Some uncertainty about Jared McCann’s future with the Seattle Kraken surfaced in summer speculation and trade rumors.
The Kraken have reportedly been “open to” trading left winger Jared McCann, The Fourth Period‘s David Pagnotta reported in early July. In February, when there were trade rumors about him in the lead-up to the trade deadline, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that teams were calling the Kraken about McCann, and not vice versa.
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In this writer’s opinion, Seattle absolutely should be open to dealing the veteran. The combination of (a) where the Kraken are in their competitive cycle and (b) a market that’s excellent for a cost-controlled winger capable of putting up around 30-goal, 60-point levels, you can see why Seattle could get a great trade return for McCann.
The Kraken may be more open to moving McCann around the 2026 NHL trade deadline if GM Jason Botterill waits to see how the team does to start the season. If that’s the choice he makes, Botterill will be banking on a surge in interest in McCann’s services by then.
But some teams like to strike early and not wait until the deadline to make significant additions. We saw what happened last year with Mikko Rantanen being moved from the Colorado Avalanche to the Carolina Hurricanes in January – a team had a pressing need, and it decided a proven talent was about to price themselves out of the team’s salary cap structure, so the asset had to go.
If there’s a club that wants a high-scoring left winger for their top two lines, at age 29 and two seasons left in his contract, McCann provides cost-certainty, and he is due for a big raise over his $5-million cap hit when his deal expires. And ultimately, the Kraken arguably have a greater need for the type of prospect or draft pick bounty they’d get with a McCann trade than to keep him around and risk seeing him leave in 2027. The trade value might not be better than it is now while McCann is still in his prime.
Kraken Forward Jared McCann Appears On Trade List Board
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McCann may have had a down year last season despite leading the Kraken in scoring again – putting up 22 goals and 61 points, down for the second straight year from a 70-point season two years ago – but on a deeper, better team than the Kraken, McCann’s numbers would almost certainly be better.
Seattle’s road to being a Stanley Cup playoff front-runner still has some miles to go before it gets there, let alone be a Cup front-runner anytime soon. To address that, they can accelerate their roster-building by moving a proven veteran who may be on the downslide by the time the team arrives at being a true Cup threat.
In any case, the Kraken can at the very least consider McCann trade propositions. They may fail to make the playoffs once again in 2025-26, which would make it the third straight season without a playoff appearance.
If you’re going to have that kind of year, you really need to peel off a few veterans who can bring back picks and prospects. That’s why the Kraken should be moving on from McCann in the months ahead. He has real value right now, and he’s going to intrigue teams throughout the season. Best to get a jump on things and make a move for McCann sooner rather than later.
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