We had no choice but to update this “Seattle Kraken of the Future” feature, given the fact Kole Lind led the entire Calder Cup playoffs in scoring.
Fitting In With Kraken
One former Vancouver Canucks draft pick who found his way to the Seattle Kraken, Jared McCann, has worked out rather well. The Canucks 1st-round pick, 24th-overall in 2014, led the Kraken in scoring its inaugural season and did so again in season number-two with 70 points, while lighting the lamp 40 times.
Of course, McCann took more of a circuitous route to get here, playing for the Florida Panthers and Pittsburgh Penguins after Vancouver and before being snapped up by the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft from the Toronto Maple Leafs, who traded for him for the purpose of having him picked.
Kole Lind took a more direct route. The 33rd-overall pick of the Canucks in 2017 played two full seasons in the American Hockey League, saw a cup of coffee with Vancouver three seasons ago, no points in seven games, before Seattle grabbed him in that same expansion draft in July of 2021.
He played 23 games for Seattle in the inaugural season, tallying two goals and six assists. This past campaign he found himself in the American Hockey League for the duration, where he flourished for the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
The Swift Current, Saskatchewan native finished second on the team in scoring with 62 points in the regular season before going on an absolute tear in the playoffs with 31 points in 26 games.
It bodes the simple question for the soon-to-be 25-year-old: Is he still a prospect, a late bloomer of sorts, or is his NHL window limited?
Highlights
Not a high end skater, Lind was described as a “jack of all trades” forward in his early scouting reports. He can play both wings, he’s not at all afraid to mix it up physically, and he’s added about twenty pounds since his NHL Draft. He’s known for his shooting ability.
The feisty factor would fit in well with the Seattle Kraken, the lack of flat out foot speed might not. He is agile on his edges.
Lind picked up a dramatic taste of the ‘big show’ when he scored his first NHL goal back April 1st, 2022 against Logan Thompson of the Vegas Golden Knights. It came as he circled into the slot, late in the third period of a 5-2 loss at Climate Pledge Arena. Almost three weeks later he tallied the second of his two NHL goals on April 20th, opening the scoring in a 3-2 win over the eventual Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche and goalie Pavel Francouz.
Lind operated the last two seasons on single-year, two-way contracts, the latter of which paid him $150,000 at the AHL level. He is now a restricted free agent (RFA) with arbitration rights. The Seattle Kraken can get a deal done in the next week, provide him a qualifying offer which he can mull over, or let him walk as an unrestricted free agent. That last choice isn’t fathomable.
Pros and Cons
It can be tough being a twenty-something winger playing in the minors looking to crack the big league line-up again, but there’s no question Lind made his strongest statement to date. A solid number of his points came in clutch situations. He tallied eight of his playoff points in the Calder Cup Final against the Hershey Bears, with two goals in Game-6 and an assist in Game-7.
Among his many skills, patience may be Lind’s greatest virtue. He’s put in the work, he’s helped his team win, and now he’ll get another chance to impress come training camp. He’ll be on the cusp. Is he an NHL regular in the bottom-six, is he going to be a career AHLer, or somewhere in between.
Recent Seattle Kraken Futures:
— Seattle Kraken of the Future: Ryker Evans
