Injury Notes: Kraken, Sharks, Sebastian Aho
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:
- The San Jose Sharks have announced that forward Filip Zadina is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Zadina left the team’s Friday night game against the Montreal Canadiens and is out of their Saturday game. The Sharks also shared that Jan Rutta and Alexander Barabanov have returned to practice. Both players have been working back from upper-body injuries.
- The New York Islanders have shared that defenseman Sebastian Aho has suffered an upper-body injury and is out indefinitely. The defender left the team’s Friday night game early on. He has played in 19 games this season, scoring four points and recording six penalty minutes.
Seattle Kraken Assign Chris Driedger To AHL
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
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
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.
Kraken Recall Andrew Poturalski, Send Shane Wright and Ryan Winterton Down
The Seattle Kraken have recalled forward Andrew Poturalski to the NHL lineup, while sending down the rookie duo of Shane Wright and Ryan Winterton. Both Wright and Winterton appeared in three games with Seattle this season, with both players going without a point and recording a -1.
Seattle will now look to Poturalski to provide a spark. The 29-year-old centerman currently has seven points through 10 games in the AHL. It’s a slight step down from the scoring pace he recorded last season when he tallied 42 points in 38 AHL games. He also added 12 points in 16 playoff games. Poturalski signed with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2016, following the end of the University of New Hampshire’s season. He’s an undrafted free agent who’s spent much of his career in the minors, although Carolina did provide him with four NHL games over his seven years with the club. He recorded two assists and a -4 in those games but is still looking for his first NHL goal. Poturalski was also briefly a part of the Ducks organization from 2019 to 2021, before returning to the Hurricanes depth charts and then signing with the Kraken last summer.
The Kraken are currently facing injuries to Jordan Eberle and Andre Burakovsky. Eberle is nearing a return to play, finally shedding his no-contact jersey at practice, but Burakovsky is still out long-term. The winger is expected to return in December, after sustaining an upper-body injury early in the season.
This move also rejoins Wright and Winterton with Coachella Valley, where both players have had success through the early season. Wright has recorded six points in seven AHL games, while Winterton has five points. This is Winterton’s first season of professional hockey, after playing in the OHL last season, while Wright appeared in 39 pro games between the NHL regular season, AHL regular season, and AHL playoffs last year.
Eberle, Tanev Back At Practice For Kraken
- Some notable additions to the Seattle Kraken practice were Brandon Tanev and Jordan Eberle, who is now without a non-contact jersey, respectively (X Link). Eberle has gotten off to a relatively slow start with the Kraken this year, Eberle has scored four points in 13 games, coupled with a -8 rating already this season.
[SOURCE LINK]
Seattle Kraken Reassign Devin Shore
The Seattle Kraken have reassigned forward Devin Shore to their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
Forward Brandon Tanev, who has been out with an injury since October 10th, was a full participant in practice today in Seattle. In order to activate him and return him to coach Dave Hakstol’s lineup, the team needed to clear a roster spot, so Shore is headed to the AHL.
Shore has been with the Kraken since October and played in the team’s game last night against the Edmonton Oilers. A veteran bottom-six center, Shore has 431 career NHL games on his resume. He scored one goal and two points with the Kraken this season, skating in a total of nine games.
He spent last season as a depth forward for the Oilers, scoring nine points in 47 games. Shore hasn’t been a full-time AHLer ever in his career, so it’s likely that he’ll find his way back to the Kraken roster at some point this season.
Jordan Eberle Day-To-Day After Suffering Cut At Practice
The Seattle Kraken have shared that Jordan Eberle is doing alright after suffering a deep cut at the team’s Wednesday practice. He won’t play in the Kraken’s Thursday matchup against the Colorado Avalanche but is otherwise considered day-to-day by the team. The Kraken recalled Shane Wright and Ryan Winterton to the NHL lineup in response to Eberle’s injury.
Eberle has appeared in 13 games with the Kraken this season, netting four points, nine penalty minutes, and a -8. He’s appeared in roles throughout the Kraken lineup through the early season, as head coach Dave Hakstol has tried to help Eberle get it going. The 33-year-old winger scored 20 goals and 63 points in 82 games last season, ranking third on the team in scoring and fourth in goal-scoring. It also tied for Eberle’s second-highest scoring season and marked his first time scoring 60 or more points since 2014-15, when he was still with the Edmonton Oilers.
The Kraken received a waiver to the NHL/CHL transfer agreement that would have required Wright to be assigned to the OHL if he didn’t make the Kraken roster out of training camp. As a result, he’s started the season with the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds, where he’s scored four goals and six points in seven games. He’s tied for the Firebirds lead in goals. Wright will likely draw into the lineup if Eberle can’t go. He appeared in eight games last season, scoring two points.
Kraken Recall Shane Wright And Ryan Winterton
Seattle has added some reinforcements to its roster in advance of their game tomorrow against Colorado. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled forwards Shane Wright and Ryan Winterton from AHL Coachella Valley.
Wright was the fourth overall selection back in 2022 but wasn’t deemed to be ready for full-time action in the NHL. Since he wasn’t eligible to play in the minors on a full-time basis, Seattle gave him spot duty in the NHL (eight games where he had a goal and an assist) plus a one-time conditioning assignment in the minors until the World Juniors. After that event, he was sent back to major junior where he had 37 points in 20 games. Once his Kingston team was eliminated, he became eligible to play in the minors and played in all 24 postseason contests with the Firebirds, notching nine points.
Following training camp, Seattle successfully received a waiver for Wright to play in Coachella Valley this season over returning for what would have been his final season in junior. He’s off to a nice start in the minors this season, picking up six points in his first seven games, putting him tied for fourth on the team in scoring.
As Wright doesn’t turn 20 until early January, the nine-game threshold for junior-aged players still comes into play. Wright can play up to nine times for Seattle this season without officially burning the first year of his entry-level contract. Accordingly, it wouldn’t be surprising if this winds up being a shorter-term recall, one that lets them evaluate where he’s at before returning him to the Firebirds where he’d receive more playing time. Should he play in ten or more games, the next threshold to watch for would be 40 games on the NHL roster at which point he’d receive a year of service time towards free agent eligibility.
As for Winterton, the 20-year-old was a third-round pick by the Kraken in 2021 and he certainly has outperformed that draft slot. While injuries limited him to just 34 regular season games with OHL London last year, he was quite impactful during the Knights’ playoff run. During that time, he picked up 13 goals and 16 assists in 21 games to lead the league in playoff scoring.
Winterton is now in his first professional campaign and is off to a good start as well, collecting three goals and two helpers in his first seven games. Unlike Wright, the nine-game threshold doesn’t matter for Winterton.
Seattle had two vacant roster spots so no corresponding moves needed to be made to add Wright and Winterton to the active roster. One of them seems likely to replace Jordan Eberle; Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times reports that the winger suffered a cut from a skate blade to the upper part of his leg in practice today. He underwent tests to determine the severity of the injury although GM Ron Francis feels the worst-case scenario was avoided.
Andre Burakovsky To Miss Six To Eight Weeks
It has been a rough start to Seattle’s season offensively as the Kraken have just 11 goals in six games. Things are about to get even tougher on that front as Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times reports that winger Andre Burakovsky will miss the next six to eight weeks with an upper-body injury.
The injury occurred in last night’s loss to the Rangers as he exited after a hit from Jacob Trouba, playing just 6:05. The 28-year-old had 39 points in 49 games last season, finishing second on the Kraken in points per game behind only Jared McCann but was unable to suit up in the playoffs due to the torn groin that kept him out for the stretch run.
Like many Seattle players, Burakovsky had gotten off to a slow start this year with just two helpers in his first six contests. Nevertheless, losing a top-six forward is never ideal for a team, especially one that has struggled so much out of the gate from a production standpoint.
GM Ron Francis indicated that a recall is likely to come at some point to take Burakovsky’s spot on the roster but not necessarily right away. For now, at least, Devin Shore should come into the lineup. Seattle is about to begin a four-game road trip on Tuesday and since they have 19 healthy skaters for now (with one extra defenseman), a call-up from AHL Coachella Valley isn’t necessarily needed right away. Francis acknowledged they might take a wait-and-see approach on that front to see when a replacement for Burakovsky on the roster will be needed.
Seattle has just one victory so far this season and now, the task of getting back on track just got a little harder now that they’ll be without one of their better wingers in Burakovsky until some point in December.