With the Seattle Kraken being mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, their focus will soon shift to the offseason.
Seattle has seen one playoff berth in their four years as an organization. But with the team still well outside of playoff contention, questions remain as to where they’ll go from here.
Below is a list of three early predictions for what to expect from the team this summer.
Kraken re-sign their restricted free agents
Approaching the trade deadline, the Kraken dealt their top unrestricted free agent Yanni Gourde to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Meanwhile, Brandon Tanev was dealt to the Winnipeg Jets. As a result, they don’t have a ton of notable UFAs who need an extension. However, the team does have a couple of key restricted free agents.
The first of those is Kaapo Kakko, who was acquired from the New York Rangers earlier in the season. Kakko has been a good fit in Seattle, scoring 10 goals and 27 points across 42 games since being acquired. He could emerge as a long-term part of the forward group, and the expectation is the Kraken extend him. Coming off a one-year deal at a $2.4 million cap hit, Kakko could get more term on his upcoming contract.
Meanwhile, Ryker Evans has emerged as a good, young piece of the blue line. Evans’ production has cooled off a little bit, but he’s still managed 25 points across 67 games this season. Playing more than 19 minutes per game at just 23 years old, Evans is likely to be factored into the team’s future plans on their left side.
Meanwhile, Tye Kartye will also be due for an extension. Kartye is the lowest profile of the group, but he’s still played 135 games over the past two years. He’s a good candidate to be brought back on a short-term deal as cheap depth.
The expectation is that all three of the restricted free agents will be re-signed.
Kraken could move on from some veterans
While the notable restricted free agents will likely be extended, we may not see all of the team’s veterans return.
Jamie Oleksiak and Jaden Schwartz will both be entering the final year of their respective contracts. As a result, the Kraken will have some decisions to make. Both could bring back a good trade return, and it’s an option Seattle will likely consider.
Both players are approaching their mid-30s, so an extension for either player shouldn’t be a given. The Kraken may hang onto either or both of them into the season, but if they get off to a slow start next year, they could still opt to sell at the trade deadline.
Meanwhile, the team is also faced with two underpeformers in Andre Burakovsky and Philipp Grubauer.
Both players signed in Seattle following successful stints with the Colorado Avalanche. However, neither has lived up to expectations and could be due for a change of scenery. The dilemma with both players though will be their contracts, with each player still having two years remaining.
Burakovsky isn’t likely to bring back a good trade return, even if Seattle can find an interested team. So there’s the chance the Kraken won’t be able to find a suitable trade. With Grubauer, on the other hand, the team could be looking at a buyout. Grubauer has posted just an .890 save percentage over four years in Seattle, and lost the starting role to Joey Daccord. Considering the team won’t find any takers for Grubauer without attaching assets in a trade, we could see the team opt to buy out the remaining years of his deal instead.
Kraken pick a clear direction
It’s clear that the organization was hoping for a playoff return this year, following a disappointing 2023-24 season. However, they didn’t come close, and now there are questions about the direction the team should go.
The ideal play would be to look towards the future and build around their young talent as well as the draft. They have good young talent in the likes of Matty Beniers and Shane Wright, and good prospects such as Berkly Catton. At the same time, there could be a level of urgency that would push the team to try to compete now.
At this point, General Manager Ron Francis is likely facing some pressure. He’s the only person to hold the role for the organization, but the Kraken haven’t positioned themselves overly well. A good portion of their core is into their late 20s or early 30s, but the team still isn’t very close to contending.
The team added Brandon Montour and Chandler Stephenson in free agency last year in hopes of getting back to the playoffs. However, it still wasn’t nearly enough. The Kraken aren’t in a position to contend now, and we could see a bit of desperation from Francis, hoping to quickly put together an improved group next season.
Either way, we’re likely to see the organization pick a clear direction. We could see the team either double-down in adding immediate help, or instead selling off veterans to put themselves in a better position for the future.
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