All eyes are on Shane Wright and Ryan Winterton in light of another blow to the Seattle Kraken’s depth.
Initially thought to be a way to ignite what’s been a slow season for the team’s attacking lines, the move will actually be an effort to supplement an increasingly thinning forward depth.
Wednesday evening, the Seattle Kraken called up the two forwards in a move preceding announcement of injury to both Jordan Eberle and another skater undisclosed by the club, per the Seattle Times’ Geoff Baker. Eberle is considered day-to-day after sustaining a cut to his “quad muscle area” by the skate blade of Jaden Schwartz at practice the same day.
Down two additional forwards with Brandon Tanev and Andre Burakovsky already sidelined leaves Seattle with only 10 skaters up front. Unsurprisingly, both Wright and Winterton got the nod from head coach Dave Hakstol this morning, indicating the undisclosed forward “shaken up” against the Arizona Coyotes will likely be out against the Colorado Avalanche tonight.
As for identification of that skater, suspicions of Pierre-Edouard Bellemare look justified.
Official confirmation was never given that Bellemare was the undisclosed second injury, however he could be seen with Jacob Megna and Brandon Tanev once morning skate had concluded today. Bellemare had left the ice immediately after blocking a shot in the second period against the Coyotes earlier this week. While he did finish the game, it’s clear he’s not at full strength.
Wright is set to play in his ninth NHL game; Winterton will be making his debut in front of his parents, flying in from Toronto for the occasion.
“He’s [Winterton] worked hard to be here,” Hakstol said. “He’s a guy that brings a good two-way game and he’s always reliably in that way. Reliability is what it’s all about. You want him to go out and impact the hockey game in a positive way and we feel like he has an opportunity to do that.”
Blow to Depth Means Lineup Changes on Horizon
Lines were rearranged prior to the Kraken’s game against the Coyotes and it looks like they’ll be rearranged again to accommodate for the reinforcements.
Separately, Wright and Winterton could translate fairly easily into existing combinations, however, fitting them in simultaneously will prove a bit of a challenge. It all boils down to whether the coaching staff’s priorities lie with preserving lineup consistency or betting on personnel adaptability in search of maximizing the most out of new additions.
Should the fourth line stay intact, Wright’s translation into the lineup will be fairly easy. He could slot into the open position centering Devin Shore and Tye Kartye, wingers he familiarized himself with in the preseason. Eberle’s injury, however, is a blow to right-wing depth, and the possibility cannot be ignored that Kartye is promoted to the second line in his place.
Ideally, Winterton isn’t forced to play on his off-wing– someone like Eeli Tolvanen could switch back to the right wing (his natural position), opening up a spot for Winterton on the left alongside Gourde and pushing Oliver Bjorkstrand back up to the second line.
This may be undesirable given Gourde’s line’s reliability. Chemistry and a high standard of effort can be consistently expected from their line, a characteristic invaluable to an attacking group undergoing so much transformation. In 40 minutes together this season, they’ve controlled 54.3% of the total on-ice shot quality generated.
Injured Winger Making Steady Rehab Progress
Good news from Ball Arena this morning on the status of Brandon Tanev, who was injured in the season opener against the Vegas Golden Knights back on Oct 10 and has now missed 12 games.
For the first time since his injury, Tanev took the ice with the team in a regular jersey. His first reappearance on the ice came Nov 1, when he skated in an individual session prior to the start of practice. In ensuing on-ice sessions and in team drills he donned a red no-contact jersey.
It’s an encouraging indicator his health, albeit one unable to draw firm conclusions on his return. Initially projected to be out four-to-six weeks, one can still expect him back on the ice later this month.
Hakstol refrained from updating his timeline for return but did confirm he’s getting “closer” to full health.
“It was an optional skate today so he’s making good progress. I wouldn’t say it’s imminent in any way shape or form, but he’s for sure moving in the right direction,” he said.