The Seattle Kraken picked up their first win of the season on Thursday night as they thrashed the Flames in Calgary, 6-1.
They're still in a tricky spot as a franchise, though. The push to achieve NHL-wide relevance continues, and it won't be easy coming from their recent expansion entrance.
For the Kraken to continue on an upward trajectory, they need to get all their moves right. They don't have an established-enough brand to fall flat on their face too often.
With that in mind, it's never too early to think about what in-season moves they might need to continue moving in the right direction.
And one of those could involve Jared McCann, who in some ways may wind up looking like a very obvious trade candidate.
Lyle Richardson of Bleacher Report recently included McCann on his latest NHL trade board, giving him the No. 11 slot on that list — factoring in both likelihood to move and the talent of the player.
Richardson begins by summing up much of what has been mentioned above.
"This season could be consequential for the Seattle Kraken," Richardson writes. "They made the playoffs once during their first five NHL seasons. Failing to qualify this season could lead to significant changes."
McCann has been with the Kraken from the beginning. They took him in the 2021 expansion draft.
"Entering this season, he holds the team's single-season records with 40 goals and 70 points (2022-23) and is their all-time leader with 138 goals and 283 points," Richardson writes of McCann.
Still, McCann is in the final year of his contract. A deal would make sense.
"On Sept. 4, Ryan Lambert of The Hockey News included McCann on his list of players who could be traded if their teams got off to a slow start this season," Richardson writes. "He speculated that the 30-year-old winger could be on the move if management decides to rebuild. McCann is in the final season of his five-year contract with a cap hit of $5 million and a 10-team no-trade list. His ability to play center or wing and his scoring ability could draw plenty of interest from contenders if he becomes available in this season's trade market."
Three things are working in the Kraken's favor if they try and trade McCann.
The first is that he's on an expiring contract. It doesn't require a big commitment from another team.
He's also got a cap hit of just $5 million, which is quite affordable for a good forward in the middle of the season.
And he doesn't have a full no-trade clause, only a 10-team no-trade list. That leaves two-thirds of the league open for the Kraken to trade him to without needing permission.
None of that guarantees a deal, but it could certainly point toward a McCann trade being possible if the Kraken decide to go in that direction.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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