dress tomorrow night when the team takes on the Arizona Coyotes. Both players missed practice today and were labelled doubtful for tomorrow by Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol. McCann has had another strong season with 28 goals and 32 assists in 75 games, while Dunn has also been terrific with 11 goals and 35 assists in 59 games. The Kraken have just two home games left in a disappointing season that will see them miss the playoffs.

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare Will Not Retire After Season

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Close to reaching a milestone of playing in 700 regular season games at the NHL level, it appears that Seattle Kraken forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare does not want to stop there. In an article from Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times, Bellemare indicated that even if he is unable to reach 700 this season with the Kraken, he would be content with reaching it next year.

Even if Bellemare does not hold the benchmark in high regard, it is quite a testament to his work ethic, as he originally came into the league during the 2014-15 season to the Philadelphia Flyers organization as a free agent. Throughout his 10 years in the league, Bellemare has suited up for the Flyers, Kraken, Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, and Tampa Bay Lightning, earning a total of $10.525MM up to this point in his career.

[SOURCE LINK]

  • In the Calgary Flames most recent matchup against the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night, forward Martin Pospisil delivered a check to Jets’ defenseman Josh Morrissey, with Pospisil’s elbow appearing to make contact with Morrissey’s chin. Pospisil was ejected based on the play; however, it does not appear that the league will be giving him supplemental discipline (X Link). Earlier this year, Pospisil hit Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn from behind and was suspended for three games by the Department of Player Safety.

Kraken Assign Cale Fleury To AHL

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Saturday: Fleury has been returned to AHL Coachella Valley, per a team announcement.

Friday: The Seattle Kraken have recalled defenseman Cale Fleury on an emergency loan (Twitter link). It’s Fleury’s third call up of April, with each prior recall being followed by an assignment on the subsequent day. The ring of trips to-and-from the minors has held Fleury to just one game since March 28th – an April 4th win in the AHL where Fleury recorded one assist.

Despite six recalls this season, Fleury has yet to play in the NHL this year. He’s instead spent all 61 games of his season with the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds, recording six goals, 33 points, 20 penalty minutes, and a +27. The scoring matches Fleury’s total from last season, though he played in three fewer games.

Fleury is now in his sixth professional season, making his debut with the Laval Rocket in the 2018-19 season, after Montreal selected him in the third round of the 2017 NHL Draft. He was Seattle’s selection from Montreal in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft, re-signing with the team in each of the last three summers. The two-year deal he signed this summer was his first multi-year contract since signing his entry-level contract in 2018.

Fleury will be competing with healthy scratch Justin Schultz and rookie Ryker Evans for Seattle’s final lineup spot. Evans has just eight points through 29 games this season, while Schultz has managed 22 in 63 games. And while Fleury likely sits outside of a lineup spot, the Kraken have just seven games left in their season and sit 16 points behind the Western Conference’s second Wild Card – setting up the perfect time for the team to test out young or inexperienced players like Fleury.

Kraken Sign Victor Ostman To Entry-Level Deal

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The Kraken have signed goaltender Victor Östman to a two-year, entry-level contract, per a team announcement Wednesday. It’s the maximum allowable ELC with a cap hit of $950K.

Östman, 23, was one of the top goaltenders on the college free-agent market. Undrafted out of the Swedish junior circuit in 2019, Östman came over to North America for his age-19 season and suited up in major junior play for the USHL’s Chicago Steel behind a stacked roster that included multiple current NHLers, namely Sabres defenseman Owen Power, Flames winger Matthew Coronato, and Golden Knights forward Brendan Brisson. He jumped to the collegiate ranks during the COVID pandemic, locking down the starters’ net during a shortened season at the University of Maine and never looking back. He’s been their go-to option in the crease ever since, posting a .905 SV%, 2.82 GAA, five shutouts, and a 35-38-7 record in 86 appearances.

Curiously, while the team in front of Östman vastly improved this season, his senior campaign was the worst of his collegiate tenure. Maine made the NCAA tournament for the first time in 12 years on the backs of brothers Bradly Nadeau (a Hurricanes first-round pick) and Josh Nadeau, but Östman struggled to the tune of a .892 SV%, his first season under .900 at any level in five years. He essentially split starts this season with countryman and freshman Albin Boija, who vastly outperformed him with a .916 SV%, 2.01 GAA, and two shutouts in 18 appearances.

The Swedish big man (6’4″, 205 lbs) will begin next season under contract with Seattle but could finish out 2023-24 on an ATO with AHL Coachella Valley. Both Kraken-contracted netminders in minors, Chris Driedger and Ales Stezka, are pending UFAs, while 2022 second-round pick Niklas Kokko is under contract and could come to North America after an exceptional campaign in the Finnish Liiga split between Kärpät and Pelicans. Östman’s step back this season suggests full-time AHL work may be a bit too much to ask out of the gate, and he could begin the season on assignment to ECHL Kansas City if one of Driedger or Stezka is brought back and Kokko is brought over from Finland.

Östman will be an RFA when his ELC expires in 2026.

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