There are less than two months left until free agency season. With each successive playoff round, more clubs have nothing to do but start slowly preparing for the 2024-25 season. The Seattle Kraken is another club that has been inactive for several weeks. Except, of course, for firing head coach Dave Hakstol on April 29th. All 32 teams have pending free agents on their rosters, but it's those that have garnered the most attention that at least helped their clubs advance to the postseason.
With that in mind, given the Kraken's scoring woes, could Seattle envision signing an offensively talented unrestricted free agent (UFA) from a team that recently missed the playoffs?
1. Big Kahuna: Steven Stamkos
Of all the teams that either failed to qualify for the postseason or were quickly dealt in the first round, none face a more interesting predicament than the Tampa Bay Lightning and Steven Stamkos. He's one of the great architects of this series, if not the biggest architect of this period, and he's a UFA on July 1st. As unbelievable as it sounds, Lightning management will have to consider this this summer.
A 16-season veteran, he won two Stanley Cups, was a captain, scored over 1,000 points in the regular season, and currently has 101 playoff points. Does searching for a 34-year-old veteran sound like a great idea? Not always. That said, considering Stamkos continues to produce at a high level (40 goals in the regular season, five more in the first round of the playoffs), you'd think at least 31 teams would want to take a look at him. As the saying goes, age is just a number.
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He won't come cheap.Street The AthleticAccording to analysis, he is valued at $8.9 million (from “Steven Stamkos Contract Projections: How Much Will It Cost to Acquire the Lightning Star UFA?”). The Athletic, May 6, 2024). Seattle only has $1.3 million in cap space. That would require releasing a significant number of players. For example, will the Kraken be let go of Justin Schultz ($3 million)? Maybe yes, but probably not. This is where the general manager (GM) and his staff practice their abacus. That would require a lot of gymnastics in numbers and budgets, but it's likely Ron Francis and his cronies are doing it just in case.
One thing is for sure: there is no one on the Kraken roster with Stamkos' level of offensive power. Conversely, even after crunching all the numbers, convincing him that the Kraken are a championship-qualified team could prove difficult.
2. Anthony Duclair, Tampa Bay
Another Lightning player who could be an interesting addition to the Kraken is Anthony Duclair, a 28-year-old from Pointe-Claire. To be clear, there is no point in comparing Duclair to Stamkos. They're not exactly the same type of players, and they don't have the same level of offensive ability.
But there is evidence to support the argument that Duclair could serve as a unique spark plug in a near-dead Seattle offense. He had a great 2021-22 season with the Florida Panthers (31 goals, 27 assists), and in 2022-23 he was a major contributor to the Stanley Cup Finals (4 goals, 7 assists). He also had a rare standout performance with the San Jose Sharks earlier this season (16 goals, 11 assists) and was something of a rotating Darvish after being traded to Tampa Bay (8 goals, 7 assists in 17 games). .
When you watch the likes of Jordan Hebert, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Matty Beniers play, they look like they can put friendly fire under their butts. It's all predictable and easy to defend, but lacks creativity. Duclair could be the jolt the Kraken need. If he can score 20-25 goals and allow other players to score 5-10 more goals, Seattle will become even more dangerous. He made $3 million this season, but it's hard to argue he wasn't worth every penny.
3. Tyler Toffoli (Winnipeg Jets)
While the Lightning missed the playoffs as some expected, the Winnipeg Jets did not. Even though the club was expected to struggle against the Colorado Avalanche, the 4-1 blowout loss with a lopsided final score was a surprise. Regardless, this means 32-year-old Tyler Toffoli is looking toward free agency on July 1st. He would be a much more affordable option than Stamkos. His annual salary in 2023-24 was $2.125 million.
Historically, this number looks good. Six times he has scored over a goal or around 25 goals. 40 goals for a 34-year-old doesn't seem as surprising as it sounds, but this is the reality the Kraken must face if they want to improve. On the plus side, he knows how to contribute to a struggling team. The Calgary Flames missed the playoffs in the 2022-23 season, but scored 34 goals. The New Jersey Devils had a chaotic first half of the 2023-24 season, but Toffoli scored 26 goals before moving to Winnipeg. Sure, it might be a little concerning that he's making the grade on a team that isn't doing well, but Seattle has him on one of the healthiest defensive teams in the NHL. Blueliners and netminders are fine.
Notably, the Kraken are not the only club interested in his services. According to Hockey News, the Buffalo Sabers may be tempted to make an offer.
4. Jonathan Marchessault, Vegas Golden Knights
While most eyes will be glued to the Stamkos story this July, another important UFA on the horizon is Jonathan Marchessault of the Vegas Golden Knights. He turns 34 this September, so there will certainly be some concerns, but his quality is unarguable.
In that respect, Marchessault seems to be getting better with age. He had his most productive season in 2023-24, scoring 42 goals (though his highest score was in 2017-18). They also rarely underperform in the postseason. In fact, the longer he ran in Las Vegas, the more productive he became. In the 2017-18 season, he scored 21 points in 20 playoff games en route to an appearance in the Stanley Cup Final. During last season's championship run, he scored 25 points in 22 games.
If there's anyone who can embody the concept of not only increasing the Kraken's offensive efficiency but also stepping up when it matters, it's Marchessault. Naturally, that proven functionality comes at a price. He earned $5 million this season. This isn't as expensive as Stamkos, but the deal itself won't be easy given Seattle's cap space and the fact that many of its pending UFAs don't eat up that much salary. It is doable, but requires some light gymnastics. Certainly the Golden Knights will at least try to keep him.
These are four examples of UFAs against recently eliminated clubs that could help improve Seattle's offense next season. Not everyone will be easy to sign, with Stamkos being the trickiest player. As far as we know, none of these ideas will come to fruition. That's the fun of looking at statistics, salaries, cap space, and other numbers at this time of the year, so to speak. No matter what happens, the Kraken need to sign a player who can make an immediate impact. The “slow and steady” tactic yielded moderate results through three seasons.
