Catching Up On Trio Of Former Seattle Kraken

Martin Jones, Morgan Geekie, & Carson Soucy Departed In Free Agency

We now know that Greek philosopher Heraclitus didn't actually say in 500 BCE that “Change is the only constant."

Of course not, silly. The quote must have come from an NHL general manager. With that settled, let's catch up with three ex-Seattle Kraken.

Martin Jones, 2022-23 Kraken goalie, had moments of brilliance during his one year in Seattle. Enough moments to sign a one-year, $875k contract with the Maple Leafs.

That doesn't mean he'll ever play a game in the blue and white. 

The Toronto Sun explains, "The plan is for Jones to start the season with the AHL Marlies. But there is a catch. Jones has to go through waivers before being assigned to the farm, and there is a very real chance, given his experience, solid stats last season in Seattle and cap-friendly contract, that another NHL team claims him."

Center Morgan Geekie, who played 142 of his 180 career NHL games in Seattle, has relocated to Boston. The Bruins signed Geekie to a two-year, $4 million deal.

Joining the President's Trophy winners from last season is one perk of moving cross-country. Even for a native of Strathclair, Manitoba, another is getting to soak in one of America's most history-rich cities.

Geekie told The Hockey News, "Boston is a really old city with some serious history to it. Everyone that I've played with that lives there or went to school there says it's awesome. It's an Original Six franchise and not a lot of people get to say that they played for one of those."

The Kraken will still see a whole lot of defenseman Carson Soucy this season; he'll just be on the opposition bench. The division rival Vancouver Canucks signed Soucy to a three-year, $3.25 million AAV deal.

The Canucks may deploy Soucy more prominently than Seattle did. According to NHL.com, the 6-foot-5, 208-pound defender could "play a potential top-four role and help fix the penalty kill."

Vancouver GM Patrik Allvin explained the off-season addition of Soucy and fellow blue line-newcomer Ian Cole. "We prioritized our back end, getting bigger, heavier, PK guys in Soucy and Cole, their playoff experience and Cole's Cup-winning pedigree."

Letting Jones, Geekie and Soucy leave in free agency isn't something the Kraken necessarily preferred doing. Each was a piece in Seattle's 100-point regular season. But facing an essentially flat salary cap, and the need to open roster slots for incoming free agents and prospects, GM Ron Francis deemed these the right business decisions.

Every team, every season, has to face the same hard realities. Eyes On Islanders recently looked wistfully at Seattle mainstay Jordan Eberle. "During his time with the Isles, Eberle never really found that scoring touch he had in Edmonton, but seemed to show up in big situations, especially during the playoffs. 

"Last season, during the Kraken's run to the second round of the playoffs, knocking off the defending Stanley Cup Champion Avalanche, Eberle put up 63 points (20 goals, 43 assists), his most since 2014-15. With the scoring issues the Isles have had of late, Eberle is someone they wish they could take back."