'Presence' On and Off the Ice

When Kraken fans see a ROOT SPORTS close-up camera shot of forward Jaden Schwartz, they typically see an intense face, a game face, a warrior's face. Whether it be focusing with eyes closed during the national anthem or buzzing the Kraken bench after scoring a goal, this veteran forward appears seriously locked in.
There's another side to Schwartz greatly appreciated by his head coach, Dave Hakstol. When posed a media question about the advantages of having the winger back in the lineup on this current road trip after missing the second half of January, Hakstol started his answer with what Schwartz does off the ice.
"The things [about Schwartz] you might miss and not see is his presence in the locker room," said Hakstol. "He's a guy who keeps the guys around him loose."

One timely example: Schwartz was awarded the team's Davy Jones hat after Sunday's win. The hat is intended to recognize the little details that win games, which is part of Schwartz's game arsenal every night. It just so happened he scored twice Sunday on top of those little things. When he donned the bejeweled hat, Schwartz went for humor in his "speech," opting to sing "Fly, Eagles, Fly!" when referencing the Super Bowl watch party pending for the players.
Hakstol said his player recognize one more persuasive factor about alternate captain Schwartz: "He's won [the 2019 Stanley Cup with St. Louis]. He's got that presence and he's pretty timely in the way he delivers some of his leadership [off the ice]."
Hakstol didn't overlook the on-ice advantage of Schwartz back in the top-six forwards mix: "A lot of it is his creating possession down low for us ... he's got that ability to finish in the scoring area."
That finishing touch in the tough, physical areas, was evident and welcome in Sunday's win at Philadelphia when Schwartz scored the third and fourth goals of the 4-3 victory over the last minute of the second period and opening minute of the final period. It was his first two goals in the four road games coming after the All-Star break. Before that, he last appeared in the SEA lineup on Jan. 12, scoring a big goal during a memorable road shutout win at Boston.

"He's coming off some time off," said Hakstol. "There was not a lot of opportunity to do a ton of work [on-ice] during that break. But you see the pace and sharpness of his game coming back."
During a post-game scrum Sunday, Schwartz was asked, "How close do you feel to 100 percent, being back to full speed and full strength?"
Schwartz paused, gently laughed, then said, "Oh, hopefully close. I've got some practices and a few games under my belt. When you're out, you do as much as you can in the gym and on the ice. But nothing feels the same as it does when you're when in a game. I'd say tonight my jump felt a lot better than the first couple of games."
"Not playing the game for I don't know what, maybe three or four weeks. I felt a little bit off with my legs and timing a little bit. I think any player would tell you when you miss time, it's a little bit of an adjustment."
A healthy and productive Schwartz is a welcome prospect for the Kraken coaching staff and any linemates who join him. More than a few observers, including Seattle GM Ron Francis, have emphasized how the team's fast start was significantly fueled by both Schwartz and Brandon Tanev returning to the lineup after missing huge portions of the inaugural season.
"For me what stands out is his smarts," said Tanev, who teamed with Schwartz on the important go-ahead goal Sunday. He does a lot of things in the game that go unnoticed by the average fan."