Seattle Kraken Claim Dennis Cholowski
As expected, the Seattle Kraken have reclaimed Dennis Cholowski off waivers from the Washington Capitals according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The young defenseman had been lost at the beginning of the season without ever actually suiting up for Seattle.
Cholowski, 23, ended up playing in just seven games for the Capitals during his time in Washington, spending more time in the press box than in the lineup. That’s sort of been the story of his career the last few years, as the first-round pick has played just 59 NHL games since the start of 2019-20. That is only a few more than he had as a rookie in 2018-19 when he came almost directly to the Detroit Red Wings lineup in his first year of professional hockey.
It was from Detroit that Cholowski was originally selected by the Kraken in the expansion draft. He ended up on waivers at the beginning of the season though thanks to an overloaded defense corps and ended up heading east. His return to the Kraken depth chart is an interesting one, given where the team now sits in the standings. With the trade deadline approaching, there could be some opportunities for the Seattle front office to flip some of their more veteran defensemen, thus opening up an opportunity for someone like Cholowski.
Still, he’ll have to show more consistency than he has to this point if he wants to lock down a full-time NHL job. Because the Kraken were the only team to put in a claim this time around, he can be immediately assigned to the minor leagues. The team did so, sending him to the Charlotte Checkers, the AHL club they are sharing this season.
Seattle Kraken Claim Austin Czarnik
The Seattle Kraken have nabbed a depth forward off waivers, selecting Austin Czarnik from the New York Islanders according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The veteran minor leaguer will join Seattle’s active roster.
Czarnik, 29, will actually be an interesting player to follow with the Kraken, given his obvious offensive upside. The 5’9″ forward has lit up the minor leagues over the years, routinely putting up point-per-game seasons. Even in the NHL he’s been relatively productive with 43 points in 136 career games, including five this year in 11 with the Islanders. If he’s given a more offensive role with the expansion club, perhaps some of that production can make its way to the Kraken scoresheet.
The fact that he carries a cap hit of just $725K also makes him a potential deadline trade piece, should a contender be dealing with any injury issues. Not that he’d bring much back in any deal, but a waiver claim from the Kraken does nothing but add an asset to the organization while they continue to try and find their way forward. It also could represent some insurance for a different trade, with players like Calle Jarnkrok and Marcus Johansson in the rumor mill as pending unrestricted free agents.
In any case, the move from New York to Seattle will probably be a good one for Czarnik, who should see some playing time when he arrives and gets acclimated. The Kraken are in action tomorrow night and have nine games left in February alone.
Ruhwedel, Borgen Enter COVID Protocol
5:34 pm: It turns out that it was likely a false positive that put Ruhwedel on the COVID protocol list. The Penguins defenseman is off protocol the same day he entered, and is available for tonight’s game against Washington.
11:04 am: In the coming days, players entering the COVID protocol will become much less common. The league has amended its procedures to no longer require daily testing for fully vaccinated individuals, and has removed the testing requirement for close contacts. Those are set to come into effect following each club’s final game before the All-Star break, however, meaning that for today and tomorrow, things are business as normal.
It’s not surprising then to see two more players enter the protocol today. The Seattle Kraken have announced that Will Borgen is now in it, meaning he’ll be unavailable for the team’s final pre-All-Star games this week. Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan also announced to reporters including Seth Rorabaugh of the Tribune-Review that Chad Ruhwedel is in the protocol and unavailable tonight.
In Borgen’s case, it’s unfortunate timing given he had started to find a home in the Kraken lineup. The 25-year-old defenseman played just a hair under 16 minutes on Sunday against the New York Rangers, his 15th game of the season. One of the interesting expansion draft selections given how little NHL experience he had with the Buffalo Sabres, Borgen signed a two-year, one-way contract with the Kraken in August and was expected to be a full-time option for the club. Now halfway through the season and he has just a handful of games under his belt after the team loaded up on other defensemen that have sat ahead of him on the depth chart.
For Ruhwedel, it couldn’t come at a worse time, given how he has finally been a regular in the Pittsburgh lineup. The 31-year-old veteran has never played more than 44 games in a single season but has already suited up 41 times this year, as the Penguins continue to deal with injuries to various players. Even tonight, the team has announced that Brian Dumoulin is a game-time decision due to “wear and tear” meaning there may have been even more ice time up for grabs. Instead, he’ll have to miss and likely give Juuso Riikola–recalled to the taxi squad this morning–a chance to get back into the NHL lineup.
NHL Postpones Saturday’s Kraken-Islanders Game
There have been plenty of postponements throughout the NHL this season due to COVID. However, Friday’s announcement that Saturday’s contest between the Kraken and the Islanders will not be played as scheduled is not the next on that list. Instead, a weather-related state of emergency in New York is the reason why this game won’t be played.
The Isles were set to begin the first half of a back-to-back set with both games at home. Sunday’s contest against Minnesota hasn’t been affected at this time. As for Seattle, they were set to play both New York teams in matinees this weekend and are next set to play against the Rangers, barring a weather-related postponement for that one as well.
Both teams will have a slightly shorter All-Star break as a result of Saturday’s postponement. The game has been rescheduled for February 2nd, meaning both teams will be playing on the back half of a back-to-back at that time while they won’t resume play after that contest until one week later.
Lower-Body Injury For Jamie Oleksiak
- After being listed as being out day-to-day with a non-COVID illness, Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol told reporters including Marisa Ingemi of the Seattle Times (Twitter link) that defenseman Jamie Oleksiak is now dealing with a lower-body injury. The 29-year-old is logging just shy of 20 minutes a night with the expansion squad while picking up a goal and ten assists in 37 games while tying for the team lead in hits with 105.
Seattle’s Chris Driedger Enters COVID Protocol
Seattle Kraken goaltender Chris Driedger entered the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol today according to a tweet from the Seattle Kraken public relations team, continuing what’s been a rocky season in net for Seattle.
The Kraken had no players in COVID protocol prior to Driedger’s placement. In response, per the ECHL’s transactions page, the Kraken recalled goalie Antoine Bibeau from the Allen Americans.
Driedger is the less porous of Seattle’s two main goaltenders this season, and he’d had a save percentage above .900 in three of his past four decisions. On the year, Driedger has a 3-6-0 record through nine starts, a .896 save percentage, and 3.18 goals-against average. The save percentage and goals-against average marks are career-worsts for Driedger in seasons where he’s played more than one NHL game.
The 27-year-old goalie’s first season with the Kraken hasn’t been smooth. He’s been limited to just 11 games played overall, sitting out of the lineup three separate times with a lower-body injury. Driedger signed a three-year, $10.5MM contract this offseason with trade protection to join the team as an unrestricted free agent, counting as their selection from the Florida Panthers in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft.
If only a five-day quarantine is required for Driedger, he’ll miss the team’s next three games, paving the way for a return to the lineup against Florida on January 22nd.
USA Hockey Notes: Sanderson, Beniers, Brisson
Ahead of USA Hockey’s roster unveiling tomorrow of the 25-man contingent that will head to Beijing for the 2022 Winter Olympics, a few names of players named to the team are leaking today. Per the Grand Forks Herald’s Brad Elliott Schlossman, one of those players is University of North Dakota defenseman (and Ottawa Senators prospect) Jake Sanderson. Sanderson, the fifth overall pick in 2020, has 22 points through 17 games as an assistant captain at UND. He’ll undoubtedly be a huge part of Team USA’s blueline in Beijing.
More Olympic notes for USA Hockey:
- Seattle Kraken prospect Matty Beniers will also be on the final roster, The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler reports. The 6’1″, 174-lb center is enjoying a great sophomore season at the University of Michigan with 26 points in 22 games. He’ll also likely be one of the team’s big go-to players without NHL talent on the team.
- A second University of Michigan player will be going, per Wheeler — Vegas Golden Knights pick Brendan Brisson. The team’s 29th overall pick in 2020 has 27 points in 23 games there this year, and while he might not play as prominent a role as Beniers on the team, he’s a great two-way center who should be a great energy player for Team USA.
What Your Team Is Thankful For: Seattle Kraken
In the spirit of the holiday season, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for as the season approaches the midway mark. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Seattle Kraken.
What are the Kraken thankful for?
NHL expansion.
This certainly hasn’t been a very successful inaugural season for the Kraken on the ice, but getting a team at all wasn’t always a guarantee. The city of Seattle had lots of momentum toward expansion many times in the past, including serious bids in 1974 and 1990 that failed to come to fruition.
The immediate success that the Vegas Golden Knights experienced by going straight to the Stanley Cup Finals was abnormal, and perhaps set the expectations a little higher for Seattle than they should have been. Getting into the club–especially as further expansion seems unlikely, at least for a while–was the important part here.
Who are the Kraken thankful for?
It’s been a bit of a frustrating season for Beniers, who missed his chance for a second World Junior gold medal when the tournament was canceled early on. But make no mistake, the second overall pick from 2021 is going to be a core piece for the Kraken before long.
In 21 games for Michigan, the do-it-all centerman has 24 points (including two tonight in a big win against UMass) and could soon suit up at the Olympics for Team USA. If he decides to turn pro and sign after his college season ends, there’s little doubt that he’ll be one of the most exciting players in the lineup for Seattle most nights. Having that presence down the middle is a good start.
What would the Kraken be even more thankful for?
A few saves.
It’s not that the only problem with the Kraken this season has been the goaltending, but it’s certainly been the biggest. The duo of Philipp Grubauer and Chris Driedger–one that combines for a $9.4MM cap hit–has been dreadful, leading to a league-worst .883 team save percentage on the season. If you are more analytically inclined, Grubauer’s -17.8 goals saved above average leads all netminders by a wide margin. The next worst, if you can call it that, is Joonas Korpisalo at -8.65.
The worry here is that Grubauer signed a six-year, $35.4MM deal with Seattle in the offseason, one that already seemed odd at the time but now appears downright dangerous. If the 30-year-old netminder can’t find his game, it could be a boat anchor for the Kraken to deal with through the first part of their history.
What should be on the Kraken wish list?
Draft picks.
This team isn’t as bad as their 10-19-4 record suggests, but they also aren’t anywhere near a playoff contender at this point. The draft picks that everyone though they would acquire through the expansion process should be the target at the deadline, with basically no roster players off the table, even ones with term left on their contracts.
If someone wants to pay up to add Yanni Gourde, the Kraken should consider moving the 30-year-old center. Adam Larsson a relatively inexpensive defense target for a contender? Why not entertain the offer?
The issue for Seattle is that they also handed out several no-trade clauses in their first round of free agency, for whatever reason. Larsson, Grubauer, Jaden Schwartz, and Jamie Oleksiak, were all given full trade protection in their new deals. That kind of early spending is only going to make it more difficult to strip the roster back if that investment proves to be a premature one and the Kraken continue to struggle in the years to come.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Jaden Schwartz Out 4-6 Weeks After Hand Surgery
The Seattle Kraken announced Thursday that forward Jaden Schwartz will have hand surgery and is expected to be out of the lineup for four to six weeks.
It’s a tough blow in a tough season for the expansion Kraken, who’ve dealt with big absences and poor results. They’re already without forward Brandon Tanev, who’s out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL.
Schwartz is one of Seattle’s top point producers, scoring six goals and 14 assists through 26 games. He’s second on the team in points only behind Jordan Eberle (22).
A four-to-six-week timeline puts Schwartz on track to return sometime in February. With Seattle already well out of the playoff picture, there’s no use in rushing Schwartz back. He’s signed through the 2025-26 season with a cap hit of $5.5MM.
Why The 2022 Trade Deadline Could Be A Seller’s Market
The 2022 NHL Trade Deadline is not exactly imminent. The delayed March 21 date this season is 11 weeks away and a lot can change in that amount of time. However, the end of the holiday trade freeze is the unofficial start to trade season leading up to the deadline. In the first few months of the season there have been ten trades completed, but outside of the Jack Eichel deal there have been very few moves of any substance. That may not change any time soon either.
An active trade deadline requires there to be identifiable buyers and sellers and they must be willing and able to deal. Buyers should not be an issue this season; the eight teams currently in a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference may be locked in, as nearly 100 percentage points separate the eighth and ninth team in the conference standings, while the Western Conference includes 13 teams with .500+ records. Therein begins the sellers problem though. Only three teams out west look like potential sellers right now, while there could be more teams willing to sell in the east but many are in a rebuild and don’t have much to offer, while others are merely lacking impact rentals. There are also a number of fringe teams that probably should be sellers, but are close enough to a playoff berth that would mean so much to their players and fan base that they may hold out.
The Athletic’s Eric Duhatschek notes another wrinkle that could limit sellers: five teams are currently operating with an interim GM. The Montreal Canadiens and Vancouver Canucks have hired new heads of their respective front offices in Jeff Gorton and Jim Rutherford, but neither has in turn hired his GM yet and seem unlikely to make major moves independently. This could take Gorton’s Canadiens, one of the most obvious sellers on paper, off the market. Rutherford’s Canucks hope to be in the playoff race, but he has already vowed that the team will either sell or stand pat this season and the longer it takes to hire a GM, the more likely it will be the latter. The Chicago Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks, and San Jose Sharks are all operating with temporary GMs, all of whom have limited experience. Chicago and Anaheim fired their most recent GMs and have internal replacements for the time being, while San Jose GM Doug Wilson is currently away from the team for medical reasons. As Duhatschek points out, the likes of Kyle Davidson, Jeff Solomon, and Joe Will are not only new to the GM position, but lack the relationships around the league to make impact moves. So while the Blackhawks look like bona fide sellers and the Sharks and possibly the Ducks could get to that point, will they actually be willing to make trades?
The Seattle Kraken also fall into a category all their own. The NHL’s newest team was just put together in its entirety this off-season. Although they struggled mightily all season and do possess a number of expiring contracts, it remains to be seen if GM Ron Francis is ready to blow it up.
On top of all of this, the rental market among potential sellers is not strong. Of the top 20 impending UFA’s in per-game scoring this season, zero are on teams with sub-.500 records and just three are on teams not currently in a playoff spot. Expand that to the top 50, and only ten players are on sub-.500 teams: Phil Kessel, Travis Boyd, and Johan Larsson for Arizona, Vinnie Hinostroza for Buffalo, Chris Wideman for Montreal, P.K. Subban for New Jersey, Tyler Ennis for Ottawa, and Calle Jarnkrok, Colin Blackwell, and Mark Giordano for Seattle. Even if valuable defensemen like Ben Chiarot and Colin Miller or even a future Hall of Fame goaltender like Marc-Andre Fleury are considered, it’s not exactly an inspiring list for teams adding at the deadline. More importantly, it’s a short list for a potentially large group of buyers.
For those teams looking to make a meaningful trade this season, the conundrum is when to make a move. On one hand, with a small group of exciting targets it may be beneficial to make a trade early and possibly avoid the high prices of deadline bidding wars. On the other hand, the pool of sellers could also expand closer to the deadline and prices could drop if there is a flood of supply to meet the demand. Until that happens though – if it even does – there will be few moves to make early on and quite possibly right up to the deadline. Serious contenders should be prepared to pay up or sit tight this season.