One: Eyes on Fourth Line
With Brandon Tanev’s injury shelving the fan-favorite for four the six weeks with a lower-body injury sustained in the season opener in Vegas last Tuesday, Kraken fans will without a doubt supply big noise for the next men up in the home opener. That would be fourth-line wingers Kailer Yamamoto and Tye Kartye playing on either side of veteran free-agent arrival Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.
“He's a really good player for us,” said Dave Hakstol about Tanev after Monday’s spirited practice at Kraken Community Iceplex. “Obviously he competes so hard every night and brings pace and energy. He's been a big part of our penalty kill ... you hate to see guys with an injury, especially early on.”
When quizzed about the Kartye-Bellemare-Yamamoto line that has formed in Tanev’s absence, Hakstol went straight to praise. He was vocal and positive about Kartye’s performance in Nashville and expanded on the entire line Monday: “Karts and Yamo have done a really nice job with Belly [Bellemare]. They've been a consistent line. They've been pretty good and reliable defensively. They've generated some opportunities, haven't scored yet, but they've generated opportunities. We're comfortable with those guys.
“Kartye’s a young guy that's hungry to be in the lineup. But, you know, even with all of the youth [22 years old] he brings, he's a pretty mature player out there in terms of his reliability. He fits in well, and Yamo’s done a nice job since day one of training camp.”
