Monday Musings – Draft, Trades, Free Agency

This is shaping up to be a big week in hockey. A rare Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final kicks off on Monday, just the second Game 7 in the past decade. Storylines are many. Connor McDavid could cement his status as one of the all-time greats by bringing the Cup back to Edmonton and Canada, while the Florida Panthers are looking to win their first championship in franchise history. Whatever the outcome, it will be a story worth watching.

In addition to the Stanley Cup Final, there's at least one more Calder Cup game, the NHL Awards Show, the NHL Entry Draft, plus free agency begins next Monday, July 1. Here are some thoughts on what's on the horizon this week.

Are there any more deals coming up?

There's a lot of talk going around right now about trades leading up to the NHL Draft, and it's something we hear every year. So it's hard to tell if this is just hype or if things are different this year. There was a flurry of trades last week, with highlights including the Kings and Capitals trading Pierre-Luc Dubois for Darcy Kuemper in a 1-for-1 deal and the Flames sending Jacob Markstrom to the Devils for Kevin Baerle and a 2025 first-round pick. Is this the end of the pre-draft fireworks or are there more to come?

Every time a name comes up as a trade candidate, I get about 10 text messages asking for my opinion or sharing my opinion on whether the Seattle Kraken should acquire them. The players getting the most attention in trade rumors are Trevor Zegras, Martin Necas, and Patrik Laine.

All three of those teams carry inherent risks: Necas, who is set to become a restricted free agent, is a best fit for Seattle, but how much would it cost to acquire him and what his next contract would be? The evolution of hockey Necas' contract is estimated to be worth nearly $9 million per year. While the Kraken have cap space, a deal like that would eat up a lot of it and leave some holes in a forward group with little money to spend.

I may be in the minority, but I think Trevor Zegras would be a great addition to the Kraken. He has great skill, but he had a tough season with ankle surgery and a subsequent groin injury. Zegras has a relatively affordable salary cap of $5.75 million per year, so the Kraken could acquire him at a lower cost. The question is whether the 2023-24 season was a blip or if Zegras will be that player.

I don't see any point in the Kraken pursuing Laine unless Columbus is willing to keep his salary constant or add terms that are worth the risk associated with the $8.7 million cap hit. The Kraken need goals and Laine can provide that, but that's all he can do and this team may not be able to afford to make up for his deficiencies in other areas. Despite the rumors, I don't think this is a fit.

If I were the Kraken, I would be keeping an eye on Winnipeg's Nikolaj Ehlers and Tampa Bay's Tanner Jeannot. Both players have been mentioned as trade candidates, but they haven't been talked about much so far. They're very different players, but both could fill in some gaps the Kraken had last season. Ehlers can consistently score 20+ goals a season, and Jeannot has the physical edge that was missing from Seattle's lineup last season.

The Kraken have been one of the top teams in terms of draft picks over the last few years, and with one first-round pick, two second-round picks, and two third-round picks this draft, the team doesn't need that many picks, and with the number of picks they have and the pool of promising prospects, the team is in a good position to package some of those chips together for talent that will help them next season.

Draft thoughts

Assuming no trades are made, the Seattle Kraken will draft at No. 8 on Friday night when the NHL draft begins. The top 10 of the draft class is dominated by defensemen, and the Kraken prospect pool is lacking in high-end blue liners. While I can’t be sure, I expect the Kraken to draft a defenseman with their first pick at No. 8. I’m fascinated by Zeev Bouium and Zain Parekh, but that’s based on reading a dozen articles and getting sucked into a YouTube whirlwind. No matter how much research I do, the Kraken scouting staff will have thousands more hours to spend preparing for this draft. They know what they have to do. Regardless of who they pick, they should be able to get a great player at No. 8.

Let's take a look at Kraken's draft history:

Expect a ton of draft content to come Hockey sounds This week also includes a live blog from Day 2 of the draft.

Further considerations

• It would certainly be good to know what Matti Benier and Eeli Tolvanen's contracts will be for next season before free agency begins so the Kraken can know how much of a budget they'll be playing with come July 1. Hopefully, they'll have a good idea of ​​where they'll land in the near future.
• A few people have asked if the Kraken are interested in Winnipeg prospect Rutger McGroartie. Of course they would be interested, but I don't think he's a player the Kraken needs right now. Judging by all the postseason acquisitions from the Kraken front office, they want to get better now, not a few seasons down the line. McGroartie is a great prospect, but doesn't fit that plan.
• Another rumor is that Brandon Tanev could be moving to Ottawa. From the Seattle Kraken's perspective, this makes a lot of sense. If they want to get better, they need to free up cap space and roster spots and redirect them to players with more scoring potential. Fans love Brandon Tanev, but this is the truth.
• The 2023-24 NHL season will set a new record for the most games played in a single season with a total of 1,511 games. Last season was 1,508 games, a record that will likely be broken the next time the NHL expands.
• I really hope Chris Driedger gets his chance in the NHL next season. He was solid all year with the Coachella Valley Firebirds and narrowly lost out to Joey Daccord for Seattle's No. 2 goaltender position at the start of the 2023-24 season. He deserves another chance.
• Ryan Winterton is doing well in the Calder Cup Finals, scoring five goals in the first six games of the series and taking a ton of shots on goal. It will be interesting to see where the Kraken brass will place him next season. Judging by his late season call-ups, I thought he needed another year of development in the Coachella Valley, but that doesn't seem to be the case now.
• While watching the Coachella Valley playoffs, I noticed that the Seattle Kraken don't have a true third goaltender they could rely on in a pinch if Grubauer or Daccord get injured for an extended period next year. Niklas Kocko and Victor Ostman are the only ones under contract for next season, but I'm not sure if they're ready to play long term in the NHL. They've used three goaltenders each the past three seasons, so I expect the Kraken will sign a goaltender next season who can move between the AHL and the NHL.
• Not related to the Kraken, but I'm interested to see where Ivan Demidov is selected. He's said to have top-notch skills, but he spent the season in the MHL so he has no real game experience, and there's a big gap between that and the NHL. I think Demidov will be one of the big stories in the first round.
• The 2024-25 schedule will likely be released this week. Rumor has it that the Seattle Kraken will open the season at home for the first time in franchise history. If I were to bet, I'd place my bet on October 8th.
• It's highly unlikely that the Kraken will be able to beat him in the second round, but I've been obsessed with Michael Brandsegg-Nygård ever since someone sent me this video.

This week's goal

There were some great goals in the Calder Cup Final, including this one from Shane Wright, but Cale Fleury's setup at centre ice was incredible.