Seattle Kraken: Trade deadline is key for team’s future
The Seattle Kraken hasn’t gotten off to the start that fans would have hoped for in their inaugural season. If GM Ron Francis handles the trade deadline correctly the future could be brighter.
The Seattle Kraken seemingly had the potential to be essentially anything coming into this season. With their apparent strong goaltending, young players primed to breakout, and useful veterans looking to prove they still have enough left in the tank, the team could’ve had a great first year. But instead, the Kraken find themselves at the bottom of the Pacific division by a substantial margin just over halfway through the season.
Kraken General Manager Ron Francis made some odd moves during the expansion draft. A notable example is the selection of Gavin Bayreuther from Columbus, however, his strangest move was the lack of moves prior to the draft itself. Unlike George McPhee in Vegas, Francis didn’t make any trades and strictly went to get players from the draft. This strategy was bold. As a result, Kraken fans have not been shy with their displeasure toward this approach.
Goaltending
There are quite a few trade candidates on the Kraken as Chip Clark previously mentioned. Francis put himself in a bad position with the previously mentioned expansion draft failures and Seattle fans are going to see improvements quickly once the deals start to roll. First, he needs to address goaltending. Grubauer and Driedger’s values are at all-time lows. They can’t build a winning team with $9.4M worth of goalies putting up a combined save percentage below .900.
Fans can argue one will bounce back. Then the question becomes which one and when? Do you keep Phillip Grubauer and his massive contract when there’s a chance of him never returning to his previous form? Or does he stick with Chris Driedger who has been slightly better but is also younger and cheaper and knows his role as a long-term backup?
Francis has to make a choice between the two, but more than likely he’ll stick with both and hope for the best. Teams won’t give up much for either of the goalies, however no matter how bad of a season they’ve had a desperate team will be willing to take a chance based on their previous performances.