It’s time for another round of NHL rumours. We’re nearing the start of the holiday season, but general manager are already putting together their wishlists. Some teams have already swung deals to improve their rosters. However, other teams will start getting active before the trade deadline. There’s plenty of time for teams to find out their fate, but there may be some selling for some clubs. One club that’s sort of in limbo is the Seattle Kraken. This edition of NHL rumours talks about how some players could become available at the deadline.
All NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
Seattle Kraken Could Make Players Available
Rumour: The Fourth Period reports that a number of players could become available if the Kraken fall out of contention.
Analysis: Seattle is currently one point off a wild card spot in the Western Conference. However, there is still plenty of time to find out if the Kraken are a Stanley Cup Playoff team. General manager Ron Francis has a number of unrestricted free agents on the roster and they could draw some interest.
Seattle missed the post-season after a surprising 2022-23 season. Changes were made before the current season, but there’s still an air of uncertainty about the club.
New players like Brandon Montour were brought in and Dan Bylsma was named head coach after his success in the AHL at Coachella Valley. However, there have been some ups-and-downs this season.
Who Could be on the Move?
Some of the bigger-named UFAs that are garnering interest are Brandon Tanev and Yanni Gourde. The pair are two of the original Kraken players and have been staples of the roster. However, the reality is that Francis could be able to spin these players in picks or players should Seattle struggle.
One thing that could complicate things is that Tanev has a 10-team no-trade list. However, that’s not as big of a list as the one Gourde has. The former Tampa Bay Lightning standout has a 23-team no-trade list. Both of these players could be hot commodities at the deadline. However, it may be a challenge to find homes for these players unless they waive their respective no-trade clauses.
Other names that pending UFAs are Daniel Sprong, William Borgen and Josh Mahura. These may not be big names, but they could get some traction for teams looking for depth pieces.
Using Their Tools
Francis does have the ability to retain salary for a couple of the players if he wants to move anyone. Gourde makes around $5.2 million while Tanev is getting $3.5 million. The latter deal does seem like a pill a team could swallow if they do want to add Tanev.
Seattle currently has $5.6 million in cap space and that could be used to take on a deal if it needs to. This could be a tool at Francis’ disposal if he needs to sell.
However, the Kraken could find their way into contention. The Pacific Division is still up in the air and Seattle could find its way into a post-season spot if they get on a roll. However, there’s still plenty of time to find out if the Kraken are a pretender or a contender.
Main photo by: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
