Preview: Kraken and the Trade Deadline

The NHL Trade Deadline is quickly approaching (March 21st) and there are plenty of rumors and speculation going on throughout the league about which teams will be buyers and who the sellers will be that will be. There will be teams looking towards making a long run at winning the Stanley Cup while there will be teams looking to build towards the future with the hopes of having a sustainable winning culture for years to come. In this edition, I will be taking a look at the Seattle Kraken who will be sellers and what they need to acquire in order to set themselves up to become a winning NHL franchise for the future heading into the Trade Deadline.

Needs-Prospects, draft picks, & more salary cap space

Seattle is still in the very beginning phase of their franchise as they went with a build for the future approach back at the expansion draft when they officially joined the National Hockey League. It was well intended that they would do the complete opposite of the other recent expansion franchise in the Vegas Golden Knights who went for a win now approach. As a result, the team has struggled mightily this season and clearly won’t be making the playoffs. GM Ron Francis’ plan all along has been to build a sustainable winning team and culture for the long haul. The plan going into the trade deadline needs to be focusing on acquiring as many draft picks and or prospects as possible. Getting as much young talent in the farm system will be crucial to building depth and helping the young players to grow and realize their potential. Also, part of the future approach was to use the salary cap as a weapon to acquire high end skilled players either in free agency and or trades. Having more cap space will help accomplish this goal as well.

Seattle Kraken top trade candidates

Mark Giordano- the first ever captain of the Kraken will be getting traded to a contender where he will be given the chance to play in the playoffs and compete for the Stanley Cup. Giordano provides excellent leadership and as a former Norris trophy winner a great presence on the blue line playing against the leagues’s best competition and being able to shut them down. He also still has an excellent shot to boot too. Whoever acquires him will be getting a great veteran presence and very reliable top four defenseman.

Calle Jarnkrok- Jarnkrok will be another hot commodity as he will be a welcome addition into any team’s top or middle six forwards. He can play anywhere up and down in the lineup and can even play at center if you need him to. Jarnkrok will provide any team that acquires him depth and is like a “Swiss army knife” where you can use him anywhere in the lineup.

Marcus Johnansson- Johansson has been a popular player the past few years at the trade deadline as he’s fast/has good speed, good on zone entries, can make some solid plays offensively, and has played well in the playoffs in recent years especially as a key contributor on the Boston Bruins third line that helped propel them to a Stanley Cup final trip a few years ago. Any team that gets him will be adding a solid and valuable piece to their lineup here.

Other possible trade candidates

Ryan Donato, Riley Sheahan, Mason Appleton- all three here would be good additions to a team that is looking to improve their third or more likely fourth lines. Donato is a hard worker who plays a very strong and gritty game. Sheahan is normally pretty strong on face-offs and is solid on the penalty kill. Appleton plays a solid game and is similar player to Ryan Donato.

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