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Seattle Kraken Recall Ryker Evans

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The Seattle Kraken have announced that they’ve recalled defenseman Ryker Evans from their AHL affiliate the Coachella Valley Firebirds. The 21-year-old has never dressed in an NHL game but has earned some time with the big club after building an impressive AHL resume in his very young professional career.

Evans was the second draft pick ever by the Kraken, taken in the second round of the 2021 NHL draft, after going undrafted in his first year of draft eligibility. He rewarded Seattle with an impressive first season in the AHL registering six goals and 38 assists in 71 regular season games before helping to lead the Firebirds to the AHL finals with an impressive 26 points in 26 playoff games.

This season the Calgary, Alberta native has fallen into a bit of a sophomore slump as he has started the season slowly with just two goals and six assists in his first 18 games with the Firebirds. Despite the slow start, the Kraken have opted to give him a look in the NHL as they are mired in a five-game losing streak and need a jolt wherever they can find it.

Seattle has lost six of their last seven games and is sitting fifth in the Pacific Division with an 8-12-6 record. They are currently trailing the St. Louis Blues by five points for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference while the Blues hold two games in hand.

Without a true offensive superstar in their lineup, the Kraken have relied upon depth scoring to win games, which is something they haven’t been able to find this season. Outside of Vince Dunn, no Kraken defenseman has cracked ten points on the season as their offensive depth has disappeared. The Kraken may see Ryker as a potential option on the backend who can provide a small offensive boost at a time when they need it most.  

Kraken Recall Max McCormick, Issue Injury Update On Jaden Schwartz

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The Kraken have called up veteran winger Max McCormick from AHL Coachella Valley, a team statement released Friday afternoon reads. In a corresponding transaction, another minor-league veteran, Andrew Poturalski, was returned to their minor-league affiliate. Additionally, after placing him on injured reserve yesterday, the team announced that winger Jaden Schwartz’s upper-body injury is expected to keep him out for approximately six weeks.

This is McCormick’s first recall of the season. He was summoned to the NHL roster on two brief occasions last season without appearing in a game. The 31-year-old cleared waivers during training camp and can be returned to Coachella Valley if he stays on the Kraken roster for less than 30 days and plays less than ten games. McCormick, a veteran of over 450 AHL games, is off to a spectacular start, serving as Coachella Valley’s captain and leading the team with eight goals and 17 points in 16 games.

The 2023 AHL Second Team All-Star has been a frequent recall option for teams ever since making his NHL debut with the Senators in 2015-16. He’s accumulated 93 games of NHL experience across six campaigns, most recently in a ten-game stint with the Kraken in their inaugural season in 2021-22. McCormick has been used exclusively in depth roles, however, averaging just 8:28 per contest while managing a respectable eight goals and 13 points across his career. He’s rarely been a significant defensive liability and is a solid, replacement-level option to fill bottom-six injuries.

McCormick will slide into the lineup Saturday against his former team, the Senators, if Brandon Tanev cannot return from his second lower-body injury of the season. He is expected to skate in a fourth-line role alongside Pierre-Édouard Bellemare and recent fellow call-up Marián Studenič. He would replace Poturalski in the lineup, who now returns to the minors after recording no points and a -1 rating in 6:52 of average ice time across the Kraken’s last two contests.

Missing Schwartz for such a significant period of time is a blow to the Kraken’s depth in no uncertain terms. The veteran winger had 15 points in 23 games on the season, on pace for his best offensive showing since joining the expansion Kraken during free agency in 2021. It’s not great news for a Seattle team that’s now fallen two games below the .500 mark and remains outside of the Western Conference playoff picture.

Schwartz Out Longer Than A Few Days

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  • Earlier today, it was reported that after leaving Tuesday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks with a lower-body injury, the Seattle Kraken would be placing forward Jaden Schwartz on injured reserve. In speaking about that directly with reporters today, the head coach of the Kraken, Dave Hakstol, stated that Schwartz’s placement on the IR would be longer than a ’day-to-day’ injury, indicating that Schwartz could be out of Seattle’s lineup for at least the next handful of games (X Link).

    [SOURCE LINK]

Kraken Place Jaden Schwartz On Injured Reserve

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The Seattle Kraken placed winger Jaden Schwartz on injured reserve Thursday morning, per CapFriendly. Schwartz left Tuesday’s game against the Blackhawks with a lower-body injury and did not return.

The move indicates Schwartz will miss at least seven days after sustaining the injury earlier in the week. Therefore, he has been ruled out of the Kraken’s next three games. The earliest he is eligible to return to the lineup is Thursday, December 7, against the Devils.

Schwartz, 31, had no points in his last five games after starting the season with eight goals, seven assists and 15 points in 18 games. Those 15 points remain tied for third on the team behind winger Oliver Bjorkstrand and defenseman Vince Dunn.

The Kraken have once again gotten solid depth production throughout their top nine, but the lack of a true superstar is beginning to haunt them after last season’s solid run. They sit with an 8-10-5 record and 21 points, fifth in the Pacific Division and three spots back of a Wild Card berth in the Western Conference.

Missing Schwartz certainly won’t help matters. He’s logged significant minutes for the team, averaging 17:15 per game, and his 53-point pace would be his highest total in five years. Despite the heavy usage and strong production, his possession numbers have left much to be desired – his 47.7% Corsi share is the worst among Kraken skaters with at least ten games played.

With Schwartz unavailable, recent call-up Marián Studenič will likely make his season debut tonight against the Maple Leafs. Moving Schwartz to IR opens up a roster spot for an additional recall from AHL Coachella Valley if the team wishes. They’re left with only 12 healthy forwards as Brandon Tanev remains sidelined with his second lower-body injury of the season but is still on the 23-man roster.

Seattle Kraken Recall Marián Studenič

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The Seattle Kraken have recalled forward Marián Studenič from their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

The 25-year-old has not yet made his NHL debut with the Kraken since signing a one-year, two-way deal with the club this past summer. Studenič has 44 NHL games on his resume, with them almost evenly split between his time with the New Jersey Devils and his stint with the Dallas Stars after they claimed him off of waivers.

A six-foot-one two-way winger, Studenič was given a hefty $325k guarantee and $300k AHL salary by Seattle in order to serve as a reliable top-six forward for their AHL affiliate as well as experienced depth for their big club.

He’s been as advertised in Coachella Valley, scoring six goals and 11 points in 15 games. He’s fourth on the team in scoring and already has a productive AHL campaign on his resume from last season when he scored 21 goals and 48 points in 61 games with the Texas Stars.

Studenič may not draw into head coach Dave Hakstol’s lineup immediately, though, as yesterday’s recall Andrew Poturalski may get that shot. Poturalski, a two-time AHL scoring leader and Calder Cup champion is currently set to slot in on Seattle’s second line next to Alexander Wennberg and Jaden Schwartz. Should he fail to make an impact there, the Kraken now have Studenič to plug into the lineup instead.

Kraken Recall Andrew Poturalski

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Kraken center Andrew Poturalski didn’t get a chance to play in his first recall of the season but he’ll get another opportunity to play with the big club as the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled him from AHL Coachella Valley.

The 29-year-old was brought up earlier this month for a week and a half but spent that time as Seattle’s reserve forward.  He was sent back down to the Firebirds last week to get in some game action and suited up for his first contest in nearly two weeks on Saturday.

Poturalski is in his second year in the Kraken’s organization after signing with them as a free agent in the 2022 offseason.  He has been quite productive at the AHL level throughout his career including a 101-point campaign in 2021-22 but it hasn’t yielded many opportunities as he has just four career NHL appearances under his belt where he has two assists.

For now, at least, Poturalski will likely resume the reserve role as Seattle has a dozen other healthy forwards on its active roster but should someone need a night off, he might get a chance to make his first NHL appearance since 2021.

Injury Notes: Kraken, Sharks, Sebastian Aho

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Seattle Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol shared that Brandon Tanev’s status for the team’s upcoming four-game road trip is still up in the air. Tanev is working back from a lower-body that had him expected to miss four-to-six weeks in mid-October. It’s been five weeks and it seems his status is progressing enough to earn a questionable tag.

Hakstol also shared that goaltender Philipp Grubauer will join the team on the road trip. Grubauer was placed on injured reserve in early November and activated off of it on November 18th. He played in two games after being activated but then suffered an undisclosed injury that held him out of the team’s last two games. If Grubauer slots in for the road trip, fans can expect Chris Driedger to be reassigned to the AHL.

The early season injury has held Tanev out of all but eight games this season. He managed two goals in those games, also recording nine penalty minutes and a -3. He scored 35 points in 82 games with Seattle last season. Grubauer has played in 12 games this year, setting a .885 save percentage and 3.36 goals-against-average. Both metrics are a step down from his totals last season when he recorded a .895 save percentage and 2.85 GAA in 39 games.

More injury news from around the league:

Seattle Kraken Assign Chris Driedger To AHL

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Saturday: The Kraken announced that Driedger has been sent back to the Firebirds, suggesting that Grubauer will be able to suit up for Seattle’s next game against Chicago on Tuesday.

Tuesday: The Seattle Kraken have announced that they’ve recalled veteran goaltender Chris Driedger from their AHL affiliate the Coachella Valley Firebirds. The 29-year-old is likely to serve as the backup to Joey Daccord as starter Philipp Grubauer is dealing with an undisclosed injury and is likely to miss tomorrow night’s game. No word on whether Grubauer will be out longer term.

Driedger spent all last season in the AHL and to this point has yet to dress in an NHL game since the 2021-22 season. He was just okay in the AHL last season but has put up solid numbers with the Firebirds this season going 6-4 with a .915 save percentage and a 2.20 goals-against average.

Driedger was drafted by the Kraken in the 2021 NHL expansion draft and signed to a three-year $10.5MM contract despite having just 38 games of NHL experience at the time. The gamble did not pay off for Seattle as Driedger struggled in his first season with the club going 9-14-1 with a .899 save percentage and a 2.96 goals-against average.

Driedger’s struggles prompted the Kraken to shop the Winnipeg, Manitoba native this past summer, but they were unable to find any takers for his $3.5MM cap hit. It appeared possible that the Kraken would buy out Driedger, but they ended up hanging onto to him to play out the final season of his three-year deal.

A journeyman goaltender, Driedger did see some success at the NHL level from 2019-2021 as a member of the Florida Panthers. During that time Driedger went 21-8-4 while sporting 2.07 goals against average and a .931 save percentage. If Driedger does get a chance to play and can show that he belongs in the NHL it could open up the possibility that he gets moved as a few teams are looking at goaltending options in what is currently a very overpriced goalie market.

Kraken Reassign Andrew Poturalski

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The Kraken returned forward Andrew Poturalski to AHL Coachella Valley yesterday afternoon, per a team announcement.

Poturalski, 29, was on his first recall of the season. The team brought him up early last week, but the veteran scorer who puts up electric numbers in the minors was a healthy scratch in all of the Kraken’s five games while he was on the roster.

Seattle has called upon multiple forwards to come up from the minors this season in the wake of longer-term injuries to André Burakovsky and Brandon Tanev, as well as a shorter-term absence that kept Jordan Eberle out of the lineup earlier this month. Veteran NHLer Devin Shore has seen some time up with the Kraken after heading to the minors in the preseason, as well as youngsters Shane Wright and Ryan Winterton.

The Kraken brought Poturalski into the organization in the summer of 2022 to serve as a key leadership figure for Coachella Valley in their affiliate’s inaugural season. While injuries limited him to 38 games, he scored 11 goals, 31 assists and 42 points, keeping him above the point-per-game mark for a second straight season.

In 2021-22, just before joining Coachella Valley, Poturalski won a Calder Cup championship with the Chicago Wolves, then the Carolina Hurricanes’ affiliate, and captured the JB Sollenberger Trophy for the regular-season scoring title (101 points in 71 contests).

Poturalski is off to a slightly more tepid start this season, recording two goals and five assists in ten contests. His last two outings for Coachella Valley were especially rough, notching a combined -4 rating, no points and four shots on goal in back-to-back losses.

That’s where he returns for the time being while the Kraken forward group is at full health, minus Burakovsky. Poturalski heading back to the minors leaves the Kraken with just 12 healthy forwards on their roster.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Seattle Kraken

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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 for the 2023-24 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: $81,456,607 (under the $83.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Matthew Beniers (one year, $898K)
F Tye Kartye (two years, $859K)
F Shane Wright (three years, $918K)

Potential Bonuses
Beniers: $1.85MM
Kartye: $57.5K
Wright: $3.0625MM
Total: $4.97MM

Beniers’ first full NHL season was certainly a strong one as he finished fourth on the Kraken in scoring while taking home the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie.  He followed that up with a good showing in the playoffs.  Basically, the second overall pick in 2021 has cemented himself as a key part of Seattle’s long-term plans.  Accordingly, it wouldn’t have been too surprising had he signed a long-term extension over the summer, one in the $8MM for eight years range, one we’ve seen quite a few core young centers sign in recent years.  That didn’t happen and now he’s off to a bit of a slow start this season.  Even if he winds up with a bridge deal though, it will still be pricey; Anaheim’s Trevor Zegras (three years, $5.75MM AAV) could be a suitable comparable.  He should have a chance at hitting several of his four ‘A’ bonuses at $212.5K each.

Wright was recently recalled, beginning the nine-game clock before the Kraken will need to decide about officially burning the first year of this deal.  However, they’ve since sent him back down, deferring that decision for the time being.  Assuming they avoid starting the contract, they’ll be able to lower the cap hit slightly for next season while avoiding the bonuses.  As for Kartye, he has been a regular in the bottom six in his first taste of regular season action.  If he can hold down that role this season and next, he might be able to double this price tag.  His bonuses are games-played based so it’s likely he’ll hit some of them at least.

Signed Through 2023-24, Non-Entry-Level

F Pierre-Edouard Bellemare ($775K, UFA)
G Chris Driedger ($3.5MM, UFA)
F Jordan Eberle ($5.5MM, UFA)
D Jaycob Megna ($762.5K, UFA)
D Justin Schultz ($3MM, UFA)
F Devin Shore ($775K, UFA)
F Eeli Tolvanen ($1.45MM, RFA)
F Alexander Wennberg ($4.5MM, UFA)
F Kailer Yamamoto ($1.5MM, RFA)

Eberle has put up back-to-back 20-goal seasons in his first two years with Seattle, actually faring better offensively than he was with the Islanders.  In doing so, he has given himself a chance of securing another deal at a similar price tag as this one although it’ll be a shorter-term agreement with him turning 34 in May.  Wennberg has done better with the Kraken compared to his time with Florida but he hasn’t gotten back to his early-career numbers when he had 40 points in his sophomore year and 59 the following season.  The fact he plays in all situations and is a center will certainly help him on the open market but at this point, it feels like something closer to $3.5MM or $3.75MM might be where his next contract lands.

Yamamoto was bought out by Detroit (who ate the charge to acquire Klim Kostin’s rights) and quickly landed with his hometown team in unrestricted free agency.  Unless he’s able to produce at a higher level than he did with Edmonton though, he could be facing a non-tender in June.  Otherwise, a small increase could come his way.  Tolvanen fit in quite well after being claimed off waivers and is off to a good start this year.  If that can be maintained, he’d be worthy of a deal crossing the $2MM mark.  That said, the fact Daniel Sprong was non-tendered this past offseason after a 46-point year is a cautionary tale; they’re only willing to commit so much to that particular slot on the depth chart.  Bellemare and Shore were only able to get minimum-salary deals over the summer and there’s little reason at this point to think they’ll be able to command more next time out.

After struggling in his final year with Washington, Schultz has rebounded well with Seattle when it comes to his production, notching 34 points last season and is on a similar pace this year.  That, coupled with being a right-shot player, should give him a good market next summer which might allow him to land a small raise.  Megna was acquired before the trade deadline last season but has played just six times with his new team (including playoffs), all of which came last year.  Unless something changes, he’s likely to stay close to the league minimum.

Driedger landed this contract after a strong showing as Florida’s backup for a year and a half but things haven’t gone well with Seattle.  He struggled in his first year, then tore his ACL at the Worlds, causing him to miss most of last season; the bit he did play was in the AHL.  That’s where he is now as well, leaving a $2.35MM dead cap charge while he’s down there.  He should still land a seven-figure one-way contract next summer but something closer to the $1.5MM mark could be doable.

Signed Through 2024-25

D William Borgen ($2.7MM, UFA)
G Joey Daccord ($1.2MM, UFA)
D Brian Dumoulin ($3.15MM, UFA)
F Yanni Gourde ($5.167MM, UFA)
D Adam Larsson ($4MM, UFA)
F Brandon Tanev ($3.5MM, UFA)

Gourde was another one of Tampa Bay’s cap casualties with Seattle picking him up in expansion.  He has put up back-to-back 48-point seasons with the Kraken while being a key two-way center along the way, just as he was with the Lightning.  Unless he can get back to the 60-point level he reached in his first full NHL campaign, it’s hard to see a sizable raise coming his way but another long-term deal around this price point could be doable if he stays close to the 50-point mark.  Tanev, when healthy, has been more productive with Seattle compared to his time with Pittsburgh and Winnipeg despite having the same type of role.  That said, with the injuries and his bottom-six role, it seems unlikely that he’ll be able to command a big raise either.  That said, another deal in this range could work, if he can stay healthy.

Larsson has done quite well with a much bigger role since signing with Seattle, posting back-to-back career years offensively while logging over 23 minutes a night on average.  This is more like what New Jersey was expecting when he was the fourth overall pick in 2011.  If Larsson can continue to produce at that rate while remaining a key shutdown defender, he could push for closer to $6MM on his next contract.

Dumoulin joined Seattle this summer in free agency after a down year with Pittsburgh.  His ATOI is down around five minutes a night from last year as he has primarily been on the third pairing.  If that holds up, he’ll be hard-pressed to get an offer near this price as third-pairing players are closer to the $2MM mark now on the open market.  Borgen landed this deal on the heels of an arbitration filing thanks to a career year on the offensive front where he had 20 points.  However, for someone whose usage is fairly limited (generally below 17 minutes a night), it’s hard to see a scenario where he can command much more than that on the open market unless there’s a team that’s confident he can play in the top four.

Daccord was someone who benefitted from the increased value of third-string goalies, getting a seven-figure one-way deal despite playing in just ten NHL games combined over the past two seasons.  Now set as the backup, he could position himself to double this price tag if he holds that role through the end of 2024-25.

Signed Through 2025-26

F Oliver Bjorkstrand ($5.4MM, UFA)
D Jamie Oleksiak ($4.6MM, UFA)
F Jaden Schwartz ($5.5MM, UFA)

Schwartz was somewhat of a surprising signing after Seattle didn’t spend much in the expansion draft.  When healthy, he’s a capable top-six piece and while he managed to put up 21 goals last season, he has missed double-digit games in each of the last three seasons.  He’ll need to stay healthy more consistently to have a chance at eclipsing this price tag next time out.  Bjorkstrand was a cap casualty in Columbus and while his output dipped in his first year with the Kraken, he still put up his fourth 20-goal season out of the last five years.  If he continues at that pace, he could be in line for a contract similar to this one in 2026.

Oleksiak’s contract felt like an overpayment at the time for someone who hadn’t been in the top four a lot.  However, he has filled that role relatively well with Seattle while continuing to be one of the better shot-blockers.  This deal still is a bit high with the limited offense he brings to the table but it’s not a negative-value pact either.  He’ll be 33 when this contract is up, however, which could restrict his price tag somewhat.

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