Kraken place Gaudreau on injured reserve, recall Hayden

The Seattle Kraken have placed center Freddy Gaudreau on the injured reserve and called up John Hayden from the American Hockey League’s Coachella Valley Firebirds, the team announced on Friday. 

Gaudreau suffered an injury in Thursday’s 4–3 shootout loss to the Ottawa Senators after taking a second-period hit, which forced him to head straight to the locker room and not to return for the rest of the game. 

In four games this season, Gaudreau has one assist. He was acquired by the Kraken last June in a trade with the Minnesota Wild.

Last season, the 32-year-old scored 18 goals and 37 points while playing all 82 regular-season games with the Wild, before being held scoreless in his six appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Currently in his ninth NHL season, Gaudreau has 61 goals and 153 points in 414 regular-season games, splitting his time between the Kraken, Wild, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Nashville Predators.

In addition to his time in the NHL, the native of Bromont, Que., has also spent parts of six seasons in the AHL, where he has scored 78 goals and 176 points in 286 regular-season games. 

Hayden, who has joined the NHL squad, has played 269 games in the league and has 18 goals and 39 points. Since making his NHL debut in 2016-17, he has played for the Chicago Blackhawks, New Jersey Devils, and Buffalo Sabres before joining the Kraken. 

Last season, he made 20 regular-season appearances with the Kraken, scoring a goal and an assist, while posting 44 hits and 31 penalty minutes in an average of 8:31 of ice time. 

The Kraken are yet to lose in regulation this season, with two wins and two overtime losses in their first four games, as they look ahead to their visit to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.