Ron’s summer continues on by refreshing the depth again, this time by moving on from Andre Burakovsky.
The Kraken announced today that they have traded Andre Burakovsky for Joe Veleno from the Blackhawks in a one-for-one trade.
Burakovsky’s time in Seattle was eventful, if mercurial. While his heavy shot made him an impressive threat for the Kraken, his issues with injury, his defensive coordinator and his increasing issues with puck possession meant he often ended up a subject of fan’s ire when he wasn’t finding the back of the net, which was increasingly the case.
Veleno meanwhile has been a depth guy’s depth guy for years: staring his time in the NHL with the Red Wings and recently with the Blackhawks. While his offensive game has never quite developed, he’s shown some decent flashes of being a strong presence defensively.
I wouldn’t call it a hard upgrade over Burakovsky, rather I would see this as a chance for a younger player to potentially take his place in the middle 6. Veleno is a pretty strictly depth kind of player, so I believe this opens a spot for potentially a prospect. From a purely money perspective, it also frees up a little extra scratch for free agency, which is always nice.
As for what they use it on? Well, that’s for July to find out.
For now, let’s thank Andre for the memories, and welcome Joe to The Deep!