Jordan Eberle signed a 2 year, $4.75M AAV extension with the Kraken, meaning he stuck around instead of getting dealt at the deadline. I think this is a fine bit of business for Seattle, as the trade prices for scoring wingers were not all that high this year, and the team values Eberle for his leadership and on-ice chemistry with Beniers in addition to the role he plays as a top six RW. With that contract, he should serve as a bridge from now until Seattle's young prospects are ready to make the leap to the NHL in a couple of years.
Seattle ultimately didn't do much outside of extending Eberle and trading Wennberg. I thought Wennberg might have been able to get more in a deal after the Lindholm/Monahan trades, possibly even a first round pick or second that could become a first, but truthfully didn't think he was worth so much in a vacuum. Getting second and fourth round picks for a player who was seemingly on the way out anyway is fine if not exceptional.
With the deadline in the rearview, I thought I'd take a quick look at the Kraken's future. There aren't really any major UFAs of note anymore (Schultz is probably gone), and Beniers and Tolvanen are their two major RFAs. The way I see it, Evans and Wright will probably move up to the NHL full-time to help fill gaps, but there are two areas where I think some major external help would be particularly beneficial:
- Top line scorer: Seattle's biggest issue from this season has been goalscoring. They were able to roll four lines to compensate for their lack of elite goalscoring talent last year to great effect, but that hasn't been replicated this year. Getting some top shelf forward help should be priority number one. Guys like Guentzel, Reinhart, and Lindholm are slated to hit free agency, and the Kraken should have enough cap space to make a competitive offer should they so choose. They could also scour the trade market.
- Defense: This one isn't nearly as big a need, since Seattle's defensive corps has been quietly decent. However, I think adding a middle pairing defensive defenseman would really elevate this group. Doing so would allow one of Oleksiak and Borgen to slide down a pairing, turning that player from a good second pairing guy to an elite third pairing guy. This would also allow Ryker Evans to have a softer landing as he steps into a full-time role in the NHL.
As always, let me know your thoughts! Cheers and Go Kraken!
McDavid, Connor
250 000 $)
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