- A day after being sent to the minors, the Kraken recalled center Mitchell Stephens per the AHL’s transactions log. The move ultimately allowed them to delay his waiver clock by one day. The 27-year-old went into today’s action with four games played with Seattle where he had been held off the scoresheet in a little over nine minutes per game of ice time.
Kraken Rumors
Kraken Notes: Daccord, Matyas, Gourde
Seattle Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord sat out of the team’s Sunday game against New York due to illness. Head coach Dan Bylsma told media, including Seattle broadcaster Piper Shaw, that Daccord is specifically struggling to keep food down and will be available as soon as he feels better. Daccord’s absence sets up Philipp Grubauer for a second consecutive start. Grubauer made 33 saves on 36 shots in Seattle’s Friday loss to New Jersey.
Daccord has been a noticeable difference-maker for Seattle when healthy. He’s played in 19 of the team’s 28 games this season, setting 12 wins and a .913 save percentage. Daccord ranks sixth in the NHL in both stats. He’s continuing to stamp his spot as an everyday starter, building on to this dazzling 2023-24 campaign. Daccord posted a .916 save percentage – ninth-best in the league – through 50 games last year, thriving in what was his first year as an NHL starter. He’s had a winding career up to this point, serving three seasons in the crowded mix of Ottawa Senators’ goaltenders prior to his selection in the 2021 Expansion Draft. He excelled with the change of scenery, posting a .925 in 34 AHL games in his first year in the Kraken organization and serving as Seattle’s top goalie call-up. He followed that year with a .918 in 38 games for Coachella Valley, serving as the brick wall behind a team that ultimately lost the Calder Cup finals in overtime of game seven. Still, the playoff run was enough to stamp Daccord’s chance at an NHL role, and he hasn’t looked back since. That momentum will slot Daccord right back into the starting role once he’s back to full health.
Other notes out of Seattle:
- Seattle has signed Michael Matyas to an amateur try-out agreement in response to Daccord’s absence. He’ll be tasked with backing up Grubauer. Matyas hasn’t formally played since the 2013-14 season, when he served as the third-string goaltender at the University of Alaska-Anchorage. The Calgary-native played three years, and 14 games, with the Seawolves – recording three wins and a .870 save percentage. He had a three-year juniors career in the Alberta Junior Hockey League before moving to college, where he set a .907 save percentage across 106 games. Matyas has spent the 11 years since his college days working towards a financial career in New York City.
- In more positive news, forward Yanni Gourde returned to the Seattle lineup on Sunday, after missing the team’s Friday game with an undisclosed injury. Gourde lined up next to Matty Beniers and Jaden Schwartz, per Mike Benton of the Seattle Kraken Audio Network. Gourde has scored four goals and 12 points in 27 games this season, and ranks fourth among Kraken forwards with 39 hits. He’s rotated through the middle-six and averaged 15:29 in ice time.
Snapshots: Tomasino, DeAngelo, Tracey, Stephens
Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan has shared that red-hot winger Philip Tomasino will be held out of Saturday’s game with an upper-body injury. Seth Rorabaugh of Pittsburgh’s Tribune-Review Sports adds that Tomasino is out on a day-to-day basis.
Tomasino has been on fire since joining the Penguins. He’s on a four-game scoring streak, netting three goals and four points along the way. Tomasino has already lapped the one assist he managed in 11 games with Nashville to start the year – likely thanks to the near-four minutes more in average ice time he’s received in Pittsburgh, jumping from 11:18 a night with Nashville to 15:00 with Pittsburgh. Tomasino is one of seven Penguins rivaling point-per-game scoring over the last four games. That standing will earn him a quick return to the Penguins’ top-six when he’s back to full health.
Other quick notes around the league:
- Polarizing defenseman Tony DeAngelo shared that he’s not optimistic about an NHL return with Larry Brooks of the New York Post. DeAngelo signed a contract with Russia’s SKA St. Petersburg this summer. He’s managed four goals and 24 points in his first 23 games with the club. He told Brooks that his goal is to return to the NHL, but didn’t specify what’s limiting his hopes. DeAngelo played through eight NHL seasons, mostly spent between the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes. He stood as a high-scoring, but minimal-defense option for both teams. With no NHL deal in sight, DeAngelo moved to Russia over the summer and may be kept there despite scoring above a point-per-game. DeAngelo is joined on the SKA roster by former NHL players Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nikita Zaitsev, and Mikhail Grigorenko.
- Brayden Tracey, the 29th-overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, has signed a one-year contract with Jukurit of Finland’s Liiga. He’ll move over seas after starting this season with no points through four games with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. Tracey has spent the bulk of the last five seasons with the Anaheim Ducks’ minor league affiliate, totaling 84 points through 188 games. He’s received just one NHL game over that tenure – recording nine minutes of ice time and no scoring in a win over Detroit in January of 2022. He was returned to the minors immediately after, and hasn’t earned a look since. Tracey will now try to prove his worth, and earn another NHL contract, with a strong year in Finland’s top league.
- The Seattle Kraken have returned forward Mitchell Stephens to the minor leagues, per the AHL Transaction Log. Stephens slotted into Seattle’s last four games, recording six shots on net but no scoring while operating on the Kraken’s fourth line. He’ll return to a middle-six role in the AHL, where he currently has three goals and four points in 11 games. Stephens split time between the Montreal Canadiens’ NHL and AHL roster last season, recording three points in 23 NHL games and 35 points in 49 AHL games.
Gourde Out With Undisclosed Injury
- Kraken center Yanni Gourde missed tonight’s game versus New Jersey with an undisclosed injury, per NHL.com’s Mike Morreale (Twitter link). The 32-year-old has four goals and eight assists in 27 games so far while averaging just 15:29 per night, his lowest ATOI since the 2019-20 campaign when he was with Tampa Bay. Gourde missed the final 17 minutes of action on Thursday night while the injury is not believed to be a long-term issue.
Ryker Evans Out With Undisclosed Injury
- The Seattle Kraken won’t have defenseman Ryker Evans in the lineup tonight due to injury. Television broadcaster Piper Shaw shared that Evans is out with an undisclosed injury but there were no further updates regarding his timeline. It’s a big loss for the Kraken before a tough contest against the Carolina Hurricanes as Evans sits tied for second on the team in scoring with three goals and 16 points in 25 games.
[SOURCE LINK]
Daccord Not Yet Eligible To Play For Canada At 4 Nations Cup
- While Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord was a speculative candidate to make Canada’s roster for the 4 Nations Cup since he holds Canadian citizenship, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported over the weekend that this is not the case. Daccord does not have a Canadian passport which is one of the eligibility criteria for the tournament. However, it’s expected that he will get one in the near future, making him eligible to be named as a replacement should one of the three netminders named on Wednesday get injured leading up to the event. Regardless of whether he suits up in this event, he remains eligible to play for Canada, the United States, and Switzerland internationally.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Seattle Kraken
Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office. 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 often see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2024-25 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 PuckPedia. We’re currently covering the Pacific Division, next up is the Kraken.
Seattle Kraken
Current Cap Hit: $90,108,465 (above the $88MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
D Ryker Evans (one year, $898K)
F Tye Kartye (one year, $859K)
F Shane Wright (three years, $887K)
Potential Bonuses
Kartye: $57.5K
Wright: $3.0625MM
Total: $3.12MM
Seattle was slow-playing Wright’s development in his first couple of seasons and even into his first full NHL campaign, his ice time is being managed carefully. Accordingly, he’s not on track to reach any of his bonuses and is probably heading for a bridge contract barring a big offensive breakout over the next year or two. If he stays on the slower development path, that bridge agreement should come in around the $3.5MM range. Kartye had a solid rookie season in the bottom six and is in that same role this year. His bonuses are based on games played so that’s something he should be able to reach if he stays healthy. Given his role and limited offensive numbers, he’s also looking at a short-term second contract, one around the $1.5MM mark.
Evans is in his first full NHL season after impressing in partial duty last season. He has locked down a spot in Seattle’s top four and is tied for the team lead in scoring among blueliners. If that holds up, it wouldn’t be surprising to see GM Ron Francis try to work out a long-term deal, one that would check in a bit below their top veterans who are making a little over $7MM per season. A bridge agreement, meanwhile, would likely fall in the $4MM range. Either way, a big raise is coming his way this summer.
Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level
D William Borgen ($2.7MM, UFA)
F Yanni Gourde ($5.167MM, UFA)
D Josh Mahura ($775K, UFA)
F Daniel Sprong ($975K, UFA)
F Brandon Tanev ($3.5MM, UFA)
For most of his contract, Gourde has been well worth the contract, generally producing above a 40-point pace. But he struggled last season and is off to a similar start offensively this year which will hurt his value. Now that he’s being deployed as more of a third-line option, it would be difficult to see him command a similar price tag at 33. But a multi-year deal around $4MM per season should still be within reach.
Tanev’s contract felt like a steep overpayment at the time for someone who had only reached 20 points once at the time it was signed. However, he has produced enough offensively (when healthy) on this deal to at least reasonably justify the cost while providing plenty of physicality and enough defensive acumen to make it a fair deal overall. While most teams want to cut salary from their bottom six, he could be an outlier and land another contract around this price point. Sprong didn’t have much luck on the open market last summer despite his second straight year of over 40 points and things haven’t gone well for him this year. Accordingly, another dip might be coming his way.
Borgen had two straight seasons of at least 20 points coming into this one but his production and playing time have slipped through the first quarter of this year. Heading into the year, a jump to the $3.75MM range seemed possible, especially as a right-hand shot but that might come down more toward the $3.5MM level on a multi-year deal now. Mahura was only able get a minimum contract after being non-tendered by Florida and with the limited role he has had so far, he’s unlikely to command more than that next summer.
Signed Through 2025-26
F Oliver Bjorkstrand ($5.4MM, UFA)
F Jordan Eberle ($4.75MM, UFA)
D Jamie Oleksiak ($4.6MM, UFA)
F Jaden Schwartz ($5.5MM, UFA)
F Eeli Tolvanen ($3.475MM, UFA)
Schwartz was one of Seattle’s first free agent additions, a move that hasn’t panned out as well as they hoped. When healthy, he’s a capable second-line forward but staying healthy has been a serious challenge thus far. He’ll be 34 when his next contract starts and it’d be surprising if he came in at this price tag next time. Something in the $4MM range on a medium-term deal might be more likely. Bjorkstrand was acquired as a cap dump from the Blue Jackets in 2022 and he has given Seattle two straight 20-goal seasons plus a 59-point effort last year. If he can keep near 60 points, he could land another million or so on his next deal. But if he reverts to a point total more in the 40s, Bjorkstrand might have to settle for a bit less than his current salary in 2026.
Eberle signed this deal last season, taking himself off the trade block in the process. He’s still a capable secondary scorer but considering he’ll be 36 on his next deal (subject to 35-plus provisions on a multi-year contract), it wouldn’t be surprising if he went year-to-year from here on out, allowing for the possibility for a lower base salary with reachable performance bonuses to allow the signing team more flexibility. Tolvanen has turned into one of the better waiver claims in recent memory, picking up 41 points last season while being on pace for 20 goals this year. Still, he’s a bit inconsistent which has kept him out of a full-time top-six role. If that continues and he settles in as more of a middle-six option, his open market value will take a hit although he could still get a small increase if he stays in that 40-point range.
There was definitely some risk in the contract the Kraken gave Oleksiak after selecting him in expansion. He had been a third-pairing player up to that point with the exception of one year, the one that landed him this agreement. But Oleksiak has been able to maintain a top-four slot throughout his time with Seattle while even chipping in with a career year offensively in 2022-23. Of course, his offensive numbers don’t land him this role or this type of money but rather his defensive game (and being one of the tallest players in the league). The market isn’t as strong for the more stay-at-home type of players and Oleksiak will turn 34 early in the 26-27 season but even so, a small boost to the $5MM range on a medium-term pact could still be doable.
Signed Through 2026-27
F Andre Burakovsky ($5.5MM, UFA)
G Philipp Grubauer ($5.9MM, UFA)
D Vince Dunn ($7.35MM, UFA)
F Jared McCann ($5MM, UFA)
Burakovsky was another notable splash in free agency that hasn’t worked out particularly well thus far. Signed off a career year, he hasn’t been able to produce close to those numbers since then, nor has he stayed healthy. Lots can still change in the back half of the deal but he looks like someone heading for a cap hit closer to the $4MM range, if not less next time out. McCann, on the other hand, averaged 30 goals and 62 points over his first three seasons in Seattle, two of which were played on this contract. That’s a solid return for this price point and if those numbers continue, he could land closer to $7MM next time out, especially with the ability to play center.
Dunn is the other player who could challenge McCann as being the best of their original expansion picks. With a bigger role than he had with St. Louis, he has emerged as one of the better offensive blueliners league-wide while playing in all situations. In essence, he has the numbers of arguably a number one defender, if not a top-pairing piece. He’ll be turning 31 early in the 2027-28 season so a max-term contract is a very realistic possibility and if Dunn remains as impactful as he has been, he could add a couple million per season on that next deal.
Grubauer was a free agent acquisition that carried some risk given that he was coming off a breakout year with a career-high in games played of 40. Paying him to be the undisputed starter for that long had the potential to bust. And bust it has. After putting up a .922 SV% in his best year with Colorado, he has yet to reach the .900 mark since then. Along the way, Grubauer has gone from being their number one goalie to a part-time backup and is off to a dreadful start this season. Barring a change in fortunes, Seattle will need to seriously consider buying out the remainder of this deal this summer, even with it carrying close to a $2MM dead cap charge next season, nearly $3.1MM the following year, and close to $1.7MM for two years after that.
Kraken Recall Mitchell Stephens, Activate Vince Dunn Off LTIR
Prior to their game tonight against San Jose, the Kraken announced (Twitter link) that forward Mitchell Stephens was recalled from AHL Coachella Valley. Additionally, defenseman Vince Dunn has been activated off LTIR according to the NHL’s media site.
Stephens is in his first season with Seattle after signing a two-year, two-way deal with them early in free agency back in July. The 27-year-old is a veteran of 95 career NHL appearances between Tampa Bay, Detroit, and Montreal. Stephens got into 23 appearances with the latter last season, notching three points while winning over 55% of his faceoffs in a little over nine minutes a night of playing time.
It’s his first recall of the season and it comes following somewhat of a slow start to his season. Stephens has three goals and an assist in 11 games so far with the Firebirds. By comparison, he had 35 points in 49 games with AHL Laval just last season.
Meanwhile, the return of Dunn is a welcome one for the Kraken. He has been one of the more impactful blueliners league-wide in recent years, especially on the offensive side of things after putting up 110 points in 140 games between 2022-23 and 2023-24 while logging over 23 minutes of ice time each night. Prior to suffering an upper-body injury that kept him out for nearly six weeks, Dunn was off to a good start on that front this season as well, notching three points in his first four outings.
Dunn’s return gives Seattle now three above-average threats from the back end which will help an offense that’s near the middle of the pack in terms of goals scored. Brandon Montour is off to a solid start in his first season with the Kraken while Ryker Evans has helped pick up the offensive slack in Dunn’s absence. Both players enter tonight’s action with 15 points, good for a tie for third in team scoring.
While there has been no announcement from the team, the only way that Seattle could have activated Dunn and recalled Stephens was by transferring winger Jordan Eberle to LTIR. The captain is expected to be out for at least the next three months after undergoing pelvic surgery a little more than a week ago.
Kraken Recall Ryan Winterton
The Seattle Kraken have recalled forward Ryan Winterton from Coachella Valley. It’s the second call-up of Winterton’s season, with the first awarding him one game – and a return to the AHL one day later. He didn’t record a point in his season debut, dragging Winterton through a 10th career game without his first point – after nine games last season. He currently leads the Coachella Valley Firebirds in goals and points, with seven goals and 15 points in 16 games.
Winterton has worked his way into a top-line role in Coachella Valley on the back of capable and quick play in the offensive end, stepping up as maybe the best playmaker and finisher on the Firebirds lineup. He’s showing noticeable improvements from his rookie AHL season last year, when he posted 22 goals and 35 points in 58 games.
Seattle captain Jordan Eberle is expected to miss the next three months after undergoing pelvis surgery earlier this week. His absence has cemented Tye Kartye and Daniel Sprong in the lineup, despite the pair scoring just four points in 22 games, and one point in six games, respectively. Meager production from his peers could open a chance for Winterton to work his way into minutes, and may even jump up the depth chart with a scoring spark.
Seattle Kraken Reassign Ben Meyers To AHL
- After debuting with the third team of his young career, forward Ben Meyers is headed back to the American Hockey League. The Seattle Kraken announced they’ve reassigned Meyers to their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, a short while ago. In his first NHL action since last April Meyers picked up three games with the Kraken scoring zero points while averaging 7:56 of ice time.
[SOURCE LINK]