Summer Synopsis: Seattle Kraken
With training camps now less than a month away, the bulk of the heavy lifting has been done from a roster perspective. Most unrestricted free agents have found new homes, the arbitration period has come and gone, and the trade market has cooled. Accordingly, it’s a good time to take a look at what each team has accomplished this offseason. Next up is a look at Seattle.
When the Kraken promoted Dan Bylsma to take over as head coach last summer, Seattle was hoping that he’d be able to get them going back in the right direction after taking a big step back. Unfortunately for them, they instead took another step back, prompting not only a coaching change again with Lane Lambert taking over but even a new front office structure with Jason Botterill being elevated to general manager. His first summer at the helm saw the team make a few moves but the primary core of this group remains largely unchanged.
Draft
1-8 – F Jake O’Brien, Brantford (OHL)
2-36 – D Blake Fiddler, Edmonton (WHL)
3-68 – D Will Reynolds, Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL)
5-134 – D Maxim Agafonov, Ufa (MHL)
7-205 – D Karl Annborn, HV71 (Sweden U20)
7-218 – F Loke Krantz, Linkoping (Sweden U20)
There’s a saying that a team can’t have enough centers. Seattle’s draft history might yet put that theory to the test as the selection of O’Brien made it four middlemen taken with their top pick in five years, all of those coming no later than eighth overall. O’Brien had a breakout season with OHL Brantford, finishing as one of the league’s top assist and point leaders, an impressive feat for a player in his draft-eligible season. He has already signed his entry-level contract taking a possible NCAA detour off the table but he doesn’t have a lot left to prove in junior either. He might not push for a spot with Seattle this season but next fall, he could legitimately get a look.
Fiddler was a nice pickup in the early second round as a player ranked by some in the late teens. The son of long-time center Blake Fiddler, he’s a strong skater on the back end with a bit of secondary offensive upside and showed well at the World Under-18s back in May. Size-wise, he’s already big enough to fit in on an NHL back end but he’s probably a few years away from getting that chance. The Kraken stayed in the junior ranks with Reynolds, another big defender but whose profile is much different than Fiddler’s. He’s more of a true physical shutdown player, a profile they don’t have a lot of in their system.
Among the late-round selections, Agafonov showed well at the Russian junior level last season with his mobility standing out in particular. He’s someone who will need a couple of years to work up to the KHL and then likely a year or two from there before being NHL-ready. Annborn, their fourth straight rearguard, got a brief taste of SHL action but spent most of the year at the Under-20 level where he notched 21 assists in 39 games. Under contract through 2027-28 back home, he won’t be on the radar for a while. The same can be said for Krantz, though not necessarily because of his contract. He has a strong shot that made a big impact in Sweden’s Under-18 level but it didn’t translate to the Under-20 division. He still has some work to do there and is a multi-year project as well.
Trade Acquisitions
F Frederick Gaudreau (trade with Minnesota)
F Mason Marchment (trade with Dallas)
With Dallas needing to free up some money this summer, Seattle was there to take advantage, acquiring Marchment and his $4.5MM contract for the low cost of a 2025 fourth-round pick and a 2026 third-round selection. For a player who has put up 100 points over the last two seasons while also bringing some physicality to the table, that’s a nice bargain acquisition for them. If things go well, he’s someone who plausibly could be offered a deal to stick around beyond this season. If not, he’s someone that they should be able to flip closer to the trade deadline as a rental player for a return that’s better than what they gave up to get him. Either way, the Kraken should come out of this trade a winner.
Very quietly, Gaudreau has put up solid offensive numbers for a secondary producer in recent years, tallying at least 14 goals and 37 points in three of the last four seasons while also being a regular killing penalties and respectable at the faceoff dot. The Wild decided that they’d rather try someone else in that role and again, while Seattle has a lot of center depth already, the acquisition cost of a fourth-round pick is quite reasonable, especially since he has three years left on his contract. That said, his role might be a bit lower on the depth chart than it was in Minnesota.
UFA Signings
D Cale Fleury (two years, $1.78MM)^
F John Hayden (two years, $1.55MM)^
D Ryan Lindgren (four years, $18MM)
D Josh Mahura (two years, $1.815MM)^
G Matt Murray (one year, $1MM)
F Ben Meyers (one year, $775K)^
*-denotes two-way contract
^-denotes re-signing
For the second straight summer, Seattle’s biggest free agent splash came on the back end although Lindgren’s deal isn’t anywhere near as significant as the seven-year, $50MM contract given to Brandon Montour. Lindgren has largely been the same player for most of his career, a second-pairing defensive-minded player whose possession metrics aren’t the prettiest while he doesn’t bring much to the table offensively; last season was the first time he reached 20 points. His addition gives the Kraken one of the more expensive bluelines in the NHL for the upcoming season but with the team allowing an extra 30 goals compared to 2023-24, it’s not much of a surprise that their top signing was someone who they hope can help on the defensive side of things.
Most of their other three signings were more of the depth variety, aside from Mahura who spent most of the year on the third pairing and should be in that sixth or seventh battle once again. Murray will be given a shot to battle for the backup job but could be ticketed to start the year with AHL Coachella Valley. Fleury has seen NHL action in each of the last four years, albeit in a limited role as he spent the bulk of last season with the Firebirds, a role he’ll likely have once again. As for Meyers, he had five recalls in 2024-25 although that only led to eight appearances with the Kraken. He’s also likely heading for the minors where he’ll be one of their veteran recall options when injuries arise as will Hayden.
RFA Re-Signings
D Ryker Evans (two years, $4.1MM)
F Kaapo Kakko (three years, $13.575MM)
F Tye Kartye (two years, $2.5MM)
*-denotes two-way contract
Kakko had a rough start with the Rangers last season and New York decided that the time was right to move him. As they did with their two trade pickups this summer, the Kraken were there to take advantage of a buy-low pickup. The change of scenery certainly seemed to work as Kakko collected 30 points in 49 games following the swap, allowing him to set new career bests in assists and points. After filing for arbitration back in July, the two sides settled on this deal soon after. Considering his overall struggles in his young career, it’s a deal that carries some risk but if Kakko is able to keep up the same type of production he had following the swap, he could become an important part of their top six.
Seattle had enough cap space to try to do a long-term deal with Evans but they instead elected to do a bridge. He impressed in his first full NHL campaign last season, notching 25 points in 73 games while logging over 19 minutes a night before getting a look with Canada at the Worlds in May. He projects to be a big part of their long-term plans defensively but the big pay day will have to wait a little while longer. Kartye made a name for himself when he debuted in the 2023 playoffs but since then, he has been limited to primarily fourth-line duty. A short-term pact accordingly made sense for both sides as he’ll look to grab hold of a spot higher on the depth chart over the next couple of years.
Departures
F Brandon Biro (signed in Russia)
D Nikolas Brouillard (signed with San Diego, AHL)
F Andre Burakovsky (trade with Chicago)
F Michael Eyssimont (signed with Boston, two years, $2.9MM)
F Luke Henman (signed in Finland)
D Maxime Lajoie (signed in Russia)
D Gustav Olofsson (signed with Coachella Valley, AHL)
G Ales Stezka (signed in Czechia)
*-denotes two-way contract
After acquiring Marchment, the Kraken quickly moved out Burakovsky to Seattle, taking back Joe Veleno who was promptly bought out. Brought in on the heels of a career year with Colorado that saw him score 61 points in 2021-22, Burakovsky only managed 92 points over his three seasons with the Kraken, two of which were plagued by a significant injury. On top of that, he dropped under the 15-minute-per-game mark over the last two seasons, not ideal for one of their top-paid forwards. Still, they managed to clear out his $5.5MM AAV with only needing to eat a $379K cap charge for the next two seasons with the Veleno buyout so with them deciding the time was right to part ways, it could have gone worse.
Eyssimont was acquired at the trade deadline as part of the return for Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand and played well in limited action following the swap. However, Gaudreau could ultimately wind up taking his place in the lineup. Most of their other departures had at least a little bit of NHL experience over the years but those players were primarily regulars at the AHL level and in Olofsson’s case, he remains with the organization, just not on an NHL contract.
Salary Cap Outlook
By electing to do a bridge contract for Evans, Botterill has left himself plenty of flexibility heading into the season with the team projected to open up with just under $4.6MM in cap space, per PuckPedia. That gives them more than ample coverage should injuries arise while if they find themselves in the mix by the trade deadline, they’ll have more than enough room for a couple of additions. On the other hand, if they’re not in the playoff picture, they’ll be able to retain on some of their pending unrestricted free agents or act as a third-party facilitator (which is still legal for this season before becoming much more restrictive for 2026-27).
Key Questions
Will Beniers Take The Next Step? When Seattle drafted Matty Beniers second overall in 2021, they thought they had their top center of the future in place. After putting up 57 points in his rookie season, it looked like he was on his way to being that player. But production has been harder to come by over the last two years with point totals of 37 and 43. Those are still decent for a player who is still only 22 but they’re not top-end either. Right now, he looks more like a second option than a first; if he can get to that top level, the trajectory of this offense changes considerably.
Can Grubauer Deliver NHL-Level Goaltending? Last season was an unmitigated disaster for goaltender Philipp Grubauer and frankly, that still might be an understatement. He struggled out of the gate and never really got going after that. The end result was him clearing waivers midseason and posting a career-worst .875 SV% in 26 starts, leading to some buyout speculation this summer. With Murray in the mix now, Grubauer will simply be fighting to keep a roster spot in training camp, an outcome few thought possible when he signed a six-year contract with them back in 2021.
Will The Special Teams Improve? Botterill indicated recently that one of the goals for this season will be to improve on special teams. Both units struggled last season with the power play checking in 23rd overall (18.9%) while the penalty kill came in 21st (77.2%). Neither of those numbers are at the level of a playoff-caliber team and with the Kraken electing not to rebuild but merely to tinker with their core, it’s clear they envision themselves as a group capable of making the postseason. Can they get the desired rebound on special teams? If not, their goal of getting back to the playoffs is going to be even tougher.
Photos courtesy of Sergei Belski and Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images.
Kraken Focused On Special Teams Performance
- The Seattle Kraken are coming off a down season where many things didn’t go according to plan, including special teams play. The Kraken finished 23rd in the league on the power play with an 18.9 percent success rate and 21st on the penalty kill at 77.2 percent. It’s an issue general manager Jason Botterill is looking to shore up this season, per NHL.com’s Kevin Woodley. “We certainly have opportunity for growth in both those categories, and we have to show improvement to have success,” said Botterill. To that end, forward Mason Marchment was acquired via trade in June, partly to support Seattle’s power play. On the PK, Botterill noted that younger players will be expected to step up, specifically mentioning Matty Beniers and Ryker Evans as key contributors.
Canucks, Kraken Re-Engaging In Marco Rossi Trade Talks With Wild
While previous reports indicated the Canucks and Kraken both had interest in acquiring Wild restricted free agent center Marco Rossi at various points during the offseason, talks have been quiet for weeks now after Minnesota didn’t land the type of offers they wanted. However, with less than a month now until training camp, they’re now restating their interest in acquiring him if “contract talks between Rossi and the Wild reach a point of no return,” a league source told RG’s James Murphy. Neither club has had intensive talks with Minnesota since mid-July at the latest, the source added.
Wild general manager Bill Guerin spoke to Murphy last week and gave a rather cliché non-update on talks with both Rossi and pending UFA superstar Kirill Kaprizov, saying there were “no real updates” on either player. The two sides haven’t had serious contract discussions since June, leaving them with little time to work out a new deal if a trade doesn’t come to fruition in the next few weeks. The latter outcome is undoubtedly the preferred outcome for both sides at this point, given how the summer has transpired, but that’s been difficult too with Rossi’s desire for a lucrative long-term commitment and the Wild’s need for a top-six forward coming the other way to stay competitive.
For those reasons, the Kraken seem like a better match on paper. As Murphy’s piece pointed out, Seattle has a nearly perfect veteran to offer to satiate Minnesota’s particular desires in Jared McCann, who they were reportedly open to moving last month.
McCann has been a staple atop Seattle’s roll-four-lines attack over the last four years as one of the crown jewels of their expansion draft haul. While he’s spent more time on the wing for the Kraken as his career has progressed, he has plenty of experience down the middle and could feasibly be a direct replacement for Rossi on the depth chart to join Joel Eriksson Ek as the Wild’s top-six pivots. The 29-year-old rattled off 61 points in 82 games last season, but that was actually his lowest per-game output since his first year in Seattle. He’s also due to reach unrestricted free agency in 2027.
While Seattle has a multitude of other veteran forwards slated to hit the open market next summer, there’s likely still an appetite from general manager Jason Botterill to better align the age of their forwards on longer-term deals to match their timeline to emerge as perennial playoff contenders – still a year or two away. Rossi, who put up a nearly identical scoring line to McCann last season and is more comfortable down the middle, would be more expensive to sign than McCann’s current $5MM cap hit but is nearly six years younger. Now entering his age-24 season, he’d be giving Seattle his prime in the middle of a cost-certain deal as the cap rises if they reached a long-term commitment out of the gate.
It’s harder to see how the Canucks could put together a competitive offer for Rossi. He would be an offensive improvement over their current young second-line piece, Filip Chytil, but his concussion history means he’s not likely to move the needle for Guerin, especially if McCann is a realistic option.
It’s also worth noting that the Kraken and Wild have already connected on a trade this summer. Seattle picked up center Frédérick Gaudreau in exchange for the 102nd overall pick in this year’s draft, which Minnesota used on skilled but undersized pivot Adam Benák.
Montour A Viable Candidate For Olympics?
- After not making Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off roster, Kraken blueliner Brandon Montour opted to accept an invitation to the Worlds back in May in the hopes of improving his chances of being selected to play in the Olympics. He fared quite well in the tournament, tying for the lead in points by a defenseman with nine. Accordingly, NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger suggests that the 31-year-old may now have a viable shot at making the roster, especially with GM Doug Armstrong suggesting that in-season performance and not just their track record will go a long way toward determining the final roster. Montour had a career-best 18 goals in his first season with Seattle in 2024-25 and will look to build off that this season.
Kraken Hire Zac Dalpe, Adam Purner To Development Team
The Seattle Kraken have announced two late-summer hires. Recently retired pro Zac Dalpe will join the club as a Player Development Consultant, and Adam Purner will take on the role of Video Analyst, in the 2025-26 season. Dalpe played through over 15 years between the NHL and AHL lineups, while Purner has spent the last three seasons as the video coach for the AHL’s Hershey Bears.
Dalpe will waste no time in continuing his career in the hockey world, as he lands this role just over a month after announcing the end of his playing days. He was once a top center prospect, originally drafted in the second-round of the 2008 NHL Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes. Dalpe followed his draft with two seasons at The Ohio State University, where he emerged as a key part of the offense – netting 70 points in 76 games before turning pro in 2010. He seemed to be set for much of the same success at the pro flight, with 64 points in his first 70 games in the AHL.
But Dalpe struggled to maintain his scoring into the NHL flight. His career was defined by lofty scoring in the minors, but minimal scoring in the majors. Despite that, the reliable center was able to work his way to 168 appearances at the NHL level over the course of 12 seasons. He played with six clubs over that period, including four years in Carolina’s pipeline and three years with Columbus. He totaled 32 points in those appearances. Dalpe’s spot starts in the NHL were rounded out by an impressive 392 points in 574 games, and 15 seasons, in the AHL. He was a true pillar of any lineup he joined, and spent the last six seasons of his career serving as a team captain – broken up as two years wearing the Cleveland Monsters ‘C’, and four years leading the Charlotte Checkers.
Dalpe’s career was defined not by lofty stats or many accolades, but instead true year-over-year reliability and a willingness to fill any role his teams needed. He’ll now use those attributes to support Seattle’s young guns as they ramp into the NHL.
Joining Dalpe will be acclaimed video coach Purner, who supported the Hershey Bears in their run to Calder Cup Championships in two of the last three seasons. Purner’s career began with five seasons as the video coach for the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks. He followed that stint with two years in a minor-league role with the New Jersey Devils’ organization, split between one year with the Binghamton Devils and one year with the Utica Comets. Purner will now receive his first NHL opportunity just a few hours away from where his career began.
Seattle Kraken Sign Ryker Evans To Two-Year Deal
The Seattle Kraken have come to terms with their lone remaining restricted free agent. According to a team announcement, the Kraken have signed defenseman Ryker Evans to a two-year, $4.1MM ($2.05MM AAV) contract through the 2026-27 NHL season.
The Kraken selected Evans with the 35th overall pick of the 2021 NHL Draft. He was coming off a solid, albeit shortened, year with the WHL’s Regina Pats, scoring three goals and 28 points in 24 games with a -4 rating. The following year, again with the Pats, Evans posted an even better 14 goals and 61 points in 63 games with a +9 rating.
Evans immediately made a name for himself in the Kraken’s organization. Seattle started him with their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, in the 2022-23 season, and he responded well with six goals and 44 points in 71 games with a +19 rating. Still, the 2023 Calder Cup playoffs put him over the top in terms of prospect rankings, scoring five goals and 26 points in 26 games with a +13 rating en route to a berth in the Calder Cup Final. He was included on the AHL All-Rookie Team at season’s end.
Despite being on everyone’s radar as one of the better prospects in Seattle’s system, Evans’ transition to the NHL didn’t go as smoothly as hoped. He skated in 36 games for the Kraken in the 2023-24 season, but only mustered one goal and nine points with a -5 rating. Still, his 54.2% CorsiFor% at even strength and 91.3% on-ice save percentage at even strength proved he was ready to play in the sport’s top league.
Given those indications in his underlying metrics, Evans earned a full-time spot on the Kraken’s roster this past season. Finishing the season with five goals and 25 points in 73 games with a -12 rating while averaging 19:29 of ice time per game in a top-four role. His underlying metrics dropped somewhat, but that’s to be expected with twice as much playing time.
Even though Evans is a promising young two-way defenseman on Seattle’s roster, his only drawback is that he doesn’t offer them anything different than what they’ve been accustomed to in the past few years. The Kraken only finished with one defenseman scoring more than 40 points last season (although Vince Dunn would have had he not missed time due to injury). Evans can be a solid offensive contributor, but he’s not expected to push for the 60 or even 50-point plateau.
Still, he’s already beaten out Jamie Oleksiak in terms of positioning on the team’s depth chart, and his spot in the lineup isn’t expected to be altered by Seattle’s signing of Ryan Lindgren this summer. He’ll likely see his ice time grow year-on-year, especially if the Kraken begin phasing out some of their older talent.
Kraken’s Ollie Josephson Commits To North Dakota
Seattle Kraken center prospect Ollie Josephson has committed to the University of North Dakota for the 2025-26 season. He will move to the United States after spending the last three seasons with the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels. Seattle drafted Josephson in the fourth-round of the 2024 draft.
Josephson lived up to his claim as a top juniors prosect by carving out a high-impact role in Red Deer. He was originally drafted fifth-overall in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft, and joined the Rebels full-time ahead of the 2022-23 season, at the age of 17. He scored a measly 19 points in 63 games that year, while filling out a depth role, but returned with momentum on his side for his age-18 season. Now a sophomore in the league, Josephson took on an assistant captain role with the Rebels and scored a much stouter 47 points in 68 games. He also added three assists in seven games with Team Canada at the World U18 Championship.
Josephson returned to take on Red Deer’s captaincy last season. He again appeared to take a full stride forward from his prior season, and looked comfortable and confident serving as the Rebels’ top-line center. He scored 35 points in 48 games – good for second on Red Deer in scoring behind Matthew Gard’s 36 points in 66 games. It was a strong, confident performance on a team that’d finish in the league’s bottom-five – and enough to earn Josephson a draft spot despite injuries taking out much of his January and ending his season in March.
In landing Josephson this summer, both Seattle and North Dakota land a prominent, playmaking centerman capable of controlling movement through the middle lane. He’s been oft knocked by a lack of physicality and flashy setups, but finds a way to stay on top of play with smooth skating and a persistent drive. Time in what’s sure to be a gridlocked NCHC conference should help Josephson learn to better wield his drive into play in the corners and along the boards. He could be a candidate for a multi-year stay, as well, as Seattle looks to mold him into a pro-ready player.
The Fighting Hawks will fill out their final forward position with this recruitment. The team, led by first-year general manager Bryn Chyzyk, have found strong talent throughout the CHL. Josephson will join Calgary Flames prospect Cole Reschny, as well as top 2026 draft prospect Keaton Verhoeff, in making the leap from the WHL.
What Should The Kraken Do With Philipp Grubauer?
In their inaugural season, the Seattle Kraken believed they had found their franchise goalie for the foreseeable future by signing Philipp Grubauer to a six-year, $35.4MM contract. Grubauer was coming off an impressive season with the Colorado Avalanche, managing a 30-9-1 record in 40 games with a .922 SV%, finishing third place in Vezina Trophy voting.
Unfortunately, the Kraken have not seen a positive return on their significant investment in goaltending. In his first season with the team, Grubauer’s play dropped dramatically, finishing with an 18-31-5 record, a .889 SV%, 3.16 GAA, and -26.4 Goals Saved Above Average (GSAA), the latter being the lowest in the league by a considerable margin.
In large part due to the surprising top-level play from Martin Jones a year later, the Kraken qualified for the postseason in 2022-23. Although Grubauer had another disappointing regular season, he looked inspired throughout the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, especially against his former team. Grubauer finished the postseason with a 7-7-0 record with a .903 SV%, eliminating his former employer and the defending Stanley Cup champions in a hotly contested opening round matchup.
Despite having a resurgence in the 2023 postseason, Grubauer has fallen back to his old ways in the meantime, ultimately ceding the starting netminder position in Seattle to Joey Daccord. Since losing to the Dallas Stars in the second round of that playoff run, Grubauer has earned a 22-33-3 record in 60 starts with a .889 SV%. His play over the last two seasons has brought his overall record with the Kraken to a 57-78-12 record (36.5% winning percentage) in 156 games with a .890 SV%, 3.07 GAA, and -56.2 GSAA.
Quite obviously, that wasn’t what Seattle was expecting when they made such a large investment in Grubauer’s services, and he has little chance of recouping the starting position from Daccord anytime soon. The talent gap was so significant between the two netminders that Grubauer had been mentioned as a likely buyout candidate heading into the current offseason.
Ultimately, the Kraken decided against buying out Grubauer during their initial opportunity at the start of the offseason and reiterated this choice after their conditional buy-out window, following the signing of Kaapo Kakko to a three-year contract in late July. Seattle did sign veteran Matt Murray to a one-year, $1MM contract on the opening day of free agency, though he’s likely penciled in for AHL duty with Grubauer still in the system.
Since it’s well known he’s a sunk cost for the remaining term on his contract, the Kraken are effectively left with two choices. They could buy him out next offseason, which would spread out 66.6% of his remaining one-year and $5.9MM over the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons, or seek a trade partner. It’s important to note that Grubauer has a 10-team no-trade list in his contract.
Depending on how desperate each team becomes next season, the Philadelphia Flyers, Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Columbus Blue Jackets all make sense to some degree for Grubauer’s services. Even if he has a slight increase in his production, Seattle could be positioned to swap overvalued goaltending deals with the Oilers (Stuart Skinner), Penguins (Tristan Jarry), and Blue Jackets (Elvis Merzlikins).
At this point, the Kraken must provide additional value in a potential deal for the previously mentioned goaltenders. There is no doubt that Grubauer has negative value for the team, and the Kraken may be better off waiting another year to buy out the remaining year of his contract next summer when it is more financially advantageous.
Kraken Hire Ryan Jankowski As Assistant General Manager
The Kraken announced that longtime NHL scout and executive Ryan Jankowski has been hired as an assistant general manager ahead of the 2025-26 season. They didn’t provide much detail on Jankowski’s exact role, but he’ll presumably serve at the top of their scouting hierarchy above director of pro scouting Dave Baseggio and director of amateur scouting Robert Kron.
Now 51, the uncle of Hurricanes forward Mark Jankowski has been in NHL front offices for the better part of the last two decades. The Calgary native doesn’t have a playing background. Nonetheless, today’s news is still something of a homecoming for Jankowski, whose first job in hockey was as a scout in Washington state for the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL. He worked for them from 1997 to 2003 before being picked up as a scout by the Islanders.
Jankowski was promoted to an assistant GM with the Isles two years into his tenure, a role he held until he departed the organization in 2010. He immediately caught on with the Canadiens’ scouting staff, staying there for three years before taking a role with Hockey Canada. He served as the junior program’s head scout from 2013-15 and then as their director of player personnel from 2015-17. During that time, he won a bronze medal with the U-18 group at the World Juniors in 2014 and 2015 and a silver medal with the U-20 team in 2017.
In 2017, he returned to the NHL as the Sabres’ director of amateur scouting. He accepted the same role with the Coyotes in 2020 and followed the rest of the team’s hockey operations staff to Utah last summer, serving as the Mammoth’s director of amateur scouting for their first season. He’ll now depart for another fresh-faced franchise as they undergo a front office restructuring, highlighted by Ron Francis being promoted from GM to president of hockey operations with Jason Botterill, who Jankowski worked with in Buffalo, replacing him.
Kraken Sign Kaapo Kakko To Three-Year Contract
Earlier today, the dates for the seven remaining arbitration-eligible players were revealed. However, one player who won’t need that hearing after all is Kraken winger Kaapo Kakko. The team announced that they’ve reached an agreement on a three-year contract that will pay $4.525MM per season after being set to exchange arbitration figures on Wednesday. GM Jason Botterill released the following statement:
Getting a contract done with Kaapo was a top priority this summer. We knew quickly he’d be a big part of our team moving forward. He’s got size, skill and tremendous playmaking ability, and isn’t afraid of going to the net. He fit in immediately with our group, and we’re thrilled to have him under contract.
The 24-year-old was the second overall selection back in 2019 by the Rangers and had seemingly been on thin ice in New York for a couple of years. The two sides agreed on a one-year, $2.4MM contract last offseason, well before qualifying offers were due to be submitted, avoiding any risk of the Rangers non-tendering him to avoid arbitration rights.
The deal seemingly represented a last-chance opportunity for Kakko and it’s fair to say he didn’t make the most of it. He managed just four goals and 10 assists in 30 games with New York and in December, the Rangers pulled the trigger on a trade, sending him to Seattle for defenseman Will Borgen, a 2025 third-round pick, and a 2026 sixth-round selection.
The change of scenery seemed to give Kakko a boost. He averaged just under a point per game over his first month with the Kraken and overall, he picked up 10 goals and 20 assists in 49 outings. Combining his stats with New York, Kakko’s 44 points represented a career high, giving him some leverage heading into contract talks this summer.
Considering that Kakko’s career numbers of 71 goals and 90 assists in 379 games is rather pedestrian, Jason Botterill is clearly banking on Kakko’s second-half production being a sign of things to come. He got the bigger role he was hoping for following the swap, logging a little over 17 minutes a night of playing time after averaging just over 13 minutes a night prior to the swap. It’s clear that, based on this deal, Seattle feels that Kakko can be a legitimate top-six forward for them moving forward.
Beyond his entry-level contract, this is the longest agreement that Kakko has signed. It’s a pact that buys out his first two UFA-eligible seasons, giving the Kraken a longer look at him. It will also allow Kakko to potentially reach the open market at 27 in 2028, putting him in a position to possibly secure a long-term, big-money agreement if he’s able to maintain and build off his strong first half-season with Seattle.
With the signing, the Kraken now have a little under $6.5MM in cap space, per PuckPedia. They still have one key restricted free agent to sign in defenseman Ryker Evans. He’s not arbitration-eligible but Botterill should have enough flexibility to sign him to a long-term agreement if the sides can work one out.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was first to report the signing.
Photo courtesy of Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images.