The Seattle Kraken signed centre Jared McCann to an extension covering the next five seasons. The deal lands at $25 million, or $5 million annually, and carries him through the 2026-27 season.
Hey #SeaKraken fam!@jaredmccann19 has a very special announcement to share 👀 pic.twitter.com/PPvGujJXTr
— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) March 8, 2022
Jared McCann Extension Signed with the Seattle Kraken
Over his seven-year NHL career McCann has played for the Vancouver Canucks, Florida Panthers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Kraken. He put up 87 goals and 101 assists for 188 career points in 403 career games thus far. He was originally drafted in the first round, 24th overall by the Canucks in 2014.
This season he’s scored 21 goals and 12 assists for 33 points through 50 games. Additionally McCann spent only 10 minutes thus far in the penalty box. His possession numbers lie at a career-best 58.6 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of 12.6.
What This Means for the Future
Jared McCann signing an extension is the first positive for the team’s future since the season began. The Kraken dealt with lofty expectations out of the gate, and simply couldn’t answer those calls with the team they drafted in expansion. That is no fault of McCann, who leads the team in scoring and is just two points from matching career-highs. With over 20 games left on the schedule, McCann should have no issue achieving career bests across the board this season. The 2021-22 season is already the first time he’s crossed the 20-goal plateau, and for a cellar-dwelling team that is a good sign.
This also signals to the rest of the league that belief in the Kraken still remains, for at least some players. Many fans are of the mind that the state of the team has players chomping at the bit to get out of Seattle. McCann just doubled-down though, and hopefully for the franchise that helps them inspire others to follow suit.
The timing helps as well, sitting a few weeks away from the trade deadline. They will undoubtedly remain sellers, but McCann won’t be going anywhere. To have at least one player cemented as part of the team’s future bodes well. Others, like Yanni Gourde and Vince Dunn, probably compromise what the team sees as its “core”. Those players remain the most likely to stay put through this year’s deadline. That being said, plenty can (and should) change between today and the start of next season. What the team looks like right now is a far cry from where it needs to be to contend for championships. Since that’s always the ultimate goal, Ron Francis still has plenty of work left to do.
