Don’t look now, but the Seattle Kraken are 5-4-1 in their last ten games and currently sit seven points behind the Nashville Predators for the final wildcard spot in the Western Conference (with two games in hand). I haven’t been shy about offering my thoughts on the franchise’s direction, and the recent string of results has only hardened my stance, even if the path to winning a Stanley Cup promises to be long and arduous.
The term “five-year rebuild” has become a familiar refrain for executives of bad teams when offering a timeline for their return to legitimate contention.
The issue with that platitude is that owners are generally not patient. The allure of playoff revenue, league-wide media relevance, and plain old pride stand in the way of committing to a complete and unabashed tear-down in the modern NHL.
Related: Seattle Kraken Post-All-Star Break 2024 NHL Playoff Outlook
Fortunately, the Kraken have already enjoyed on-ice success and boast a strong foundation of youth. They rank 12th in Scott Wheeler’s 2024 NHL prospect pool rankings despite only participating in three drafts to date. That’s while also graduating Matty Beniers (age 22), Ryker Evans (22), and Tye Kartye (23 in March) into full- or part-time roles with the NHL club since the tail-end of the 2021-22 season.
A reconstruction of the roster will hurt temporarily, regardless of the depth or quality of the system. What should assuage the understandable fear and pain is that the franchise is in a position to pivot quickly into Stanley Cup contention. If the fanbase and the front office value the long-term prosperity of the organization, selling off assets and acquiring burgeoning building blocks at the 2024 Deadline should be the primary goal.
I recently highlighted the Kraken’s most valuable trade assets, most of which could recoup the picks and prospects needed to acquire promising – but disgruntled – players in need of a change in scenery.
Think of how the team plucked winger Eeli Tolvanen – a first-round pick in 2017 – off of waivers and rejuvenated his flagging career. The following five players are in similar situations and could see a turnaround in their on-ice fortunes in a new locale while allowing the Kraken to bypass the most painful part of a rebuild.
With the trade deadline exactly one week away, here are three intriguing, NHL-ready players the Kraken could acquire ahead of the March 8th cutoff.
Trevor Zegras, Anaheim Ducks – Center/Left Wing
2023-24 Cap Hit: $5.75 million
If the Kraken are considering marketability as a factor in their trade targets, there may not be a better option than the 22-year-old Zegras. A rising American star, Zegras has been featured on the cover of the NHL video game series, and his audacious displays of skill with the puck have gone viral on social media several times over.
While Zegras already counts two 20-goal and two 60-point seasons to his name before the age of 23, there are concerns about his defensive game. It also doesn’t help that he’s only played 20 games this year due to injury (with seven points) and struggled to acclimatize to a new head coach and system when he’s been healthy.
Recently hired Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek has already traded one promising player drafted by the prior regime (defenseman Jamie Drysdale), so who’s to say he wouldn’t do the same with Zegras? Though you never want to trade a player when their value is at its lowest, the Ducks may believe that the hype around him overshadows his true on-ice value, even if he is a legitimate offensive star.
The Ducks have reportedly gauged interest in the forward but haven’t committed to outright shopping him just yet.
Nick Robertson, Toronto Maple Leafs – Left Wing/Right Wing
2023-24 Cap Hit: $0.796 million
A victim of terrible injury luck and the loaded forward group of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the 22-year-old Robertson has yet to undeniably grab a full-time role in the NHL. Several health setbacks limited the undersized winger to only 55 total games in the NHL and the AHL during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, but he’s flashed an NHL-ready shot when he’s been available.
The promising American winger has scored 27 goals and 57 points over his 60-game AHL tenure and is currently among the NHL leaders in per-60-minute goal scoring and point production at five-on-five as a result of limited usage in the NHL this season.
Robertson has set a new career high in games played (41), goals (eight), assists (11), and points (19) this season and is in the final year of his entry-level contract. His affordability as a pending restricted free agent (RFA) with a scant NHL resumé will be attractive to the Maple Leafs as they look to build a solid support group around their superstar forwards, so prying him out of Toronto could prove difficult.
Adam Boqvist, Columbus Blue Jackets – Defenseman
2023-24 Cap Hit: $2.6 million
The third and final trade target is the 23-year-old Boqvist, drafted eighth overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2018 NHL Draft.
Despite showing decent production as a young defenseman (nearly half a point per game over his first 70 games in the NHL), the Blackhawks sent him to the Columbus Blue Jackets as part of the package in the Seth Jones deal.
Since then, Boqvist has struggled to gain a foothold in the Blue Jackets’ lineup as a result of battling injuries, overcoming defensive growing pains, and struggling to earn the trust of his coaches. The defender’s 2023-24 tally of eight points in 28 games represents the lowest scoring pace of his career since his rookie campaign, despite Boqvist averaging the ice-time of his career.
The Blue Jackets possess an enviable crop of talented defensemen in their highly-rated prospect pool, meaning there figures to be even less opportunity for Boqvist to shine moving forward. The young blueliner is undoubtedly looking for greener pastures outside of Ohio, and the Kraken have a definite need for such a player in their system.
Kraken in Strong Position for the Future
Even if the Kraken stand pat at the deadline and choose not to touch their NHL roster, the organization can rest easy. A talented scouting staff has unearthed several gems in their first three drafts and laid a sturdy foundation for the future.
An energetic market, state-of-the-art facilities, and a bounty of cap space make Seattle an attractive destination for free agents, giving them a leg-up on other rebuilding clubs.
A retool won’t be easy, but the path is not as littered with obstacles as one might think, and the Kraken should leap head-first into this direction. Hear me, Ron Francis; a Stanley Cup awaits.
Data courtesy of Natural Stat Trick and the NHL.
