Free-agent focus for the Seattle Kraken

F – Matthew Beniers – Beniers took a step back this past season after being asked to carry the offensive load for a team that lacks a high-end offensive threat. Beniers dropped from 24 goals and 33 assists in 80 games during the 2022-23 season to just 15 goals and 22 assists in 77 games this past season. While it was a disappointing campaign for the 21-year-old, Beniers remains on track to become an elite scorer in the NHL. The former second overall pick seemed like a lock to get a long-term deal this summer, but given his struggles last year, and his iffy work in the defensive zone, it might hurt his earning potential in the short term. Seattle may still elect to lock Beniers up long-term while he’s coming off a down season, but a bridge deal could be likely as well. Beniers figures to earn $4M-5M on his next deal if he goes for a short-term deal and would likely have a higher AAV if he goes for max term.

F – Eeli Tolvanen – Tolvanen has been a very different player since arriving in Seattle from the Nashville Predators during the 2022-23 season. The 25-year-old had shown glimpses in Nashville but was never able to put it all together and struggled in his last two seasons with the Predators. With the Kraken, the former first-round pick has played a physical game, keeping plays alive with his physicality and being a force in board battles. On the offensive side, Tolvanen had 16 goals and 25 assists last season in 81 games and continued to trend upwards. He made $1.45M last season in the final year of a three-year deal and figures to double that number on his next deal which should come with a similar term.

F Kailer Yamamoto – Yamamoto’s offensive game dropped another level this season as he fell to just eight goals and eight assists in 59 games. The former first-round pick signed with Seattle last season after being traded and bought out of the final season of his contract. With his qualifying offer set at $1.5M, Seattle may elect to run it back one more time with the talented 25-year-old to see if he can post similar results to the ones he saw in Edmonton two seasons ago. Yamamoto is undersized and is average defensively if you are being generous, but he is very effective on the power play and plays with good pace, something that Seattle could use more of.

Other RFAs: C Luke Henman, F Ville Petman, D Peetro Seppala

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Pierre-Édouard Bellemare – Bellemare signed with the Kraken last July for the league minimum on a one-year contract and playing sparingly, producing four goals and three assists in 40 games. At 39 years old Bellemare might be ready to hang up his skates, however, given that he was 29 years old when he made his NHL debut, he might choose to extend his career if he can find an NHL contract. The native of Le Blanc-Mesnil, France played just under 10 minutes per game last season, but his underlying numbers at even strength were quite good as his CF% was 54.9%. Bellemare doesn’t provide much offense and never really has, he also isn’t particularly physical, but he could be a good 13th forward for a team that is looking for a veteran presence.

D Justin Schultz – Schultz is well removed from his days in Pittsburgh when he quarterbacked the Penguins power play to a Stanley Cup, however, he remains a talented offensive defenseman who doesn’t offer much defensively. Schultz is still very good at skating pucks out of the defensive zone and offering a solid first pass, but he struggles when pinned in the defensive zone and doesn’t play with much physicality. Schultz should find work on a multi-year deal due to his right shot status as well as his ability to man a power play.

F Tomas Tatar – Tatar had to wait until September 12th last summer to find an NHL contract, signing a one-year $1.5M contract with the Colorado Avalanche. He then proceeded to have a forgettable season that saw him score just nine goals and 15 assists in 70 games. The 33-year-old is unlikely to do better this summer given that his game is built largely on offense, and he wasn’t able to provide much of it last year. A knock-on Tatar has been his consistency year to year, but he is still a good buy-low candidate for a team that needs to add secondary scoring but doesn’t have much in the way of cap space.

Other UFAs: D Connor Carrick, G Chris Driedger, F John Hayden, F Cameron Hughes, F Kole Lind, LW Max McCormick, C Andrew Poturalski, D Mitch Reinke, D Jimmy Schuldt, F Devin Shore, G Ales Stezka, F Marian Studenic,

Projected Cap Space

The Kraken enter the offseason with a tad over $23M in available cap space and several pending needs to address. A chunk of that space will go to re-signing restricted free agents but after their internal business is complete Seattle will have some cap space to make improvements. The Kraken have good depth up front, but lack high-end talent which could lead them to make a pitch to a player such as Sam Reinhart even though it would eat most of their available room under the cap. Seattle will also need to address their defensive core and will be in the market for an offensive defenseman with the likely departure of Justin Schultz. Seattle will feel pressure to have a strong summer after taking a step back and missing the playoffs this past season.