The Kraken didn’t improve their current on-ice product at the trade deadline, but they did set themselves up to do just that with potential moves this summer and beyond.
On Wednesday the club moved pending UFA center Yanni Gourde and fellow forward Oliver Bjorkstrand to the Tampa Bay Lightning for two conditional 1st-round draft picks, a 2nd-rounder, and forward Michael Eyssimont.
Friday morning the team announced that they moved grinder Brandon Tanev to the Winnipeg Jets for a 2027 2nd-round pick.
“We’re pleased with the return we got in those deals,” Kraken General Manager Ron Francis said Friday. “When you look at us moving forward, that’s five 1st-round picks in the next three drafts, five 2nd-round picks in the next three drafts. Ten picks. I’m not sitting here saying we’re going to draft ten players, but in a perfect world we’re looking to move some of these draft capital pieces to try and acquire players to move the process forward quicker.”
They’ll need to, to keep the Seattle fans fully interested and vested. The club has made the playoffs just once in four campaigns.
This season the squad suffered a number of key injuries, not uncommon around the NHL. Maladies aside, the team needs to reestablish a consistent work ethic and identity under head coach Dan Bylsma.
Speed and grinding physicality is a nice start, but sheer offensive talent is lacking.
“We have to look at things, because obviously going into the season I thought we were a team that could compete for a playoff spot, but we’re not there, so that’s why we had to do the things we did. We want to get to the position where we’re in the playoffs and competing.”
The Kraken have young talent in the pipeline. They have high picks forthcoming. Effectively combining those assets, keeping some and moving others, and finding a winning formula is Francis’s tall task.
Season five awaits.
