Seattle Kraken: Single Season Contracts Create Options For Our Roster

Single year deals are making for an interesting time for the Seattle Kraken as they are planning their first ever roster.

In previous free agencies, most deals see players locking in significant money for significant term. For the Seattle Kraken, this would make the market place challenging to navigate.

Players are sealing deals that are locking them in for just one year. The driving force for this market adjustment is no doubt due to the escrow being held from the players.

By only signing for a year, they can explore their value once teams have clearer ideas on their ongoing revenue streams. Fundamentally, it’s due to teams not knowing what their balance sheets will look like.

The Seattle Kraken are no doubt questioning what sort of revenue to expect in their debut season. Their big advantage is that it’s still a year or so away.

For teams inking deals now, it doesn’t make sense committing term to anyone but a star player.

Exactly why Torey Krug and Alex Pietrangelo are managing to make dime whereas Mike Hoffman hasn’t. That and the premium teams tend to place on defensemen!

Players like Tyson Jost, Victor Mete and Adam Gaudette aren’t amazing names. However, if the Seattle Kraken look to the Vegas blueprint, they would prove smart options.

In previous seasons, you’re looking at those guys inking at the very least bridge deals. A deal that committing them to a couple of years and allowing them to prove themselves.

Instead, teams are signing one-year, limited-risk deals. The Seattle Kraken must set about using this to their advantage.

Some of these players will still be restricted free agents and thus their contract status moot. Those that reach unrestricted free agency though will possibly become very cheap roster pieces the Seattle Kraken can add.

In turn, this will open up options to chase big money Expansion Draft or free agency options.

This free agency, this season and no doubt next free agency will be unlike any other. The Seattle Kraken is finding itself operating in very strange times. Strange times though don’t necessarily mean bad times, especially in the hockey world.

If Ron Francis can set about taking advantage of this strange market, we’re going to be laughing. Our first roster could very well be even more intriguing than the Golden Knights’ one just a few short years ago.