Seattle Kraken shouldn’t bring back these free agents
Between Unrestricted and restricted free agents, nine players have the contracts expiring after the Stanley Cup Finals. Team General Manager Ron Francis should think twice before he re-signs any of them.
Memo to Seattle Kraken General Manager Ron Francis: Don’t re-sign any of your pending free agents. Or at the very least, not for more money.
There is an old baseball story that explains why.
Ralph Kiner was a power-hitting right fielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1946 to 1953. And in every one of those seasons, he led the National League in home runs. Back then, contracts were made out annually, and teams had all the control.
In 1952, despite Kiner leading the league in home runs, again, his batting average dropped to .244. Pittsburgh lost 112 games (eighth-worst all-time) and finished last, 54.5 games out of first. Fans stayed away in droves. Kiner made $90K that year.
The following winter, the Pirates General Manager Branch Rickey cut Kiner’s salary to $75K. The slugger protested, saying he led the league in home runs again (37). Rickey replied, “son, we can finish last without you.” Rickey traded Kiner and his $75K salary to the Chicago Cubs in June.
Among the players who finished the 2021-22 season with the Seattle Kraken, three are unrestricted free agents, Derrick Pouliot, Victor Rask, and Riley Sheahan. Six more, Haydn Fleury. Kole Lind, Ryan Donato, Morgan Geekie, Daniel Sprong, and Karson Kuhlman are restricted free agents.
UFAs
Does any Kraken fan believe that Pouliot, Rask, and Sheehan are important members of the team? Even if they were, none are difficult to replace. Thanks for stopping in. Good luck with the rest of your career. If that sounds cold, it probably is. That’s the reality of NHL hockey in the salary cap era.
RFAs
Aside from sentimentality (or ego), there are few, if any, good reasons for Francis to bring any of the six Restricted Free Agents back on guaranteed NHL contracts or anything above the league minimum.
Of the six RFAs, a case can be made for Geekie and Lind to stay because they’re both 23-years-old. Maybe one is a late bloomer. Either that or Francis doesn’t have anyone else to fill a roster spot.
But the Kraken can finish last without them. The same with Donato, Sprong, Fleury, and Kuhlman.
If Seattle had anything close to a player development system, they’d be blocking the next wave of Seattle players. Because the team doesn’t have a pipeline, the best offer any of their RFAs should get is a one-year contract for the league minimum. Due to their play and overall team performance, none of them earned a pay increase for 2022-23.
The first option is for Francis to trade their rights. If he can find another interested team, which is unlikely. The second is to renounce the Kraken’s rights and let the players walk away.
On the ice, the Seattle Kraken’s first season was a huge disappointment. Francis needs to build a winning culture. And nothing any of their pending free agents did says “winner.”
Related Story: Best of the Seattle Kraken, Year 1
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