- While it’s not set in stone just yet, Kraken GM Ron Francis told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription link) that he believes Shane Wright will spend the full season in the NHL. Seattle took the center fourth overall back in July which came as a surprise to many as he was viewed as the projected top selection for most of the season. With Matthew Beniers, Yanni Gourde, and Jared McCann all ahead of him down the middle on the depth chart, Wright might not get a lot of playing time early on but that will also allow him to be eased in from a development perspective which, in the long run, might be ideal for the 18-year-old.
Kraken Rumors
Seattle Kraken Sign Daniel Sprong
Finally, a player has converted on his PTO, receiving an NHL contract. The Seattle Kraken today signed winger Daniel Sprong to a one-year, two-way contract for 2022-23 worth $750,000. PuckPedia adds that his minors salary is $325,000.
Sprong, 25, will get a second look in the Kraken lineup after playing in 16 games for them last season. Acquired from the Washington Capitals at the trade deadline (along with a 2022 fourth-round pick and 2023 sixth-round pick) for Marcus Johansson, Sprong had six goals and no assists down the stretch for the expansion Kraken. It was the third time Sprong had been traded in his young, yet bumpy career.
Hailing from Amsterdam, the Dutch forward was drafted 46th overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins. While he hasn’t been able to make it stick with one team, Sprong’s provided solid depth scoring wherever he’s gone. He’s scored 14, 13, and 14 goals in his last three full NHL seasons. He played just eight games with the Anaheim Ducks in 2019-20, instead spending significant time with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls.
Sprong will need to work hard to crack what’s a considerably deeper Kraken forward core this season, especially on the wing. The additions of Oliver Bjorkstrand and Andre Burakovsky at the top make the Kraken’s top six more compelling, but it’s scorers like Sprong who will be relied upon to generate depth offense in The Deep this season.
Ottawa Senators Claim Magnus Hellberg
With the recent injury of Cam Talbot, the Ottawa Senators have nabbed another goaltender. The team has claimed Magnus Hellberg off waivers from the Seattle Kraken, giving Anton Forsberg a new backup for the time being.
The Senators have announced that Talbot’s upper-body injury will keep him out five to seven weeks, though Darren Dreger of TSN reports it might not be quite so long. Dreger tweets that Talbot is believed to have suffered a fractured rib, suggesting it might only be three to four weeks before he returns.
Either way, the team now hands the reins to Forsberg, with the 31-year-old Hellberg behind him. The latter actually made his NHL debut back in 2013 but has just five appearances overall. For most of his career, Hellberg has played in the KHL, before signing a one-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings at the very end of last season.
That gave him a chance to showcase himself and show he is ready to return to North America, eventually earning him a $750K contract with the Kraken this summer. It will be interesting to see how much playing time he receives in Ottawa, and whether the Senators can potentially flip the 6’6″ goaltender to another team once Talbot is eligible to return. If not, they would have to waive him in order to send him to the minor leagues, giving a chance for Seattle to reclaim the big netminder.
Waivers: 10/2/22
It’s expected to be another busy day on the waiver wire today as teams continue to trim down their rosters. We’ll keep track of the players being placed on waivers here.
Buffalo Sabres (via NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston, awaiting team announcement)
Calgary Flames (via team release)
F Clark Bishop
F Ben Jones
F Matthew Phillips
D Colton Poolman
D Nick DeSimone
G Oscar Dansk
Carolina Hurricanes (via NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston, awaiting team announcement)
Dallas Stars (via PuckPedia)
F Riley Tufte
F Marian Studenic
D Alexander Petrovic
Edmonton Oilers (via team release)
Florida Panthers (via Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards, awaiting team announcement)
Los Angeles Kings (via PuckPedia)
Ottawa Senators (via team release)
F Rourke Chartier
F Jake Luccini
D Dillon Heatherington
Pittsburgh Penguins (via team release)
F Alexander Nylander
F Radim Zohorna
F Drake Caggiula
D Xavier Ouellet
G Dustin Tokarski
Seattle Kraken (via team release)
F Jesper Froden
F Cameron Hughes
F Kole Lind
F Max McCormick
F Austin Poganski
F Andrew Poturalski
F Brogan Rafferty
F Carsen Twarynski
D Gustav Olofsson
G Magnus Hellberg
St. Louis Blues (via team release, PuckPedia)
F Nathan Todd
F Will Bitten
D Luke Witkowski
D Steven Santini
Washington Capitals (via team release)
F Beck Malenstyn
F Garrett Pilon
D Gabriel Carlsson
D Dylan McIlrath
D Bobby Nardella
G Zachary Fucale
Jacob Melanson Suspended Two Games
7:03 pm: As announced by NHL Player Safety, Melanson has been suspended for two games for his illegal check to the head against Hamblin. In the video explanation for the decision, the Department provided the following justification:
This is an illegal check to the head. It is important to note that both elements of the illegal check to the head rule are satisfied on this hit. First, the head is the main point of contact; as Melanson’s shoulder makes contact with the head of Hamblin, and it is the head that absorbs the majority of the force of this hit. Second, the head contact on this hit is avoidable. Melanson chooses an angle of approach that cuts across the front of Hamblin’s body, missing his core and picking the head. If Melanson wants to deliver this hit, he must stay low and choose an angle that leads to a full-body check through the shoulder or chest, rather than one that makes the head the main point of contact.
Melanson will serve the suspension in the next two consecutive games that he is eligible to participate for Seattle.
11:05 am: There is a chance that Jacob Melanson is suspended for an NHL game before he even makes his debut. The young winger will have a hearing with the Department of Player Safety today for an illegal check to the head of Edmonton Oilers prospect James Hamblin.
Should he earn a suspension that stretches into the regular season, there is a way around it. The team could essentially keep him on the roster for an extra few days before sending him back to junior, though with the waiver crunch the Kraken are already going to experience, that may not be an option. Otherwise, the suspension would be waiting for Melanson whenever he does make it back to the NHL.
Of course, it also might just keep him out of preseason action, and not carry over to the regular season, given it happened so early in the exhibition schedule.
Melanson, a fifth-round pick of the Kraken in 2021, is known for his physicality and for going over the line at times. Earlier this year he was given a four-game suspension in the QMJHL for taking a run at an opponent, extending his leg to contact knee-on-knee. He also racked up 85 penalty minutes in his 54 games, though his game did prove effective. The young forward also registered 35 goals, breaking out offensively and becoming an interesting NHL prospect.
For now, he’ll have to wait to see what punishment is coming down from the league. If he ever does make the NHL, he’ll be under a watchful eye, as a preseason suspension will be taken into account in any further supplementary discipline decisions.
Jimmy Schuldt, Callum Booth To Attend Seattle Training Camp
With training camps starting this week, we’ll end up finding out where several unsigned players will showcase their talents on professional tryouts. Andy Eide of NHL.com shared the Seattle Kraken roster last night, a group which includes several interesting names. The tryout contract for Daniel Sprong was previously reported, and Matt Tennyson will be there after signing an AHL contract with the Coachella Valley Firebirds. But the Kraken also have Callum Booth, and Jimmy Schuldt listed under PTOs, after they became free agents this summer.
Booth, 25, qualified for Group VI unrestricted free agency after failing to progress up the Boston Bruins’ depth chart. The fourth-round goaltender has spent more time in the ECHL than the AHL over the years, though he did play well for the Maine Mariners in 2021-22. There are often late-blooming goaltenders that take big development steps around Booth’s age, but it is hard to think anyone would sign him to an NHL contract this season. To be considered depth, he’ll have to first prove he can handle AHL duties first.
Schuldt meanwhile is already 27, and reached regular unrestricted free agency after spending last season under contract with the Buffalo Sabres. The undrafted defenseman was a hot commodity when he was coming out of St. Cloud State in 2019, and though he ultimately signed with the Vegas Golden Knights, he played only one game at the NHL level.
One wonders if things would have gone differently for him in another organization with more opportunities (and cap space) in the NHL, but he now sits as an AHL depth option after spending the last three full seasons in the minor leagues. In 61 games with Rochester last year, he recorded 17 points.
Finding A Match For A Nils Lundkvist Trade
With Rangers prospect Nils Lundkvist’s trade request now well-known, efforts continue to find the youngster a new home for the upcoming season. If the belief that he won’t attend training camp in New York holds true, that could be a trigger point for GM Chris Drury to avoid any distractions heading into camp while getting a chance to integrate whichever player or prospect they get for the rearguard at training camp.
With that in mind, here’s a look at some of the potential suitors for Lundkvist. Since he’s looking for a team that will have a chance to give him an NHL opportunity in the short-term, the focus will be on those squads although there undoubtedly will be others that will kick the tires. Los Angeles is a team that has been speculated as a landing spot with their deep prospect pool but they don’t really have an opening on the right side of their back end for him to slide into so they don’t appear among the teams below.
Detroit: The Red Wings have two right-side rearguards in place in Calder winner Moritz Seider and young veteran Filip Hronek. There are questions behind those two, however. Gustav Lindstrom has yet to establish himself as a full-time player while Mark Pysyk will miss the first half of the season after undergoing surgery in July to repair a torn Achilles tendon. If Lundkvist was to go there and do well, it could free them up to move Hronek who is the type of blueliner that could yield a nice return for the Red Wings.
Detroit has a couple of young centers that the Rangers would likely show some interest in. One is Joe Veleno who is close to being ready for full-time duty while Jonatan Berggren, who was picked just five spots after Lundkvist in 2018, had a very promising first season in North America in 2021-22. They also have an extra second-round pick at their disposal if New York ultimately decides that a draft pick is the right return. Arthur Staple of The Athletic reported a few days ago (subscription link) that at least one team had a second-rounder on the table in an offer for the blueliner.
Montreal: At the moment, the right side of the back end for the Canadiens is David Savard, Justin Barron, and Chris Wideman. The only established full-time player out of that group is Savard. Montreal is likely to use several prospects throughout the season (Jordan Harris and Kaiden Guhle among them) but those are left-shot options, not righties like Lundkvist. It’s plausible that Lundkvist could jump into their lineup right away. Jeff Gorton, who was GM at the time Lundkvist was drafted, now works in Montreal’s front office.
While the Rangers wouldn’t be likely to get a return that could help them right away, Montreal’s prospect pool is one of the deeper ones around the league with recent center picks like Jan Mysak, Owen Beck, and Riley Kidney potentially being of interest. They could also deal from the left side of their defensive pool if New York would prefer a defenseman in return with Harris, Mattias Norlinder, and prospect Jayden Struble being possible options.
San Jose: The only established must-play right-shot defender on their roster is Erik Karlsson. Matthew Benning got a four-year deal but could bounce in and out of the lineup while Ryan Merkley could stand to spend more time in the minors before becoming an everyday regular. With Brent Burns not really being replaced after his trade to Carolina, there’s a definite need for a second defenseman to help shoulder the offensive load. Worth noting, one of New York’s former top scouts, Chris Morehouse, is now heading up San Jose’s amateur scouting ranks. He wasn’t there when Lundkvist was drafted but he’ll have some extra familiarity with the blueliner.
Center Thomas Bordeleau didn’t look out of place in his brief NHL stint late last season and acquitted himself well at the World Championship as well and is the type of young center that might entice the Rangers. Merkley himself could be an option if Drury decides to look for a similar player, one that will be more amenable to being in the minors to start the season. The Sharks don’t have an extra second-round pick but the one that they do have projects to be a good one based on the state of their roster heading into training camp.
Seattle: While the addition of Justin Schultz lessens their need for an extra offensive defenseman, the third RD spot is far from secure with William Borgen spending a lot of time as a healthy scratch last season. That’s a spot that Lundkvist could conceivably battle for or least position himself to be the first one recalled.
The Kraken don’t have the deepest of prospect pools to work with since they’ve only been around for two drafts but they do have three second-rounders for the 2023 draft. Parting with one for a potentially near-ready young defenseman would be a defensible move for the second-year squad.
Vancouver: The Canucks have been busy this summer when it comes to their forward group but nothing has been done with their back end yet and it’s not for a lack of trying. Vancouver already has an offensive weapon in Quinn Hughes but someone like Lundkvist could potentially help run a second power play group and perhaps take some minutes from veteran Oliver Ekman-Larsson who is getting near the point where he will need to be managed more carefully. With Tucker Poolman’s availability uncertain for training camp, there’s a spot on the right side of their back end up for grabs.
As for possible trade options, Linus Karlsson is coming off a strong SHL season and shouldn’t be too far away from being NHL-ready which would give New York another option down the middle. Alternatively, winger Nils Hoglander is someone that, on the surface, might be on the fringes of making Vancouver’s roster with their additions on the wing. Perhaps there’s a trade to be made featuring those two?
Of course, this isn’t an exhaustive list and other teams will inquire but if Lundkvist and agent Claude Lemieux’s intention is to have him start the upcoming season in the NHL, that does limit the number of viable opportunities for a trade if the Rangers decide to move him before training camp.
They don’t have to move Lundkvist, however. He’s still waiver-exempt and even if he doesn’t want to report to the minors, they can send him there and suspend him for not reporting. If it’s going to be more of a drawn-out process, a loan overseas (as they did last year with Vitali Kravtsov) is also on the table. There are certainly non-trade options they’ll want to consider but if they do decide to go ahead with a trade, they’ll have some viable teams to consider.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Seattle Kraken Promote Alexandra Mandrycky
The Seattle Kraken now have a new assistant general manager, and it is one that made her name in the field of analytics. According to Emily Kaplan of ESPN, Alexandra Mandrycky has been promoted to the AGM position, from her previous role as director of hockey administration. Mandrycky was one of the first hires the Kraken ever made, before Ron Francis had even been brought in as general manager.
Mandrycky is the sixth woman this offseason to be promoted to assistant general manager, after the Vancouver Canucks essentially broke the glass ceiling by hiring Emilie Castonguay and Cammi Granato. Francis directly addressed some of the comments that are sure to follow this announcement:
I’ve always been in the school of thought that you find the best person available for the job. Alex isn’t getting this promotion because she’s a female. It’s because she’s earned this promotion, there’s no doubt about it. She’s already been involved in all facets of our organization, from the pro side to amateur to management discussions.
Mandrycky, 31, worked as an analyst with the Minnesota Wild for four years before joining Seattle, where one colleague called her an “unassuming superstar” that was destined for bigger things. She landed that job by being one of the founders of war-on-ice.com, a statistical modeling site that attempted to find advantages through analytics.
Now, after more than seven years in NHL front offices, she has received a bigger role and taken another step forward in her career. If there was a betting line on who would be the first female general manager in the NHL, Mandrycky would certainly be among the favorites, even at her relatively young age.
Three Players Sign PTOs
As reported by CapFriendly on Tuesday afternoon, three players have signed PTOs today: goaltender Christopher Gibson with the Arizona Coyotes, center Nate Thompson with the Los Angeles Kings, and winger Daniel Sprong with the Seattle Kraken.
Given the tumultuous goaltending situation in Arizona, the 29-year-old Gibson could vie for a spot as a full-time backup for the first time in his long professional career. Originally a second-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 2011, he’s played professionally for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Florida Panthers organizations. He had a 7-5-3 record, .907 save percentage, and one shutout in just 14 games with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers last season. While those totals may be low, he was a part of an uncomfortably crowded crease last season in Charlotte as they played home to both Panthers and Seattle Kraken prospects. He has a long history of strong minor-league play that may give him the inside track over the team’s other two backup options, Ivan Prosvetov and Jon Gillies.
Thompson, far and away one of the most seasoned players to sign a PTO this offseason, brings 844 games of NHL experience to Kings camp. While he did have just three points in 33 games with the Philadelphia Flyers last season and is a 13th forward at best at this point in his career, the 37-year-old Thompson could be a veteran anchor to help guide a youthful Kings’ bottom six, even if it is mainly from the press box. It could also be an inside track on a front office job for Thompson if he doesn’t make the team and opts for retirement instead.
The Kraken know what they’re getting in Sprong, who had six goals in 16 games for them last season after arriving at the Trade Deadline from the Washington Capitals. Seattle’s roster is more crowded this time around with multiple free agent and trade additions, especially on the wing, but he could bump some players like John Hayden and Karson Kuhlman onto the waiver wire and down to the AHL expansion Coachella Valley Firebirds if he makes the team and pushes for a spot at the bottom of the lineup with some power-play minutes.
Coachella Valley Hires Stu Bickel
The Coachella Valley Firebirds, AHL affiliate of the Seattle Kraken, have added to their coaching and hockey operations department ahead of their inaugural season. Among the names announced today is former NHL defenseman (and sometimes forward) Stu Bickel, who has been brought in as an assistant coach under Dan Bylsma.
Bickel, 35, is an interesting coaching prospect. After the end of a long playing career that included 94 games at the NHL level, he joined his alma mater at the University of Minnesota as an assistant. In 2020-21, he took over as head coach of the Minnesota Magicians of the NAHL, and took them to the third round of the playoffs. Last season he was an assistant with the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL, who went to the Calder Cup Final – ultimately losing to the Chicago Wolves.
It’s a quick rise for a long-time AHL tough guy, the kind that will likely soon get the attention of NHL benches. Bickel played 310 regular season games in the AHL, racking up 919 penalty minutes in the process. Given that he also served as an assistant general manager with the Magicians during his short stint, he’ll be a coaching name to follow as he progresses through the AHL this season.