Kraken’s Alex Wennberg held out because of ‘trade-related issues’

CALGARY, Alberta – Forward Alex Wennberg was absent from the Kraken’s morning skate Monday because of “trade-related issues,” coach Dave Hakstol said.

Wennberg, who made the trip north and is a pending unrestricted free agent, has been linked to several playoff contenders, including the New York Rangers and Colorado Avalanche. The NHL trade deadline is Friday at noon .

With 22 games left in the regular season, including Monday night’s matchup against the Flames, the Kraken’s playoff hopes are getting slimmer. They sat nine points behind the L.A. Kings and Nashville Predators, who occupy the wild-card spots in the Western Conference.

“He’s out with some trade-related issues,” Hakstol said Monday. “He will not be available tonight.”

Hakstol declined to elaborate.

“Our focus is on taking care of our own business,” he said.

Wennberg is in the final season of a three-year, $4.5 million contract. Per CapFriendly, he has a modified no-trade clause that includes a 10-team no-trade list.

The second-line center has appeared in all but two regular-season games in the Kraken’s short franchise history. He was signed as a free agent by Seattle on July 28, 2021.

He has nine goals and 16 assists in 60 games this season. Last week he notched his first multipoint game of the campaign with a goal and an assist in a 2-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Kraken are in an awkward spot the week of the trade deadline – not fully counted out, but a long shot to return to the postseason, with MoneyPuck giving them a 8.1% chance of making the playoffs as of Monday afternoon. Speculation regarding whether Seattle would be a buyer or a seller swirled until the final days.

While they’ve gone a respectable 5-4-1 since the All-Star break, the Predators blew past the other four wild-card hopefuls with an eight-game win streak that’s still active. Calgary, the Minnesota Wild and the St. Louis Blues stand between the Kraken and the cutoff.

“You’ve got a couple of teams that are on real hot runs,” Hakstol said. “So even though we’ve played pretty good hockey, we haven’t been able to close that gap. That’s where our focus is at – the opportunities we have to change the picture a little bit here over the next couple of days.”

It appears they’ll keep pushing, if possible, without Wennberg and get something for the 29-year-old Stockholm native rather than let him walk away at the end of the season, which could be April 18.

Wennberg, in turn, could help a team loading up for a postseason run. The usually pass-first center with an admired shot of his own can offer depth up the middle and steady penalty killing. He’s won 46.7% of his faceoffs this season.

TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported Seattle had been in talks with Wennberg’s agency about a potential extension, but the decision was made to move him.

Seattle’s other pending UFAs and attractive trade targets are alternate captain and top-line winger Jordan Eberle, plus two-time Stanley Cup champion defenseman Justin Schultz. Tomas Tatar, who has only been with the Kraken since a December trade, is under contract until the end of the season and there are murmurs that he could be on the move again.

Like Wennberg, Eberle has been with the Kraken since the beginning and was their first All-Star. He also scored the first hat trick in franchise history. SportsNet’s Elliotte Friedman reported there has been extension talk with Eberle, “and the Kraken seem prepared to keep him even if it’s not done by Friday.” That would mean Eberle’s 1,000th NHL game – Monday marked No. 997 – is with Seattle after all.

The Kraken, meanwhile, have three games this week to focus on.

“It’s for sure not the most fun week,” veteran defenseman Adam Larsson said. “It’s part of the business. It’s always been there and everyone knows when it is.”

Last season, with a playoff run looking likely, the Kraken didn’t make a single move in the weeks leading up to the deadline. Seattle’s reportedly tight locker room saw that as a vote of confidence. A run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup playoffs’ second round followed.

In the first week of March, 2024, the landscape is different. There could be several big meetings and farewells.

“It’s a week where you should know pretty much where you’re at,” Larsson said. “I think most players try to shut it out and take it day by day.”