February 19, 2025 | 11:48am ET
TheFourthPeriod.com
KRAKEN HAVE MULTIPLE PLAYERS IN TRADE MARKET
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Jared McCann, forward
The Seattle Kraken may look to shake up their roster going into next season and GM Ron Francis may get a head start on things over the next 16 days leading up to the March 7 trade deadline.
Forwards Yanni Gourde and Brandon Tanev and defenceman Josh Mahura are currently on expiring contracts and are eligible to become unrestricted free agents July 1. While their names are circulating around the trade market, several others with term remaining on their deals are also believed to be in play.
Up front, forwards Jared McCann, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Jaden Schwartz and Andre Burakovsky have been discussed with other teams, as has defenceman Jamie Oleksiak.
Teams are calling, as Francis is believed to be listening.
During Tuesday’s edition of “The Latest” on TFP with Kate Petterson and David Pagnotta, Pagnotta reported the Kraken could end up being very active between now and deadline day.
“There’s a lot of noise around the Kraken right now and that isn’t often the case because they like to keep a big lid on things. But there are so many players that they’re listening on right now that more word is starting to really come out,” Pagnotta said. “You mentioned Bjorkstrand, Brandon Tanev, who’s a pending unrestricted free agent. There is a high expectation that (Tanev) will be traded between now and the March 7th trade deadline. He’s got a $3.5 million cap hit.
“Another player that’s also out there, Jared McCann. McCann’s got two more years left on his contract. He’s got a 10-team, no trade list, but there is a lot of noise surrounding him and almost at the same level of Tanev that there is an expectation that he could be moved by the deadline.”
McCann leads the Kraken with 42 points on the season, thus far, and has really blossomed offensively since joining the Kraken in their inaugural season.
Schwartz, who owns a 16-team no-trade list, is third on the club in points (36), followed by Bjorkstrand (35), who has a 10-team no-trade list. Both players have one more season remaining on their contracts, as does Oleksiak.
Burakovsky, who also owns a 10-team no-trade list, has two more seasons remaining on his contract and comes with a $5.5 million cap hit.
“There is a very good chance, based on chatter around the league and talking to people around the league, that McCann could be on the move,” Pagnotta said. “Both him and Tanev may be the likeliest suspects to go. (Gourde’s) out there. They’ve got a lot of other assets that they’re willing to listen on. Seattle could be a very busy club between now and March 7th.”