Humboldt Squid

Team: 2023-24 Seattle Kraken

Initial Creation Date: Jul. 3, 2023

Published: Jul. 3, 2023

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

For those of you who don't know, Humboldt Squid are a species of squid who can change their skin color and often flash red. I've chosen them as the namesake for this ACGM since both proposed outside additions to this team coincidentally came from the Red Wings.

At this point, the Kraken are probably set to spend most of the remainder of this offseason re-signing their own RFAs barring any major splashes. There are however a couple more additions I think could be smart ones to make. I've also included my thoughts on their two major UFA signings below:

Brian Dumoulin - He had a rough season in Pittsburgh last year mainly due to injury, but on the whole he's proven to be a defensive defenseman who can handle the toughest opposing matchups and play on the penalty kill. Dumoulin will replace Soucy as the third pairing LHD and I think he'll do well in a smaller role and paired up with a familiar face in Justin Schultz. The biggest thing I like about having him instead of Soucy is that Dumoulin is a much more disciplined player, whereas Soucy had a knack for taking ill-timed penalties that would cost the team. I'm hoping the swap makes for a better performing defense next season.

Kailer Yamamoto - Humorously enough, Yamamoto was also (briefly) a member of the Red Wings prior to arriving in Seattle after Detroit bought him out. I was opposed to the many, MANY ACGMs that sent him from Edmonton to Seattle, as the Kraken had a full forward corps and his cap hit of $3.1M was a bit rich for a guy who would be a fourth liner here. However, after Yamamoto's buyout by the Red Wings and Sprong's departure to Detroit of all places, he's here as Sprong's replacement on a $1.5M deal. I actually like the fit at this lower cap hit; Yamamoto's defensively sound and forechecking-heavy game lends itself more naturally to a fourth line role than Sprong's did. On top of that, he still has the potential to put up points, and on a team that's shown the ability to roll all four lines, I'm hopeful he'll rebound into a quality depth scorer while also being a great defender who contributes on both ends of the ice.

As always, helpful feedback is welcome. Cheers and Happy July 4th to those who celebrate!

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