Q & FA: Free Agency Answers

It's been a week. A very good week for the Kraken and general manager Ron Francis. Last Thursday, picking fourth in the NHL Draft in Montreal, Francis called the name of Shane Wright, then 10 more Kraken prospects on Friday.
Next was development camp with 31 players, looking speedy and skilled at Kraken Community Iceplex. Then the seven days of Kraken upgrade went next level with free agent agreements with three new NHL-tested players, two-time Stanley Cup winner and forward Andre Burakovsky, two-time Cup winner and defenseman Justin Schultz, plus veteran goalie Martin Jones (who starred in a Cup Final himself).
The busy and promising week did generate fan questions. Here are some replies. If you have more queries, feel free to tweet

Are the Kraken better? You're gonna say yes, but how so?

The answer is most resoundingly yes. There are short-term and longer-term parts of this answer. Short form, the Kraken added two more players who have won Stanley Cups with their former teams. Knowing how to navigate the grind and persevere is not to be underestimated.
Andre Burakovsky has the most recent victory and scored the overtime winner in Game 1 against defending champ Tampa Bay. He won with Washington in 2018 too. New Seattle defenseman Justin Schultz won back-to-back Cups with Pittsburgh in 2016 and 2017.
Yanni Gourde is the other Kraken player with two Cup wins, going back-to-back in 2020 and 2021. So three Kraken players have won five Cups since 2016. But then add Jaden Schwartz and Vince Dunn winning in 2019 with St. Louis, plus Philipp Grubauer on the same Cup winner as Burakovsky. That's six players on the roster with at least one Cup in each of the last seven years in the NHL. Great stuff!
Another big plus straight from Ron Francis: The Kraken power play will be much improved with Schultz as an experienced "quarterback" during man-advantage and not playing behind power play maestros John Carlson in Washington and Kris Letang in Pittsburgh.

Plus Burakovsky was "number seven" on Colorado's power play depth chart, which reduced his opportunities to release that wicked shot of his. Francis told the media Wednesday he anticipates Burakovsky will get lots of chances on the first power play unit. The GM acknowledged more man-advantage goals is a must for winning games this coming season. Both signees will boost that objective.
Three more quick notes about an improved Kraken roster per the last week that was: Burakovsky has notched some elite hockey analytics numbers in his NHL career. You will want to read colleague Alison Lukan's
latest analysis about Burakovsky's status among the game's top scorers here
. You will not only feel more optimistic, you will wish the season started soon.
The other two things? Without prompting at his Free Agency Day 1 press conference, Francis made a point to say Shane Wright officially signed his entry-level contract. As a former fourth overall pick himself who broke into the NHL at age 18, it's clear Francis is thinking Wright helps the Kraken more near-future than most other 2022 draft choices across his roster and the league.
Along with his power play potential, Justin Schultz is a "reliable defenseman" (Francis' description) and right-handed, which balances out pairings on the blue line. Plus, signing Martin Jones to a one-year deal provides needed depth at the goaltender position as Chris Driedger is on an estimated recovery timeline (not official, simply best guess) that will keep him out of the lineup until January or later.

OK, what about Ryan Donato?

Lots of questions about the Kraken's sixth-leading scorer (16 goals, 15 assists) during the inaugural season. Donato was not tendered a qualifying offer by Monday's deadline. That meant he moved from restricted free agent status (Seattle could keep him no matter other clubs trying to sign him or get draft-choice compensation) to unrestricted free agency. The veteran forward can now sign with any team and there is no compensation back to Seattle.
Francis' addressed the Donato decision Wednesday: "Here's the way it works if you're an RFA [restricted free agent]. You can have 'arb' [arbitration] rights or not. In Ryan's case, he did have arbitration rights. [We] look at what that arbitration case looks like. He had a hell of a season last year. To be honest, we just didn't want to go to arbitration with him. That's why we didn't qualify him."
But if Donato happens to be among your favorite players, here's an important next few lines of the GM's answer: "We certainly like the player. We'll continue to have discussions there. I don't know where it goes. But that was the reason behind us making that decision."

Will Shane Wright make the opening day roster?

The definitive answer will be revealed at training camp in September and preseason games late in that month and early October. Francis says the 2022 top draft choice will have every opportunity to make the squad for the Oct. 12 opener at Anaheim. He has made it clear the coaching staff will be vital on any decision.
During Wednesday's press conference, Francis indicated he was not looking for a top-flight center going into free agency due to the back-to-back first-round selections of centers Matty Beniers and Wright. He said there's no reason why the duo won't be considered the best 1-2 young centermen punch in the NHL, noting he in all likelihood will be negotiating second deals for Beniers in two years and Wright three years from now.
"I'm not worried about the youth aspect," said Francis Wednesday. "You know, we've got some real solid veteran guys around those kids. I think [Beniers and Wright] are more than capable of handling themselves. I broke in at 18 [scoring 25 goals and adding 43 points for 68 points in 59 games]. It was a long, long time ago. Kids still break in at 18. So we're excited."

What does the goalie depth chart look like with the addition of free agent Martin Jones?

There's no controversy in identifying Philipp Grubauer as the Kraken's No. 1 goaltender. With Chris Driedger out recovering from knee surgery for at least the rest of the calendar year, GM Ron Francis added another two names to the depth chart by agreeing to terms with veteran NHL goalie Martin Jones and 31-year-old Magnus Hellberg, who played the last five seasons in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League.
Jones signed a one-year, $2M contract on Day 1 of free agency. Seattle also agreed to terms on an NHL contract (one year, $750,000 AAV) with Hellberg, who will be paid the NHL salary whether he is appearing in NHL or AHL games.
The two goaltenders join Grubauer and Joey Daccord, the team's expansion draft choice from Ottawa and a star for AHL affiliate Charlotte last season, as the group of experienced goalies that every NHL team needs these days.
Jones starred for the San Jose Sharks during the 2016 playoffs, leading the Sharks to the Stanley Cup Final with most every observer saying SJS would not have been there without him. He played so well in the Final it is likely he would have won the league's playoffs MVP award if the Sharks had won the Cup.
Jones, Daccord and Hellberg will be in training camp to show their worth as the regular second goalie for Seattle. In today's NHL, most GMs (Francis included) consider it a must to have at least three goaltenders always prepared to play NHL minutes. Daccord appeared in five games for the Kraken last season and dressed for more games when Driedger was sidelined with injuries and COVID-19 protocols.
In fact, with the new American Hockey League affiliate Coachella Valley Firebirds and existing ECHL affiliate Allen (TX) Americans, the Kraken front office needs to stock at least five goalies and preferably six in the development system.

The Kraken signed six other players Wednesday, some to "two-way" contracts. Please explain how these players fit in?

All six players will have a chance to make the Kraken roster going into training camp. If they are deemed not right or ready for the NHL 23-man active roster, the players can be reassigned to AHL Coachella Valley, developing with head coach Dan Bylsma and assistant coach Jessica Campbell.
Playing for the Firebirds is an opportunity for Kraken developing pros to get better, grow as good teammates and build a championship culture.
"We all look at NHL rosters and see the players listed [up to 23 on active rosters]," said Bylsma. "But during the course of a season, the typical NHL rosters runs 30, 32, 34 players deep. Seattle fans are going to count a good number of players wearing a Coachella Valley Firebirds jersey to start the season that they will be cheering for in NHL games later in the year."
In fact, some 94 percent of today's NHL players have logged time in the AHL and more than 100 Hockey Hall of Famers played and improved in the top professional development league.
"Virtually everybody - there are exceptions such as Sidney Crosby or Connor McDavid ­- has played in the AHL," said Bylsma.