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Flames Acquire Calle Jarnkrok

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Last month, the Flames made an important addition on the wing with the acquisition of Tyler Toffoli from Montreal.  They’ve now added another winger as they have acquired winger Calle Jarnkrok from Seattle.  In exchange, the Kraken receive Florida’s second-round pick in 2022, Calgary’s third-rounder in 2023, and a 2024 seventh-round selection.

The 30-year-old was the Kraken’s selection from Nashville in expansion and he has been his usual dependable two-way self this season.  He has played in 49 games for Seattle this season, picking up 12 goals and 14 assists while logging just shy of 17 minutes per game.  He has seen regular action on both the penalty kill and power play this season, giving him some versatility in terms of where head coach Darryl Sutter will be able to deploy him.

It’s notable that Jarnkrok has played at center in the past although he has predominantly been on the wing the last three seasons.  It’s possible that Calgary could opt to deploy him there in which case he’d likely be upgrading their fourth line as it’s unlikely he’d displace Elias Lindholm, Mikael Backlund, or Sean Monahan from their current roles.

Jarnkrok is in the final season of a six-year, $12MM contract and will become an unrestricted free agent in July.  The Flames didn’t currently have enough cap space to absorb his $2MM AAV – they have just $769K in space at the moment per CapFriendly – but Seattle hadn’t used any of their three retention slots before this deal.  That, coupled with Adam Ruzicka being waiver-exempt and eligible to be sent back to AHL Stockton, gives them enough cap room to make this work.

In the meantime, Seattle gets a very strong return for a rental player in Jarnkrok.  With the second-rounder this year, they now have nine selections for the 2022 draft in July while the 2023 third-rounder gives them ten picks for that draft.  They’re likely to look to stockpile more over the coming days with veteran blueliner Mark Giordano expected to be among those on the move by then.

TSN’s Darren Dreger was the first to report Jarnkrok was going to Calgary.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the draft picks going to Seattle.

Kraken To Scratch Mark Giordano Ahead Of Trade Deadline

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  • Another top deadline target, Mark Giordano, isn’t expected to play tonight for the Seattle Kraken as they look to protect their asset. The 38-year-old defenseman is supposed to be honored for playing 1,000 games–a mark he hit on the road earlier this month–but will apparently have to do it in street clothes as head coach Dave Hakstol told reporters Giordano won’t be in the lineup. Already confirmed to be heading somewhere, the 2019 Norris Trophy winner should bring Seattle a strong package of assets despite his age and expiring contract.

Injury Notes: Matheson, Edmundson, Donskoi

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The Pittsburgh Penguins activated defenseman Mike Matheson from injured reserve today, per the team, sending down young Pierre-Olivier Joseph to the AHL to make way for Matheson’s return. Matheson’s been absent from the lineup for about two weeks, originally classified as week-to-week with an upper-body injury. His offensive production has been a nice surprise for Pittsburgh this season, as he’s on the best pace of his career with 21 points in 50 games. He’s been a solid bottom-four rock in Pittsburgh this season, but he’ll jump up alongside Kris Letang in his return to the ice with Brian Dumoulin out of the lineup.

More injury notes from around the league:

  • In what’s been a solid recent surge for the Montreal Canadiens, they could be getting a fan-favorite back into the lineup soon. Defenseman Joel Edmundson has been sidelined all season with an injury, but the team said today that he’s close to making his season debut. What was originally an undisclosed day-to-day injury during training camp in September snowballed into a back injury that’s prevented him from taking the ice this season. He’d be, in effect, Ben Chiarot’s replacement in the lineup after Chiarot is inevitably dealt at the Trade Deadline, which is arguably an upgrade for the team if Edmundson is at full strength and form. He’s in the second season of a four-year, $14M deal.
  • In the midst of a tough season, Seattle Kraken forward Joonas Donskoi has landed on injured reserve. The Kraken recalled forward Kole Lind from the Charlotte Checkers in his place. Donskoi suffered an undisclosed injury during the team’s March 8 game against Toronto. He has just two goals in 57 games this year, shooting at a rate of just 3.0%. Locked in through next season, hopefully, the tides turn over the offseason for Donskoi’s scoring luck.

Chicago Blackhawks Hire Norm Maciver

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The Chicago Blackhawks have brought back Norm Maciver, hiring him as the team’s new associate general manager. He will oversee the entire scouting department and report directly to general manager Kyle Davidson. Davidson had this to say on the hire:

Bringing in Norm is the first of many hires we plan to make as we restructure our hockey operations. I think it is important in this new hockey operations department to balance really strong knowledge in hockey with new and innovative thinking. Norm brings that institutional knowledge and is one of the best talent evaluators in the business-pushing the boundaries on new methods and techniques that we need here at the Blackhawks. Norm has been a big help to me throughout my career personally, but he also isn’t afraid to share his opinion and that is something that I respect most about him. He’s a great first step in building this out.

Maciver was previously with the team for a decade, before leaving in 2019 and then spending the last year with the Seattle Kraken as director of player personnel. He served in various roles for the Blackhawks, including assistant GM for eight seasons prior to his departure.

While it was obvious that Davidson would reshape the front office now that his interim tag was removed, some will see this as sort of a step backward toward the previous management group. At the time he left the Blackhawks however, Scott Powers of The Athletic wrote that Maciver had been “cut out of the inner circle by [Stan] Bowman and Al MacIssac” as they argued over whether or not to start a rebuild or continue to try and surround Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane with enough talent for another Stanley Cup run. With Davidson promising that the team is now undergoing that rebuild, it does make sense that he would bring back the executive that pushed for it in the first place.

The Blackhawks have a lot of work to do in order to turn around their franchise, including its reputation off the ice. Importantly, though he was with the team at the time of the Brad Aldrich sexual assault situation, Maciver was not in the infamous meeting of top executives where the initial report was discussed, nor did his name appear even a single time in the 107-page Jenner & Block report from October.

Seattle Kraken Have A Price For Mark Giordano

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  • During the second-intermission of the Toronto Maple Leafs game, Dreger again gave his thoughts on several key trade deadline topics, including Seattle Kraken defensemen Mark Giordano. Dreger reported that the Kraken would like to explore the trade market for Giordano, but their asking price on the veteran is at least a first-round pick. While this price may be steep for a 38-year-old with a $6.75MM cap hit, Giordano still produces at a high level, putting up 23 points in 52 games this season for the struggling Kraken. Giordano is also a responsible defenseman who can provide veteran leadership that is always valuable on a team looking to make a long run in the postseason. If Seattle is willing to retain some of Giordano’s cap hit, which would seem likely as they will have $36.66M in cap space on trade deadline day, they may be able to sweeten the pot to acquire that first-round pick at least.

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.

Austin Czarnik Claimed By New York Islanders

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Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, both players on waivers today were claimed. Austin Czarnik, who was placed on waivers by the Seattle Kraken, was claimed by the New York Islanders. After being placed on waivers by the Florida Panthers yesterday, Olli Juolevi will be headed to the Detroit Red Wings, having been claimed as well.

For Czarnik, this will mark his second stint with the Islanders organization, having only departed after being claimed on waivers by the Kraken back on February 8th. In his time with Seattle, Czarnik played in just six games, recording two assists. Prior to being placed on waivers by the Islanders, Czarnik had a fairly impressive two goals and three assists in 11 games for the Islanders, to go along with 15 points in 20 games with the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders this season. Speaking of Bridgeport, the Islanders announced that Czarnik will be assigned to Bridgeport. The organization is able to assign Czarnik directly to the AHL without waivers, as they were the only team to put a claim in on the forward.

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.

Trade Deadline Primer: Seattle Kraken

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As the calendar turns to March, the trade deadline is inching closer. Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make?  We continue our look around the league with the Seattle Kraken. 

It hasn’t been the year that Seattle expected, with brutal goaltending and an anemic offense sinking the ship almost immediately. With Vegas the gold standard for expansion teams right in their face, the Kraken have been unable to find their sea legs to this point and now face a deadline as pure sellers. General manager Ron Francis has been open about the fact that he’ll have to move on from some of the names he picked in the expansion draft, including the first captain in franchise history. The word is also out that they will happily take on bad money or be third-party in a trade to add draft picks, something that may be extremely valuable to contenders looking to squeeze the most talent under a flat cap.

Record

17-34-4, 8th in the Pacific

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$7.13MM today, $25.02MM in full-season space, 0/3 retention slots used, 44/50 contracts used per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2022: SEA 1st, SEA 2nd, SEA 3rd, SEA 4th, CGY 4th, SEA 5th, SEA 6th, SEA 7th
2023: SEA 1st, SEA 2nd, WPG 2nd, SEA 3rd, SEA 4th, COL 4th, SEA 5th, SEA 6th, SEA 7th

Trade Chips

The most notable piece that the Kraken have to offer is captain Mark Giordano, who is on an expiring contract and carries a cap hit of $6.75MM. Earlier today it was reported that Giordano hasn’t even submitted his partial no-trade list, knowing that wherever he goes will be a contending team. He’s going somewhere though, as both the veteran defenseman and general manager have agreed on that already. Giordano could be a pretty substantial addition for anyone, especially if the Kraken are willing to retain half his contract so that more teams can fit him in financially. Last season, pending free agent David Savard landed the Columbus Blue Jackets a first- and third-round pick, while they also had to give up a fourth in order for a third party to retain salary. Some would argue that Giordano can still make a bigger impact than Savard, meaning that potentially could be the starting point, depending on how the market works out this season.

Beyond the captain though, there are many other expiring deals. Calle Jarnkrok, Marcus Johansson, Riley Sheahan, and Colin Blackwell could all carry varying levels of value for contenders, with the former two being the most intriguing. Jarnkrok and Johansson are both extremely versatile players with history at center (though both are likely better wingers at this point) and could slide into a team’s bottom-six with ease. While they may not be the most impactful acquisitions, they also probably won’t cost much in terms of assets.

Then there are players like Jared McCann, who is a pending restricted free agent and could potentially make a much more thorough impact on a contender this season. Seattle’s leading scorer, McCann has 21 goals and 33 points in 48 games. Obviously, that’s a player who could continue to help the Kraken in the future, but given he is a pending RFA just one year away from unrestricted free agency, they might want to cash in now.

Others, like Joonas Donskoi and Carson Soucy, are signed through 2022-23 but will hit the open market after that. The 29-year-old Donskoi is having a brutal year with just one goal in 54 games, but has proven in the past that he can be a nice complementary player if given the right linemates. Soucy too is an effective defenseman who probably shouldn’t be playing in a contender’s top-four, but could add some pretty nice depth on an inexpensive $2.75MM cap hit (before potential retention).

Others To Watch For: G Chris Driedger, F Mason Appleton, D Haydn Fleury

Team Needs

1) Draft Picks: It’s simple, the Kraken need to load up and build through the draft. Their expansion experience wasn’t good enough to make them a playoff contender right out of the gate and the free agent splurges were misplaced entirely. Matty Beniers is going to be the first true face of the franchise when he turns pro, but he’s going to need help. By the time March 21 is over, the Kraken should have another 2022 first-round pick in their hands, or the day might very well be considered a failure.

2) Flippable Contracts: There will be an opportunity though, to acquire players this deadline who are having a bad season and potentially flip them down the line when they are closer to expiring. You can see the Arizona Coyotes trying this tactic with names like Shayne Gostisbehere and Nick Ritchie–take them now with a sweetener, and send them out later for another asset. They’ll have to dig for the opportunities, but they are out there if you look hard enough.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Latest On Mark Giordano

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In recent weeks, the Seattle Kraken made the decision that they would be trading Mark Giordano. He and Ron Francis, Kraken general manager, sat down and discussed the future and came to the conclusion that the team would trade its first captain, thinking of the future of the franchise above all else. Emily Kaplan of ESPN reports that though Giordano has a 10-team no-trade clause, he “has not even bothered giving it” to Francis and the Kraken front office, as he expects to go to a contender.

Kaplan lists the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, St. Louis Blues, and Carolina Hurricanes among those who have shown the most interest.

Giordano, 38, was a Norris Trophy winner in 2018-19, and still is producing at a high level for the Kraken. With 23 points in 50 games he is their highest-scoring defenseman, and with more than 21 minutes of ice time a night, he plays more than everyone except Adam Larsson. Any acquiring team wouldn’t likely be asking him to do as much, which could perhaps improve his performance even further for a short postseason run.

The Rangers have been linked to basically every player on the market this year as they try to parlay an incredible season by Igor Shesterkin into true contender status. With the relative youth of their blueline–Adam Fox, Ryan Lindgren, K’Andre Miller, Braden Schneider, Libor Hajek, Nils Lundkvist, and Zac Jones are all 24-and-under–Giordano would offer something that they don’t have in spades: experience.

In Toronto, the Maple Leafs already have Giordano’s old partner in T.J. Brodie, the player who helped him to that Norris season a few years ago. With Jake Muzzin’s future up in the air after suffering multiple concussions, a Giordano-Brodie pairing could actually be considered the top unit, freeing Morgan Rielly to play in more offensive situations.

For Florida, adding one more defenseman could put them over the top as they’re already one of the deepest teams in the league at every position. With Aaron Ekblad, MacKenzie Weegar, and Gustav Forsling already in place, Giordano would likely be able to feast on more manageable minutes and matchups. The same could be said about Carolina, though Kaplan notes Francis may be loath to help his old club.

In St. Louis, the loss of Scott Perunovich and the disappointing play of Marco Scandella has opened up a potential spot on the left side to add a defenseman. Head coach Craig Berube was almost even a teammate of Giordano’s decades ago, playing two final seasons in Calgary just a year before the undrafted defenseman joined the organization. With a style predicated on quick puck movement and physicality, the veteran Giordano could actually seem like a perfect fit for the Central Division club.

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