Roster Decisions Loom For Seattle Kraken
The Seattle Kraken approached the Expansion Draft differently than the Vegas Golden Knights in a number of ways. They did not make any side deals, they wasted fewer selections on players they did not intend to sign, and they made fewer trades after the draft. While the results were too similarly deep teams, with the Knights adding talent through side deals and the Kraken going after several big free agents, Vegas did not face the roster crunch that Seattle is now staring down. The Knights pared down their roster strategically early on, while the Kraken are seemingly waiting to see how the preseason plays out. With those game already underway, the regular season is right around the corner and the Kraken’s inaugural 23-man roster is far from set.
The biggest question facing the NHL’s newest franchise is just how risk-averse are Ron Francis and company. Francis was a slow and methodical builder in Carolina who was actually criticized for taking too few changes and missing out on potential big swings. That Francis would look at this current roster and see a worrisome number of potential waivers casualties – and he would be right. CapFriendly currently projects forwards Morgan Geekie and Kole Lind and defensemen Dennis Cholowski and Cale Fleury as being among those sent down to the AHL. The odds of any of those players clearing waivers, nevertheless all five, seem slim. Geekie especially would be a can’t-miss waiver claim (and as such won’t be waived). Lind and Fleury are each only 22 and were highly-regarded prospects in the 2017 NHL Draft, while Cholowski has a 2016 first-rounder and already has 100+ NHL games under his belt.
Yet, the trade-off is obvious. The Kraken could take their chances and try to slip some or all of these names through waivers and establish elite depth in the minors or they could find space on the roster to avoid the threat of waivers. The latter would not be easy. Again, CapFriendly already has Seattle at 24 roster members, one more than is permissible. This is likely in recognition that Yanni Gourde is expected to begin the season on the injured reserve, but still presents issues once he returns. Clearly space for upwards of four additional contracts is a daunting task. The roster is rife with veteran talent, all of whom have been skating together in camp and building chemistry. The vast majority simply will not be assigned to the AHL, but even those on the bubble may have carved out a role for themselves already. Could the Kraken demote late-summer signings Riley Sheahan and Ryan Donato? Possibly, but that is just two openings and both at forward. On defense, there is seemingly no one that could be sent down and the Kraken are not going to carry nine or ten blue liners.
All of this leads to the real roster crunch question: trade or cut? Seattle will have to decide who they want on the 23-man roster and from there decide whether to test the trade market on the outliers or take the zero-sum approach of waivers. They would have little leverage in making deals with the roster crunch looming unless they decide to dangle players with enough value to create a bidding war. Constructing their opening night roster thus could mean determining not the 23 best players, but the 23 players that maximize their value with the others either possessing trade value or lesser waivers risk.
The roster crunch could go in a number of different directions for the Kraken. The one thing that is certain is that NHL’s newest roster is not going to look the same by the franchise’s regular season debut. Change is coming and it is key for the expansion club that they are the right changes.
Yanni Gourde Could Return Ahead Of Schedule For Seattle Kraken
The Seattle Kraken could be getting a top-six fixture back in the lineup earlier than expected. General manager Ron Francis reported in his press conference today, on the opening day of training camp for the team, that Gourde’s recovery from injury was progressing “ahead of schedule,” meaning he could be back in the lineup earlier than the previously projected early-December return.
Gourde was Seattle’s selection from the Tampa Bay Lightning in this year’s expansion draft, and he was immediately expected to take on an increased role in Seattle. Serving as arguably the best third-line center in the league behind Brayden Point and Anthony Cirelli, Gourde brings a hard-working, solid two-way game with 50-60 point upside. Widely projected as the team’s no. 1 or no. 2 center, it was revealed just days after the draft that Gourde would miss the first two months of the season after having shoulder surgery.
It should be noted that Gourde was indeed at Seattle’s first day of training camp today, albeit in a red non-contact jersey.
The 29-year-old (soon to be 30) Gourde is among one of the best undrafted talents in the NHL. He’s brought home the Stanley Cup in two of his four full NHL seasons, all with Tampa Bay. His rookie campaign in 2017-18 saw him elevated into a top-six role due to injury, and he didn’t disappoint. Despite being 26 years old at the time, his 25 goals and 64 points in 82 games was good enough to earn him some Calder votes, finishing sixth overall in voting for the trophy.
Seattle hopes that a healthy Gourde in a top-six role this season can offer similar production.
Minor Transactions: 09/21/21
Today certainly had a flurry of big-name news, a rarity for this time of year. But even through the Kirill Kaprizov contracts and the Elvis Merzlikins extensions of the world, NHL teams have made a flurry of minor transactions today in preparation for training camps. As camps begin and rosters are announced, players still without a confirmed home for next season will pop up across the league. Here are some of today’s minor transactions:
- The expansion Seattle Kraken have added a good bit of depth on try-out deals. The team’s invited Tye Kartye and Cole Mackay of the Soo Greyhounds to camp, as well as Francis Marotte of the ECHL’s Allen Americans. Kartye and Mackay, both forwards, have been teammates with the Soo since 2018. Both haven’t played hockey since the 2019-20 season due to the OHL’s shutdown in 2020-21. They were both on the path to success, however, potting over 50 points individually. They’ll gain some valuable experience at an NHL camp. Marotte, a 26-year-old netminder, comes in after just one season of professional hockey. He impressed in the ECHL this year, boasting an 8-3-1 record and .917 save percentage.
- The Vegas Golden Knights have added a trio of their own on tryouts, headlined by defenseman Ian McCoshen. Now 26, the former second-round pick by Florida now hasn’t seen NHL action since 2018-19. He’s unlikely to see NHL ice within the Vegas organization, one of the deepest defenses in the league, but could be a solid AHL body if he ends up signing with the team. They’ve also brought in OHLers Kaleb Pearson and Daniel D’Amato. Pearson scored 52 points in 62 games in 2019-20 with the Owen Sound Attack, and he’s headed to Prince Edward Island to play collegiate hockey this season. D’Amato will suit up for his Erie Otters again this year after scoring 32 points in 63 games back in 2019-20.
Seattle Signs Aaron Ness, Brent Gates To PTOs
Without a minor league squad to draw from, the Seattle Kraken would have a relatively thin group to take part in training camp this season. That explains why they’ve added another two players on professional tryouts today, signing Aaron Ness and Brent Gates according to CapFriendly. The pair join Scott Wilson and Ryan Lohin who had already been reported on tryout contracts.
Ness, 31, is a top minor league defenseman who has continually registered huge point totals over a long career. In 2018-19 with the Hershey Bears, he hit a career-high of 55 in 71 games and has 260 overall in his 536-game AHL career. Last season, he was stuck almost exclusively on the taxi squad of the Arizona Coyotes, playing in just a single game at any level. Ness does have 72 games of NHL experience, and is exactly the kind of defenseman that seemed necessary for the Kraken earlier this summer–one who could clear waivers without much issue but still be a useful call-up if necessary.
Gates meanwhile has still never played in an NHL game, despite being the 80th overall pick in 2015. The 24-year-old center split last season between the Tulsa Oilers, Indy Fuel, San Diego Gulls, and Rochester Americans. He has found some success at the ECHL level, but it seems very unlikely that Gates will earn an NHL contract with the Kraken. Instead, he’ll just be another body to help fill out the camp and get a chance to showcase himself to other organizations around the league.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Seattle Kraken
Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2021-22 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
Seattle Kraken
Current Cap Hit: $73,106,666 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
None projected to play a full-time role in the NHL this coming season.
One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level
F Mason Appleton ($900K, RFA)
F Colin Blackwell ($725K, UFA)
D Dennis Cholowski ($900K, RFA)
F Ryan Donato ($750K, RFA)
D Cale Fleury ($750K, RFA)
D Haydn Fleury ($1.4MM, UFA)
F Morgan Geekie ($750K, RFA)
D Mark Giordano ($6.75MM, UFA)
D Jeremy Lauzon ($825K, RFA)
F Kole Lind ($874K, RFA)
F Calle Jarnkrok ($2MM, UFA)
F Marcus Johansson ($1.5MM, UFA)
F Jared McCann ($2.94MM, RFA)
F Riley Sheahan ($850K, UFA)
F Carsen Twarynski ($750K, RFA)
McCann has shown flashes of being an above-average contributor in the past but hasn’t been able to do so consistently. He’ll get the chance to play a bigger role with Seattle and if it all comes together, he could be in line for a sizable pay bump next year. Jarnkrok has been on a bargain deal for the last five years and will also get to play a bigger role with a shot at bumping up his numbers before hitting the open market. Johansson and Sheahan are both coming off quiet years and have seen their value dip lately and will need stronger seasons to land guaranteed deals next summer. Appleton is coming off a strong season with Winnipeg and is already looking like a candidate to more than double his AAV next summer. A similar performance this season could triple it. Donato had to settle for a minimum contract after a tough year in San Jose but should be able to rebuild his value with the Kraken somewhat. Blackwell had a breakout year with the Rangers and is a candidate for a big jump in salary next summer. Geekie, Lind, and Twarynski will also be battling for depth roles but if they land a roster spot, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to land a big raise as they’d be in a limited role.
Giordano – who turns 38 next month – is nearing the end of his career but is still a capable top-four blueliner. He’s going to get an opportunity to play a bigger role than he probably should and he’s a candidate to be moved at the trade deadline to a contender who can cut his ice time. He’ll be going year to year from here on out and while his next deal will be cheaper than this, he could still command an AAV in the $5MM range. The Fleury brothers are at different stages of their careers. Haydn played close to the full season in 2020-21 and should be able to land a small raise a year from now while Cale was in the minors last season and is merely looking to stick on the roster. A limited role is likely which will yield a cheap deal next summer. Lauzon did well in Boston last year in his first stint of regular duty and with arbitration rights, he could double his current AAV next summer. Cholowski’s AAV is a little high for someone who may be on the fringes of making the roster but that may be by design in order to try to help sneak him through waivers next month.
Two Years Remaining
F Nathan Bastian ($825K, RFA)
D William Borgen ($900K, RFA)
F Joonas Donskoi ($3.9MM, UFA)
D Vince Dunn ($4MM, RFA)
D Carson Soucy ($2.75MM, UFA)
Donskoi hasn’t had a lot of consistent top-six opportunities but has surpassed the 30-point mark in each of the last four seasons. His price tag is a little high for his level of production but with a bigger role in Seattle, that could change. Bastian has basically just been an energy player in the early stages of his career and as long as he can hold down a spot on the roster, they won’t have any issues with his price tag. Gritty energy players can still land a pretty good payday as long as they can put up some production which is something Bastian will have to work on.
Dunn’s offensive production landed him a big raise this summer and it’s telling that Seattle opted for basically a second bridge contract to get one more opportunity to work out a long-term deal before he becomes UFA-eligible. He’s going to get the opportunity for a bigger role than he had with the Blues and if he can establish himself as a top-pairing player, that next deal could be quite a pricey one. Soucy is a serviceable third-pairing defenseman making a bit much for that role but Seattle has ample cap space to afford the small overpayment in the short term. Borgen is merely looking to establish himself as a regular NHL player so his next contract shouldn’t be much higher than this one unless he winds up in a big role fairly quickly.
Three Years Remaining
G Chris Driedger ($3.5MM, UFA)
F Jordan Eberle ($5.5MM, UFA)
F Alexander Wennberg ($4.5MM, UFA)
Eberle isn’t the top-line winger that he was in his prime but he’s still a fairly consistent secondary scorer. He’s going to be asked to do more than that in Seattle which could give him a chance to crack the 20-goal mark again, something he was on pace to do the last two shortened seasons. If he gets there, it may not be a bargain contract but they’ll get a reasonable return. Wennberg’s contract showed how difficult it is to land impact centers in free agency. He did well with Florida last season but was bought out by Columbus the year before after struggling in a top-six role and has only reached double-digit goals twice in his career. He’s going to have a big role with the Kraken and this is a contract that certainly carries some risk.
Driedger is one of the more impressive success stories in recent years. After bouncing around the minors, he finally got an opportunity with the Panthers and quickly became one of the better backups in the league. But with the late start, his track record is minimal – just 41 career NHL appearances and that includes playoff action. Landing a three-year commitment towards the upper echelon of price tags for a backup goaltender was pretty good, especially when it looked like he might be the starter. Of course, that changed early in free agency but Driedger should be able to still play enough games to justify the small premium for a backup netminder.
Oilers Offered Adam Larsson A Fifth Year In Contract Talks Before Expansion
- As part of their attempts to re-sign him, the Oilers offered defenseman Adam Larsson a fifth year, reports Postmedia’s Jim Matheson. However, the veteran opted for a fresh start, ultimately inking a four-year, $16MM contract with the Kraken during the expansion draft negotiation window. Matheson suggests Edmonton’s offer for Larsson likely exceeded the money he received from Seattle as well.
Scott Wilson Signs PTO With Seattle Kraken
Moments after breaking the news about Tobias Rieder‘s professional tryout, CapFriendly reported another veteran forward has been given a training camp invitation. Scott Wilson has signed a PTO with the Seattle Kraken, where he will compete for an NHL contract with the expansion franchise.
Wilson, 29, failed to play a single game for the Florida Panthers last season, spending more time on the taxi squad than anywhere else. He did get into eight games with the Syracuse Crunch, scoring three points, but it’s not been years since he was a regular at the NHL level.
In 2016-17, Wilson racked up 26 points with the Pittsburgh Penguins and then was a regular for the team in the postseason all the way to the Stanley Cup. Since then it has been a struggle though, with just 19 points in 90 combined games.
Even if he does earn a contract with the Kraken, it will almost certainly be a two-way deal. Unlike some other organizations thought, the Kraken have limited spots in the minor leagues because of their current situation. The team is sharing the Charlotte Checkers and are only expected to send between eight and 12 players to the AHL roster. It’s certainly not going to be an easy battle for Wilson to land a spot in Seattle, but a PTO there will showcase him to the rest of the league as well.
Ryan Donato Signs With Seattle
Sep 13: The Kraken have officially announced the contract, confirming the $750K salary. GM Ron Francis released a short statement on Donato:
Ryan’s hockey sense and ability to contribute on the scoresheet are two ingredients we are excited to add to our forward group. We like his offensive potential and believe he can add scoring depth.
Sep 12: Seattle has added to their forward depth heading into their inaugural training camp as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that they’ve inked forward Ryan Donato to a one-year deal. The one-way contract pays the league minimum salary of $750K.
The 25-year-old is coming off a disappointing season with San Jose. He managed just six goals along with 14 assists in 50 games with the Sharks while rarely being able to make it into the top six. That led them to not tender a $2.15MM qualifying offer earlier this summer, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Considering that Donato has shown the ability to be a serviceable depth scorer in the past, this is a nice low-risk move for the Kraken. He’ll give them some extra depth on the wing and actually becomes one of their younger players. With a decent showing this season, he could also be controlled through restricted free agency although he’ll once again have salary arbitration rights.
Seattle GM Ron Francis has been active in adding forwards through free agency this summer. Donato becomes the fifth NHL roster forward to join the Kraken via the open market, joining Jaden Schwartz, Alexander Wennberg, Marcus Johansson, and Riley Sheahan. With nearly $7MM in cap space per CapFriendly, they have the cap room to continue to add although roster spots will be hard to come by given their depth, particularly on the back end.
Seattle Kraken Sign Dennis Cholowski
The Seattle Kraken have reached a contract with Dennis Cholowski, signing him to a one-year, two-way deal. Interestingly enough, the contract will carry an NHL salary of $900K, more than most two-way deals pay.
Kraken GM Ron Francis released a short statement
Dennis is a young defenseman with offensive upside that we were excited to add to our group. We like his strong skating and puck moving ability and are looking forward to working with him.
The 23-year-old Cholowski was the 20th overall pick in 2016, but has just 104 NHL games to his name at this point. He played 52 as a rookie in 2018-19, but was unable to establish himself as a full-time member of the Detroit Red Wings in either of the last two years. In 2020-21, he played just 16 games with Detroit, recording three points.
That high NHL salary–$150K more than the NHL minimum–may actually be built in to give the Kraken some extra waiver protection. If the team wants to send Cholowski down, which seems likely given how many other NHL defensemen they have under contract, he’ll have to clear waivers for the first time in his career. A $900K salary will only help him do that, given the tight cap situation of so many other teams.
It’s a long, talented depth chart on defense for the Kraken, meaning the young Cholowski will have quite a challenge if he wants to break camp with the team. Still, an expansion franchise is exactly the kind of team where talented-but-underperforming players like him could reach the next level. He will still be a restricted free agent next offseason.
Snapshots: Kotkaniemi, Hurricanes Cap, Quenneville
It’s been an unusually busy weekend in the hockey world, with yesterday’s successful Jesperi Kotkaniemi offer sheet and Christian Dvorak trade dominating headlines. Both of those moves have some corresponding implications that reach into today’s news cycle, including Kotkaniemi’s future as a playing member of the Carolina Hurricanes. General manager Don Waddell stated in his press conference this morning that the team’s plan is to start Kotkaniemi at the left-wing position in Carolina. It won’t be anything completely new for the 21-year-old Finnish forward, who’s played wing sparingly at times during his tenure with the Montreal Canadiens, but was mostly used as a bottom-six center there. Given his still-tantalizing potential and $6.1MM price tag, it’s likely that Kotkaniemi could slot in the top six along with Vincent Trocheck, but it’s all speculation until training camp begins. What’s for certain is that Carolina aims to give Kotkaniemi more opportunity and a better supporting cast than he’s had previously, hoping to get the most out of Kotkaniemi for the gamble of a price.
Some more fallout from the Kotkaniemi offer sheet, as well as a note about a Seattle Kraken expansion draft selection:
- With today’s news of Jake Gardiner‘s back and hip surgery and pending long-term injured reserve placement, the Carolina Hurricanes now have some salary-cap maneuvering to do. PuckPedia notes that Carolina will be able to exceed the cap by $4.05MM, the average annual value of Gardiner’s contract. The team currently sits at $1.5MM over the cap after the Kotkaniemi deal became official. PuckPedia also surmises that Carolina won’t have to go through too much trouble in order to maximize their salary cap relief, only sending two players down to be as close to the Upper Limit as possible before placing Gardiner on LTIR. Martin Necas remains the only non-waiver-eligible player on the roster and considering his role on the team, it’s unlikely he’ll be involved in a paper transaction. Steven Lorentz and Brendan Smith seem likely candidates to be waived and sent down in order to make the team cap-compliant.
- The ZSC Lions of the Swiss National League announced today that they’ve signed former NHL forward John Quenneville to a contract after signing him to a professional tryout last month. Quenneville is one of a few Seattle Kraken expansion draft selections to not remain with the team into the 2021-22 season. Their selection from the Chicago Blackhawks, Quenneville was a pending unrestricted free agent and wasn’t signed by the Kraken. A first-round pick of the New Jersey Devils in 2014, the now 25-year-old Quenneville never secured a full-time role in the NHL and will likely see much more opportunity overseas. Quenneville appeared in 42 NHL games between 2016 and 2020, scoring two goals and five points.