Oliver Bjorkstand trade changes Seattle Kraken dynamic
Friday, the Seattle Kraken traded for Oliver Bjorkstrand. His arrival changes the entire look of the team’s forward group.
Earlier today, I told my editor that I would love to see the Seattle Kraken make a play for Tyler Motte. He’s a good hard-hitting, grinding forward and still in his mid-20s.
That was about 15 minutes before the Kraken announced they traded for winger Oliver Bjorkstrand from Columbus. The situation changed drastically.
TRADE: The #SeaKraken have acquired Oliver Bjorkstrand from Columbus in exchange for a 2023 third round pick (via Calgary) and a 2023 fourth round pick (via Winnipeg).
Read more → https://t.co/hDAYSHZq8R pic.twitter.com/Kfiye2q4x2
— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) July 22, 2022
It was a big trade with an awesome reward. Seattle gave up only a third (from Calgary) and a fourth (from Winnipeg) for someone who potted 28 goals along with 29 assists last season. And Bjorkstrand also played his junior days in Portland, so he’s familiar with the Pacific Northwest. Talk about a win.
The New Kraken Order
Bjorkstrand and either Jared McCann or Andre Burakovsky can make a good top line with Matty Beniers. And the second line is Seattle’s first all-star Jordan Eberle and Jaden Schwartz flanking either Yanni Gourde or possibly Shane Wright. Needless to say, the team looks better now than it did yesterday.
Right now, the Seattle Kraken have 14 NHL forwards without resigning restricted free agent Morgan Geekie. The only rostered forward that probably won’t be in the opening night lineup is John Hayden.
To open some roster space, Seattle could trade Schwartz, which also saves them $5.5M per season through 2025-26. Or they could trade Donskoi somewhere.
If they don’t trade away a forward, it’s bad news for Kole Lind. Karson Kuhlman likely sticks around because he’s the type of hard-nosed bottom-six forward the Kraken needs. That means Lind spends one more year in the AHL on the top line.
Upon further review, I retract my idea of trading for Motte- With so many forwards on the Kraken’s NHL roster, there’s no room for him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjbaE360tEU
What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.