The Seattle Kraken are done with their second season, and the offseason excitement is rolling on as we head towards Season 3. Into the Deep is our series that dives into the different phases and developments of the Seattle Kraken offseason. This post we are taking a look at the Seattle Kraken forwards.
The forward group is going to have a slightly different look next season as the team has adjusted through free agency. All teams look to balance their rosters between managing the salary cap and improving the top 4 scoring lines.
Key names leaving the Kraken include Joonas Donskoi (retirement), Morgan Geekie (FA- signed with Boston), Daniel Sprong (FA- signed with Detroit), and Ryan Donato (FA- signed with Chicago).
The Donato move stings.
I like this guy. Fan favorite who scored the first goal in franchise history. He will go down as the answer to a trivia question.
It is not exactly like the Kraken lost any of the real members from the core of this team. None of the key guys left (thank goodness). In fact, I would even say that in losing these 4 (3 if you consider the fact that Donskoi was in IR all of last year) the team improved.
Hear me out.
Geekie’s departure left the Kraken with a hole in the lower 2 lines, and weakened their depth. The team replaced him with Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (C/LW), a career journeyman who is solid in the faceoff circle, and plays an all-around, two-way game. Bellemare is a great locker room guy too, and he should fit right in with our squad.
The team upgraded with this swap.
With the departure of Sprong the team lost scoring (21 goals, 25 assists, and 46 points in 66 games) from the 3rd and sometimes 4th line. In limited action Sprong was highly effective.
His change of scenery will probably be felt the most as his play last season made the Kraken incredibly dangerous and damn near impossible to game plan for. They had scoring up and down the lineup and would roll out lines as they saw fit. Sprong’s scoring will more than likely not be replaced, and Detroit signed him to a 1-year, $2 million contract. The Red Wings either know that last season’s production was a fluke (though he is still a solid player at $2 million per season), or they just got a steal.
Sprong looks like he should be playing for the Wings (think the late 90’s teams- he just has that look). The Kraken will miss Sprong, but him leaving opens doors for players like Tye Kartye to make the roster with players like André Burakovsky set to reclaim their roster spots as they return from injuries.
Donato leaving opens up a roster spot for young players like Shane Wright, rookie first round pick Eduard Šalé, and Jagger Firkus to compete for. Donato will fit in nicely in Chicago and will be a key figure in the team’s rebuild.
Expect Wright to be on the opening night roster, as well as Šalé (even if Šalé’s time is limited to 10 or fewer games). Wright should have an immediate impact this season and will look like the steal of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
The Seattle Kraken Projected Opening Night Line Up
Jared McCann Matty Beniers Jordan Eberle
André Burakovsky Alex Wennberg Oliver Bjorkstrand
Jaden Schwartz Shane Wright Yanni Gourde
Brandon Tanev Pierre-Edouard Bellemare Eeli Tolvanen/Ty Kartye
Not a bad looking group. Plenty of scoring up and down the line up, and the team gets better on faceoffs with Wright and Bellemare. Obviously Schwartz and Gourde will probably see plenty of time at center, but this projected line up has the players at their best positions for the optimal roster.
Kraken training camp starts in a few weeks, and the team has announced their preseason schedule. Stay tuned for details.
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Fear the deep!