Four Cups, Three New Kraken

6:28 p.m., July 13

"We think he has that capability [plus Francis called him a "reliable defenseman" too]. I remember talking to people in Pittsburgh when he was there [for the Penguins winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017]. They were saying he was really good in that role, but just kind of didn't get that opportunity. "
Landing Sought-After Free Agent Andre Burakovsky
"This is a guy that's the right age at 27. He's got good speed, good playmaking abilities. He's got a great shot. The thinking here is having a little more opportunity, hopefully it helps him reach his potential [Francis stressed later in the press conference the 6-foot-3, 201-pound has a higher ceiling as an NHL goal scorer]. We're excited about that [he later scoped Burakovsky's opportunity to include being a "top six or even top three forward" with the Kraken, compared to "being the seventh guy" with Colorado.

Projecting Shane Wright's Season Ahead
"Not to [forget], we signed Shane Wright today too. That's another good addition to our lineup. With him and Matty [Beniers] down the middle, the future looks pretty good in that position.
"I think [drafting Wright fourth overall last Thursday] certainly changed our approach at centerman, right? If you're out there looking for [elite] centermen, you've got to give them seven years at a big number. We're looking at Matty Beniers and Shane right thinking we don't need to do that at this point."
New Goalie Coach Steve Briere Working with Martin Jones, Philipp Grubauer
"We hired Steve because he's a guy with a lot of experience and had success. He adds to our ability to make our goaltenders better. I know Grubi [Philipp Grubauer] is back in town. He and Steve got dinner and have started building that relationship.
"We certainly had Steve look at different videos on [available] goaltenders to give us opinion. Steve's got a lot of time for Martin in the way he's played. There's probably a few things maybe he wants to work on or tweak [of Jones' approach]. But Steve's excited about the possibility of working with him. We'll see how things go moving forward. But it's good to have a goalie coach excited to work with the players and talking with the goalie [they want to work with]. So far so good."
5:02 p.m., July 13

Seattle Adds Trio of Forwards

The Kraken front office added three more players to the organization later Wednesday, agreeing on deals with center Andrew Poturalski (two years, NHL contract at $762,500 AAV), center Cameron Hughes (two years, two-way NHL/AHL contract at $762,500 AAV when on Kraken active 23-man roster) and right wing Austin Poganski (one year, two-way, $750,000 AAV when on Kraken active 23-man roster).
Poturalski appeared in four NHL games with Carolina (two this past season). He racked up 101 (28 goals, 73 assists) points with the AHL Chicago Wolves during the regular season and added eight goals and 15 assists in the Calder Cup. The Wolves won the AHL title and Porturalski was named playoffs MVP.

The 28-year-old Chicago area native has been a productive scorer during his AHL seasons (he was in the Carolina system when Kraken GM was running Hurricanes hockey operations) and starred at the University of New Hampshire before that.
Hughes played four years for NCAA Wisconsin after getting drafted by Boston in the sixth round of the 2015 draft. He has appeared in two NHL games with Boston and played five seasons with Bruins AHL affiliate Providence (including years when Kraken assistant coach Jay Leach was head coach). He posted his best AHL this past season with 14 goals, 31 assists for 45 points in 59 games.

Poganski appeared in 16 games for the Winnipeg Jets this last season and another six games with St. Louis from 2019 to 2021. He scored nine goals and added 21 assists in 49 games for Jets affiliate Manitoba in 2021. The Blues drafted him in the fourth round of the 2014 NHL Draft before he went to play four seasons for NCAA North Dakota. Fun fact: Dave Hakstol recruited Poganski when the Kraken head coach was building an NCAA dynasty at UND.

3:15 p.m., July 13

Seattle Add Right-Handed Defenseman Schultz

Another Stanley Cup winner joins the Kraken roster with the free-agent agreeing to terms of veteran defenseman Justin Schultz Wednesday. The contract is two years at a $3 million salary cap hit. The 6-2, 188-pound defenseman has played 11 seasons in the NHL even with just turning 32 earlier this month.
He is a right-handed shot, which is a good fit for a Seattle defenseman group, which tilts to left side. He joins alternate captain and standout D-man Adam Larsson on the right side, along with the younger Will Borgen and Cale Fleury.

"Justin is a dependable, right-shot defenseman that will help balance out our blueline," said Kraken GM Ron Francis. "He brings a veteran presence and we're happy to welcome him to Seattle."
Schultz has scored 57 goals and added 207 assists for Edmonton, Pittsburgh and, most recently, Washington. At the 2016 NHL Trade Deadline, Schultz was moved from Edmonton to Pittsburgh for a third-round draft choice. He filled a need for the Penguins, who went on to win the 2016 Stanley Cup.
The next season, when Pittsburgh repeated as Cup champions, Schultz scored 12 goals and added 39 assists during the regular season, then notched four goals and nine assists for 13 points in 21 playoff games. Last season with Washington-where he signed as a free agent in 2020-Schultz scored four goals and added 19 assists with the Capitals. In the playoffs, he scored a goal and notched two assists in six games.
3:15 p.m., July 13

Kraken Sign Martin Jones to Shore Up Goaltending

With goalie Chris Driedger facing a long recovery from knee surgery, Seattle moved quickly Wednesday strengthen the goaltending corps by signing veteran Martin Jones to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $2 million.
Jones has appeared in 396 NHL games for Los Angeles, San Jose and Philadelphia over nine seasons, posting a 198-150-32 record and .907 career save percentage. By all accounts, without Jones' spectacular performance in the 2016 playoffs, he and the San Jose Sharks don't make it to the Stanley Cup Final that postseason. He won 14 games and posted .923 save percentage and 2.16 goals-against average.

"Martin is a veteran who has a wealth of experience and adds competition to our goaltending group," said Kraken General Manager Ron Francis. "He has had success at every level he has played, and we are looking forward to adding him to our team."
Last season with the Philadelphia Flyers, Jones, 32, notched a .900 save percentage with a 12-18-3 record for a Flyers team that finished the season with 61 standings points (25-46-11).
Jones will fill a backup role necessitated by Driedger suffering a torn right ACL while playing goal for Team Canada at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships during the gold medal game in late May. Following early June surgery, Driedger is expected to be out for seven to nine months total for full recovery.
2 p.m., July 13

Kraken Work Deal for Two-Time Cup Winner Burakovsky

A month ago, forward Andre Burakovsky scored the overtime-winning goal for the Colorado Avalanche in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. The dramatic goal, scored with a quick release and a pinpoint upper-right corner shot past all-world goalie Andrei Vasilevskey, kickstarted Colorado's defeat of two-time champ Tampa Bay to win the 2022 Stanley Cup.
A month later, Burakovsky signed a free-agent contract with the Kraken with a five-year term at $5.5M average annual value. The intent for the Seattle front office, of course, is the signing will provide a power-boost to scoring clutch goals for the Kraken.

Burakovsky, 27, joins the Kraken fresh from a career year with the Avalanche. He scored 21 goals and added 39 assists for 61 points in 80 games. He posted his highest individual shot quality total during 5-on-5 play last season (more from colleague Alison Lukan Thursday on the Kraken website and app).
The 6-foot-3, 201-pound forward adds size and net-front presence to the Kraken lineup. He was drafted 23rd overall by Washington in the 2013 NHL Draft and has appeared in 519 games since then, notching 123 goals and 172 assists.
1:30 p.m., July 13

Kraken Sign Three to Help Build AHL Roster

With the Coachella Valley Firebirds beginning American Hockey League play this fall, the Kraken signed three players Wednesday who will be part of training camp, then likely join the Firebirds for the start of the season.
Defenseman Brogan Rafferty agreed to a one-year, two-way contract ($750,000 AAV). He played last season with the AHL San Diego Gulls, notching four goals and 20 assists in 65 games. Rafferty, 27, has appeared in three NHL games with the Vancouver Canucks. He was named to the AHL Second All-Star Team following the 2019-20 season.
Goaltender Magnus Hellberg, 31, signed a one-year NHL deal for ($750,000 AAV). He has appeared in five NHL games, logging a 2-0 record and 2.81 goals-against average. He's played the last five seasons in Russia's KHL and played one game last season for the Detroit Red Wings. He provides the goalie depth teams desire in today's NHL, to stock both the top club and AHL rosters. Increasingly, teams are paying NHL salaries for NHL/AHL goalies who have formidable experience.
Jesper Froden is a Swedish-born forward, 27, who played in his country's pro leagues for eight seasons, scoring double-digit goals each year. He suited up for Boston AHL affiliate Providence last season, notching 16 goals and 18 assists in 49 games. Froden appeared in seven games for the Bruins, scoring his first NHL goal April 14 against Ottawa.
12:03 p.m., July 13

Wright Signs Entry-Level Contract

As NHL Free Agency motors on, the Kraken's 2022 top draft choice, Shane Wright, led the winning team at the team's first-ever development camp scrimmage in a round-robin, three-team tournament. Immediately after, he was presented and signed his entry-level contract at center ice.
Next, he got to "yeet" his first plush fish to the capacity crowd at Kraken Community Iceplex, smiling as he has so much this week.
The dream week continues for Kraken top draft choice Shane Wright. Last Thursday, he was smiling and telling a teeming group of reporters at the NHL Draft that "he couldn't be happier" to join the Kraken, fending off any suggestions of disappointment about order of selection.

Wednesday, Wright was signing his NHL entry-level contract at center ice at Kraken Community Iceplex after this week's development camp scrimmage.
"I couldn't be happier to be in Seattle and be a part of the Kraken organization," Wright said. "Getting to see the city for the first time this week, I can't wait to get back here and get to work. It was truly an honor to be drafted by the Kraken. This is just the beginning and I'm really excited about what lies ahead."
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8:04 a.m., July 13

Malkin, Kane Stay with Their Teams

As the opening bell of free agency signings beckons at 9 a.m. Pacific, three-time Stanley Cup winner and surefire Hall of Famer Evgeni Malkin reached agreement with the only team he's played for, the Pittsburgh Penguins in a late Tuesday night deal. The contract is four years, $24.4 million total and an average annual value (AAV) of $6.1 million.
Malkin, who can notch 20 NHL seasons if he plays out the contract, reunites with long-time teammates, center Sidney Crosby and defenseman Kris Letang.
After monster playoff production, the Edmonton Oilers committed to in-season acquisition Evander Kane, signing him to a four-year term with an average annual value (AAV) of $5.125 million. Kane scored 22 goals and added 17 assists in 43 regular-season games with the Oilers, the contributed 13 goals and four in the EDM run to Western Conference Final.
5:44 p.m., July 12

Checking the List ... Countdown to Free Agency

With the start of NHL Free Agency less than 16 hours away, let's talk about some of the most prominent names available. The list now includes those players not tendered qualifying offers (see entry below) who became unrestricted free agents Monday afternoon.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the consensus top names in this summer's free-agent group include Calgary forward and second-leading NHL scorer last season Johnny Gaudreau, Stanley Cup-winning Colorado forward Nazem Kadri, two-time Cup-winning Pittsburgh forward Evgeni Malkin and long-time all-star forward Claude Giroux who finished the season with Florida but is best known for his work and captaincy with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Other forwards identified as attractive to NHL suitors when the phone calls start at 9 a.m. Wednesday feature Tampa Bay's Ondrej Palat, Carolina's Vincent Trocheck and Nino Niederreiter, Colorado's Andre Burakovsky and New York Rangers' Andrew Copp.
Among defensemen, the bigger names are Los Angeles defenseman Alex Edler and Dallas D-man John Klingberg, along with a good number of depth defensemen such as Edmonton's Brett Kulak and Florida's Ben Chiarot-- both of whom started the season with Montreal before being moved to contenders at the trade deadline. Carolina's Ian Cole, LA's Olli Maata and Colorado's Josh Manson are names of intrigue for many NHL teams.
The free-agent goaltender pool shrunk a bit in the last week due to trades in which the traded goalie signed with his new team before entering the open market. Cup-winning Colorado goalie Darcy Kuemper and Toronto's Jack Campbell are the bigger names. Braden Holtby (Dallas), Jaroslav Halak (Vancouver), Thomas Greiss (Detroit) and Martin Jones (Philadelphia) are other unrestricted free agents available to help a team in goal.
On Monday, NHL teams made final decisions about the restricted free agents (RFAs) on their rosters. The choice was make qualifying offers to those players for which the club wanted to retain the right to keep a player or get compensated with draft choices if an RFA signs with another NHL squad. For RFA not offered qualifying offers, they became unrestricted free agents (UFAs).
Headlining the RFA-turn-UFA group is Chicago center Dylan Strome (22 goals, 26 assists in 69 games last season), along with CHI teammate Dominik Kubalik (15G, 16A, 78 games). Others include Anaheim's Sonny Milano (14 G, 20 A, 66 games) and Toronto's Ondrej Kase (14G, 13A, 50g). Ryan Donato, who scored 16 goals and added 15 assists for the Kraken in 73 games last season, is on this list too.
The speculation about which players are headed to which teams is likely to rev up early morning here in Seattle, but the actual hard news of this "hockey holiday" will begin with the 9 a.m. hour. Follow it all here at our live blog on the Kraken app and website.
5:15 p.m., July 11

Kraken 'Qualify' Five Players, Big Week Ahead

NHL Free Agency begins Wednesday at 9 a.m., but the Kraken jumpstarted the process Monday by extending qualifying offers to five restricted free agents on the team's roster: Defenseman Cale Fleury and forwards Morgan Geekie, Kole Lind, Carsen Twarynski and Alexander True.
Defensemen Haydn Fleury and Dennis Cholowski plus forwards Ryan Donato and Daniel Sprong were not tendered qualifying offers, which means all four are unrestricted agents that can sign with any NHL teams beginning Wednesday morning without compensation coming back to the Kraken.
Note: Seattle players not receiving qualifying offers can still sign with the Kraken as free agents, but with a new contract agreement.
A qualifying offer is a one-year standard player contract with a stated amount subject to arbitration for eligible players. Each of these Kraken players are arbitration-eligible and would be able to opt for that process if the team and player don't agree on a salary amount ahead of the arbitration hearing.
By issuing the qualifying offers, teams are given the right of first refusal to match any offer sheet presented by one of the other 31 NHL franchises. If a team chooses not to match, it will be compensated with future draft choices depending on the player's contract value with the new team.