Short Shifts: Kraken Contract Breakdown, "Crazy" Winter Classic Prediction
Coaches Invited To GMs Meeting
When NHL general managers got together earlier this month outside Chicago, one group was invited to attend for the first time: NHL coaches.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman thinks coaches will get a return invitation to GM meetings."What's different about this meeting was the combination of head coaches and managers, that had never been done before," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman told NHL.com.
"I think everyone in the room thought it was terrific to do it and it's something we'll probably do again."
When we catch up with Seattle Kraken coach Dave Hakstol at training camp, we'll make sure to ask what he got out of the confab.
Before Trading Or Moving, Read The Fine Print
A total of 14 Kraken players have language in their contracts giving them some say over what the club can do with them, if they don't remain on the Seattle roster.
Seattle Kraken Jaden Schwartz.Thefourthperiod.com provides the breakdown. One player, Jaden Schwartz, has what's called a "No-Movement Clause." That means the team can't waive Schwartz or send him to the minors without his consent.
Two Kraken, Philipp Grubauer and Jamie Oleksiak, have complete "No-Trade Clauses." That means any trade the Kraken would make involving Grubauer or Oleksiak would be subject to their approval.
Eleven other players have a limited No-Trade Clause, meaning they can submit a list of teams to which they cannot be traded, unless they sign off. Yanni Gourde can submit a list of up to 23 teams, and Jordan Eberle, 16 teams.
The nine other Seattle players have a 10-team No-Trade Clause in their contracts. They include Oliver Bjorkstrand, Andre Burakovsky, Chris Driedger, Brian Dumoulin, Adam Larsson, Jared McCann, Justin Schultz, Brandon Tanev, and Alexander Wennberg.
Okay, You're Crazy
Perhaps when the team you write about is defending Stanley Cup champions, you can't help but feel a little chesty.
How else to explain Jason Pothier of sinbin.vegas, who covers the Golden Knights. In what he admits are "crazy" Vegas predictions for the 2023-24 season, Jason takes a stab at the Winter Classic to be played at T-Mobile Park against the Kraken on New Year's Day.
"Call me crazy, but Vegas will snowplow Seattle in the Winter Classic," says Pothier. "Western Conference and Pacific Division banners, Stanley Cup rings, and a Winter Classic victory in one calendar year would be quite historic. And to make me crazier, VGK will win by at least four."
Since the Winter Classic is, as mentioned, on New Year's Day, 2024... we can't say for sure that Jason is crazy, but we can say that he doesn't understand how a calendar year works.
