NHL trade deadline passes with no further moves by Kraken
SEATTLE – The noon NHL trade deadline came and went and the Seattle Kraken roster remained intact, an indication that the front office is ready to see where this late playoff push goes.
“I’m happy that we get a chance to stay here and prove ourselves,” said alternate captain Jordan Eberle, the proud owner of a newly signed extension.
The only player on the move was second-line center Alex Wennberg, dealt Wednesday to the New York Rangers for a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL draft and a conditional fourth-round selection in 2025.
The question marks were a pair of veterans in winger Eberle and defenseman Justin Schultz. Like Wennberg’s, their contracts were set to expire at the end of the season.
About four hours before the deadline, it was announced that Eberle wasn’t going anywhere. The Kraken alternate captain’s two-year, $9.5 million extension was announced Friday morning. It was rumored that the Edmonton Oilers, the team that drafted him, was interested in re-acquiring him for their playoff push.
“More than anything, I’m happy it’s over with,” Eberle said. “(We) can get back to what we’re doing, try to win some games and put ourselves in position to get in.”
Eberle, 33, doesn’t have his name on the Stanley Cup but chose to continue the late stages of his career with the Kraken, who were six points outside a playoff spot heading into Friday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets. Eberle said he started to suspect a deal would come together within the last few days.
“Me and my wife and kids, we’ve inserted ourselves into the Seattle community. We enjoy the lifestyle here,” Eberle said. “Not only that, but at the rink, we enjoy the group, the organization and what they’re doing. Wanted to be a part of that.”
He’s been on the Kraken’s top line alongside second-year center Matty Beniers for most of the past two seasons, including Beniers’ rookie of the year season.
“(Eberle) has a really easy demeanor about him, along with burning underneath the surface, that competitiveness that allows him to be at his best,” coach Dave Hakstol said.
“He’s a really good role model for young guys coming in. He’s able to calm things down when a younger guy needs an ear.”
Schultz is widely expected to depart in free agency, making room for up-and-coming defenseman Ryker Evans. Schultz’s services were retained for the final month of the regular season.
Seattle’s top defenseman Vince Dunn was set to miss a second straight game with an upper-body injury against Winnipeg. Dunn skated on his own before Friday’s morning skate.
“It was nice to see him on the ice. It would be nicer to see him on the ice during a game,” Hakstol said.
Schultz didn’t join the Kraken for the morning skate ahead of Friday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets. The skate was ostensibly made optional because options (and rest) are good, but had the added benefit of not forcing Francis to show his hand.
They tend to keep at least one defenseman in reserve. Evans was that defenseman for about a month before Dunn was injured. Seattle recalled blueliner Cale Fleury from the Coachella Valley Firebirds for the first time this season on Friday morning, then sent him back down, all as a precaution.
The Kraken backfilled the opening left by Wennberg, who was held out of a back-to-back earlier in the week while a trade was in the works, by moving winger Jared McCann to center and fourth-line center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare into the lineup. Bellemare had been cleared to play since Feb. 13 after suffering an injury in December.