Kraken GM Talks Three Newest Free Agents

When Kraken general manager stepped away from the phone long enough to speak with local and national media late Wednesday afternoon, he appeared as poised and comfortable as he did full day after full day last week preparing for the expansion and entry drafts.
Francis was in demand because the Kraken hockey operations groups agreed to terms with three more free agents to go with three signed during the exclusive window allowed Seattle as part of the expansion process. Francis also made a trade late Wednesday.
Overall, Francis said he felt even better about the team's evolving roster by day's end.

The first questions were shots on goal of sorts. That's because the Kraken surprised the hockey world by signing Colorado goalie and 2021 Vezina Trophy finalist for best goaltender, Philipp Grubauer. The contract is six years in length with a $5.9 million salary cap hit or average annual value (AAV).
Reporters wanted to know was landing Grubauer part of the master plan and, if so, why sign Florida goalie Chris Driedger (three years, $3.5 M AAV) as a free agent and draft the NHL's winningest 2020-21 rookie goalie Vitek Valecek?

"We took Vitek Vanecek to be part of our goalie tandem," said Francis, who traded Vanecek back to the Washingon Capitals Wednesday in exchange for a 2023 second-round draft choice. "I didn't expect Grubauer to get to market [instead re-signing with the Avalanche]. Six different teams called on Vitek."
As for Driedger, Francis was clear he highly values both goalies in the Kraken tandem. He said the number of back-to-back night games (eight pairs plus a half-dozen three-games-four-nights combos) and "travel east and west" dictates sharing the net to keep Grubauer and Driedger fresh.
Francis added having top goalies can help the hockey operations group "sleep better at night." He said goalie movements via trades before expansion protected lists were submitted left him thinking the goaltender supply was "drying up a bit." Grubauer's availability was a welcome opportunity that Francis and crew clearly seized.
The free-agent with Florida center Alexander Wennberg (three years, $4.5M AAV) was the first Seattle announcement during Day 1 of Free Agency.
"We're really pleased with Wennberg [joining the Kraken]," said Francis. "He's a two-way centerman who is a good fit, especially with [Yanni] Gourde out [for possibly two months of the regular season recovering from July 21 shoulder surgery]."

Francis is consistently respectful of head coach Dave Hakstol making lineup decisions, but when asked about Wennberg's spot on the forwards depth chart, he didn't blink to say Wennberg will be "top six" centering the first or second line.
"He's the kind of guy when a firestorm is happening, you sent him out to the ice to calm things down," said the Hall of Fame player-turned-NHL GM. "Hopefully, last year [17 goals or a 25-goal pace over a full season] is just the beginning for him."
It was widely speculated in the media that St. Louis Blues forward Jaden Schwartz would be agree to terms with Seattle. That didn't dampen Francis' enthusiasm for Schwartz bringing his veteran presence and know-how to the Pacific Northwest.
"Jaden can play up and down the lineup," said Francis. "We value his experience, especially winning the Stanley Cup [in 2019]."
Schwartz, 29, scored 154 goals and added 231 assists in 560 games with St. Louis. The fan favorite scored 24 goals and notched 26 assists during 82 playoff games.
Here is a key statistical nugget to remember: During the Blues' 2019 victorious run to the Stanley Cup, Schwartz scored 12 goals in 26 games, including two game-winners and several more momentum-changers.

He added eight assists during that postseason. Only playoffs MVP Ryan O'Reilly scored more points on a team with more acclaimed scorers Alex Pietrangelo, Vladmir Tarasenko and David Perron.
As for any Expansion Draft doubters out there, Schwartz' production (12G, 8A) during the 2019 Cup run bettered the unprotected and not Kraken-selected Vladmir Tarasenko (11G, 6A) in goals and assists. That's with Tarasenko playing a full minute more per game on the man-advantage powerplay.
Tarasenko scored five of his 11 goals on powerplays compared to two for Schwartz. Neither scored a shorthanded (in fact, the Blues as a team didn't score one).
That computes to 10 goals from Schwartz during the vital 5-on-5 ice time, an analytics data set that discerns how a player performs when both teams are at full strength. Tarasenko calculates out to six goals during 5-on-5.
Both players averaged a bit more than 15 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time during the 2019 postseason. Schwartz checks out as nearly twice as productive.
"Jaden plays a responsible two-way game and knows how to put the puck in the net," said Seattle Kraken GM Ron Francis. "He brings veteran leadership to our group. We value bringing his guidance to this team."