It was a busy free agency debut for the Seattle Kraken. Let’s take a look at what they’ve done.
Kraken Begin Day By Adding Alexander Wennberg
The NHL’s newest franchise kicked things off by signing forward Alexander Wennberg to a three-year, $13.5 million contract ($4.5 million AAV). The 26-year-old is a natural center, although he’s also seen time on the wing and is generally pretty versatile in terms of lineup placement.
Wennberg spent last season playing for the Florida Panthers, after spending the first six years of his career with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He played all 56 games of the shortened season, recording 29 points including a career-high 17 goals. This was a very shrewd signing by Kraken GM Ron Francis, and will certainly help to shore up the depth down the middle—especially in wake of the Yanni Gourde injury.
“Alexander is coming off of his best goal-scoring season to date and gives us an offensive-minded center down the middle,” said Francis. “He’s still young and we think he has room to grow even further as he has taken large strides in each of his last few seasons. We like his combination of size and skill and think he will fit well with our group.”
Welcome to SEA-town!
The #SeaKraken have agreed to terms with @AlexWennberg on a 3 year contract ($4.5M AAV). pic.twitter.com/65RLEN3iHv
— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) July 28, 2021
Seattle Improve Top-Six With Addition Of Jaden Schwartz
A short while later, Seattle made an even larger splash by signing forward Jaden Schwartz. Several rumors linked the squid to the top-six forward in recent days, who immediately becomes the team’s best left winger. The 29-year-old ended up signing a five-year, $27.5 million contract ($5.5 million AAV) and is essentially a lock for top-line/PP1 minutes.
The only question mark revolves around his health, as Schwartz has never played a full 82-game season. Luckily, the injuries haven’t hindered his production too much in recent years. The Wilcox, Saskatchewan native has registered at least 55 points in three of the last five seasons. He’s also a proven playoff performer, leading the St. Louis Blues with 12 postseason goals when they won the Stanley Cup back in 2019.
“Jaden plays a responsible two-way game and knows how to put the puck in the net,” said Francis. “He brings veteran leadership to our group and his knowledge of the game and what it takes to win hockey’s ultimate prize will be valuable as we continue to shape our inaugural roster. We’re looking forward to adding his guidance and skill to our team.”
🙌 Schwartzy 🙌
We’ve agreed to terms with Jaden Schwartz on a 5 year contract ($5.5M AAV). pic.twitter.com/p0ZPIfUUWW
— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) July 28, 2021
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Kraken Shock Everyone By Locking Up Philipp Grubauer
The last signing of the trio was by far the most surprising. Nevertheless, it created a massive splash as the Kraken locked up recent Vezina Trophy finalist Philipp Grubauer to a six-year, $35.4 million contract ($5.9 million AAV). The 29-year-old had an incredible 2020-21 season, posting a 30-9-1 record to go along with a 1.95 GAA and a .920 save percentage.
The shock of this move stems from the fact that Seattle already has a formidable tandem in Chris Driedger and Vitek Vanecek. Not to mention a pretty solid number-three in Joey Daccord. On the other hand, it’s hard to pass up the opportunity to add a Vezina-caliber goaltender at a reasonable price. Perhaps one of the other goalies will now be dealt, as rumors of a Vanecek-Washington Capitals reunion are already afloat.
“We’re excited to add a goaltender of Philipp’s caliber, especially coming off of a season where he was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy,” said Francis. “He was a part of a Stanley Cup-winning team and has been one of the top goaltenders in the League over the past few seasons and we’re happy that he chose to join our team.”
Don’t mind if we do. 😏
The #SeaKraken have agreed to terms with goaltender @philgrubauer31 on a 6 year contract (5.9M AAV). pic.twitter.com/gSdeyGKwPO
— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) July 28, 2021
What’s Next?
The Kraken still have $15.6 million in available cap space, so they likely aren’t done shopping yet. Perhaps another top-six forward, like a Tomas Tatar for example, is in the cards. Another top-nine forward would be helpful as well.
Either way, Francis should definitely be happy about what he’s been able to accomplish so far. Seattle may not necessarily be a bonafide playoff team just yet, but they certainly just got a lot closer.
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