Catch up with three new guys who’ve had a big impact with the Seattle Kraken. General Manager Ron Francis signed all three players back on July 13th.
Martin Jones
It’s always a good idea to start with the most important position on the ice and it’s always important to have sufficient high end depth between the pipes. The Kraken signed the 32-year-old Jones to a one-year, $2-million contract.
“Jonesy” came along at the right time and brings a load of experience. With Philipp Grubauer on injured reserve since October 25th with a lower body injury suffered October 21st, Jones (photo above) has posted a 1.64 goals against average and sported a .936 save percentage. His record for the full season is 7-4-and-1. He’s been steady, he’s made some big saves when necessary, and at this point is a big reason why the team has playoff chase optimism.
Andre Burakovsky
The 27-year-old Austria native and reigning Stanley Cup champion sits atop the Kraken’s scoring list with 14 points, ten of those assists. He’s a load coming off the wing, probably bigger than most people would assume at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds.
For some of the mistakes, like holding on to the puck too long and coughing it up Sunday in overtime against the Winnipeg Jets, Burakovsky is often in the right place at the right time. He’s tallied seven points so far on the Kraken’s top power play unit.
Without delving into the calculus, it appears the analytics people would also be pro-Burakovsky. He signed for five years at $5.5-million per.
Justin Schultz
The valued 32-year-old right-shot puck mover is another with Stanley Cup credentials, having won the chalice with the PIttsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017. He signed for an appropriate number in Seattle; $3-million per season for two years. He’s pretty much at his expected offensive numbers through 16 games.
Schultz seemingly would be on the ‘back nine’ of his career, but one can assume he expects more of himself. Moving past his prime does not mean he can’t frequently reach peak performance. His savvy and experience are attributes he can pass along. Not a physical player who sees time on the second power play unit.
At this point, 20% of the way through their first season with the Kraken, Francis would get a thumbs up for all three of these free agent signings. We’ll check in on summer trade acquisition Oliver Bjorkstrand shortly.
