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Francis: Still Looking To Add Depth Players, Not Ruling Out Donato Returning

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After acquiring winger Oliver Bjorkstrand from Columbus on Friday, the heavy lifting for Seattle’s offseason appears to be done.  However, GM Ron Francis told reporters, including Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times, that he’s still open to adding another depth defenseman and another depth forward.  The team has roughly $3.6MM in cap space per CapFriendly with Morgan Geekie still needing a new contract that will cut into that cap space.  Ryan Donato was an intriguing non-tender earlier this month likely due to his arbitration eligibility despite recording 16 goals and 15 assists (good for sixth in team scoring) and Francis indicated that the door is still open to his return as well at the right price.

More from the Pacific Division:

  • With the Oilers being among the teams that are still looking to clear out some money this summer, Bruce McCurdy of the Edmonton Journal posits that the cleanest option for Edmonton might be to move winger Warren Foegele. Acquired in a trade from Carolina last summer, the 26-year-old signed a three-year, $7.5MM deal that has two seasons remaining.  Foegele had 26 points in 82 games last season but posted 127 hits (a new career-high) which could be of interest to teams looking for some grit in the bottom six.  Edmonton still has to re-sign forwards Jesse Puljujarvi, Ryan McLeod, and Kailer Yamamoto and are basically down to the LTIR space from Oscar Klefbom and Mike Smith ($6.367MM combined).  It will be difficult to sign those three with that money so finding a spot for Foegele would certainly help their cause.
  • Winger Ty Ronning expressed an interest in signing with Vancouver this summer to play with AHL Abbotsford, notes Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province. However, the team indicated that their preference was to focus on the development of their prospects which would have limited Ronning’s playing time and resulted in him signing with Minnesota’s farm team instead.  The 24-year-old spent five years with WHL Vancouver so joining the Canucks would have been a homecoming of sorts.

Seattle Kraken Acquire Oliver Bjorkstrand

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After today’s signing of Patrik Laine, the Blue Jackets badly needed to create cap space. They’ve now done so, sending winger Oliver Bjorkstrand to the Seattle Kraken in exchange for a 2023 third-round pick and a 2023 fourth-round pick.

This trade is another example of just how difficult it is for teams trading established players to get large compensation packages in return. Bjorkstrand is a 27-year-old forward who just set career highs in production in 2021-22. Bjorkstrand scored 28 goals and 57 points in 80 games last year, which ranked second on the Blue Jackets behind Jakub Voracek. Bjorkstrand’s contract is $5.4MM for the next four seasons, taking him to his age-31 campaign.

That’s a reasonable, affordable cost for a player like Bjorkstrand, which is perhaps why he’s the player Columbus had to trade. The trade of Bjorkstrand indicates that the team may have found there was not much appetite for their other highly-priced forwards like Voracek and Gustav Nyquist, despite Nyquist and Voracek each being productive and having less term on their contracts than Bjorkstrand.

For Columbus, this is a deal fans won’t be celebrating, but it’s also one they’ll understand as the cost of doing business at the top of the free agent market. The Blue Jackets landed perhaps the most talented player in their franchise’s history, Johnny Gaudreau, on a major contract earlier this month. It’s likely that seeing Gaudreau light the lamp repeatedly in Columbus will ease the pain of losing a reasonably-priced top-six winger for just two mid-round picks.

For the Kraken, adding Bjorkstrand at such an affordable asset cost is another solid addition for a team desperate to improve on last season’s lackluster scoring attack. With Bjorkstrand in the fold and free agent signing Andre Burakovsky arriving from Colorado, Dave Hakstol will have no shortage of options for who he wants to flank his two highly-drafted young centers in Matty Beniers and Shane Wright.

Seattle Kraken Sign Carsen Twarynski, Kole Lind

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6:37 pm: CapFriendly reports that Lind’s deal has an AHL salary of $150K with $175K guaranteed, while Twarynski’s deal has an AHL salary of $110K.

2:55 pm: The Seattle Kraken have agreed to terms with two of their restricted free agents, reaching one-year, two-way deals with Kole Lind and Carsen Twarynski. Both players were eligible for arbitration but did not file. Stephen Whyno of The Associated Press reports that Lind’s deal will carry an NHL salary of $850K, while Twarynski’s is the league minimum of $750K.

Lind, 23, was selected from the Vancouver Canucks in last year’s expansion draft and ended up playing 23 games for the Kraken. He scored eight points in those games despite limited minutes and actually is showing a bit of upside as a potential full-time option for the team moving forward. In the minor leagues, the winger scored 17 goals and 35 points in 46 games while racking up a team-leading 106 penalty minutes.

That included multiple fighting majors, as the hard-nosed winger continued to play a physical brand of hockey despite not being the biggest player on the ice. If he can continue to bring that kind of versatility, a bottom-six role seems like a realistic outcome this season if he can prove himself in camp.

Twarynski, another original Kraken, was the team’s pick from the Philadelphia Flyers in the expansion draft last year despite not showing a ton of offensive upside so far in his professional career. That continued this year with just five goals and 18 points in 71 games with the Charlotte Checkers, making him a potential non-tender candidate.

Instead, he’ll be coming back to the organization and is likely headed for the minor leagues once again, this time with the Coachella Valley Firebirds in their inaugural season. The 24-year-old forward does have 22 games of NHL experience with Philadelphia but hasn’t really shown anything other than physicality in those matches, registering just a single goal.

Morgan Geekie Files For Salary Arbitration

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The National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA) announced that 24 players have filed for player-elected salary arbitration, the deadline for which came this afternoon. This list is not necessarily the final and complete list of players headed for arbitration, with clubs now eligible to elect salary arbitration until tomorrow, July 18th at 5:00 pm ET.

Mason Appleton (WPG)

Ethan Bear (CAR)

Jesper Bratt (NJD)

Lawson Crouse (ARI)

Morgan Geekie (SEA)

Mathieu Joseph (OTT)

Kaapo Kahkonen (SJS)

Kasperi Kapanen (PIT)

Keegan Kolesar (VGK)

Oliver Kylington (CGY)

Maxime Lajoie (CAR)

Steven Lorentz (SJS)

Isac Lundestrom (ANA)

Zack MacEwen (PHI)

Niko Mikkola (STL)

Andrew Mangiapane (CGY)

Matthew Phillips (CGY)

Jesse Puljujarvi (EDM)

Tyce Thompson (NJD)

Yakov Trenin (NSH)

Vitek Vanecek (NJD)

Jake Walman (DET)

Kailer Yamamoto (EDM)

Pavel Zacha (BOS)

Notably out of this list, Mikkola had previously filed for arbitration, but the two sides were able to settle on a one-year, $1.9MM contract that will leave the defenseman an UFA after next season.

A key distinction to add is that any player who has filed for arbitration is no longer eligible to sign an offer sheet, effectively taking the players on this list off the market. Three notable names that did not file for arbitration are Winnipeg Jets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois, Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk and Columbus Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine. Though contract talks have been quiet on Dubois and Tkachuck, word of amicable discussions between Laine’s camp and Columbus has been made known. Once tomorrow’s club-elected salary arbitration deadline passes, teams and players will have time to prepare their cases before hearings begin, running from July 27th through August 11th.

Seattle Kraken Sign John Hayden

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Last night, PuckPedia reported that John Hayden had signed a one-year two-way contract with the Seattle Kraken, and today the team confirmed the deal. Hayden will earn $750K at the NHL level and $325K in the AHL.

Now 27, Hayden played this season with the Buffalo Sabres, racking up 84 penalty minutes in 55 games. The 6’3″ forward has morphed into something of an enforcer type, after finding it difficult to contribute much offense in the NHL. A star for Yale University, he has just 15 goals and 35 points in 240 NHL games.

Still, it’s not like he’s been toiling in the minor leagues during that time. Hayden has just 24 games played in the AHL, all of them coming during his 2017-18 rookie season. Since then, he has been bouncing around the league but staying in the NHL, playing for the Chicago Blackhawks, New Jersey Devils, Arizona Coyotes, and Sabres over the last four seasons.

In Seattle, it’s hard to see him landing a full-time role but he might be able to stick around as a 13th or 14th forward, moving in and out of the lineup when necessary. No longer waiver-exempt, he would have to clear to be assigned to the minor leagues.

Seattle Kraken Sign Four Players

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The Seattle Kraken have inked a pair of draft picks, signing Jacob Melanson and Ryan Winterton to three-year, entry-level contracts. Both players were selected in the 2021 draft and are still eligible to return to their junior teams this season, allowing these entry-level deals to slide forward.

Melanson, selected 131st overall in 2021, broke out this season with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the QMJHL, scoring 35 goals in just 54 regular season games. That was enough to earn the fifth-round pick this entry-level deal, though before he has any thought of professional hockey, he’ll have to go back and prove he can take his game to an even higher level in 2022-23.

Winterton meanwhile was picked much higher, 67th in 2021, and had an even better season for the Hamilton Bulldogs. The OHL champion posted 20 goals and 46 points in 37 games, while adding another 19 in 18 playoff games en route to the Memorial Cup finals. The young forward won’t turn 19 until September 4, a birthday that made him one of the very youngest players in the entire 2021 draft class. His future looks bright at the moment and the reward of an entry-level contract is a nice piece of motivation for his next OHL season.

The team has also announced contracts for Austin Poganski and Cameron Hughes, as they continue to load up their minor league system in preparation for the first season for the Coachella Valley Firebirds. Poganski has signed for one year, while Hughes is getting a two-year deal.

Filling an entire minor league roster is no joke, so Poganski and Hughes should both get lots of ice time with the Firebirds. Neither one should really be challenging for an NHL roster spot though, with very limited experience at that level. Poganski played 16 games for the Winnipeg Jets this year but failed to record a since point (he now has zero through 22 career matches), while Hughes has played just two games at the NHL level (and also has zero points).

Seattle Kraken Sign Martin Jones

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Official now, Martin Jones is joining the Seattle Kraken on a one-year, $2MM contract for next season. The deal comes on the heels of Chris Driedger’s ACL injury and gives the Kraken a veteran backup for Philipp Grubauer.

Jones, 32, was once considered a legitimate workhorse starter in the league, playing in at least 60 games for four straight seasons during his time with the San Jose Sharks. There were good results too, including some long playoff runs with those impressive teams. Unfortunately, it has been quite a while since he’s even been close to league average in his performance, posting four straight years with a save percentage of .900 or below.

This season, for the Philadelphia Flyers, he had a .900 even in 35 appearances. While that 6’4″ athletic frame can still show flashes of the goalie he once was, there are too many times when pucks leak through Jones or he is caught out of position.

With a $2MM cap hit, Jones should be the regular NHL backup, though it is interesting the Kraken signed him at all. They already had Joey Daccord in the system, and inked free agent goalie Magnus Hellberg earlier today. You could argue that either one is probably a better option than Jones right now (even with their relative inexperience), and both will be subject to waivers should the team try to send them to the minor leagues.

Given Grubauer’s significant struggles last season, the goaltending position in Seattle is by no means settled at the moment. He will get the lion’s share of the work but if the team has to deal with another year of the worst save percentage in the league, it’s difficult to know how they’ll be anywhere near competitive.

Seattle Kraken Sign Hellberg, Rafferty, Froden

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The Seattle Kraken have added some interesting names at league-minimum prices, signing Jesper Froden, Magnus Hellberg, and Brogan Rafferty for $750K each. Froden and Rafferty are both coming to Seattle on two-way deals, while Hellberg is on a one-way contract.

Hellberg gives Seattle four(!) goalies on one-way contracts. While it’ll only be three healthy ones for the beginning of the season as Chris Driedger remains injured, it’s still something most would classify as overkill. Without a bevy of goalie prospects in the organization due to the team’s young age, though, they need depth at the position. Hellberg will likely start the season in Coachella Valley alongside Joey Daccord.

Froden had a successful first season in North America last year, notching 16 goals and 34 points in 49 games with the Providence Bruins. Scoring a goal in seven games with Boston during a brief NHL showing, Froden didn’t look entirely out of place. He’ll be counted on to play a big role for the inaugural Coachella Valley Firebirds.

Rafferty, now 27, had a disappointing year in San Diego last season after basically losing the entire 2020-21 year being on Vancouver’s taxi squad. He’ll move on from the Anaheim Ducks organization after just one season and look to rebound with a bigger AHL role in Seattle.

Shane Wright Signs Entry-Level Contract

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The Seattle Kraken have signed their top draft choice, Shane Wright, to a three-year entry-level contract. The young forward was selected fourth overall earlier this month.

Wright has a lot to prove after falling out of the top three, an unexpected result for not only him but most of the hockey world. He’ll now get a chance to become one of the first franchise icons in Seattle, if he can live up to the expectations that have been on him since he was in minor hockey.

For the Kraken, the idea of slotting in Wright and Matty Beniers down the middle for the next decade is extremely appealing, though there may be a steep learning curve this season with the youngsters in the lineup every night.

That is of course assuming Wright makes the Kraken. As an 18-year-old, he can’t be assigned to the minor leagues, meaning it’s either Seattle or Kingston for the young forward.

Seattle Kraken Sign Andre Burakovsky

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The Seattle Kraken are getting a big free agent name yet again, signing winger Andre Burakovsky to a five-year deal worth a total of $27.5MM.

It’s an interesting move for the Kraken, who seem to be set on surrounding some of their elite young players with enough talent to be competitive. Burakovsky can potentially join a player like Matthew Beniers in his first full season, giving him a skilled winger that can contribute at both ends of the rink. The 27-year-old had 22 goals and 61 points this season, career-highs in both categories.

Still, even with that strong performance, there has still been criticism of inconsistency levied at the Austrian forward. Burakovsky can go through stretches where he seems extremely ineffective, only to then take over a game completely the next night. Standing 6’3″ with good speed and hands, there has always seemed to be no limit on what he could become at the NHL level.

Perhaps his time in Colorado has truly unlocked that potential and the Kraken are getting a player who has scored at an impeccable rate over the last three seasons. Since joining the Avalanche in 2019, Burakovsky has 150 points in 191 games, numbers that Seattle would obviously welcome with open arms.

A five-year deal carries plenty of risk though, especially if he reverts to the player that had just 25 points in 76 games for the Washington Capitals in 2018-19. Burakovsky is now tied for the highest-paid forward on the Kraken, and signed as long as anyone else on the roster.

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