Monday Musings: The final countdown

Last season, Sale started playing for the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL. It was his first time playing for a team outside his home country, so you can understand the challenges an 18-year-old faces playing in a foreign environment for the first time. He is the only remaining prospect who could be sent back to the juniors, but the Kraken have a few options as to where they could send him. We discussed this extensively with Shane Wright last year, but normally 19-year-old CHL players either have to play in the NHL or be sent back to their CHL teams.

Because Sale was drafted while playing in the Czech Extraliga, that clause in the NHL-CHL development agreement does not apply. With Sale, the Kraken have the option to send him to the AHL next season, a possibility that is looking increasingly likely. It worked for Wright last season, so it could work for Sale this season too.

Roster spot and cap space

The Kraken remain very close to the salary cap, with less than $5,000 in cap space if they were to fill 21 of the 23 maximum roster spots. They simply can't add a 22nd or 23rd player. This seems like a risky position at the start of the season. I have speculated that a trade was imminent, but trades are rare this close to the season, so it could be a plan to bring just one additional player.

Coming into camp, I had a feeling the last spot on the roster would come down to Josh Mahura, Ben Meyers, or John Hayden. All three have played well enough to warrant their spot, but there can only be one, and it's possible all three could be waived to be assigned to Coachella and pick up some cap space before the start of the season. There is also a scenario where Ryan Winterton makes the team start the season, but unless there is an injury, he is unlikely to make the starting lineup, so it might make more sense for him to play in the AHL. He also doesn't need waivers to reach the Coachella Valley.

I checked in with Karson Kuhlman

Karson Kuhlman played just 39 games for the Kraken over two half-seasons. I've always had a soft spot for Kuhlman. He claimed a waiver during the first season and even came on our podcast for a fun interview. He worked hard on the ice and scored, in my opinion, one of the most important goals of the regular season in season two. During the Krakens' impressive 2022-2023 season, they had a 1-2-2 record heading into their sixth game of the campaign, facing the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Colorado Avalanche.

The season started to feel like a repeat of Season 1. The scrappy Kraken were up 2-1 in the third when they allowed a shorthanded goal seven minutes into the period. Kuhlman scored six minutes later and the Kraken held on to win. The Kraken would go 6-3-1 in their next 10 games. That was Kuhlman's only goal with the Kraken that season. He was eventually cleared for waivers and, when Seattle had to make room for Eeli Tolvanen, claimed his own waiver claim.

Kuhlman played the rest of the season for the Winnipeg Jets and the entire 2023-2024 season with the Bridgeport Islanders in the AHL. This season he took his talents to Finland and signed with Lukko in Liiga. He got off to a great start with two goals and four assists in his first seven games.

Other musings

• We got our first look at Brandon Montour last week and he comes in as advertised. His willingness to activate offensively should open doors for other Kraken players. He had 16 shot attempts in his two preseason games, the most of any Kraken player.
• It's unlikely he'll make an opening day appearance, but Jacob Melanson has impressed me this preseason. Melanson is flying under the radar a bit, but seems to be closer to the NHL than I expected. He is the type of player who can step into a fourth-line role without sacrificing his development. He had a goal in the game against Edmonton on Saturday, but go back and watch his board game here to set up the Meyers goal.
• We didn't get to see much of Jani Nyman, but he did show off his powerful shot in his only preseason game on Friday against the Vancouver Canucks. Nyman was assigned to the Firebirds on Saturday. It will be fun to watch this season in Coachella Valley.
• Another player assigned to Coachella Valley was Lleyton Roed. Roed caught our attention last spring when he played in the Calder Cup Finals with Coachella. If you haven't checked out this profile piece on him yet, do it!
• In case you missed it, the LA Kings will have to start the season without their best defenseman. Drew Doughty broke his ankle in a preseason game last week. Doughty was second in the league in time on ice per game and led the Kings in power play time last season. I've speculated that the Kings would take a step back and miss the playoffs this season, and this injury won't help their chances.
• The NHL regular season actually begins on Friday, when the New Jersey Devils play the Buffalo Sabers in the first of two games in the Czech Republic as part of the NHL Global Series. They play on Friday at 10am Pacific and on Saturday at 7am. Sounds like a great way to start the weekend.
• This weekend there will also be Faceoff: Inside the NHL, the docuseries on Prime Video. This six-part series is produced by the same company behind F1: Drive to Survive. If you're looking for something to watch this weekend, put this at the top of your list: it's got some great hockey content!
• Micah Blake McCurdy just released his points projections for the 2024-2025 season. It's not a simple binary projection, but McCurdy's average projection puts the Kraken fourth in the Pacific Division.