Seattle Kraken Sign John Hayden
Last night, PuckPedia reported that John Hayden had signed a one-year two-way contract with the Seattle Kraken, and today the team confirmed the deal. Hayden will earn $750K at the NHL level and $325K in the AHL.
Now 27, Hayden played this season with the Buffalo Sabres, racking up 84 penalty minutes in 55 games. The 6’3″ forward has morphed into something of an enforcer type, after finding it difficult to contribute much offense in the NHL. A star for Yale University, he has just 15 goals and 35 points in 240 NHL games.
Still, it’s not like he’s been toiling in the minor leagues during that time. Hayden has just 24 games played in the AHL, all of them coming during his 2017-18 rookie season. Since then, he has been bouncing around the league but staying in the NHL, playing for the Chicago Blackhawks, New Jersey Devils, Arizona Coyotes, and Sabres over the last four seasons.
In Seattle, it’s hard to see him landing a full-time role but he might be able to stick around as a 13th or 14th forward, moving in and out of the lineup when necessary. No longer waiver-exempt, he would have to clear to be assigned to the minor leagues.
Seattle Kraken Sign Four Players
The Seattle Kraken have inked a pair of draft picks, signing Jacob Melanson and Ryan Winterton to three-year, entry-level contracts. Both players were selected in the 2021 draft and are still eligible to return to their junior teams this season, allowing these entry-level deals to slide forward.
Melanson, selected 131st overall in 2021, broke out this season with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the QMJHL, scoring 35 goals in just 54 regular season games. That was enough to earn the fifth-round pick this entry-level deal, though before he has any thought of professional hockey, he’ll have to go back and prove he can take his game to an even higher level in 2022-23.
Winterton meanwhile was picked much higher, 67th in 2021, and had an even better season for the Hamilton Bulldogs. The OHL champion posted 20 goals and 46 points in 37 games, while adding another 19 in 18 playoff games en route to the Memorial Cup finals. The young forward won’t turn 19 until September 4, a birthday that made him one of the very youngest players in the entire 2021 draft class. His future looks bright at the moment and the reward of an entry-level contract is a nice piece of motivation for his next OHL season.
The team has also announced contracts for Austin Poganski and Cameron Hughes, as they continue to load up their minor league system in preparation for the first season for the Coachella Valley Firebirds. Poganski has signed for one year, while Hughes is getting a two-year deal.
Filling an entire minor league roster is no joke, so Poganski and Hughes should both get lots of ice time with the Firebirds. Neither one should really be challenging for an NHL roster spot though, with very limited experience at that level. Poganski played 16 games for the Winnipeg Jets this year but failed to record a since point (he now has zero through 22 career matches), while Hughes has played just two games at the NHL level (and also has zero points).
Seattle Kraken Sign Martin Jones
Official now, Martin Jones is joining the Seattle Kraken on a one-year, $2MM contract for next season. The deal comes on the heels of Chris Driedger‘s ACL injury and gives the Kraken a veteran backup for Philipp Grubauer.
Jones, 32, was once considered a legitimate workhorse starter in the league, playing in at least 60 games for four straight seasons during his time with the San Jose Sharks. There were good results too, including some long playoff runs with those impressive teams. Unfortunately, it has been quite a while since he’s even been close to league average in his performance, posting four straight years with a save percentage of .900 or below.
This season, for the Philadelphia Flyers, he had a .900 even in 35 appearances. While that 6’4″ athletic frame can still show flashes of the goalie he once was, there are too many times when pucks leak through Jones or he is caught out of position.
With a $2MM cap hit, Jones should be the regular NHL backup, though it is interesting the Kraken signed him at all. They already had Joey Daccord in the system, and inked free agent goalie Magnus Hellberg earlier today. You could argue that either one is probably a better option than Jones right now (even with their relative inexperience), and both will be subject to waivers should the team try to send them to the minor leagues.
Given Grubauer’s significant struggles last season, the goaltending position in Seattle is by no means settled at the moment. He will get the lion’s share of the work but if the team has to deal with another year of the worst save percentage in the league, it’s difficult to know how they’ll be anywhere near competitive.
Seattle Kraken Sign Hellberg, Rafferty, Froden
The Seattle Kraken have added some interesting names at league-minimum prices, signing Jesper Froden, Magnus Hellberg, and Brogan Rafferty for $750K each. Froden and Rafferty are both coming to Seattle on two-way deals, while Hellberg is on a one-way contract.
Hellberg gives Seattle four(!) goalies on one-way contracts. While it’ll only be three healthy ones for the beginning of the season as Chris Driedger remains injured, it’s still something most would classify as overkill. Without a bevy of goalie prospects in the organization due to the team’s young age, though, they need depth at the position. Hellberg will likely start the season in Coachella Valley alongside Joey Daccord.
Froden had a successful first season in North America last year, notching 16 goals and 34 points in 49 games with the Providence Bruins. Scoring a goal in seven games with Boston during a brief NHL showing, Froden didn’t look entirely out of place. He’ll be counted on to play a big role for the inaugural Coachella Valley Firebirds.
Rafferty, now 27, had a disappointing year in San Diego last season after basically losing the entire 2020-21 year being on Vancouver’s taxi squad. He’ll move on from the Anaheim Ducks organization after just one season and look to rebound with a bigger AHL role in Seattle.
Shane Wright Signs Entry-Level Contract
The Seattle Kraken have signed their top draft choice, Shane Wright, to a three-year entry-level contract. The young forward was selected fourth overall earlier this month.
Wright has a lot to prove after falling out of the top three, an unexpected result for not only him but most of the hockey world. He’ll now get a chance to become one of the first franchise icons in Seattle, if he can live up to the expectations that have been on him since he was in minor hockey.
For the Kraken, the idea of slotting in Wright and Matty Beniers down the middle for the next decade is extremely appealing, though there may be a steep learning curve this season with the youngsters in the lineup every night.
That is of course assuming Wright makes the Kraken. As an 18-year-old, he can’t be assigned to the minor leagues, meaning it’s either Seattle or Kingston for the young forward.
Seattle Kraken Sign Andre Burakovsky
The Seattle Kraken are getting a big free agent name yet again, signing winger Andre Burakovsky to a five-year deal worth a total of $27.5MM.
It’s an interesting move for the Kraken, who seem to be set on surrounding some of their elite young players with enough talent to be competitive. Burakovsky can potentially join a player like Matthew Beniers in his first full season, giving him a skilled winger that can contribute at both ends of the rink. The 27-year-old had 22 goals and 61 points this season, career-highs in both categories.
Still, even with that strong performance, there has still been criticism of inconsistency levied at the Austrian forward. Burakovsky can go through stretches where he seems extremely ineffective, only to then take over a game completely the next night. Standing 6’3″ with good speed and hands, there has always seemed to be no limit on what he could become at the NHL level.
Perhaps his time in Colorado has truly unlocked that potential and the Kraken are getting a player who has scored at an impeccable rate over the last three seasons. Since joining the Avalanche in 2019, Burakovsky has 150 points in 191 games, numbers that Seattle would obviously welcome with open arms.
A five-year deal carries plenty of risk though, especially if he reverts to the player that had just 25 points in 76 games for the Washington Capitals in 2018-19. Burakovsky is now tied for the highest-paid forward on the Kraken, and signed as long as anyone else on the roster.
Seattle Kraken Sign Andrew Poturalski
The Seattle Kraken are signing one of the AHL’s best, getting forward Andrew Poturalski on a two-year, one-way deal, per his agency Bartlett Hockey. Poturalski is coming off of a Calder Cup championship with the Chicago Wolves.
The 28-year-old undrafted forward may have only four NHL games to his name, but make no mistake: this is one of the deadliest scorers the AHL has to offer. Forming a lethal partnership with Stefan Noesen, Poturalski scored 28 goals and 101 points in just 71 games and topped that regular-season brilliance off with 23 points in 19 playoff games. This year wasn’t a fluke, either, as Poturalski has been a highly productive player for the majority of his AHL career.
By signing in Seattle, Poturalski has secured a starring role on the AHL’s newest team, the Coachella Valley Firebirds. In signing Poturalski, the Firebirds have made a major splash and signed the player who is likely to lead them in scoring. Coach Dan Bylsma now has a top-of-the-lineup scoring threat and this signing is indicative of the Kraken organization’s desire to give their AHL affiliate all the tools they need to have a strong first season.
Justin Schultz Expected To Sign With Seattle Kraken
Former Washington Capitals defenseman Justin Schultz is expected to head to the Seattle Kraken on a two-year deal worth roughly $3MM per season, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
It had been long rumored that the Kraken would be after an offensive defenseman who could help them on their powerplay and help them in transition. Schultz is exactly that, having made his career around his offensive abilities since breaking into the league in 2012-13. Schultz’s offensive production isn’t what it once was, with his 23 points in 74 games representing a sharp decline from his 27 points in 46 games last season.
But even with that in mind, one has to remember that the kind of profile Schultz brings isn’t exactly easily found on the market. Defense-first, crease-clearing defensemen are more common on the open market than ones with fifty-point seasons on their resumes, so Schultz is perhaps the most suitable option for the Kraken if they did not want to dip into the deep end of the market and acquire a player like John Klingberg.
The biggest risk with this signing, though, is in Schultz’s health. Schultz has struggled to play consistently in recent years, and has not been able to cross even the 70 games played mark since 2016-17. At a $3MM price tag, the Kraken will not only need Schultz to be productive, they’ll also need him to be healthy. That’s a major risk to take for a player who just turned 32 years old. Kraken GM Ron Francis entered this offseason with a clear mandate: improve the Kraken offensively. Schultz is his first choice in that quest, and it’s a big swing. Time will tell if it works out.
Seattle Kraken Re-Sign Alexander True
One of the NHL’s few Danish players is sticking around, as the Seattle Kraken have re-signed forward Alexander True to a two-way, one-year contract extension with a $750,000 cap hit, per the team.
True was Seattle’s selection from the San Jose Sharks in last year’s expansion draft. Joining the Sharks as an undrafted free agent, he quickly worked his way up the organizational ranks but hasn’t transitioned into an NHL role yet. It was more of the same this year, with True going without a point in eight games with Seattle, but having a strong campaign with AHL Charlotte. He led the team with 42 points in 60 games, also going point-per-game in the playoffs (seven in seven).
Given the team’s expected activity in free agency and the amount of forwards under contract, the two-way deal is likely an indication that True is slated to be a key player for the inaugural edition of the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds. There’s still some upside for the soon-to-be 25-year-old, but a decent NHL showing needs to come sooner rather than later.
Seattle Kraken Expected To Re-Sign Karson Kuhlman
The Seattle Kraken appear to be bringing back a familiar face by signing Karson Kuhlman to a one-year standard contract worth $825K, according to CapFriendly. The deal will carry Kuhlamn through 2022-23 and leave him a UFA after the season. Kuhlman was among the Kraken players who did not come to the team via the expansion draft, and was instead claimed on waivers in January from the Boston Bruins.
After another solid season, Kuhlman, an energy-type player appeared to earn another look from a Kraken team that is still building searching for its identity. The forward put up three goals and seven assists in 44 games between Boston and Seattle in 2021-22, but eight of those 10 points came in just 25 games with the Kraken. Now the forward should have a chance to make an impact in training camp to try and earn regular minutes for Seattle, or if not, as a quality depth piece for 2022-23.
Kuhlman began his amateur career as a member of the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL before attending the University of Minnesota-Duluth, where he played much the same role as he does now. After his college career, the undrafted free agent signed with the Bruins, joining the Providence Bruins for two games to round out 2017-18. He would have a solid season for Providence the following year while also making his NHL debut with Boston the same year. The 26-year-old spent the rest of his career with Boston, occasionally making stops in Providence before this season’s waiver claim that sent him out to Seattle.