Kraken in desperate need of a superstar as trade deadline nears
The Seattle kraken sit in a playoff position but are doing it without a true marquee scorer, leaving the club facing tough roster decisions with the trade deadline almost a week away.
Kraken headed to Dallas after Feb. 4 win
The team wrapped a week of practice at Kraken Community Iceplex and flew to Dallas on Monday to prepare for their first game since a 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 4. Seattle is scheduled to return to game action at the Stars on Wednesday, the first test after a nearly three-week Olympic break.
Front office decisions loom with veterans available
Seattle enters the stretch with a 27-22-9 record and sits fourth in the Pacific, carrying a 55. 5% playoff probability per MoneyPuck. Several veterans could factor into trade chatter: captain Jordan Eberle has reached the 20-goal mark for the ninth time and leads the club with 38 points while holding a full no-trade clause and a $4. 75 million cap charge. Jaden Schwartz remains a workable top-six option at his $5. 75 million cap figure, and Eeli Tolvanen—who carries a $3. 475 million cap hit and no trade protection—offers physicality and secondary scoring. On the back end, Jamie Oleksiak provides size and penalty-killing chops; his $4. 6 million AAV could be trimmed by retention to improve his market, and center Shane Wright’s name has surfaced as a potential currency in talks.
Olympic returns, goalie rotation and what players said
Goalie Philipp Grubauer rejoined Kraken practice after representing Team Germany in Milan, where he posted a 2-2-0 record with a 2. 79 goals-against average and a. 912 save percentage. Forward Matty Beniers celebrated Team USA’s 2-1 overtime gold-medal win over Canada and playfully ribbed linemate Jordan Eberle after the game; coach Lane Lambert called the USA-Canada matchup "one of the faster games" he’d seen. The club says the mini training-camp vibes at practice were positive as players regained game shape ahead of the Stars matchup.
Broadly, analysts and insiders have argued Seattle lacks a feared superstar up front—Eberle ranks outside the league’s top scorers despite leading the team—and that the club’s playoff fate may hinge on whether management buys or sells ahead of the deadline. Goaltending and an uptick in defensive structure under Lane Lambert have kept Seattle competitive, but the front office faces clear choices about whether to trade assets for scoring now or to hold pieces for the postseason.
Seattle’s immediate schedule and the trade deadline set the near-term timeline: the Kraken play the Stars on Wednesday, and the market for veteran rentals and expiring contracts will firm as the deadline approaches in the coming week.
