What To Hope For From the Kraken After the Trade Deadline

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Seattle Kraken center Shane Wright corrals the puck near the boards during a preseason game at Climate Pledge Arena. Credit: Jennthulhu Photos [/caption]

The NHL trade deadline has come and gone and, as expected, the Seattle Kraken were sellers rather than buyers. In exchange for Yanni Gourde, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Brandon Tanev, the Kraken were able to procure two first-round picks, two second-round selections and center Michael Eyssimont in a pair of deals with the Lightning and Jets, respectively.

And while it’s disappointing that Seattle will once again miss the postseason in 2025 for the third time in their four seasons, those who are looking for long-term optimism can find some from these deals, giving fans of the Kraken a chance to keep an eye on things not just in the upcoming seasons, but for the remainder of this campaign as well.

Here’s a look at what fans should hope to see over the remainder of the season, and what fans could — and should — hope to see in the offseason.

Short-term goals

More minutes for Shane Wright

It’s worth keeping a couple of things in mind before going too crazy in this regard. First, Wright is only 21-years-old. Second, the Kraken have Matty Beniers and Chandler Stephenson up the middle, and both of those guys will see considerable playing time. And they should; Beniers is a huge part of the franchise, and Stephenson is one of the better playmakers on the roster.

That being said, with Gourde now back in Tampa Bay, it’s time to see Wright get more time on the ice. To say he’s earned the right — no pun intended — for more minutes is quite the understatement. Over his last 40 games, the former fourth-overall pick has scored 32 points, which puts him at over a 65-point pace. That’s an impressive number, but it’s even more so when you consider he’s averaged under 15 minutes on the ice to pick up those stats. Simply put, there are no players in hockey who have come close to producing points the way Wright has while playing less than a quarter of a game.

Again, no one is expecting Wright to play 20 minutes a game — that’s unrealistic for a player of Wright’s age and experience even when you consider the names in front of him. But there’s simply no reason for him not to see more time going forward. You can argue he’s the most important player on the roster and he must play to reach his full potential.

Less time for Jamie Oleksiak

It was a little surprising to see Oleksiak was still on the roster after the deadline, but ultimately the Kraken couldn’t find the right partner to make the move. That probably has something to do with the fact he has another year left on his contract after this one that will pay him $4.6 million in 2025-26.

So while Oleksiak will remain a member of the Kraken for at least the remainder of this season, it’s probably time for him to cede some minutes to some of the other young defenders on the team. Right now, the 32-year-old is averaging just under 19 minutes on the ice, which places him sixth on the team in TOI, fifth among defenders.

That’s not an outrageous amount of playing time. But let’s be honest: Oleksiak has not earned that amount. He has produced just 13 points (four goals, nine assists), and while he is considered one of the better stoppers, he’s slowed down in that regard, as well. His inability to move the puck has been a detriment to the Kraken this year, and it’s unlikely that will change.

Neither Joshua Mahura nor Cade Fleury will be the next Cole Maker, but both should see more time on the ice than Oleksiak for the final two months of the season. A bump in playing time for Ryker Evans also makes sense, as he’s held his own in his first full season. Brandon Montour, Vince Dunn, Adam Larsson and Evans give the Kraken a solid defensive core. Oleksiak shouldn’t get the same type of minutes those players receive. Not for a rebuilding club, anyway.

Bring up the kids from Coachella

The Kraken are 13 points out of a playoff spot with 18 to go coming into Saturday’s game against the Flyers, and that disappointment presents an opportunity — both for the young players already on Seattle’s roster and the youngsters currently in Coachella Valley in the American Hockey League.

And some young talents would be fun to watch wearing Kraken colors currently on the Coachella roster. Chief among those is Jani Nyman — a 6-foot-4 wing taken in the second round back in 2022 out of Finland. In his 55 games with the Firebirds, Nyman has scored 26 goals while picking up another 15 assists, and the 20-year-old gets rave reviews for his abilities to make plays around the net while also possessing the ability to get the puck past keepers with his wrist shot.

On top of Nyman, the Kraken have Ville Ottavainen, a 6-foot-5 defender who isn’t much of an offensive threat but gets quality reviews for his defensive prowess as a 22-year-old. Ryan Winterton was the 67th pick of the 2021 draft and has seen some limited action with the Kraken over the last two seasons, but he’s a potential third-line option in the coming years who could benefit from more time in the NHL.

With so little hockey left, it makes sense for the Kraken to give some of these young players a look, as it not only could give them needed NHL experience, but also give Seattle an idea of what they have to work with going into the 2026 season.

Long-term goals

Continue to build salary cap room

The Kraken now have a projected $21.75 million in cap room for the 2025-26 season. That ranks 18th among all NHL teams in projected cap room, which puts them just below the middle of the pack.

That number, however, has a chance to get bigger because of the trades made at the deadline. Between 2025-27, the Kraken now have five first-round picks and five second-round selections. That gives the Kraken a chance to draft high-end players, use those picks to acquire NHL-ready players and also use those selections to get creative with the roster.

It’d be fair to say the Kraken don’t have any albatrosses on the roster, but there are some players in a league with a hard cap that don’t make sense on the roster. One of those players is Oleksiak, but Andre Burakovsky also hasn’t come close to living up to the $5.5 million salary that he’ll be paid the next two seasons — even with some analytics suggesting he has been one of the more unlucky players — and attaching a draft pick to a team that isn’t interested in contending next season could see that salary erased. The Kraken could also do the same for Philipp Grubauer, and Grubauer is also a player who could be released and have his contract hit lowered by stretching it over a few more seasons. Removing both players would clear close to $11 million in cap room, and Jaden Schwartz is another potential casualty at $5.5 million next year.

With the sheer amount of picks the Kraken have, their ability to get creative to clear more cap room is readily apparent, and it should be put into practice after the season.

Get The Guy

Wright has a chance to be a very, very good player. Beniers is a former Calder winner (NHL Rookie of the Year) who hasn’t quite made the leap Kraken fans — and management — have hoped for, but is going to be a long-term stalwart in the league. Jared McCann is a quality scorer. Kaapo Kakko has shown the flashes of brilliance that made him an elite prospect not long ago. Joey Daccord, with very few exceptions, looks like the long-term answer at goalie. Dunn, Montour, Stevenson and more all help give Seattle a solid core.

But they’re missing “The Guy.” And it’s now on general manager Ron Francis and his staff to find the player who can be the best player on a perennial Stanley Cup contender. As great as Shane Wright could be and as high of a floor as Beniers has, neither one is likely to be The Guy.

And it sounds like Francis is on the same page, according to an interview with KJR.

In that interview with KJR’s Ian Furness, Francis said all the things you’re looking to hear from a GM you’re hoping will make the team a contender. He’s not looking to use those 10 draft picks in the first 10 rounds, he’s looking to use those picks to acquire players that can make the Kraken better in 2025 and beyond.

And that’s exactly what Seattle should be doing. Yes, the roster pales in comparison to some of the upper-echelon groups in the NHL, but the core is there. They’re strong up the middle. There’s a legitimate top goaltender. There’s a talented puck-moving defenseman. There’s a real leader on the roster in Jordan Eberle.

Now it’s time to go get The Guy — whomever that player can be — that can lead this team into consistent, deep playoff runs.

It’s understandable to take a long-term approach for a franchise this young, but the trades made Friday — on top of the other moves by the organization over the past few years — put them into position to create success not just in the next part of the decade, but the next few seasons.

Now you just gotta do it.