Burakovsky Close To Return
- Missing just under half of the 2022-23 NHL season due to a lower-body injury, forward Andre Burakovsky expects to make a full comeback next year. According to General Manager Ron Francis, Burakovsky is feeling “stronger every day” (Tweet Link). Burakovsky’s addition back to the Seattle Kraken lineup will be a tremendous benefit for the team, as he scored 39 points in 49 games, shortly before the Kraken eliminated his former team, the Colorado Avalanche, in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs.
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Seattle Kraken Re-Sign William Borgen
The Seattle Kraken have re-signed defenseman William Borgen to a two-year contract. The deal will carry an AAV of $2.7MM and finish after the 2024-25 NHL season.
Drafted by the Seattle Kraken in their expansion draft from the Buffalo Sabres, Borgen took off significantly for the Kraken last year. Primarily used as an extra defenseman in the team’s first year, Borgen only managed eight points in 36 games, averaging just over 15 minutes a night. He did show off a decent amount of physicality, recording 89 hits in a little less than half a year. Spending time on the penalty kill and showing some true defensive prowess, Borgen was coming into his own as a defensive defenseman.
This season, the Kraken extended the leash on Borgen quite a bit, suiting him up for all 82 games. In the best statistical season of his career so far, the former 92nd overall pick scored three goals and 17 assists, averaging over 16 minutes a night. He still kept a lot of the physicality he showed off in his first season, blocking 89 shots and throwing 203 hits. Unfortunately, though, Borgen may have a difficult time moving up in the Kraken lineup.
Seattle already has Justin Schultz and Adam Larsson signed on the right side of their defensive unit, and Borgen plays a similar game to Larsson. Given that it will be a two-year pact, the Kraken may have plans for Borgen to eventually replace Larsson after he becomes an unrestricted free agent after the 2024-25 NHL season.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the contract.
Seattle Kraken Sign Pierre-Edouard Bellemare
The Seattle Kraken have bolstered their lineup with the addition of veteran center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. The team announced via Twitter that they’ve reached an agreement with the 38-year-old French center on a one-year contract worth the league-minimum $775K.
Bellemare brings 10 seasons and 660 games of NHL experience to the Kraken lineup despite not making his NHL debut until 12 seasons into his professional career, which began in France’s top league in the 2002-03 season. An undrafted free agent signing out of the SHL, Bellemare’s played for the Philadelphia Flyers, Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche, and most recently the Tampa Bay Lightning since joining the league in 2014.
He’s reached the Stanley Cup Final twice – once with Vegas in their inaugural season and in in 2022 with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Playing a key role as a bottom-of-the-lineup shutdown forward, Bellemare registered two goals and an assist in 23 games en route to Tampa’s 2022 Final loss to Colorado.
He comes to the Kraken as a serviceable fallback option for their fourth-line center spot, especially if 2022 fourth-overall pick Shane Wright fails to secure a spot out of training camp or gets sent back to juniors midway through the season, as he was last year.
After a rocky three seasons in Philadelphia, Bellemare’s become quite strong in the faceoff circle, holding a 53.4% win percentage since leaving the Flyers in 2017. While his defensive game did show recent significant lapses during last season with the Lightning, it’s an extremely low-risk signing and a solid veteran add for an already deep Kraken offense. It also marks a reunion with head coach Dave Hakstol, who Bellemare played under in Philadelphia from 2015 to 2017.
Last season, Bellemare recorded four goals and 13 points in 73 games. In his NHL career to date, he’s managed 60 goals and 131 points.
Kraken Sign Tucker Robertson To Entry-Level Deal
The Kraken have agreed to terms with one of their prospects as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that they have signed Tucker Robertson to a three-year, entry-level contract. The deal carries a cap hit of $870K and an AAV of $950K and breaks down as follows:
2023-24: $775K salary, $95K signing bonus, $80K GP bonus, $80K AHL salary
2024-25: $775K salary, $95K signing bonus, $80K GP bonus, $80K AHL salary
2025-26: $775K salary, $95K signing bonus, $80K GP bonus, $82.5K AHL salary
The 20-year-old was a fourth-round selection by Seattle back in 2022 (123rd overall) after going undrafted in his first year of eligibility. That came on the hands of an impressive 2021-22 campaign. After having a limited role in his rookie season, Robertson broke out with 41 goals and 40 assists that year, cracking the top 20 in scoring.
That was followed up by an even better showing in 2022-23 as Robertson picked up 36 goals and 54 assists in 68 games, good for a tie for 11th in league scoring. He then finished second on the Petes in scoring in the playoffs, helping lead them to a league title and a spot in the Memorial Cup.
Robertson technically could return to the OHL next season for his overage year but after the two years he just had, that seems extremely unlikely. Instead, he’ll get his feet wet in the pros and will likely suit up with AHL Coachella Valley in the fall.
Seattle Kraken Sign Connor Carrick
The Seattle Kraken have brought back a familiar face. Defenseman Connor Carrick is returning for his second stint with the organization, signing a one-year, two-way deal with a $775K average annual value.
Carrick, 29, joined the Kraken a couple of months before the team played their first game, signing a one-year pact with them in free agency in August 2021. He didn’t appear in an NHL game for them, though, instead spending the entire season with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, Seattle’s affiliate for their inaugural season.
This is Carrick’s third straight one-year, two-way deal as he continues his career as a high-end AHL depth piece with some significant NHL experience. He spent last season with the Boston Bruins, leading their AHL affiliate in Providence in points from defensemen with 44 in 63 games. He made one NHL appearance with the Bruins in 2022-23, registering an assist, a +3 rating, two shots on goal, and playing 16:54 in an April 9 game against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Carrick, a right-shot defender, also did well in Charlotte, recording 10 goals and 32 points in 59 games. The past two seasons were Carrick’s first full-time AHL campaigns since 2015-16 with the Hershey Bears and Toronto Marlies, as he’d mainly stuck in the NHL as a seventh defenseman since then.
In his eight-season, 242-game NHL career, Carrick’s played for the Bruins, Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Washington Capitals. He’s amassed 13 goals, 37 assists, 50 points, and a -19 rating.
Seattle’s NHL defense corps is filled up after signing former Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin to a two-year contract on July 1. Because of that, Carrick is likely destined for another significant AHL role, this time with the Coachella Valley Firebirds. Seattle’s minor-league affiliate advanced to Game 7 of the Calder Cup Final in their inaugural campaign last year, losing to Hershey in overtime. Within the Kraken organization, he replaces the role of defenseman Brogan Rafferty, who led Firebirds defensemen in regular-season scoring with 51 points in 72 games and signed with the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday.
Seattle Kraken Sign Kailer Yamamoto
The Seattle Kraken are returning Kailer Yamamoto to his home state. The Spokane, Washington native and former Edmonton Oiler has signed a one-year, $1.5MM deal with the NHL’s youngest franchise.
As he was bought out by the Detroit Red Wings a few days ago, Yamamoto’s signing with the Kraken means Detroit effectively traded him for Daniel Sprong, another right-winger who Seattle chose not to issue a qualifying offer.
By signing Yamamoto over Sprong, the Kraken save $500,000 (Sprong earned $2MM from the Red Wings) and receive a younger player with a less impressive recent track record but a more extensive resume of NHL success.
While Sprong’s 21 goals and 46 points this year dwarf Yamamoto’s 10 goals and 25 points, just one year ago Yamamoto had 20 goals and 41 points.
Yamamoto also flashed high offensive upside in 2019-20, when he scored 11 goals and 26 points in 27 games.
Now plugged into one of the league’s highest-scoring environments in Seattle, the Kraken will hope that Yamamoto can bring a more consistent level of offensive production, and perhaps access the upside that saw him drafted 22nd overall in 2017 on a more regular basis.
The Kraken have quite a few quality wingers slated to play ahead of him on their roster, but the depth of Seattle’s lineup will play to Yamamoto’s advantage. Assuming he can make a good impression at training camp, Yamamoto has a strong chance of playing next to other capable NHL offensive producers, and if he can find the right linemates and build some chemistry he could really pop, giving Seattle a strong return on this $1.5MM investment.
If he ends up playing more the way he did late in his Oilers tenure, this could end up a wasted $1.5MM for the Kraken, which would hurt even more if Sprong goes on to great things in Detroit. But even with that risk in mind, this is a reasonable gamble to take on a young, energetic offensive forward.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Seattle Kraken Sign Brian Dumoulin
The Seattle Kraken have made an addition to their blueline, inking former Pittsburgh Penguins defender Brian Dumoulin to a two-year, $3.15MM AAV contract.
Dumoulin is a two-time Stanley Cup champion who has been a staple of their blueline since the 2015-16 season. Dumoulin was a bit of a late bloomer in the NHL, as he first became an NHL regular at the age of 24.
Ever since his rookie season Dumoulin has been a relied-upon top-four defenseman for the Penguins, and he has been the team’s leading penalty-killing defenseman for the past several years.
While many viewed Dumoulin as a player in decline this past season, the Kraken are clearly buying into his potential to remain a top-four defensive specialist for his age-32 and age-33 campaigns.
He’ll potentially slot in next to offensive defenseman and former teammate Justin Schultz on the Kraken blueline, and will likely join Jamie Oleksiak and Adam Larsson on the Kraken penalty kill.
If Dumoulin’s bad moments from late in his tenure in Pittsburgh become more regular in Seattle, this deal will end up being a poor investment.
But with Seattle looking to make a push deeper into the playoffs after winning their very first playoff series a few months ago, Dumoulin brings the type of valuable Stanley Cup experience that many executives view as worth risking on.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Seattle Kraken Sign Three Players
The Seattle Kraken have completed contracts with three players. They’ve signed winger Marian Studenic from the Dallas Stars, re-signed Coachella Valley Firebirds defenseman Jimmy Schuldt, and re-signed forward John Hayden. The terms for the players’ contracts are as follows:
Studenic: one-year, two-way, $775K NHL salary, $300K AHL salary, $325K guarantee
Schuldt: one-year, two-way, $775K NHL salary, $250K AHL salary, $275K guarantee
Hayden: one-year, one-way, $775K NHL salary
The 24-year-old Studenic comes over from the Dallas Stars, where he recorded three points in 19 games over the past two seasons. He’ll likely stay in an AHL role next season, where he’s been a marquee scorer: he notched 21 goals and 48 points in 67 games with AHL Texas last season. He’s a solid replacement in the Kraken organization for Jesper Froden, who played a similar role in the minors but departed in free agency for a role overseas in Switzerland.
Schuldt, a rather steady two-way defender in the minors, hasn’t yet appeared in NHL action with the Kraken but is a bonafide top-four AHL defender. The 28-year-old Minnesota product notched eight goals, 32 points, and a +22 rating for Coachella Valley last season in 71 games, all career-highs, while playing for one of the best teams in the league. The organization is happy to have him stick around as a reliable presence in their farm system.
Lastly, there’s Hayden, the player with the most NHL experience on this list at 247 games. After sticking in the NHL full-time for four seasons, Hayden found his way back to the minors for most of 2022-23, where his hard-nosed game translated into a solid amount of offense with 33 points in 47 games. He appeared in just seven games for the Kraken, scoring two goals, and he’s destined for the same role in the organization next season.
Joey Daccord Re-Signs With Kraken
Seattle won’t be letting Joey Daccord test the open market tomorrow. Instead, the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve re-signed the netminder to a two-year contract. The deal will carry an AAV of $1.2MM. CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that the salary is an even $1.2MM per season with no signing bonuses.
The 26-year-old was eligible to reach unrestricted free agency as a Group Six player as he has just 19 career NHL appearances under his belt over parts of five professional campaigns. Five of those top-level contests came this season with the Kraken where he put up a 3.14 GAA and a .900 SV%, numbers that were an improvement on his career averages of 3.64 and .884, respectively.
Daccord spent most of the season with AHL Coachella Valley, performing quite well for the Firebirds. He finished fifth in the minors in both GAA (2.38) and SV% (.918), helping to lead his team to the second-best record in the AHL. He found another gear in the playoffs, posting a 2.22 GAA and a .926 SV% but Coachella Valley fell in the seventh game of the Calder Cup Finals earlier this month to Hershey.
With Martin Jones set to hit the open market tomorrow, there’s an opening between the pipes in Seattle for a partner with incumbent starter Philipp Grubauer. It’s quite possible that Daccord and veteran Chris Driedger could battle for that number two spot with the loser going on waivers and returning to the Firebirds if he clears. If that happens with Daccord, all but $50K of his cap hit would be cleared off the books, limiting the risk that the Kraken are taking with this type of commitment for someone who has been a third option for the majority of his career. But as far as insurance policies go in goal, Daccord has shown himself to be one of the stronger ones.
Latest On Eduard Sale
- Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek reports that Eduard Sale, the Seattle Kraken’s recent first-round pick, is going to play for the OHL’s Barrie Colts next season. Sale has played the last two seasons in Czechia’s top pro league for Brno Kometa, and now will get the chance to play against his peers in major junior hockey. He’s an exceptionally skilled offensive player, so Colts fans should expect Sale to be among their top scorers if all goes well.