Seattle Kraken Busy in Free Agency Heading into Second Season
The Seattle Kraken has only been in the league a full year but heading into their second NHL season, they look to be more competitive.
On Wednesday, they dipped into the free agent market to help achieve more success, signing a pair of two-time Stanley Cup winners in forward Andre Burakovsky and defensemen Justin Schultz to contracts.
Burakovky’s deal is a 5-year deal worth $27.5 million, and Schultz’s deal is a 2-year contract worth approximately $3 million.
Burakovsky last season played for the Colorado Avalanche, posting 22 goals and 39 assists for 61 points in 80 games. In the playoffs, he scored 3 goals and 5 assists for 8 points in 12 games. For his career, he has scored 123 goals and added 172 assists for 295 points in 519 games.
He can add that scoring that the Kraken lacked last season and be a potential force on all special teams as well. He could be on that top line once the season starts in October.
The Kraken had a busy day gearing up for season two.
Schultz could be the offensive defenseman the Kraken need to crank up their power play. He is a top-four defenseman who can generate offense from the back end.
Last season for the Washington Capitals, he scored 4 goals and added 19 assists for 23 points in 74 games. He has 57 goals and 207 assists for 264 points in 602 games played.
Seattle had some growing pains last season, their first in the NHL. However, with these two signings, their play should be better, and so should their special teams numbers.
With the offensive struggles they had last season these signings should move them in the right direction. A top-six forward and top-four defensemen added to an already hungry group could result in the Kraken surprising some people next season.
This was not the only big news for the Kraken on Wednesday, as their top pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, Shane Wright, signed his entry-level contract after development camp.
The deal was signed quickly as Wright is determined to get on NHL ice and proved the teams that passed on him wrong. He could crack the roster out of training camp this season, providing he has no setbacks and outshines everyone else.
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All things considered, it has been a good couple of days for the Kraken as they head into their second season.