12 big-ticket players who could come to the Seattle Kraken
Ed Stein
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James van Riemsdyk, LW, Philadelphia Flyers, 32, $7M – 2023
Plenty of Kraken fans would love to get James van Riemsdyk in Seattle. I’m sure Ron Francis would love to have him as well. At $7M per season, it isn’t feasible. But it’s darn close. The question here is how much money would Philly be willing to pick up over the next two seasons? Probably not much because he still has something left in the tank.
P.K. Subban, D, New Jersey Devils, 32, $9M – 2022
This one might be a reach as well. P.K. Subban‘s big personality would lead to plenty of marketing and opportunities. Pacific Northwest fans might get a twofer with Subban and his girlfriend, Olympic star skier Lindsey Vonn. He’s also not one to shy away from getting out in the community.
For as good as his public persona is, Subban’s overall game has been in serious decline the past several seasons. The one-time 60 point scoring defenseman hasn’t cracked 20 in the last two seasons. New Jersey will have to heavily incentive Francis to pull the trigger on drafting Subban.
Matt Duchene, C, Nashville Predators, 30, $8M – 2026
It seems like just the other day; Matt Duchene was the third overall pick who played his way onto the Avalance as an 18-year-old rookie. Those days are over. The two-time 70-point score managed just 13 in 34 games this past season.
There is still plenty of time for Duchene to bounce back. Unfortunately, an $8M per season cap hit through 2026 makes it an expensive gamble. Nashville has good young players to include as part of an incentive package in exchange for taking Duchene off their hands.