The Kraken have come into today’s roster deadline for the season with a serious shot at having a little youth movement, even if some of it isn’t exactly by choice.
The Kraken sent Oscar Fisker Molgaard and Ville Ottavainen to Coachella Valley yesterday, which brings the total number of people on the active roster to 23. This means that Forwards Ryan Winterton, Jani Nyman, and Berkly Catton will all be making the team out of camp this year unless they make a last minute change-up before the deadline.
The Youngs who stayed…
Nyman was the easiest one to keep, if we’re all being honest with ourselves. Nyman finished preseason at nearly a goal a game, was a fantastic target wherever he was on the ice for the more playmaking-minded forwards, and committed himself fully to the Lambert style by keeping himself parked REAL close to the goalie to get the most out of his cannon-like shot.
Winterton already has a bit of NHL experience, but what’s often separated him from the pack is that, for whatever reason, things just sort of worked well when he was on the ice; him usually being in the top four of players on the Kraken during preseason in terms of on-ice possession. The final preseason contest likely sealed it for him, as he finished his night with a pair of goals and was the most impactful forward on the ice, and had Adam Larsson not been there, likely the most impactful player on the team during that game. Something to be said about good habits being rewarded here, yeah?
Catton when he joined camp was likely something of an outside shot; he was unquestionably talented, and when he was paired with similarly young and hot talents he usually acquitted himself magnificently. However, he was also one of the younger players at camp, and crucially…he was subject to the dreaded AHL/CHL curse; one that Shane Wright knows all too well. The Kraken don’t seem particularly interested in repeating that little experiment on account of all the negative attention it offered them, so it’s probably for the best that if Catton needs to come out of the lineup, he can still be part of the team for the time being and learn from the experiences of being in an NHL game. I will miss him dearly in Spokane, especially with the WHL Western conference being a dogfight this year, but I understand this is for the best for his development.
The Youngs who left (but will almost certainly be back)
Molgaard and Ottavainen going back is a bit of a surprise, but an understandable one. Both had roles that were already being filled by the current player roster as they stand, and that ended with both of them ultimately as the most easy to cut.
Molgaard has fit the role of “bottom six, defensively responsible Center” fantastically even at his young age, and has been a quiet if useful player all throughout the preseason. That said, the Kraken aren’t hurting for bottom six players at the moment, so his best use-case is probably a little clogged. I imagine if, god forbid, somebody else on the Kraken’s center depth gets hurt, he’s going to be on the short list for a call-up.
Ottavainen, in that same vein, played pretty well this preseason; consuming minutes like they were going to run out, and being an imposing physical presence…but he’s also in the middle of a fierce battle with Josh Mahura, who has relevant NHL experience, and Cale Fleury, who has also filled in with relevant NHL Experience. Further, with Montour on his way back, there was realistically only one spot open for him, and it’s a role that both of those defenders can fill. If both struggle out of the gate, there’s a chance Ottavainen will be called back up to give it a shot.
…And of course, their necessity
With McCann, Stephenson, Evans, Kakko, Dunn, and Montour (though he should be good to go this week) all on the mend, the chances for these young men to join the team shot up dramatically over the course of preseason, as well as the expectations of their performance. Each has shown themselves to be worth a shot at this level, which is a big kudos to those young men…but that’s only step one. The next step is making it to the end of the many, many, many injuries of this squad and making this shot count for something. Ryan Winterton has been here before, and has yet to register a regular season NHL goal. Jani Nyman in the same amount of time showed immense promise with a 6 point campaign in 12 games played. Catton? Will be seeing a live NHL game for the first time in his life.
This is an extremely tough league, and while it’s exciting to see some new faces in the crowd, we need to both be ready for some jitters…and they need to be ready to contribute come Thursday night.
We’ll all be better for it.