Seattle Kraken: Seattle Thunderbirds alumni who could come back to the Pacific Northwest
Thomas Hickey, New York Islanders. (Photo by Lisa Gansky, via Flickr)
As previously mentioned, some of our other favorite players will not be eligible because they are still developing in the AHL. Then some minor league veterans may wind up with the Kracken through trades or other roundabout ways. Seattle still needs to fill a minor league roster, and a few well-placed vets can help younger players develop.
Thomas Hickey, D, New York Islanders
It seems very odd to see Thomas Hickey‘s name on a list of AHL veterans. After seven seasons and 449 games with the Isles, his game started to slip during the 2018-19 season, which earned him a trip to Bridgeport of the AHL after clearing waivers. If it weren’t for Andrew Ladd, Hickey would be a the top of NYI’s buyout list. He’s scheduled to make $2.5M through 2022. You can bet Islanders President Lou Lamoriello will do his best to incentivize Seattle to take Hickey off their hands to protect other players.
Ryan Gropp, D, New York Rangers
One of the New York Rangers problem children, former second-round pick Ryan Gropp is on the outs with his organization. At one point, Dobber Prospects ranked Gropp as the second-best left wing prospect in NYR’s organization. Unfortunately, the former high scoring T-Birds forward hasn’t been able to make a go of it in the AHL. Last season he was suspended for failure to report when he refused a demotion to the ECHL. His entry-level contract is up, and he most likely won’t get a new one from New York. Maybe a change of organization will help.
Lane Pederson, C, Arizona Coyotes
At 23-years-old, Lane Pederson is yet to have his first taste of NHL action. Undrafted, Pederson came to the Yotes on an amateur tryout in 2017 where he earned a three-year, entry-level contract. He’s been in the Coyotes system for three seasons and has 107 points in 163 regular-season AHL games. Arizona thought enough of Pederson to sign him to a one-year contract extension last month.
Fans of Pacific Northwest teams would be thrilled to see some of the area WHL alumni come “home.” What matters most is that the Seattle Kraken have a few superstars and plenty of depth. Vegas went on to play in the Stanley Cup Finals in their first year. The Kraken have the same expansion draft rules to work with as Vegas did. That may change if there is future expansion. For now, Francis must take advantage of the existing structure and select a good team.
This concludes our series. Click on the name of the area WHL team to see their player profiles.
Tell us in the comments section below who is your favorite player that you want to see come home to the Kraken next year.