Seattle Kraken Sign Ryker Evans
The Seattle Kraken have inked their second-ever draft pick, defenseman Ryker Evans, to a three-year entry-level contract. The team announced that Evans will join the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers for their first-round matchup in the Calder Cup playoffs. The Athletic’s Ryan S. Clark clarified that the plan is for Evans’ entry-level deal to begin next year, so he can sign an amateur tryout agreement to play for the Checkers this year. In a statement, Kraken GM Ron Francis had the following to say about Evans:
We’re excited to sign our second-ever draft pick, Ryker had a really impressive season with the Regina Pats and we’re looking forward to having him continue his development with our organization.
Evans, 20, experienced a huge rise in his prospect profile in just one season. After going undrafted as an eighteen-year-old prospect in the 2020 draft, Evans posted 28 points in 24 games in the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 WHL season and, off the back of that success, got selected just outside of the first round (35th overall) in the 2021 draft. In the team’s announcement of the contract, the Kraken stated their amateur scouts were “pounding the table” to get Evans. With his level of production, it’s easy to see why. Evans has followed up his 2020-21 success with another productive season for the Regina Pats, this time posting 61 points in 63 games.
Evans had to battle being tagged as “undersized” earlier in his career, but that hasn’t stopped him from becoming a high-quality defensive prospect. He was recently named to the second All-Star team of his division in the WHL, and his puck-moving style is a great fit for the modern NHL. While the Kraken haven’t had a ton to celebrate in their inaugural season, and much of the fanbase has already set their sights on the draft lottery next month, Evans’ progression to being one of the top offensive defensemen in the WHL has to be a reason for optimism for the young franchise.
Snapshots: Seattle, Kakko, Blues-Coyotes
The Seattle Kraken have added some famous names to their ownership group, adding Marshawn Lynch and Macklemore as minority investors. The two will “lead major Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena initiatives to connect with hockey fans, music lovers, and community members alike.” Though the on-ice results haven’t come yet for the expansion franchise, the ownership group, led by billionaire David Bonderman, have already established a strong connection to the Seattle area.
More from around the league:
- The New York Rangers have ruled Kaapo Kakko out on a week-to-week basis, following his injury against the Detroit Red Wings this weekend. The young forward had only recently returned from an upper-body injury that stole nearly three months of his season. In 41 games so far, Kakko has just 16 points, a career-low, despite averaging more ice time when he is in the lineup. Two of his seven goals came last week against the Philadelphia Flyers, suggesting he was back on the right track; he was injured the following game.
- The St. Louis Blues and Arizona Coyotes will play a preseason game in Witchita, Kansas next season, in the home of the ECHL’s Wichita Thunder. The two squads will do battle on September 24 in the 15,000-seat arena, giving a whole new fanbase a taste of NHL action. The full slate of preseason games will not be released until later this summer.
Snapshots: Seattle-Winnipeg, McGinn, Brown, Stone
The NHL has postponed tomorrow’s game between the Seattle Kraken and Winnipeg Jets due to inclement weather heading toward the Manitoba area, rescheduling the match for May 1. That is the day before the playoffs are set to begin, another sign of just how difficult it would be for the Jets to make the postseason at this point. The team is currently only five points behind the Dallas Stars for the final wild card position, but have played two more games (leaving just eight remaining in their season) and are still dealing with the Vegas Golden Knights in between.
For Seattle, there hasn’t been any hope of the playoffs for a while now, but there are certainly things to get excited about. Matty Beniers will make his NHL debut tonight after signing his entry-level contract, giving fans the chance to see the first draft pick in franchise history.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have activated Brock McGinn off injured reserve, bringing him back after more than a month on the shelf. McGinn, 28, has 11 goals and 18 points this season through 56 games for the Penguins, but adds another level of depth for a roster that is still trying to improve their playoff position. The Penguins sit six points behind the New York Rangers in the Metropolitan, with just eight games left to play.
- Dustin Brown has also been activated, this time by the Los Angeles Kings, giving the team a huge boost after yesterday’s announcement that Drew Doughty would miss the rest of the season. While the 37-year-old isn’t the player he once was, Brown can still contribute and has 25 points in 57 games this season. More importantly, he’s a two-time Stanley Cup champion and extremely important member of the leadership group in Los Angeles, who are headed to the playoffs should they be able to hold onto that Pacific Division spot.
- Mark Stone is a game-time decision for the Golden Knights, though it means they will have to make several other roster transactions if they want to activate him from long-term injured reserve. As CapFriendly points out, even loaning every eligible player to the minor leagues wouldn’t clear enough space, meaning someone else would have to be transferred to long-term injured reserve (or, technically they could make a trade, though that brings other complications) for Stone to be activated.
Seattle Kraken Sign Matty Beniers
The Kraken’s first-ever draft pick is arriving in Seattle. The team has announced that 2021 second-overall pick Matty Beniers has signed a three-year entry-level contract to join the Kraken. Beniers is expected to join practice with the team Monday and travel with the squad on their road trip to Calgary and Winnipeg. Kraken GM Ron Francis made the following statement on Beniers’ signing:
We’re excited to officially welcome Matty to our organization. He capped off a productive career at Michigan with a trip to the Frozen Four and has impressed our staff over the past couple of years with his leadership and strong two-way game. We’re looking forward to working with him as he takes the next step in his development.
With this signing of his professional contract, Beniers, 19, ends his college career at the University of Michigan. Beniers played two seasons with the team, starring as an offensive dynamo, two-way stalwart, and heart-and-soul leader. Beniers finishes his Michigan career having scored 67 points in 61 games. The Hingham, Massachusetts native is a coach’s favorite and has impressed with his all-around game and work ethic at every level he’s played at.
In addition to his success at Michigan, Beniers also caught the eye of selectors for the United States’ Beijing 2022 Olympic squad. Beniers played in four games at the Olympics and recorded two points. Beniers is a natural center and could become the first true star player in Kraken history if he lives up to the lofty expectations set by his number-two overall draft slot. He may take some time to adjust to the rigors of the NHL, but given the state of the Kraken and their lackluster forward corps, Beniers has a strong opportunity to quickly become an impact NHL player as well as a fan favorite.
Matty Beniers Could Turn Pro After His NCAA Season Concludes
6:55 pm: According to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, seven or eight Michigan University players are expected to turn pro after their NCAA season comes to an end (link). Most notable among them are Sabres’ number one overall draft choice in 2021, Owen Power; the second overall selection in 2021 and the first draft pick in Seattle Kraken history, Matty Beniers; and the fifth overall choice in 2021 by the Columbus Blue Jackets, Kent Johnson. Another premier name on the highly-talented Michigan team, Luke Hughes, who was selected fourth overall in 2021 by the New Jersey Devils, is not expected to turn pro and will return to Michigan next year. The NCAA men’s hockey championship game is scheduled for Saturday night at 8:00 pm ET.
Victor Rask Recalled From AHL
One of the last trades to come through NHL Central Registry before Monday’s deadline was a curious one between the Minnesota Wild and Seattle Kraken. The Kraken would receive Victor Rask, while the Wild would essentially receive nothing in return, listing only future considerations. Minnesota was also retaining half of Rask’s contract, which made it seem more like trying to give the veteran forward a fresh start with another NHL franchise than anything else.
Then, Rask was quickly assigned to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL, throwing some more confusion at the deal. Perhaps this was the plan all along though, as Rask has now been recalled to the Kraken.
While he may still serve as an extra forward to start, this is an opportunity that Rask shouldn’t overlook. The 29-year-old forward has completely fallen off the map when it comes to being an effective NHL forward and has just 23 goals since the start of the 2018-19 season.
What was once a burgeoning young career has turned into one that may have trouble finding a contract in the summer, when Rask becomes an unrestricted free agent. A chance with Seattle down the stretch could mean the difference between an NHL future and some other avenue of professional hockey in 2022-23.
Seattle Kraken Acquire Victor Rask
The Minnesota Wild have gotten out from under Victor Rask‘s contract, at least partially. The team has traded Rask to the Seattle Kraken in exchange for future considerations while retaining 50 percent of his remaining deal. Rask carries a cap hit of $4MM in the last season of a six-year, $24MM deal signed in 2016. Rask will report to the Charlotte Checkers, a team he once played for during his time in the Carolina Hurricanes organization.
Rask, 29, was once a young, exciting forward for the Hurricanes, scoring 62 goals and 157 points over his first four seasons in the league. Since then, however, he’s fallen completely off the map, even clearing waivers twice this year. Now the Wild are simply giving him away while retaining a portion of his contract, in order to clear a bit of cap space and a contract slot for the stretch run.
Minnesota added a good chunk of salary today with Marc-Andre Fleury, but still had more than enough space to fit everything in. In fact, with Rask in the minor leagues he was already only costing them $2.875MM against the cap, not that much different than what they’ll now carry. The fact that the Kraken immediately announced that he would report to their AHL affiliate makes this even more confusing, as it appears as though Rask won’t get an NHL opportunity in Seattle either–at least not right away.
Set to become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason, it will be interesting to see if Rask even gets an NHL offer in the summer or returns to Sweden to continue his career overseas. At least the Checkers will be getting a nice boost–Rask has ten points in ten AHL games with the Iowa Wild this year.
Capitals Acquire Marcus Johansson
Earlier today, it was reported that the Capitals were among the teams showing interest in winger Marcus Johansson. They have indeed landed the veteran in a trade with Seattle, reports TSN’s Chris Johnston (Twitter link). Samantha Pell of the Washington Post reports (Twitter link) that winger Daniel Sprong and draft picks are going to the Kraken. Johnston adds (via Twitter) that the picks are a 2022 fourth-rounder and a 2023 sixth-rounder.
The 31-year-old is no stranger to Washington having spent the first seven years of his career there after he was their first-round pick (24th overall) back in 2009. However, while he was a key secondary scorer during his stint with the Caps, Johansson has certainly bounced around since then and hasn’t been able to produce with any level of consistency.
After playing with five teams over the past three seasons, Johansson inked a one-year, $1.5MM deal with Seattle back in August with the hopes that he’d be a secondary producer for them. That hasn’t exactly happened, however, as he has just six goals in 51 games although he has chipped in with 17 assists which put him in a tie for seventh in team scoring. He has averaged 16:35 per game this season and it’s quite unlikely he’ll play anywhere close to that in his second stint with the Capitals as he’ll be bottom-six forward depth for them.
Per CapFriendly, Washington has just over $63K in cap space so there needed to be some roster moves made to fit Johansson’s salary. Sprong’s inclusion, coupled with Seattle using their final retention slot to retain half of Johansson’s AAV, allows the Capitals to remain cap-compliant.
Meanwhile, Sprong is an interesting addition for Seattle. The 25-year-old has eight goals and six assists in 47 games with Washington this season and is still controllable through restricted free agency for two more years. He’ll be arbitration-eligible for the first time this summer and is only a year removed from picking up 13 goals and 20 points in 42 games. That would have likely pushed his arbitration value higher than what the Capitals were willing to pay which would have made him a non-tender candidate. Now, he’ll have a chance to make a good first impression with the Kraken for the stretch run.
AHL Shuffle: 03/21/22
It’s certainly a busy day in the NHL today with the trade deadline just hours away plus four games on the schedule. There will be considerable roster movement on the trade front while there will be plenty of paper moves made prior to the 2 PM CT deadline made to give players eligibility to play in the minors down the stretch. We’ll keep track of those moves here.
Atlantic Division
Metropolitan Division
- The Penguins announced (Twitter link) that they’ve sent winger Radim Zohorna to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL. The 25-year-old has three points in a dozen games this season with Pittsburgh while adding 15 points in 31 minor league contests.
- The Washington Capitals re-assigned forward Brett Leason to the Hershey Bears of the AHL (link). Leason had just been recalled by the Capitals yesterday, but the re-assignment could be to simply keep Leason’s AHL eligibility for the remainder of the season intact.
Central Division
- The Predators have sent defenseman Jeremy Davies back to Milwaukee, per the AHL’s transactions log. Davies was brought up on Saturday but with Nashville adding Jeremy Lauzon from Seattle late on Sunday, the 25-year-old can head back to the minors.
- The Dallas Stars have sent goaltender Adam Scheel back to the AHL after acquiring Scott Wedgewood yesterday. Scheel, 22, has up as an emergency backup and never actually saw any NHL action. The young netminder is in his first full season of professional hockey.
- The Winnipeg Jets have reassigned Ville Heinola, Jeff Malott, and Kristian Reichel have all been reassigned to the minor leagues, making them eligible. Notably, Cole Perfetti is not with this group, suggesting that his time in the minor leagues is over after impressing so far.
- After making several trades in the past 24 hours, the Arizona Coyotes have recalled two players from the Tuscon Roadrunners of the AHL: forward Michael Carcone and goaltender Josef Korenar. Carcone has played just two games at the NHL level, both coming this season, however he has been a productive AHL player, tallying 24 goals and 17 assists in 48 games with Tuscon this season. Korenar has not played in the NHL yet this season, but did play in 10 games for the San Jose Sharks in 2020-21 and was moved to Arizona this offseason as part of the Adin Hill trade.
- Having traded goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to the Minnesota Wild, the Chicago Blackhawks have recalled goaltender Collin Delia from the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL. Delia has had a solid season playing for Rockford, but has only appeared in two NHL games thus far in 2021-22.
Pacific Division
- The Kraken announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled winger Kole Lind from AHL Charlotte. Lind has played in seven games with Seattle this season after being their pick in expansion from Vancouver but has spent most of the year in the minors. Seattle has also activated winger Joonas Donskoi off injured reserve.
- The Edmonton Oilers have recalled Brad Malone from the AHL after he played a game with the Bakersfield Condors over the weekend. The 32-year-old is actually the captain of the minor league club, but after converting his contract to an NHL deal has played six games for the Oilers.
- Jake Leschyshyn and Brayden Pachal are heading back up to the Vegas Golden Knights. Leschyshyn’s seen a lot of NHL opportunities this year, getting into 27 games this year and notching his first five NHL points. Pachal made his NHL debut recently before immediately getting sent back down, but he may get another chance here in some NHL games.
- The San Jose Sharks announced they have re-assigned goaltender Zach Sawchenko to the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL. In addition to this, the team recalled forward Sasha Chmelevski and defenseman Ryan Merkley from the Barracuda, and activated Radim Simek off of injured-reserve.
- After placing Michael Amadio and Zach Whitecloud in COVID protocol and trading away Evgenii Dadonov, the Vegas Golden Knights announced they have called up four players: forwards Paul Cotter and Jonas Rondbjerg and defensemen Daniil Miromanov and Zack Hayes. Of this group, only Hayes does not have any NHL playing experience, spending this season and last in the AHL with the Henderson Silver Knights, and the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL before that.
- The Vancouver Canucks also made a flurry of AHL assignments, primarily for the purpose of keeping players’ AHL ability alive. The organization announced it assigned forwards Sheldon Rempal, Vasily Podkolzin, and Nic Petan, as well as defenseman Noah Juulsen to the Abbotsford Canucks. Podkolzin and Petan were immediately recalled back to Vancouver.
- The Anaheim Ducks announced they have recalled forward Danny O’Regan from the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. O’Regan, 28, has played parts of four seasons dating back to 2016-17, including four games this season with Anaheim.
This post will be updated throughout the day.
Capitals Interested In Marcus Johansson
The Capitals are among the teams that have shown interest in Kraken winger Marcus Johansson, reports TSN’s Chris Johnston (Twitter link). The 31-year-old has had a bit of a quiet year in Seattle with six goals and 17 assists in 51 games but is someone that Washington is certainly familiar with as Johansson spent his first seven NHL seasons with the Caps. Cap space is next to non-existent for them, however (just $63K per CapFriendly) so finding a way to fit in Johansson’s $1.5MM cap hit will be a bit tricky and Seattle has already used two of their three retention slots in the Calle Jarnkrok and Mark Giordano trades.