Early trades Kraken must make during 2024-25 season
11/11/2024 12:20 AM
The Seattle Kraken found a goaltender in Joey Daccord last season. Seattle had struggled with goaltending since its inception before Daccord arrived. But the unsung goaltender turned in one of the best performances of any goalie in the NHL last year, leading the Kraken to sign Daccord to a five-year contract extension.
So far, Daccord has played well in 2024-25. He has won five of his nine starts early on. And he has played to a very good .912 save percentage. Furthermore, he is 10th in the NHL for Goals Saved Above Average, according to Evolving Hockey. The Kraken goaltender is ninth in Goals Saved Above Expected.
Daccord’s performance is certainly welcomed. However, the Kraken need more out of their backup goaltending. Philipp Grubauer has just one win in six starts so far. And he has a near-unplayable .877 save percentage in those games, as well. In terms of Goals Saved Above Average, he is one of the worst goaltenders in the league.
This is an incredible disparity between their starting and backup goaltending. And it’s a disparity the team has to solve before the playoff race starts heating up. With this in mind, here are two potential Kraken trade targets with the 2024-25 season still in its early weeks.
Kraken could trade for Vitek Vanecek
The San Jose Sharks traded for Vitek Vanecek at last season’s NHL Trade Deadline. It was a goaltending swap involving underperforming players. Vanecek entered the season as the starting goaltender for the New Jersey Devils. But things simply did not work out in Newark.
Vanecek has enjoyed a fine start to the 2024-25 campaign, however. The pending unrestricted free agent has played to a .898 save percentage in eight games. Certainly not an inspiring total, to be fair. But he has significantly better underlying numbers than Grubauer.
The Kraken could have Vanecek for a rather cheap cost. San Jose is not looking to win the Stanley Cup this year. And having a goaltender you may not re-sign on the roster would not be beneficial. If Seattle ponies up a draft pick, it would be wise of the Sharks to accept.
The Kraken have the look of a potential playoff time early on. Adding Vitek Vanecek could help keep them above water when Daccord takes a night off. It could be the difference between the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the NHL Draft Lottery.
Anton Forsberg may be available to the Kraken
The Ottawa Senators made a big trade for Linus Ullmark before Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. Ullmark came in as the undisputed starting goaltender. Behind him is veteran goalie Anton Forsberg, who has played rather well during his time this season. In fact, his .905 save percentage is higher than that of Ullmark’s .890 mark.
The Senators are certainly not trading the recently extended Ullmark. To be frank, they would probably like to hold onto Forsberg if they can. That said, Forsberg is a free agent at the end of the 2024-25 campaign. If the Senators fall out of the playoff race, they could be willing to move Forsberg.
Moving Forsberg is easier for the Senators given their goaltending situation. Ottawa has their goalie of the future in Mads Sogaard waiting in the wings. Sogaard did struggle in his one appearance in the NHL this season. But the Senators may be willing to give him more of a regular role in the event the playoffs are not on the cards.
The Kraken could take Forsberg on and see if he can be the backup they need. If it works, Seattle should have no issue making the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It will be interesting to see if a trade becomes a possibility as the season rolls along.
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