Seattle Kraken: Seattle Thunderbirds alumni who could come back to the Pacific Northwest
Calvin Pickard, Colorado Avalanche. (Photo by Richard Bartlaga, via Flickr)
Brenden Dillon, D, Washington Capitals.
Originally undrafted, Brenden Dillon has played in the NHL since 2011. In that time, Dillon has played 598 games with Dallas, San Jose, and Washington, scoring 114 points and a +13. Known for his physicality, he has spent lots of time in the box, 574 minutes, to be exact. Dillon’s contract is up after the Cup Finals. The 29-year-old shouldn’t have a difficult time finding somewhere to play next season.
Patrick Marleau, C, Pittsburgh Penguins.
Patrick Marleau turned 41 this week. It’s been 23 years since he scored 125 points, on the way to the T-Birds first WHL Western Conference Championship. Marleau broke into the NHL with San Jose as an 18-year-old after being the second overall pick of the 1997 draft. 518 goals and 584 assists later, “Mr. Shark” is a guaranteed Hall of Famer. The question is, will he hang up his skates before Francis can talk him into one more year. If there was ever someone to wear the first “C” in Seattle Kraken history, Patrick Marleau is the man.
Nate Thompson, C, Philadelphia Flyers.
Nate Thompson was drafted 183rd overall in 2003. Since he made his debut with Boston in 2007, the journeyman center has played for several teams, including NYI, Tampa, Anaheim, Ottawa, Los Angeles, and Montreal before joining the Philadelphia Flyers last season. In 13 NHL seasons, he has played in 767 NHL games with 156 points. What keeps Thompson in the league isn’t scoring; it’s his tight-checking game and top-shelf faceoff skills. He’s won 52.9 percent of his career draws, and his lowest season faceoff-win percentage since 2016 is 53.1 percent.
Calvin Pickard, G, Detroit Red Wings.
Currently down in the AHL at Grand Rapids, Calvin Pickard has played 107 NHL games with five different teams. He has a career 3.00 goals Against Average and .905 Save Percentage. Most notably, he earned the AHL’s Harry Holmes Memorial Award for best goaltending duo and helped his team win the Calder Cup Championship in 2018.