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Kraken Prospect Eduard Sale Officially Commits To OHL

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Dating back to last season, it was expected that winger Eduard Sale would play with OHL Barrie for the 2023-24 campaign.  That is now confirmed to be the case as the Colts announced that the Kraken first-rounder has officially committed to the team.

The 18-year-old was the 20th overall selection back in June after a season that didn’t help his draft stock.  Sale entered the year as a potential top-ten pick with some early rankings having him closer to the top five.  He spent last season playing in the Czech Extraliga playing against pros and not surprisingly, his offensive numbers didn’t exactly stand out as he notched just seven goals and seven assists in 43 games.

However, against his own age level, Sale fared much better.  He had six points in seven games at the World Juniors and then followed that up with six more in five contests at the World Under-18s in May, the final tournament before the draft.

Seattle has already signed Sale to his entry-level deal but assuming he doesn’t play in ten or more NHL games this coming season, his contract will slide a year.  As a result, it will still have three years remaining heading into the 2024-25 campaign.

Seattle Kraken Sign Devin Shore

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The Seattle Kraken announced they’ve signed forward Devin Shore to a one-year, two-way contract today. The deal will carry the league minimum cap hit of $775K. PuckPedia reports his minor-league salary is $250K.

Shore will now look to crack a deep Kraken forward group that has remained largely unchanged since the end of last season. It’s a group that boasted multiple 20-goal scorers up and down the lineup and earned them their first playoff series victory in franchise history.

Shore’s played in nine NHL seasons dating back to a three-game stint with the Dallas Stars in 2015-16. He would then play in all 82 games for the Stars the following two seasons before making short stops with the Anaheim Ducks and Columbus Blue Jackets prior to COVID-19 pausing league operations in 2020. He would then sign as a free agent with the Edmonton Oilers shortly before the 2020-21 campaign began, where he spent the last three seasons.

He opened his full-time NHL career with back-to-back 30-point seasons in 2017 and 2018 but has since slipped out of an everyday role in the lineup. He’s gone on to post 50 goals and 135 points in 422 career games, but he scored just once and added eight assists for nine points in 47 games with the Oilers last season. As a result, he was assigned to the minors for a five-game stint with AHL Bakersfield for the first time in seven years.

A winger who can chip in at the bottom of the lineup, Shore will be hard-pressed to make the Kraken out of camp. The edge on any spots will likely go to 2022 fourth-overall pick Shane Wright and veteran utility forward Pierre-Édouard Bellemare, whom the team signed to a one-year, one-way deal earlier this summer. If he’s placed on waivers and clears, he’ll likely suit up for the majority of 2023-24 with the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds.

Burakovsky Skating, Should Be Ready For Training Camp

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  • Kraken winger Andre Burakovsky has resumed skating as he works his way back from a torn groin muscle he sustained back in February, notes Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times. The hope is that the 28-year-old will be fully recovered for training camp next month.  Burakovsky led Seattle in scoring at the time of his injury with 39 points in 49 games and was expected to be back just after the trade deadline which played a role in the team opting to not make an addition up front.  However, he wound up suffering a setback and underwent surgery which ended his season.

Seattle Loans Niklas Kokko To Finnish League

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While the Kraken signed prospect goaltender Niklas Kokko to his entry-level deal back in May, he won’t be making his North American debut right away.  Instead, CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that Seattle has loaned him back to Karpat in Finland for the upcoming season.

The 19-year-old was a second-round pick by the Kraken back in 2022 (58th overall) after a strong showing with Karpat’s Under-20 team.  Last season, he moved up, splitting the year between Finland’s top two professional divisions, getting into nine appearances in the top-level Liiga and 14 more in the second-tier Mestis, posting save percentages of .901 and .903 respectively at the two levels.

While Kokko is eligible to play in the AHL at 19 since he wasn’t drafted out of the CHL, he likely wouldn’t have received much playing time with Coachella Valley.  With Seattle bringing back Joey Daccord, either he or Chris Driedger will be the odd one out in training camp behind Philipp Grubauer with the loser of that battle ticketed for the Firebirds pending waivers.  Meanwhile, Ales Stezka is expected to play in the AHL this coming season after spending 2022-23 in his native Czechia.

That would have made Kokko the third-string option in the minors and faced between the options of giving him limited playing time in the AHL, regular minutes in the ECHL, or loaning him to stay at home, they’ve made what seems like the logical choice.  His contract, which officially begins this season, will instead slide a year and still have three years remaining on it heading into 2024-25.

AHL Coachella Valley Signs Jack LaFontaine

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The AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds have signed netminder Jack LaFontaine to a one-year contract, per the team, bringing the former Carolina Hurricanes draft pick into the Seattle Kraken organization.

A 2016 third-round pick, LaFontaine’s post-draft career got off to an inauspicious beginning at the University of Michigan for two seasons in a backup role. After then taking a year off from school to play in the BCHL, LaFontaine joined the University of Minnesota, where he became the team’s undisputed starter and, during the 2020-21 campaign, was arguably the best goalie in college hockey, posting a .934 save percentage and 22-7-0 record en route to winning the Mike Richter award for the NCAA’s top collegiate goalie.

His fifth season in college didn’t go quite well, posting a 2.69 goals-against average and .900 save percentage in 20 games before deciding to turn pro in the middle of the season and sign an entry-level contract with Carolina. He made two NHL appearances for them, stopping just 32 of 41 shots in 75 minutes of action. His time in the minors after signing didn’t go swimmingly, posting just a .885 save percentage and a 4-3-7 record in 13 games with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves.

The minor-league performance was discouraging enough for the Hurricanes to cut him loose at the end of the season, opting not to issue him a qualifying offer in favor of other goalies in the organization they believed had higher ceilings. It led to LaFontaine signing an AHL contract last summer with the Syracuse Crunch, the affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

He played just five games in Syracuse last season, instead spending most of 2022-23 in the ECHL with the Orlando Solar Bears, where he again struggled with a .898 save percentage and an 11-14-1 record. He did look much improved in his stint with Syracuse, though, posting a .924 save percentage and 2.36 goals-against average in his limited stint.

LaFontaine will now look to secure a backup role in Coachella Valley and get his career back on track. He’ll have to beat out Kraken free agent signing Ales Stezka for the job, though, and he’s coming over to North America after posting a .924 save percentage and 2.14 goals-against average in 39 games with HC Vítkovice in the Czech Extraliga last season.

August Free Agency Update: Pacific Division

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As even most mid-tier free agents are now off the market, it’s a good time to look at how each team has fared on the free agent market this offseason. We’re publishing a list of one-way signings (i.e., likelier to start the season on the NHL roster) by team, per division, to keep you updated on NHL player movement since the new league year began on July 1.

Asterisked players denote a restricted free agent. Double-asterisked players denote the contract starts in the 2024-25 season. We finish up with the Pacific Division. You can check out the list of Atlantic Division signings here, the list of Metropolitan Division signings here and the list of Central Division signings here.

Anaheim Ducks

*F Troy Terry (seven years, $7MM cap hit)
F Alex Killorn (four years, $6.25MM cap hit)
D Radko Gudas (three years, $4MM cap hit)
G Alex Stalock (one year, 35+ contract, $800K cap hit)
D Robert Hägg (one year, $775K cap hit)

Calgary Flames

D Jordan Oesterle (one year, $925K cap hit)

Edmonton Oilers

*F Ryan McLeod (two years, $2.1MM cap hit)
F Lane Pederson (two years, $775K cap hit)
F Connor Brown (one year, $775K cap hit)

Los Angeles Kings

**F Anze Kopitar (two years, 35+ contract, $7MM cap hit)
D Andreas Englund (two years, $1MM cap hit)
G Cam Talbot (one year, 35+ contract, $1MM cap hit)
G David Rittich (one year, $875K cap hit)
F Jaret Anderson-Dolan (one year, $775K cap hit)
F Trevor Lewis (one year, 35+ contract, $775K cap hit)
*D Tobias Björnfot (two years, $775K cap hit)

San Jose Sharks

G Mackenzie Blackwood (two years, $2.35MM cap hit)
*F Fabian Zetterlund (two years, $1.45MM cap hit)
D Kyle Burroughs (three years, $1.1MM cap hit)
F Filip Zadina (one year, $1.1MM cap hit)
F Givani Smith (two years, $800K cap hit)

Seattle Kraken

*D Vince Dunn (four years, $7.35MM cap hit)
D Brian Dumoulin (two years, $3.15MM cap hit)
*D William Borgen (two years, $2.7MM cap hit)
F Kailer Yamamoto (one year, $1.5MM cap hit)
*D Cale Fleury (two years, $800K cap hit)
F Pierre-Édouard Bellemare (one year, 35+ contract, $775K cap hit)

Vancouver Canucks

D Carson Soucy (three years, $3.25MM cap hit)
D Ian Cole (one year, $3MM cap hit)
F Teddy Blueger (one year, $1.9MM cap hit)
F Pius Suter (two years, $1.6MM cap hit)
*F Nils Höglander (two years, $1.1MM cap hit)

Vegas Golden Knights

*F Brett Howden (two years, $1.9MM cap hit)
*F Pavel Dorofeyev (one year, $825K cap hit)

Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly

Kraken Draft Pick Kyle Jackson Signs AHL Deal

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The AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds have signed one of their parent club’s prospects, forward Kyle Jackson, to an AHL contract for the 2023-24 season, according to a team announcement. Jackson will begin his pro career in the Seattle Kraken organization without burning a year of his NHL entry-level contract and suit up for the AHL’s defending Western Conference champions next season.

Jackson was passed over in the 2021 draft after COVID cost him the 2020-21 season but went off the board to the Kraken a year later, who selected him in the seventh round with the 196th overall pick. He built on some already strong production, finishing second on the OHL’s North Bay Battalion in scoring with 31 goals, 52 assists and 83 points in 67 games. He wraps up his junior career and turns pro with 71 goals, 99 assists and 170 points in 186 appearances with North Bay across four seasons.

Projecting NHL futures is always more difficult with overage picks, but Jackson’s back-to-back point-per-game seasons after his initially eligible draft year is a good sign – especially after losing a full season to COVID. Standing at 6-foot-2 and 192 pounds, the 20-year-old’s hallmark is his puck skills. He’s a solid playmaker and is skilled at making plays in tight while maintaining possession.

Seattle must sign Jackson by June 1 of next year to retain his exclusive signing rights, meaning Jackson’s rookie year in the pros carries some added pressure. He’ll need to show some signs that his game can translate to the pro level to earn an entry-level contract from Seattle at some time over the next ten months.

A Case For Joey Daccord To Win The Backup Goalie Battle

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  • Seattle is one of the teams where the backup goalie is not yet set in stone for next season with veteran Chris Driedger set to battle the recently re-signed Joey Daccord for the spot. Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times suggests that the Kraken would be better off with Daccord in the second-string position from an organizational depth perspective since there’s much less of a risk of Driedger and his $3.5MM AAV being claimed than it is for Daccord and his $1.2MM price tag.  Daccord was the better of the two goalies with AHL Coachella Valley last season but Driedger’s NHL career numbers (2.45 GAA, .917 SV% in 65 games) are certainly better than Daccord’s (3.64 GAA, .884 SV% in 19 appearances).

Seattle To Bid For 2026 World Juniors

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  • Seattle will be entering a bid to host the 2026 World Juniors, reports NHL Network’s Jon Morosi (Twitter link). If their proposal is accepted, Climate Pledge Arena – the home of the Kraken – would be one of the host facilities which means the Kraken would be eyeing a long road trip during the event.  A decision on the host city for the event is expected later this year.

Dunn: Chance To Land One More Big Contract Later Played Role In Four-Year Term

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  • Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn met with the media today including Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times following his four-year, $29.4MM contract from last week. The medium-term agreement raised some eyebrows and Dunn acknowledged that a factor was the possibility to try to land another sizable deal when he’s 30 in what should be a bigger salary cap environment.  Dunn did make it clear that he has no desire to leave Seattle when his contract expires in the 2027 offseason.

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