Free agent moves highlight Kraken’s mixed present, future outlook

Despite what the Golden Knights maybe tricked them into believing, it was never going to be “easy” for the Seattle Kraken. Really, it shouldn’t be annoying when they operate like most other NHL teams — meaning, often with a lack of imagination and innovation. But it is.

Look, the Seattle Kraken team-building strategy us especially nerdy types had in our heads may never have been truly realistic. And, considering a wonderful 2022 NHL Draft haul highlighted — but not limited to — Shane Wright, the Kraken might just pull off the unlikely. Maybe they really can enjoy competitive teams today, and still build up the sort of prospect pool that will reach greater heights tomorrow.

Still, it feels like the Kraken could’ve been even bolder with a short-term pain, long-term gain strategy.

At the moment, it’s hard to shake the feeling that the Kraken are spending a lot of money for a team that mainly just looks … OK. That might sound nice, but it could be a lot less desirable if they’ve doomed themselves to puck purgatory. They could very well be too good for a 2023 NHL Draft that is getting hype for being tide-turning, and they may also not be good enough to matter. (Thus, they might not even make the playoffs.)

That could be about as underwhelming as a Pirates sequel that takes place in space because everyone truly ran out of ideas.

Last offseason, it was already a little frustrating that the Kraken passed on opportunities to weaponize salary cap space at the expansion draft. Trades that happened just after the expansion draft showed there was some runway for such tinkering, even if GMs “learned some lessons.”

(Let’s be honest: every year, free agency casts serious doubts over how much GMs “learn.”)

Most prominently, the Kraken