Seattle Kraken sign former Red Wing Dennis Cholowski

The Seattle Kraken have reached a contract with Dennis Cholowski, signing him to a one-year, two-way deal. Interestingly enough, the contract will carry an NHL salary of $900,000, more than most two-way deals pay.

Kraken GM Ron Francis released a short statement

Dennis is a young defenseman with offensive upside that we were excited to add to our group. We like his strong skating and puck moving ability and are looking forward to working with him.

Cholowski, 23, was the 20th overall pick in 2016, but has just 104 NHL games to his name at this point. He played 52 as a rookie in 2018-19, but was unable to establish himself as a full-time member of the Detroit Red Wings in either of the last two years. In 2020-21, he played just 16 games with Detroit, recording three points.

That high NHL salary -- $150,000 more than the NHL minimum -- might actually be built in to give the Kraken some extra waiver protection. If Seattle wants to send Cholowski down, which seems likely considering how many other NHL defensemen the Kraken have under contract, he’ll have to clear waivers for the first time in his career. A $900,000 salary will only help him do that, considering the tight cap situation of so many other teams.

It’s a long, talented depth chart on defense for the Kraken, meaning the young Cholowski will have quite a challenge if he wants to break camp with the Seattle. Still, an expansion franchise is exactly the kind of team where talented-but-underperforming players such as Cholowski could reach the next level. He will still be a restricted free agent next offseason.