Kraken Re-Sign J.R. Avon, Lleyton Roed

The Seattle Kraken announced that forwards Jon-Randall Avon and Lleyton Roed have each been re-signed to one-year, two-way contract extensions.

The Kraken revealed that each deal will carry a league-minimum $850K NHL salary. Puckpedia has reported that each player will have an AHL salary of $100K, and both players will be eligible for restricted free agency (with arbitration rights) in a year’s time.

In re-signing Avon and Roed, the Kraken have extended two ascending prospects who play at the AHL level, and have yet to make their NHL debut.

While Roed, 23, is just about a year older than Avon, he actually has less experience at the professional level. A 6’0″, 179-pound winger, Roed went undrafted coming out of the USHL but signed with the Kraken after two successful NCAA seasons at Bemidji State University. In 74 career games of college hockey, Roed scored 61 points.

After beginning a two-year entry-level contract in the fall of 2024, Roed was able to quickly adjust to the professional game and prove he could hold his own in the lineup with Coachella Valley. As an AHL rookie, Roed scored 13 goals and 26 points. He built on that solid debut season in 2025-26, scoring 11 goals and 38 points in 65 games, while adding seven points in 12 playoff games.

Beyond just his offense, Roed showed he could be a valuable two-way contributor from the outset of his pro career, and has been a regular contributor to the Firebirds’ penalty kill in each of the last two years.

Roed is taking a bit of a pay cut on this new contract compared to what he earned last season. In the final year of his ELC, he got a $177.5K combined minors salary and signing bonus, nearly twice his $100K AHL salary this season. But seeing as Roed has taken clear developmental steps forward in each of the last two seasons, and has proven himself to be a reasonably productive, defensively responsible two-way middle-six winger in the AHL, it’s not out of the question that he could earn his first call-up in 2026-27.

As for Avon, he’s in a somewhat similar position to Roed, albeit with some key differences. As mentioned, although he’s approximately one year younger than Roed, he actually has an additional season of professional experience.