So, some thoughts on every player we saw this season.
McCann - Despite him having a rough middle section of the season, McCann again scored 60 points and I thought had an overall positive season. He has yet to show prolonged slumps, and remains a predictable contibutor.
Schwartz - Turns out Schwartz is still capable of staying healthy for an entire season, and he can score over 25 goals! I wasn't expecting either to happen, so that's great. Boosts his trade value and shows that keeping him around isn't a terrible idea.
Kakko - Kakko turned out to be a pretty good addition even though he wasn't as impactful late in the season. He had fewer games in Seattle but still managed to play better and produce more than he did for New York.
Wright - He looked very good in his first full season. He's got a future. I don't think he necessarily needs stars on his line, just minutes. 19 goals, 25 assists with the lack of minutes he had all season is fantastic. Minute for minute might be our best points producer (I'm not doing the math)
Nyman - He looks NHL ready. They burned a year of his contract, but oh well... it was worth it to see what he had and boost his confidence.
Beniers - Despite feeling like it wasn't enough, did end up scoring 20 goals. It feels very much like the Kraken don't have the right kind of player to really compliment Beniers' style. He's a good player, but there is definitely something more we need to see.
Daccord - Joey! He had a handful of very bad games, meaning he's not Hellebuyck. He did however put together a true over .500 season, and had a stat line we could only have dreamed of over the last 3 seasons. 27-23-5, 2.75, .906. That right there is an NHL starting netminder! Thank goodness we have one!
Oleksiak - His first 2/3 of the season was frustrating to watch. It was like the defensive version of Burakovsky (we'll get to him). He got better late in the season, as did everybody else, and I'm hoping that leads to value in trading him.
Larsson - His first half of the season wasn't good. He looked very out of his element for half the season. However, he REALLY turned it around and played a hell of a second half of the season defensively. It felt like as soon as we all started complaining about his play that it turned around. HI LARS, great job in the second half, bud!
Evans - Ok. This one is tough. He had an OK season, but I don't think he met my personal expectations. He's clearly and NHL player and will likely play a lot of NHL games, but I think this season showed his ceiling is probably on the 3rd pair if things don't improve quite a bit. He was a liability more often than I'd have liked. He's young and has time, and I'm rooting for him, but this season didn't boost my confidence.
Cups - Well, 51 points is nothing to sneeze at and he won faceoffs. Advanced stats HATE the guy, and I can see SOME of those things with the eye test, but I don't think he was nearly as bad as those advance stats show. He almost never shoots, which is frustrating, but he does pass pretty well. Nobody liked the contract, and frankly, despite my not entirely negative review of his season, I too don't like it still, but 51 points was second highest on the team... that's a lot we'd have to make up for from somebody else.
Montour - Montour is a sieve defensively, but produces offensively and set a record of goals by a Kraken defenseman in a season, so there is that. Paired with Oleksiak, it was like an open door for opposing teams to get into our defensive zone and get easy shots off. I do think he's a good player and his contract will remain pretty decent for at least 4 more years if he stays healthy, but he's going to need a much more complimentary partner.
Dunn - Not a great season, but there was the injury and he still managed to do pretty well in his limited time. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad and his last 20 games were a big step up, much like Larsson.
Burakovsky - If he hadn't finished the season on a high note, it would have gone down as one of the worst single seasons for a player in Kraken history, but he finished strong and that's about it. I hope he gets back to his old ways
Tolvanen - Probably one of the only players who didn't really shine toward the end of the season, but he's a great value player who seems to boost the team during bad times, often keeping them in games they should be losing. My only real issue is how he disappears for prolonged periods of time.
Eberle - Small sample size so I don't have a lot to comment on here. It wasn't great, but players don't tend to come back from injuries and produce how they should (as evidenced by every Kraken player to ever get injured). I wasn't convinced of his leadership until the last 20 games. The team turned things around. Is he responsible? Is coaching? Is some other intervention from org leadership?
Eyssimont - I actually like this guy. He brings the fight that we lost with Tanev and Gourde leaving and frankly, I like him better as an overall player than Tanev because I feel like his negatives aren't as shockingly obvious. He feels like a Gourde type player with a lower ceiling, but his negatives are limited to not making much of an offensive impact. A good player to have on a 4th line.
Kartye - I wasn't super impressed with his season. I think Karts is in the position of not really having a 4th line type of game, but also not being skilled enough to see middle 6 minutes. A serviceable season for a 4th line player that I think got quite a bit better after the trade deadline.
Mahura - I'd keep him around. He is much better defensively than I expected and frankly, seems like a guy who could jump up to the second pair in Oleksiak's place if a proper replacement can't be found.
Stephens - He got a lot of opportunities this season, but I think he's hit his peak. He'll continue to be bouncing between the A and the NHL to ride out his career. He's fine as a player to plug into a roster, but he's not going to do much more.
Hayden - Underwhelming in his 20 games. I expected more. I expected more physicality. I'm no longer exactly sure what he's going to bring to Seattle.
Ottavainen - Nice to see him get a single game and be our only ppg player.
Winterton - I think he needs more time in the A.
Fleury - Time to let him go. Not because he isn't good, but because he is probably better suited elsewhere.
Melanson - Not enough to judge. His 1 outing was ok. Clearly he needs more seasoning. Looking forward to his pre-season opportunities. He's gritty though, tough.
Meyers - Existed, see my comments on Stephens.
