Analysis: Who struggling Kraken could trade away at the deadline
SEATTLE – Coming out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break with 25 games to play, the Seattle Kraken (24-29-4) are nearly as close to last place as they are to the second wild-card spot in the West. They are 11 points away from the cutoff.
Staring down a second consecutive season without a playoff appearance, it stands to reason that they’ll be sellers before the March 7 trade deadline. In order, here are some of the rostered players the Kraken front office is most likely to hear about the next few weeks, and why they might consider a deal.
LW Brandon Tanev
Why they would: Tanev’s contract expires at the end of this season. If the Kraken have no plans to re-sign him, it would be better to get something now rather than to let him walk away. Tanev’s name has been thrown around in trade discussions since last summer. He has a 10-team no-trade list.
Why they wouldn’t: He’s a fan favorite and plays valuable minutes. He’s a tireless pest, on the fourth line and on the penalty kill, and the Kraken rely on his energy. At one point, Tye Kartye looked like Tanev’s heir apparent in a similar role, but Kartye’s minutes have drooped and he’s often been a healthy scratch over the past month.
C Yanni Gourde
Why they would: Gourde’s contract is expensive ($5.17M average annual value) for a fourth-line center, but more importantly, it expires at the end of the season. Some playoff-bound team would love the two-time Stanley Cup champion’s veteran leadership and grit, if they were willing to take the chance.
Why they won’t: Because Gourde isn’t set to return from sports hernia surgery until the week of the trade deadline, at the earliest. He hasn’t played since Jan. 2. That would be a risk on the part of the acquiring team, and it affects what the Kraken can get in return.
Gourde, an alternate captain, is someone the Kraken could re-sign and hold onto. He’s 33 and established here. If he agrees to a lower sum this summer, that could please everyone.
RW Oliver Bjorkstrand
Why they would: Bjorkstrand has some cachet as the Kraken’s most recent All-Star. If a team wanted depth and was willing to pay for it, Bjorkstrand is a safe bet in his current role, and clutch to boot. He scored all three of the Kraken’s Game 7 goals during its 2023 playoff run. He’s not a rental, either, with one more year on his contract ($5.4M AAV).
Why they wouldn’t: The Kraken like him, and no one’s offering enough. He’s been a 20-goal scorer each of his two seasons in Seattle, and he hasn’t missed a single game because of injury. He’s not on pace to reach his season-best 59 points from 2023-24, but Bjorkstrand remains a steady, middle-of-the-road producer.
D Jamie Oleksiak
Why they would: Teams should be interested in one of the biggest players in the league with more than a decade of experience. He has 57 playoff games under his belt and appeared in the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals with the Dallas Stars.
Oleksiak has one more year on his contract at $4.6M AAV and a 16-team no trade list. He’s dropped to the Kraken’s third pairing in recent weeks. He won’t be useful there to them in late April, but this is the time of year when contenders badly want to bolster their second or third defensive pairing.
Why they wouldn’t: Oleksiak continues to play many hard minutes for the Kraken, killing penalties and averaging 18:58 per game against top talent, and that would have to be replaced somehow. He doesn’t throw his weight around like many expect him to.
LW Jaden Schwartz
Why they would: His stock has rarely been higher in Seattle. Schwartz has been the Kraken’s top-line winger for a few months and is their only safe-bet 20-goal scorer this season. He’s a hard-nosed veteran and consistently goes to the net. He’s also a Stanley Cup champion.
Following one more season with a cap hit of $5.5M, Schwartz is set to become a UFA in the summer of 2026. He has a 16-team no-trade list.
Why they wouldn’t: For the reasons above. He’s been one of the Kraken’s better players in 2024-25. He’s an alternate captain and part of the leadership group. He’s helping the progression of linemates Matty Beniers and Kaapo Kakko, whom the Kraken are investing in and betting on.
RW Eeli Tolvanen
Why they would: Tolvanen was something of a waiver-wire reclamation project in Seattle, and it can be labeled a success. He cemented himself as a middle-six forward. His offensive numbers have been solid, if not exceptional, to the tune of 16 goals each of the past three seasons. His sound, physical play, evidenced by a team-leading 175 hits, are the icing on top.
His recent stat line is attractive. Five of his goals came in the Kraken’s last eight games. He’s has a reasonable $3.48M cap hit and is signed through next season.
Why they wouldn’t: Tolvanen just re-upped last summer. He’s a young, multifaceted piece they can use to rebuild.
LW Andre Burakovsky
Why they would: Long-term injuries are no longer a concern for Burakovsky, but his scoring touch still hasn’t returned. He was signed to be a top point producer for the Kraken. In the three seasons before he arrived as a free agent, he had 20, 19 and 22 goals, respectively, and at least 44 points each time. He has just five goals and 16 points through 54 games this season.
The well-liked, 30-year-old winger might benefit from a change of scenery. A team out there could decide Seattle was a blip, and surrounded by different talent, Burakovsky can get back to his old tricks.
Why they wouldn’t: Finding a taker for his $5.5M AAV contract with two years left on it, paired with his lack of production this season and last season (seven goals, nine assists in 49 games) will be tricky.
LW Jared McCann
Why they would: Sportsnet contributor Jacob Stoller reported this week that McCann “could be made available before the deadline.” A flood of “Here’s why McCann is the perfect fit for (insert team)” think-pieces followed.
That rumor hasn’t picked up steam yet, but big if true. McCann is among the most valuable players the Kraken have, even during a down year. He is the franchise leader in goals (110), power-play goals (26), short-handed goals (6) and points (224). Despite a 14-goal, 28-assist season way off his usual pace, the Kraken are so middling that he led them in points throughout the season, and still does. He might want to go somewhere he can chase a championship.
Why they wouldn’t: Does one bad season spoil the bunch? McCann seemed to have trouble clicking with his linemates this season, but that doesn’t mean he can’t reclaim the production that has been the norm, not the exception.
Familiarity wasn’t an option through February. His usual opposite winger, Jordan Eberle, was badly injured a month into the season and hasn’t played since. His usual center, Matty Beniers, was absorbed into a line with new acquisition Kaapo Kakko and Schwartz and hasn’t budged from that spot since. It just wasn’t there with offseason signing Chandler Stephenson. It’s been a little better with Shane Wright.
Perhaps once Eberle returns – which should be soon, as he was sent to Coachella Valley on Wednesday for a conditioning assignment – McCann will look like himself again.