Seattle Kraken: 2022 Top 5 Under 25
HM2: Kole Lind – W (23)
Who is the real Kole Lind? Is he the player who was a near first-round draft pick in 2017 (second-round 33rd overall? Or is Lind the player left unprotected by Vancouver, who then passed through waivers when the Kraken cut their roster down to 22 players to start the season?
If it’s option A, then Seattle has a crafty playmaker with a high hockey IQ who should be a mainstay of their power play. In addition, Lind added some spark and physicality to his game this year. He has 98 penalty minutes in 47 games at Charlotte.
On the other hand, Lind could top out at what’s known in baseball as a Four-A player. Someone good enough to excel in the minors but can’t seem to produce at the highest levels.
HM1: Cale Fleury – D (23)
Full disclosure, I strongly disliked this pick off of Montreal’s exposed list in the expansion draft. At least three players from the bleu, blanc, et rouge; I would have taken ahead of him. That’s water under the bridge now.
What the Seattle Kraken have with Cale Fleury is a raw talent that could eventually become a reliable NHL player in a few years. He’s got decent size, skates well through the neutral zone, handles the puck efficiently, and makes smart plays in the defensive zone.
Fleury has to learn to put that full package of skills together consistently. That will come with time and maturity.
A pair of Kraken defensemen in the AHL — Cale Fleury and Gustav Olofsson — netted their first goals of the season today for the Charlotte Checkers. See the snipe from Fleury ⬇️ https://t.co/Ek0xc612lC
— Kraken Stats (@KrakenStats) November 21, 2021