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Shane Wright Assigned To AHL On Conditioning Loan

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The Seattle Kraken have announced that forward Shane Wright has been assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, on a conditioning loan. Yesterday, we covered that this move might be coming, and now it’s been made official.

Wright, 18, has been a healthy scratch for five straight Kraken games, which opened up the possibility of this move. Per the NHL-CHL agreement, Wright cannot be outright assigned to the AHL. For prospects like him who were developed in the CHL, the choice is typically between sending the prospect back to the CHL for another season or keeping them in the NHL.

With Wright, those restrictions have placed the Kraken in a bind. The Kraken did not believe simply sending Wright back to the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs would be the best option for his development, and opted to keep him on their NHL roster. But with the Kraken off to a hot start, Wright struggled to earn coach Dave Hakstol’s trust and has been sheltered in a highly limited role in the games he’s played in.

Unable to assign him to the AHL outright, the Kraken have elected this highly unorthodox strategy for Wright. He’ll be able to spend up to two weeks in Coachella Valley, a period that will likely lead into Wright being sent to Team Canada’s World Junior Championship camp.

That tournament ends in early January, and at that point, the Kraken will be faced with another choice.

They could elect to put him back on the NHL roster with the hope that he’ll be in a better position to contribute, or he can be sent back to the OHL. Since he has not yet skated in nine NHL games, the Kraken won’t have burned a year off of his entry-level deal.

Perhaps the most important factor determining if Wright heads back to the OHL after the World Juniors is what team holds his rights. Kingston hasn’t been great this season, and they currently stand in the middle of the pack in the OHL Eastern Conference standings.

It’s possible that Wright’s OHL rights are traded early in the new year, which could enhance the likelihood that GM Ron Francis and the Kraken elect the OHL route for the rest of the season.

Either way, the most important aspect of this news is that a clear, concrete plan is starting to come together regarding Wright’s developmental future. Given how chaotic his early tenure in Seattle felt for many fans, this is most definitely a positive development for everyone invested in the success of the Kraken’s top prospect.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Latest On Shane Wright

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It hasn’t been the start to his career that many thought it would be for Shane Wright. At times thought to be the consensus number one overall pick in the 2022 draft, Wright slipped to number four, selected by the Seattle Kraken. Given Seattle’s continued push to build and add more veteran scoring to the lineup and the state of Wright’s development, a return to the OHL seemed possible, if not likely, at the start of this season. Instead, the Kraken elected to keep Wright around. That decision wasn’t what has raised many eyebrows though, instead Seattle’s choice to scratch Wright in a majority of their games and give him little ice time when they have played him, has drawn some confusion from around the league.

Seattle Kraken Activate Philipp Grubauer

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The Seattle Kraken have activated goaltender Philipp Grubauer off of injured reserve. In a corresponding move, defenseman Gustav Olofsson has been reassigned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

Grubauer, 30, was placed on injured reserve on October 25th after suffering an injury during a game against the Colorado Avalanche, his former team. After a moderate absence, he is now healthy and ready to return to the ice.

Complicating Grubauer’s return, though, is the current state of the Kraken and the current performance of the man signed to be Grubauer’s backup: Martin Jones. The Kraken currently sit fifth place in the Western Conference, and have a solid 9-5-3 record, with seven of those wins coming in their last ten games. Jones’ play has been a major part of that, and he at the moment is giving the Kraken some of the best goaltending in their brief franchise history.

Last season, the poor play in net was one of the major reasons the Kraken were among the NHL’s worst teams. Grubauer was perhaps the worst starting netminder in hockey in 2021-22, posting a nightmarish .889 save percentage in 55 games. Backup Chris Driedger didn’t fare much better with a .899 of his own, and this season it’s been more of the same for Grubauer. In four games this season, he has a 3.70 goals-against-average and a .860 save percentage.

In contrast, Jones has posted a .912 save percentage and 2.34 goals-against-average. So the simple answer with Grubauer returning is to maintain Jones’ starring role.

But complicating the situation, and potentially necessitating a different answer from that simple one, is the contract status of each goalie.

The Kraken have significant dollars tied to Grubauer, as he makes $5.9MM each year for the next five seasons. Jones, on the other hand, is playing on an expiring one-year, $2MM deal.

So on one hand, the Kraken likely stand to have the best odds of winning as many games as possible if Jones gets the lion’s share of starts.

But on the other, playing Jones and limiting Grubauer’s game action could further damage Grubauer’s confidence, and hurt his odds of bouncing back and playing like the quality netminder he was with the Avalanche and Washington Capitals.

The Kraken are tied to Grubauer, after all, and while Jones operating as a full-on starter may have short-term benefits, it could cost them in the long term.

This could be a difficult decision for head coach Dave Hakstol to make. But since coaches are often the first to fall if a team hits a rough patch, they typically take the “win the game in front of you” approach to roster decisions, which is entirely reasonable. So with that in mind, it seems that Grubauer’s return won’t take a major chunk out of Jones’ workload.

But regardless of what the situation looks like now, Grubauer’s return to the Kraken roster and how he is deployed is certainly something worth tracking in the coming weeks.

Picture courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Carson Soucy Avoids Suspension, Earns Fine

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  • Seattle Kraken defenseman Carson Soucy will have to pay up a little bit for his decision to punch Pierre-Luc Dubois in the back of the head, as the league issued him a $2,500 fine for roughing. It should be noted that this was not the maximum allowable, meaning it didn’t really come close to a suspension in the eyes of the league. Still, it can be taken into account for future supplementary discipline.

Kraken Place Philipp Grubauer On LTIR, Recall Gustav Olofsson

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With Seattle only carrying six defensemen on their roster, it felt like some more roster moves were on the horizon.  Those moves have now been made as CapFriendly reports (Twitter links) that goaltender Philipp Grubauer has been placed on LTIR.  They become the 18th team in the league that is currently utilizing LTIR.  Using the cap space created by that placement, defenseman Gustav Olofsson was recalled from Coachella Valley of the AHL.

Grubauer has been out for close to three weeks due to a lower-body injury sustained against Colorado last month.  Prior to going down, he was off to a slow start to his season with a 3.77 GAA and a .860 SV%, numbers that were considerably worse than his totals from 2021-22 which were by far the worst of his career.  Martin Jones has certainly stepped up in his absence as the Kraken have reeled off five straight victories heading into tonight’s contest against Minnesota.  Magnus Hellberg was reacquired yesterday off waivers and will serve as their backup for the time being.  It’s worth noting that Grubauer resumed skating earlier this week so even with this move, he’s likely not too far away from returning to the lineup; the minimum time he’ll have to miss is 10 games and 24 days from the original injury date, not today’s placement.

As for Olofsson, the 27-year-old is in his second season with Seattle and has yet to play for them in the NHL; his last action at the top level came with Montreal back in 2019-20 when he made three of his 59 career NHL appearances.  This season, Olofsson has played in eight games with the Firebirds, picking up four assists.  His addition to the roster puts the Kraken back at the maximum of 23 players.

Kraken Place Jamie Oleksiak On IR, Send Joey Daccord To AHL

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It turns out that bringing goaltender Magnus Hellberg back today wasn’t Seattle’s only roster activity of the day.  Root Sports’ Scott Malone relays (Twitter link) that the Kraken have placed defenseman Jamie Oleksiak on injured reserve while also sending goaltender Joey Daccord back to AHL Coachella Valley as he is no longer listed on the team’s active roster.

Oleksiak suffered a lower-body injury in Tuesday’s game against Nashville and it’s evidently one that will keep him out for at least a week due to the IR placement.  The 29-year-old was off to a nice start to his season with three goals and two assists in his first 14 games while logging 18:33 per night, good for third among Seattle’s blueliners.  Cale Fleury has been up with the team all season as the reserve defender but has been scratched for every game but now will get a chance to see some game action; he played in nine contests with the Kraken last season.  Seattle doesn’t have enough cap space to recall a seventh defender for now although Chris Driedger could easily be moved to LTIR to free up some short-term flexibility on that front.

As for Daccord, he has been up with the big club for the last few weeks with Philipp Grubauer on injured reserve although he only made one appearance during that time.  His demotion could mean that another team placed a claim on Hellberg which means that Seattle wouldn’t be able to loan him to the Firebirds.  Alternatively, management might feel that the 26-year-old is simply better served getting into some game action having been on the bench for the bulk of his time with the Kraken.

Seattle Kraken Claim Magnus Hellberg

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After a short vacation in Ottawa, Magnus Hellberg is a Seattle Kraken once more. The veteran goaltender has been reclaimed by Seattle off waivers today. Mike Reilly and Nikita Zaitsev, who were on waivers with him, both cleared.

Hellberg, 31, returned from five years in the KHL last season to play one game for the Detroit Red Wings and show he was ready for an NHL job. After signing a one-way contract with Seattle in early July, he ended up on waivers as the season began. With the Senators dealing with an injury to Cam Talbot, they snagged the 6’6″ netminder but gave him just a single start. Hellberg posted a .935 save percentage in his one game, winning it.

Given the injuries to Philipp Grubauer and Chris Driedger, it always made a lot of sense for the Kraken to bring Hellberg back. The team has been relying heavily on Martin Jones through the first part of the year, who, to his credit, has posted a 7-3-1 record and .907 save percentage. Joey Daccord, the backup by default, has seen just a single appearance since Grubauer went down.

The Kraken have actually been excellent of late, winning their last five to take second place in the Pacific Division. That is despite the below-average goaltending they’ve received, a similar story to a year ago. Grubauer was brutal again to start the year and even with Jones’ better performance, they could still use a few more saves to really put them over the top. If Hellberg can show a consistent presence in the net, there is a real opportunity for him to see NHL minutes.

The team has not yet announced what their plan is for the big netminder, but if they were the only club to submit a claim, he could be assigned directly to the minor leagues without clearing again.

Latest On Shane Wright

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Just five games into his professional career, it seems as though Shane Wright’s world has been turned upside down. The former exceptional-status OHL star was drafted fourth-overall by the Seattle Kraken at this past summer’s NHL draft, and from the moment he was drafted (and perhaps even before that as well) there had been the expectation that Wright would step immediately into an NHL lineup.

So far, Wright has been a healthy scratch for the majority of the Kraken’s contests, and when he does play he averages just under seven minutes of ice time per game. Wright has taken just a single shot on net in the games he’s played, and there seems to be significant confusion as to what the Kraken’s development plan exactly is with their top prospect.

On tonight’s Insider Trading program, TSN’s Darren Dreger shed some light on what the Kraken are planning to do with Wright this year. Per Dreger, it is “very likely” that Seattle will retain Wright rather than send him back to his OHL team, the Kingston Frontenacs. Due to the transfer agreement between the NHL and CHL, Wright must either be in the NHL or the OHL, and cannot be reassigned to the team’s AHL affiliate the way other prospects can be.

That being said, though, Dreger notes that per the NHL-CHL agreement Wright would be permitted a one-time AHL reassignment if he is a healthy scratch for five-straight games.

That assignment would last a maximum of fourteen days, though, so it still wouldn’t be a long-term solution. What it would do is allow Wright to at least get some game action under his belt, and he may even be able to play a top-of-the-lineup role if that’s what coach Dan Bylsma would have in mind.

The Firebirds are 4-2 to start their first-ever season and have four players who are so far scoring at above a point-per-game rate. Perhaps the Kraken believe that a short stay in an environment more friendly to Wright’s offensive development could spark him to be more assertive upon his return to the NHL lineup.

Dreger reports that the short-term AHL route is “something the Kraken are considering,” and adds that Seattle is also considering loaning Wright to Team Canada so that he could take on a starring role in the World Junior Championships.

Those games begin in December, though, so in the more immediate term, the Kraken will need to settle on what exactly they plan on doing with Wright, because his current situation is far from ideal for his growth.

The Kraken are looking to have a more competitive season than they had last year, and coach Dave Hakstol could very well be on the hot seat after their disappointing first campaign.

On one hand, if he believes leaving Wright (who, to be fair, has not looked great in his limited NHL action) out of his nightly lineup gives him the best chance to win games, one can certainly respect that decision.

But on the other hand, Wright is one of the Kraken organization’s most important assets. He is a potential long-term solution down the middle, a possible future top-six center to pair with Matty Beniers for the next decade or longer.

His development into that sort of player would be a major step forward for the Kraken, meaning hindering Wright’s growth in order to win in the short term is something that could cost Seattle dearly in the future.

Pictures courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Seattle Kraken Re-Assign Christopher Gibson

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Nov 3: With Jones rejoining the team, Gibson has been sent back to the AHL.

Nov 1: According to the team’s public relations department, the Seattle Kraken have recalled goaltender Christopher Gibson from the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds.

Gibson, who had been playing on an AHL contract with the Firebirds to start the season, signed with the Kraken late last week and subsequently cleared waivers.

Exactly why the team has opted to recall Gibson at this point is unclear, and it could mean more bad news on the injury front for a team already reeling from both Philipp Grubauer’s and Chris Driedger’s absences. It could also mean that the team is giving current starter Martin Jones the night off as he and his wife welcomed a child last week, with Joey Daccord already expected to start tonight in Calgary. In that case, Gibson is purely up for a day or two to serve as the backup before he can be immediately returned to Coachella Valley, given he cleared waivers less than 30 days ago.

Gibson, 29, has a less-than-stellar .706 save percentage in two appearances with Coachella Valley so far, also credited with one loss. The minor-league veteran has 16 NHL appearances under his belt, the majority of which came with the New York Islanders in the mid-to-late 2010s. He has an NHL career goals-against average of 3.33, a save percentage of .903 and a 4-5-3 record.

Seattle Kraken Sign Christopher Gibson; Place On Waivers

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10/28/22: As reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Gibson has cleared waivers. He will now be able to remain with the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the AHL.

10/27/22: With so many injuries to their goaltenders, the Seattle Kraken have converted one of their minor league contracts into an NHL deal. Christopher Gibson, who had been playing with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, has signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $750K. Gibson is now on waivers so that he can stay in the AHL.

Seattle is without Philipp Grubauer and Chris Driedger, leaving them with only Joey Daccord and Martin Jones for goaltenders signed to NHL contracts. Losing Magnus Hellberg on waivers before the year started hurt their depth at the position, and now Gibson would be the only option if they suffer another injury.

That’s not a great place to be in, but at least the veteran netminder has a lot of experience at the professional level. Gibson, 29, was a second-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 2011 and has spent the last decade bouncing around the minor leagues. In 16 NHL appearances, the last two coming with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020-21, he has a .901 save percentage.

His numbers in the minors have always been solid, but it is still scary to think that the Kraken could quickly run out of goaltenders. Callum Booth, the Firebirds’ other current goalie, spent most of last season in the ECHL.

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