Believe it or not, but NHL training camps are just around the corner. The calendar says August, but it’s already past the midway point of the month and clubs tend to suit up for ice time and drills in the middle of September. There will be hockey stories galore before we know it. With that in mind, today we perform a pre-training camp exercise about the possible lineup decisions regarding Seattle Kraken forward deployment. Consider these as table-setting musings about what might happen about a month from now in the Pacific Northwest. Let’s discuss.
The Kraken’s Top Line
Most fans get excited about a club’s top line. The high-profile players typically play on it, notwithstanding injuries or various last-minute snafus. The Kraken are in a precarious position in this regard. Rather, as far as the public knows, the Kraken might be in a precarious situation. Last season, the team’s number-one center was Matty Beniers. When news – any news – was last made public, the 21-year-old restricted free agent (RFA) was given a qualifying offer. Since then, it has been no more than whispers in the wind.
General manager Ron Francis made the bold move of signing former Vegas Golden Knight Chandler Stephenson in July. As such, it is tempting to entertain the idea of him filling this coveted role. However, a look at this chart constructed by Sound of Hockey reveals that many RFAs have signed new deals worth about $4 million annually long after free agency began – 30 days, 60 days, and even 90 days. From that perspective, 90 days would take us into early October, precisely when head coach Dan Bylsma will finalize his roster decisions.
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Assuming Beniers and the organization find common ground (there are no rumours of tension or bickering), then the 2023 Calder Trophy winner will remain the team’s number-one center. Alongside him will mostly likely be Jared McCann on the left and Oliver Bjorkstrand on the right. McCann has been as dependable as they come in Seattle, leading the club in points in each of the past three seasons. Bjorkstrand was an All-Star selection in 2023-24. There doesn’t appear to be a reason to break this up, but should Beniers struggle as he did last season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Stephenson get upgraded.
Kraken’s Second Line
This brings us to the logical conclusion that Stephenson will most likely be the second line’s center. After all, the Kraken are paying him a hefty sum ($6.25 million.) Whatever one feels about that deal, it’s done and now Bylsma’s staff needs to figure out a way to integrate him. Short of the Beniers contract negotiations falling through or the third-year player proving ineffective, this is Stephenson’s spot to lose. Where things get interesting is determining who he’ll play with. This could be the most interesting element of September’s training camp. Everybody is always talking and writing about a “top six” and a “bottom six,” making this decision crucial. Who will build the best chemistry with the 2023 Stanley-Cup champion? There is also the matter of trying to forge a second line that can sound the goal horn regularly.
Stephenson is a 30-year-old veteran. Perhaps Bylsma would think of having him play alongside someone with a solid set of skills but a bit less mileage on the blades. This is where Eeli Tolvanen comes in. The team extended him to a two-year deal last month. He earned it by having his most productive season (41 points courtesy of 16 goals and 25 assists) and his most consistent. It was the first time in his careers he suited up for as many as 81 matches. This would settle the left side of the attack.
It would be neat to see an especially-youthful second line with Tye Kartye fulfilling right-wing duties, but that seems unlikely for now. To the Kingston, Ontario native’s credit, he broke onto the scene in no time at all. Although only a rookie in 2023-24, he partook in 77 contests, albeit with only 11:50 of average ice time. Perhaps it is still a season too early for lofty expectations.
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Andre Burakovksy is a good candidate for this role. His first two seasons with the Kraken were mired with injuries, limiting the Austrian to only 49 games in both campaigns. It’s not as if the powers that be weren’t enamoured with his potential when they signed him in 2022. He’s earning $5.5 million per season, far from chump change. His biggest problem has been bad luck.
Kraken’s Third Line
If Kartye isn’t going to be on the second line – not regularly, at least – then he’s more than earned the right to be a fixture on the club’s third. Things get tricky when considering Yanni Gourde. Kartye suited up as a center a few times last season, but Gourde is the more traditional center. It’s fair to argue that in a good season, Gourde can deliver acceptable numbers. In 74 matches two seasons ago he tallied 48 points and did so again last season while playing in 81 games.
Then there is Jaden Schwartz, who can also play that role. Schwartz bounced around on a lot of lines last season, not always in the same position. Given the need to blend veteran leadership with youth, a capable third line would have Schwartz on the left, Gourde at center, and Kartye on the right, a position he had a few times in 2023-24.
Kraken’s Fourth Line
This is where youth and veteran qualities can complement themselves the most. There are three key names we have not mentioned yet: Shane Wright, Brandon Tanev, and Jordan Eberle. The latter is the stalwart, having played in his 1,000th NHL game last season. Seeing him on the fourth line would be strange at first. Maybe he’s put on the third line and Kartye gets downgraded here, but that would result in a fourth line lacking NHL experience. Although Eberle got a decent amount of time on the second line in 2023-24, Burakovsky’s injuries surely played a part. These are the tough decisions coaches have to make.
Tanev is a role player who, when healthy, can grab around 30 points per season. He seems like a terrific fit here, even though no one ever gloated about being on the fourth line. At the end of the day, somebody needs to play here.
Then comes Shane Wright. If there is any justice, his Coachella Valley Firebirds days are over. What better way to bring him into the NHL as a regular than under the guidance of Bylsma, who coached him in Coachella? It seems as though the time is “Wright,” pardon the pun. The 2022 first-round pick would be the fourth line’s center, with Eberle to his right and Tanev to his left. In an ideal world, Wright’s season is impressive enough that he threatens to climb the ranks and jump up to the third line.
Some decisions might come naturally to Bylsma while others might require tough but honest one-on-one conversations between him and certain players. Does Eberle believe he is a fourth liner? Probably not, but there are a lot of guys much younger than him on the roster earning handsome bounties. Would Stephenson like to be on the first line? Almost certainly, but Beniers is seen as the future in Seattle. For these reasons and more, the Kraken will have a September very much worth following.
