Last week, we made the case that the Seattle Kraken have
seven offseason priorities on the player personnel side that the team will look to address in free agency or through trades (or
perhaps offer sheets?). In the days since that post, the Kraken stayed active, filling one of those needs by re-signing defenseman Josh Mahura to a two-year, $907,500 average annual value contract. The team also bolstered its depth by inking restricted free agent forward Ben Meyers to a one-year, $775,000 minimum contract.
What other opportunities in free agency and on the trade market will Seattle be considering? In today’s second part of our offseason feature, we’ll look at some candidates using
Evolving Hockey‘s contract prediction model as a stand-in for market value.
Priority No. 1: The splash move
Seattle Kraken general manager Jason Botterill has noted that
there is not much depth at the top of the 2025 unrestricted free agent market and implied that the Kraken would be hard at work on the trade front. That said, he conceded it is hard to know early in the offseason what trade conversations will actually materialize. Of course, it’s even more difficult for us to predict on the outside of those front-office conversations. Even so, here’s a list of unrestricted free agents, restricted free agents, and potential trade targets—deduced by logic or reports, usually both—that intrigue us.
We divided the list into four parts: “stars,” “first liners,” “rising young players,” and “veteran producers.”
Darren Brown shared
in-depth thoughts on Mitch Marner last week. In short, while he’s not overly physical and more of a playmaker than a scorer, he is an elite talent, the likes of which rarely get to the open market. Seattle should be willing to go to an uncomfortable place contractually to acquire him. Unfortunately, I suspect Seattle may not be appealing to the player. (I devoted more of my thinking to the ways in which Seattle might be able to take advantage of Marner landing elsewhere.) The Jason Robertson case deserves separate treatment, and I’ll return to it at the end of this article.
There have been some rumors circulating that Martin Necas
may prefer to land on a new team. I’m not sure I buy it. The system fits for Necas in Colorado, he has a good chance to win, and Colorado has incentive to pay him to “salvage” the Mikko Rantanen deal. That said, Wednesday’s Brock Nelson re-signing arched my eyebrow a bit. Necas is a talented offensive play driver with ties to members of the Seattle front office from mutual time in Carolina.
I went back and forth on including unrestricted free agent Nikolaj Ehlers as a target. I’m a believer in the talent, but he will command a seven-year deal, which means a team will be paying for an age 36 season—and on a price tag that could easily clear $10 million AAV given the scarcity of other top-end options. I’d be wary, but I can’t completely rule it out if his market comes in a bit lower than that. Similar to Marner, he doesn’t solve Seattle’s “issues,” but he carries enough talent to look past that.
The tier of players just below Ehlers, including players like Brock Boeser, John Tavares, or Sam Bennett, is the real danger zone in this market where the cost could get too high to offset the question marks. (Brock Nelson is in this tier and
recently signed for $7.5 million AAV.) Absent an unexpected value, I’d steer clear of this area of free agency. Boeser, in particular, feels like a potential “fit,” but one I have real concerns about. Could it work out in the end if Seattle went that direction? Absolutely. But it’s not on my preferred list of options.
Marco Rossi is
rumored to be on the market, as he and Minnesota are not seeing eye to eye on his next contract. Supposedly, Rossi wants a contract in the neighborhood of seven years, $7 million annually—which will be a middle-six deal in short order—but Minnesota isn’t convinced he has earned that yet. Rossi is a small-but-sturdy playmaker from the center position, unafraid to go to the middle of the ice, and with good play-driving impacts. I’ve considered if he could be a good line pairing with Chandler Stephenson—each compensating for the other in some ways.
For his part, J.J. Peterka is
rumored to be unhappy in Buffalo (along with much of the remainder of the Sabres roster). He brings more of a dynamic speed, playmaking, and finishing package, with some shortcomings physically and on defense. There’s talk he could be an offer sheet target if the Sabres don’t work out a deal soon. His probable contract on an offer sheet sets the framework for the requested compensation parameters in a trade (first- and third-round picks). Even if the price is bid up slightly from there, Seattle has the assets to close that deal and should be involved.
One might have included Gabe Vilardi or Matthew Knies as targets in this category as well, but I didn’t consider them realistically attainable for the purposes of this exercise.
These moves may not qualify as a “splash,” though any of them could be considered a top-line player in Seattle. In particular, I like the idea of prying away Alex Tuch—another reportedly unhappy Sabre. He drives play with his physicality and his ability to get to the middle of the ice. He fits the mold of what Botterill says he is seeking. The downside is Tuch is signed for only one more season before unrestricted free agency, and the team would be looking at an extension starting in the player’s age 30 year.
If Vegas makes a splash in free agency (say, Marner?), it will likely need to subtract a useful piece or two. William Karlsson would be a good player for Seattle to catch on the cheap in that scenario, even though he is entering his post-prime years. Jonathan Marchessault is also a consideration on favorable terms only given his contract and age.
Priority No. 2: Restricted free agents
As we discussed in Part 1, these contracts are in the right neighborhood for Seattle to sign today, though we’d be open to a longer deal for Kakko. The Kraken started in on this to-do list item by signing Meyers earlier this week.
Kaapo Kakko (Photo/Brian Liesse)
Priority No. 3: Backup goalie
Assuming the team separates from Philipp Grubauer this offseason, one way or another, the team needs to add a capable NHL veteran who can pick up approximately 20 to 30 starts. Nikke Kokko had a good season in the AHL, but I don’t like the idea of rushing him into any NHL role at his age and experience level. One more season (or more) in Coachella Valley makes sense.
The best options in Seattle’s projected price range are Jake Allen, 34, and Alex Lyon, 32, and both are predicted to land multi-year deals according to
Evolving Hockey. Both check in with approximately .900 save percentages over the last three seasons, though above-average numbers for goals saved above expected. Allen’s predicted two-year term is preferable. David Rittich, 32, is a top option predicted to land a one-year contract.
Priority No. 4: Top-nine winger
Trent Frederic rose on my free agent targets list the more Seattle spoke about prioritizing net-front play. He is the rare winger whose two-way playdriving value mostly comes from his willingness to work inside. Anthony Mantha is a big-framed winger with great playdriving analytics, but he is coming off
surgery to repair a torn ACL in November, 2024, and it is unclear if he will be healthy to begin the season. There’s risk there but also the potential for huge value at
Evolving Hockey‘s projection.
Andrew Mangiapane is smaller, but works well to the inside and gets many of his shots there. If his market is a bit weaker than anticipated, he could be a good pickup. (Fans may not like the option, though, given his
history with the Kraken.) Victor Olofsson doesn’t bring the physical element but could be a value add, depending on Seattle’s other moves, for an underrated potential 20-goal scorer.
Priority No. 5: Third-pair defenseman
After our first post was published, the team addressed this need by signing our top target Josh Mahura. Mahura sat first on our board because his fit in Seattle and with the other players in the dressing room was established this past season. The deal represents strong value for the two-year term, with
Evolving Hockey projecting $1.3 million AAV for a deal of that length. That said, even if the team also retains restricted free agent Cale Fleury, there could be room to add yet another depth defenseman with NHL experience.
The blue line in Coachella Valley lacks a veteran presence at the moment, with both Gustav Olofsson and Maxim Lajoie heading toward unrestricted free agency. Without another experienced player at the top of the depth chart, the group skews very young:
Even with Fleury, Coachella Valley projects to have only four of a possible six
“veteran” status players. A No. 1 AHL defenseman who provides NHL depth would be a good add. Caleb Jones, a 27-year-old, left-shot blueliner with 248 games of NHL experience, could be an ideal fit on a one-year deal at or just above the league minimum.
Priority No. 6: Fourth-line center
This is the point in the list where needs downshift, and the team can be more patient and prioritize value. John Hayden, Ben Meyers, and Mitchell Stephens represent enviable center depth. In an ideal world, though, the team has a more established fourth-line center. Czech-born Radek Faksa has strong defensive impacts and is elite on the face-off dot. Nico Sturm’s profile skews a bit more toward offense, but he is also good on the dot. The goal is a one-year contract.
Priority No.7: Fourth-line winger
I’d be in favor of
retaining Mikey Eyssimont, but this is a position where there is (understandably) significant depth in the free agent class. Seattle is best served waiting out the market and avoiding a bidding war. Ideally, this would be another one-year contract, near league minimum.
Bonus: An opportunistic move?
If the team wanted to layer in a defenseman above Josh Mahura who still has upside, right-shot Nick Perbix is a good target. He has size (6-foot-4), is a younger free agent (27 years old), and is a solid-average skater per
NHL Edge. Perbix has learned in a good organization in Tampa Bay, and, most importantly, his on-ice impacts (in an admittedly sheltered role) are quite strong, per
HockeyViz and
Evolving Hockey. Jalen Chatfield was my preferred “defenseman nobody is talking about” heading into free agency last year, but he ended up re-upping with a smart organization in Carolina before he made it to free agency. I wouldn’t be surprised if the same thing happens with Perbix. If he gets to free agency and other moves don’t work out, he’s a name I have circled as an “opportunistic” add at
Evolving Hockey‘s projected price tag.
Isaac Howard is another interesting player currently associated with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The unsigned former first-round pick excelled as a goal scorer at Michigan State last season but
seems unlikely to sign with the Lightning after some burned bridges there. Ideally, he may not be ready to step into a full-time NHL role right away, but there’s a strong chance he’s a middle-six scorer within a year. I’m unsure there’s a fit in Seattle, though, because he’d likely want a guaranteed NHL role before signing, if a trade from Tampa Bay materializes.
Similarly, Nicholas Robertson is a player we’ve discussed on
Sound Of Hockey before as a player with some talent who might be able to do more with a bigger role outside of Toronto. Again, I’m not sure of the fit with the Kraken unless the acquisition is in conjunction with other moves.
I was a big advocate for signing center Pius Suter two years ago as a hedge against losing Yanni Gourde and/or Alex Wennberg. He ended up sitting on the market for a long time before Vancouver picked him up on a bargain-basement two-year, $1.6 million AAV deal. We know how the center position has worked out for Seattle since then. For his part, Suter is entering free agency again, and, according to reports out of Vancouver, is looking for a deal north of $4 million AAV. This doesn’t make sense for Seattle unless they move one of their top three on the depth chart, but he’s still a good player at that price if other dominoes fall.
Speaking of Chandler Stephenson—who says no if Seattle and Vancouver discussed a one-for-one swap of Stephenson (and his six years, $6.25 million AAV) for Elias Pettersson (7 years, $11.6 million AAV)? I suspect both teams say no, but I admit I’ve thought about it more than once. Pettersson could be the cheapest “star” on the trade market if he regains his form, but his last year on and off the ice, along with Vancouver’s willingness to consider parting with him, are red flags that are tough to shake, particularly given his contract.
The Jason Robertson scenario
Finally, a word on Jason Robertson. His name entered the rumor mill on Monday with
Jeff Marek speculating about his availability. Dallas is tight against the 2025-26 salary cap with only eight forwards signed, so it is not beyond belief that the team would consider moving one of its bigger pricetag players like Robertson, as even local coverage has speculated. (Marek has also suggested Dallas would like to sign free-agent, right-shot defenseman Aaron Ekblad, who will come with a significant salary.) On the other hand, 25-year-old point-per-game players rarely shake free, which makes this one a longshot.
Jason Robertson (Photo/Brian Liesse)
That said,
if Dallas answers the phone on Robertson, this is the type of conversation Seattle should be prioritizing above any other.
Of course, a trade for Robertson would mean Seattle won a bidding war. The winger has only one year remaining at $7.75 million AAV, but he would still be a restricted free agent after that. Robertson is a regular-season star by any metric you could pick. He has, at times, drawn criticism for underwhelming in the playoffs, but his playoff scoring numbers are actually fine. Robertson is worthy of an uncomfortable “overpay,” and any player or asset should be on the table. (Shane Wright is the only close call on whether or not I would include him in a trade.)
Dallas could use some combination of (1) multiple entry-level-contract forwards with realistic near-term, top-nine potential, (2) a young, right-shot defenseman, and (3) high-end draft capital, since the team has only one first-round pick in the next four drafts. Dallas could also use the cap space that would be afforded by moving out an underperforming blueliner, like Matt Dumba or Ilya Lyubushkin.
Seattle has the draft capital to offer Dallas, with six first-rounders in the the next four drafts. It also has the cap space to absorb an additional bad contract.
On the other hand, the Kraken may not have the defenseman to offer unless a third team were involved (what would it take to get the Devils to part with Simon Nemec?). Ryker Evans, a left-shot, could work as a key piece, though he may be relatively more valuable to Seattle’s depth chart than he would be in Dallas.
In terms of forwards on ELC’s who are ready to contribute, Jani Nyman fits the bill. Parting with Nyman would be painful but may be necessary in a deal like this, particularly if Evans is not in it. Wright fits the description too, of course, but the package gets too costly, in my opinion, if Seattle is including him with other significant pieces. (Could Seattle get Isaac Howard out of his contract dispute in Tampa Bay for Seattle’s 2025 second-round pick and flip him to Dallas as part of a deal?) Eeli Tolvanen could be an additional piece of interest to Dallas, given his value contract for a 20-goal scorer.
* * *
If you’re the Kraken, do you bite the bullet and do a deal that sends one or more first-round draft picks and either Evans and a cheap top-nine forward or multiple cheap top-nine forwards for Jason Robertson? Or do you prefer a measured move for a top-six forward like the options set forth above? If not Robertson or the others, who would you like to the Kraken to go after?
Curtis Isacke
Curtis is a Sound Of Hockey contributor and member of the Kraken press corps. Curtis is an attorney by day, and he has read the NHL collective bargaining agreement and bylaws so you don’t have to. He can be found analyzing the Kraken, NHL Draft, and other hockey topics on
Twitter and
Bluesky @deepseahockey.
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Seattle Kraken 2025 offseason targets appeared first on
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