3 Players Entering Final Season With Seattle Kraken

The Seattle Kraken definitely got better, but enough for the playoffs remains to be seen. Depth has always been a key part of any success the team has had, but the Kraken should be altering that depth after this season as these are three players entering their final season with Seattle.

Yanni Gourde

Yanni Gourde is heading into the final year of his six-year deal and it will very likely be his last. With Shane Wright on the team this season, it gives the young center one year to develop at the NHL level and move up a line soon. A top talent like Wright can't be on the fourth line for long or it will hurt integral development. Gourde also took a step back, only scoring 11 goals and 33 points last season as opposed to consecutive 48-point seasons prior to that in Seattle. He will also be 33 years old before the end of the year.

Brandon Tanev

Brandon Tanev is a highly overpaid fourth liner, and that is all he is going to be on the Kraken for the final year of his deal. If the team is out of the playoff race, his cap hit is too high to even retain 50% and trade him. He will likely play out the final season with Seattle and the team should free up space for a strong group of forwards coming in the near future, including Jagger Firkus.

Josh Mahura

Josh Mahura is a new member of the Kraken after spending the past two seasons with the Florida Panthers. He is a depth d-man at best and played less than half of the games for Florida last season. He will likely get into the same amount or fewer games with Seattle and then move on as the Kraken don't see anything special from him.