Kraken activate center Jared McCann, winger Jaden Schwartz off IR

The Kraken are set to welcome a pair of key forwards back to the lineup as they announced that they’ve activated center Jared McCann and winger Jaden Schwartz off injured reserve.  To make room for them on the roster, they’ve also placed winger Austin Czarnik on waivers.

McCann has been out for nearly two weeks with an upper-body injury, but he has still managed to hold onto the team scoring lead with 21 goals and 12 assists in 48 games.  Selected from Toronto in expansion, the 25-year-old pending RFA has already hit a new career high in goals and is only three away from setting a new benchmark in points.

As for Schwartz, their big free-agent signing up front has missed two months with a hand injury, one that was originally supposed to take only four to six weeks to recover from.  The 29-year-old still leads Seattle in points per game this season and has six goals and 14 helpers in 29 contests.  While the Kraken won’t be vaulting their way back into the playoff picture this season, they’ll still benefit from getting these two players back in their lineup.

Czarnik was picked up off waivers from the Islanders last month but has played in just six games since then, collecting two assists in just under 11 minutes a game.  The 29-year-old was more productive in New York, however, notching a pair of goals and three assists in 11 games with them in nearly identical playing time.  He’s in the final season of his contract which actually carries a cap hit below the league minimum, checking in at just $725K.  While Czarnik has never been able to establish himself as a full-time NHL regular, that price tag could be intriguing for a cap-strapped team that’s simply looking to add depth.  If the Islanders opt to put in a claim and are the only team to do so, they’d be permitted to assign him to AHL Bridgeport if they so desire.