Earlier today, the American Hockey League announced a major award winner from the 2022-23 season, naming Tye Kartye of the Coachella Valley Firebirds as the Dudley (Red) Garrett Memorial Award winner, which goes to the league’s most outstanding rookie each season. Kartye is under contract with the Seattle Kraken of the NHL, signing towards the end of last season after a three-year stint for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the OHL.
Kraken Rumors
PHR Playoff Primer: Colorado Avalanche vs. Seattle Kraken
With the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs now underway, PHR makes its first foray into playoff series analysis with our 2023 Playoff Primers. Where does each team stand in their series, and what storylines could dominate on and off the ice? We wrap up our First Round coverage with the Central Division matchup between the Colorado Avalanche and Seattle Kraken.
Some in NHL circles had optimistic expectations for the initial Seattle Kraken roster after their expansion draft and free agency period. While there were notable names general manager Ron Francis opted not to add to his lineup, the team he constructed was analytically sound and, if their transition game held up, could be competitive in a weak Western Conference.
Needless to say, it didn’t turn out that way. A finish near the bottom of the league gave Seattle two high-end center prospects in their first two drafts, with one of them the frontrunner for this year’s Calder Trophy. Slightly improved goaltending and high-end depth scoring have positioned the Kraken as the most-improved expansion team from year 1 to 2 in NHL history, but their first foray into the postseason won’t be easy.
Despite finishing with 100 points, Seattle failed to clinch a divisional playoff spot thanks to other divisional rivals going on massive winning streaks at the right time. Unfortunately, that means they face off against the Colorado Avalanche, who finished third in the conference despite significant injuries and, if you happened to forget, are the defending Stanley Cup champions.
Regular Season Performance
Colorado: 51-24-7, 109 points, +54 goal differential
Seattle: 46-28-8, 100 points, +33 goal differential
Head-To-Head
October 21, 2022: Seattle 3, Colorado 2
January 21, 2023: Colorado 2, Seattle 1 (SO)
March 5, 2023: Seattle 3, Colorado 2 (OT)
Seattle takes the season series 2-0-1
Team Storylines
Seattle will need all hands on deck if they’re to win their first-ever playoff series against Colorado. The Avalanche are as healthy as they’re going to get to start the postseason, and they finished the regular season on an 8-1-1 tear.
That means a lot of pressure on rookie Matthew Beniers, the presumptive Calder Trophy winner who centers the team’s top line between Jared McCann and Jordan Eberle. He finished fourth on the team in scoring with 57 points in 80 games, but it’s his strong two-way game that grabbed the attention of most this season, especially for such a young player.
It begs the question — will Beniers see matchups against Nathan MacKinnon? If so, can his promising defensive analytics yield success for the Kraken in helping to slow down one of the best playoff performers in recent memory? Few would be surprised to see coach Dave Hakstol utilize a more experienced option at center against MacKinnon, such as Alexander Wennberg or Yanni Gourde, but Beniers’ all-around play in the regular season has earned him a chance at heavy usage in the playoffs.
The larger factor that could lead to a Kraken upset, though, is their well-balanced attack. Seattle had six 20-goal scorers this season, including bottom-six talents Oliver Bjorkstrand and Daniel Sprong. While goals from your bottom six are generally a key to success in the playoffs, some numbers suggest the Kraken have scored more goals than they’ve earned. The Kraken scored 32.6 goals above expected at even-strength this season, per MoneyPuck, leading the league by a wide margin. If their elite finishing runs dry, it could be a quick exit for Seattle.
In net for Seattle will be Philipp Grubauer, who had some decent playoff outings in past years while a member of the Avalanche. He’s seemed to regain some of his former touch after an incredibly disappointing first year with the Kraken, posting a 14-7-3 record and .902 save percentage in 26 games since the calendar turned to 2023.
For Seattle to pull off the upset, he’ll need to match his Colorado counterpart. Alexandar Georgiev has quietly given the Avalanche high-end goaltending in his first season with the team. The 27-year-old silenced all doubts by starting 62 games, leading the league with 40 wins, and stopping 21.9 goals above expected (MoneyPuck). He’ll be making his first career playoff start tonight, though, only appearing in two games in relief during last year’s playoff run with the New York Rangers.
Colorado’s secondary objective in this series, other than continuing their championship defense, will be to escape without another significant injury. They’ll be without captain Gabriel Landeskog for the entire postseason, and all of their right-side defenders (Cale Makar, Bowen Byram, and Josh Manson) have missed significant periods of time.
Staying healthy allows Colorado to match Seattle at their strength — scoring from the middle six. Colorado’s top talent obviously overtakes that of Seattle, and while only Artturi Lehkonen registered 20 goals this year outside of MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, a healthy group of depth forwards can still score enough to give Colorado a series win.
Prediction
There’s no question the Kraken will come out excited, especially given their opponent. But hoping for some expansion team magic in the style of the Vegas Golden Knights’ first playoff appearance may be a little misguided.
Questions about consistency in goal still plague the Kraken, and, if Georgiev maintains his regular season performance, are enough to be the difference in this series alone. Colorado’s healthy top four on defense still remains the best in the West and are a viable antidote to Seattle’s consistent offense.
The prediction: Colorado wins in five games.
Andre Burakovsky To Miss Start Of Playoffs
Seattle Kraken winger Andre Burakovsky won’t be available next week when the team plays their first-ever postseason games, the team announced early Friday morning.
Burakovsky, 28, underwent a surgical procedure to address a recurring lower-body injury, the team said. He has not played since February 7, when he sustained the injury after playing just 21 seconds in a game against the New York Islanders.
While Seattle doesn’t know their first-round opponent yet, it will be one of the Colorado Avalanche or Dallas Stars, both well-rounded teams with playoff experience. Burakovsky’s offense is a major loss, as his 39 points in 49 games ranked second on the team in points per game this season (0.80).
If there is a team built to withstand the loss of a top-six forward, though, it’s Seattle. Depth scoring has been their hallmark this year, with only one of their 12 regular forwards (Morgan Geekie) failing to pot 10 goals this season. Even then, Geekie scored nine in 69 games.
It’s a tough pill to swallow for Burakovsky as well, who might miss a chance to play a series against the team he won a Stanley Cup with just last season. After a career-high 61 points with Colorado last year, Burakovsky signed a five-year, $27.5MM contract with Seattle in free agency.
Seattle didn’t issue a timeline for his return, but it seems unlikely they’ll have his services at any time during the first round. If Burakovsky is to play again this season, he’ll likely need to have his teammates rally for a major upset.
Seattle Kraken Sign Logan Morrison
The Seattle Kraken have signed forward Logan Morrison from the Ottawa 67’s. Morrison will be paid $950K in the NHL, and $82.5K in the AHL over the course of three years, as the contract begins at the start of the 2023-24 season.
For the majority of his career in the OHL, Morrison primarily played for the Hamilton Bulldogs. Last season, he set career highs in goals and points, scoring 34 goals and 100 points over the course of the OHL season. Aside from the regular season, Morrison provided a lot of offense on the Bulldogs’ run to the Memorial Cup Finals, scoring 17 goals and 22 assists in 19 playoff games.
This season, Morrison has been up to much of the same, scoring 40 goals and 54 assists split between Hamilton and Ottawa. The move to Ottawa came from a January trade, where Morrison was moved from Hamilton for six future draft picks.
In the playoffs this season, Ottawa has already moved on to the second round, beating the Oshawa Generals in five games. In those five games, Morrison scored seven goals and also added in three assists. Up next, the 67’s will take on the Peterborough Petes, and the first-place team will be a team to watch as the OHL playoffs continue.
Snapshots: Wright, DeBrincat, Gustafsson
Shane Wright’s whirlwind season continues today as the Seattle Kraken announced he would be reporting to the AHL. Wright was the fourth overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft and started the season in the NHL with the Kraken but was a frequent healthy scratch. He played just eight NHL games, scoring one goal and two points and was sent to the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds for a conditioning stint where he scored four goals in five games.
Wright was also loaned to Team Canada for the World Juniors and helped them win a gold medal by scoring seven points in seven games and serving as the team’s captain. He then returned to the OHL where he was traded by the Kingston Frontenacs to the Windsor Spitfires and proceeded to put up 15 goals and 37 points in 20 Junior games. Wright’s Spitfires were the top ranked team in the OHL’s Western Conference but were shockingly swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Kitchener Rangers.
Now that Wright’s Junior season is complete, he is eligible to play pro in either the NHL or AHL and the Kraken have chosen to assign him back to the Firebirds who are on the verge of their own postseason. They are in second place in the entire AHL and have just three regular season games remaining before the playoffs begin. It will be interesting to see how well Wright performs in the AHL playoffs after scoring one goal and three points in his four OHL postseason contests.
- The Ottawa Senators are going to do everything they can to keep Alex DeBrincat next season. According to Bruce Garrioch of TSN, Senators general manager Pierre Dorion has said he will extend a qualifying offer to DeBrincat if there is not a long-term deal already in place this offseason. The 25-year-old winger has scored 27 goals and 66 points in 80 games during his first season with the Senators. Though his cap hit is $6.4MM, he is making $9MM this season so a qualifying offer would be a one-year extension for the 2023-24 season matching this year’s salary of $9MM.
- Erik Gustafsson was prepared to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight but left during warmup and was ruled out of the game. The Maple Leafs released a statement saying Gustafsson would not play due to an upper-body injury. Luke Schenn took his place in the lineup on short notice. Gustafsson has played nine games with the Maple Leafs since being acquired at the trade deadline, and has four points, including a three point night against the Montreal Canadiens in his last outing.
Seattle Kraken Sign David Goyette
The Seattle Kraken announced per a team release that they have signed prospect David Goyette to an entry-level contract. Goyette was a second-round pick of the Kraken in the 2022 NHL Draft after scoring 33 goals and 73 points in 66 OHL games with the Sudbury Wolves in the 2021-22 season. That gave him the most goals and points by any rookie in the OHL that season.
Goyette is not a big player at 5-foot-11 and 174 pounds, but he is highly skilled. He piled up 41 goals and 51 assists for 92 points in 63 games with the Wolves this season. The Saint-Jerome, Quebec native also had four points in four playoff games for the Wolves who were quickly swept in their first round series with the Peterborough Petes.
Goyette just turned 19 last month so he will likely return to the Wolves next season for his 19-year-old Junior season. In the meantime, he is eligible to play for either the Kraken or the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds which is the most likely scenario at this point. The Firebirds have three games remaining in the regular season before the Calder Cup Playoffs begin.
Jaden Schwartz Listed As Day-To-Day
Kraken winger Jaden Schwartz was a late scratch in yesterday’s contest against Chicago. Postgame, head coach Dave Hakstol told reporters, including Kate Shefte of The Seattle Times, that it wasn’t a rest day for the 30-year-old but rather he was out and is listed as day-to-day. Schwartz has had a much healthier season compared to his first year with Seattle and it has resulted in him having his fifth career 20-goal campaign. The Kraken are still in a position to battle for seeding in the Pacific as they’re only two points behind Los Angeles for third place while they have a game in hand.
Seattle Kraken Recall Joey Daccord On Emergency Basis
The Seattle Kraken have recalled goaltender Joey Daccord from their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds. The recall is on an emergency basis, and is in advance of the team’s Monday contest against the Arizona Coyotes at Mullett Arena.
The 26-year-old has spent most of this season as Coachella Valley’s number-one netminder, and has had an impressive year. He’s backstopped one of the AHL’s best teams and posted a 26-7-3 record with a .918 save percentage. He last played in the NHL in a March 23rd shootout loss to the Nashville Predators, a game where he saved 23 of 24 shots.
Daccord has played three games total in the NHL this season, and has a 2-0-1 record and a .903 save percentage. Daccord’s .903 mark is quite a bit higher than the save percentages of Seattle’s two main goalies, Martin Jones and Philipp Grubauer, who have posted .887 and .893 marks, respectively.
A 2015 Ottawa Senators seventh-round pick, Daccord played three NCAA seasons at Arizona State University (the program that now shares Mullett Arena with the Coyotes) and he signed his entry-level deal after a strong final season, where he posted a .926 save percentage in 35 games. Daccord split 2019-20 between the AHL and ECHL levels before spending 2020-21 largely as a taxi squad netminder.
The following year Daccord was the Kraken’s selection from Ottawa in the Expansion Draft and spent most of the year with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers as the organization’s number-three goalie, posting a .925 save percentage in the AHL and earning five NHL games.
Daccord is operating on a one-year, league-minimum deal that affords him the chance of being an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent in the summer. He’s just one year from unrestricted free agency too, meaning any NHL starts he gets will be of major importance for putting himself on the right foot to enter offseason negotiations.
With the Kraken preparing for the franchise’s first-ever foray into the Stanley Cup playoffs, this recall gives head coach Dave Hakstol the chance to rest one of his two main netminders in order to put Seattle in the best position possible for a playoff series where they’ll likely be the underdog.
Seattle Kraken To Assign Shane Wright To AHL
John Shannon of The Bob McCown Podcast is reporting that it looks as though the Seattle Kraken will assign 2022 first round pick Shane Wright to their AHL affiliate. Wright had his OHL season ended last night when his Windsor Spitfires were knocked out of the playoffs by the Kitchener Rangers.
Seattle could call Wright up to be an extra skater for the big club in their playoff push, but it appears as though they feel that some time with the Coachella Valley Firebirds would be better for his development.
Wright has had quite the rollercoaster ride during the 2022-23 season. He started the year by making the Kraken out of training camp after a solid showing. Following that he was used in a limited capacity before eventually being assigned to the AHL. In his first run with the Firebirds, Wright tore it up with four goals in five games before being called back up to Seattle. He then won gold with Team Canada at the 2023 World Junior Championships before being re-assigned to the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL. The Windsor Spitfires then traded seven draft picks and two players for Wright and finished as the number one seed in the regular season. Finally, last night the Spitfires were swept in the first round by the number eight seed Rangers.
For all the highs and lows this season, Wright has produced offense more often than not. His only offensive struggles occurred at the NHL level as he has just a single goal and assist with the Kraken in eight games. Given his recent history, it makes sense that the Kraken would like to see Wright gain some traction in the AHL before making a return to the NHL.
Setback For Andre Burakovsky, Seattle Hopes He'll Be Available For Playoffs
The hope for the Kraken was that winger Andre Burakovsky would have been back a couple of weeks ago. However, GM Ron Francis acknowledged to Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times that the veteran suffered a setback in his recovery that has delayed his return to the lineup. The 28-year-old has missed nearly two months with a lower-body injury and had a strong first half of the season before that, notching 13 goals and 26 assists in 49 games. Burakovsky has started skating with development coaches but isn’t ready to get back into team drills yet. Francis indicated that even if he isn’t able to get back to full practices by the time the playoffs start, they’ll have no hesitance in putting him back in when Burakovsky is eventually cleared to return.