Post by krakengm on Mar 18, 2023 3:31:43 GMT -5
Seattle, WA - There are two constants in Seattle at this time of year - drizzle, and change. The Seattle Kraken made their eighth and ninth trades of this calendar year, sending Nikita Zadorov to the New Jersey Devils. Coming to Seattle are veteran blueliner Justin Holl, prospect Jeremie Poirier, and a second and third round pick in the upcoming draft. Zadorov has been a physical presence for the Kraken on the blueline. His rough plus/minus stats were a reflection of the huge minutes he played on a weak team, and he will be sorely missed in Seattle.
"We would like to thank Nikita Zadorov for his tremendous work for our club since his arrival in the expansion draft. He was an emotional leader, and best friend to our goalies. It was not an easy decision to move him, but the offer from New Jersey checked several boxes for the future, and brought us back a veteran defenseman who we feel will be very effective for us," said GM Jade Graber.
The key to the deal was young blueliner Jeremie Poirier, who was a player that Graber is said to have been very interested in during the 2020 Draft while the GM of the Maple Leafs.
"Poirier was a guy we had highlighted for one of our two second round picks in 2020, but the Devils beat us to the punch. To be able to add him to our prospect depth is very exciting for us. He's a dynamic offensive defenseman who we believe will be a big part of our powerplay within the next couple of years," said the GM.
Poirier finished his QMJHL career strongly with a 16 goal and 57 point season, and has followed it up by being one of the top scoring defensemen in the AHL as a rookie. His offensive game is already quite polished, but he will need to continue to work on his defensive game to take the next step into the NsHL. The Kraken have enough veteran depth to take a patient approach and expect it will pay off handsomely.
The draft picks are the other nice add for the club, with the Colorado second rounder expected to fall somewhere in the 42 to 50 range, and the Arizona third round pick will almost certainly come in at 65th overall with the Coyotes well back of the pack. Seattle is now projected to pick six times in the first 75 selections of the upcoming draft, which is said to be fairly deep.
The other deal was a very minor trade, seeing prospect Riley McCourt head to the Rangers for Toronto's seventh round pick in 2024.
With the trade deadline just over a week away, expect the Kraken to make at least one or two more deals. While rumours have it that there have been some solid offers and inquiries on several top players, the odds are much better that the remaining deals to be made before the off-season will be of the more minor variety.
--- Johnny Pike for the Seattle Times
"We would like to thank Nikita Zadorov for his tremendous work for our club since his arrival in the expansion draft. He was an emotional leader, and best friend to our goalies. It was not an easy decision to move him, but the offer from New Jersey checked several boxes for the future, and brought us back a veteran defenseman who we feel will be very effective for us," said GM Jade Graber.
The key to the deal was young blueliner Jeremie Poirier, who was a player that Graber is said to have been very interested in during the 2020 Draft while the GM of the Maple Leafs.
"Poirier was a guy we had highlighted for one of our two second round picks in 2020, but the Devils beat us to the punch. To be able to add him to our prospect depth is very exciting for us. He's a dynamic offensive defenseman who we believe will be a big part of our powerplay within the next couple of years," said the GM.
Poirier finished his QMJHL career strongly with a 16 goal and 57 point season, and has followed it up by being one of the top scoring defensemen in the AHL as a rookie. His offensive game is already quite polished, but he will need to continue to work on his defensive game to take the next step into the NsHL. The Kraken have enough veteran depth to take a patient approach and expect it will pay off handsomely.
The draft picks are the other nice add for the club, with the Colorado second rounder expected to fall somewhere in the 42 to 50 range, and the Arizona third round pick will almost certainly come in at 65th overall with the Coyotes well back of the pack. Seattle is now projected to pick six times in the first 75 selections of the upcoming draft, which is said to be fairly deep.
The other deal was a very minor trade, seeing prospect Riley McCourt head to the Rangers for Toronto's seventh round pick in 2024.
With the trade deadline just over a week away, expect the Kraken to make at least one or two more deals. While rumours have it that there have been some solid offers and inquiries on several top players, the odds are much better that the remaining deals to be made before the off-season will be of the more minor variety.
--- Johnny Pike for the Seattle Times