The Seattle Kraken have created two roster transactions prior to their Saturday, November 15 game hosting the San Jose Sharks. The team has placed forward Kaapo Kakko on injured reserve (IR). They also activated forward Frederick Gaudreau to IR.
This injury is a big blow for Kakko, as he missed most of the beginning of the season. He missed it because of a broken hand he suffered during preseason. He played his first game on November 1 and has played just seven games since then. He scored his first goal against the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday and then quickly left the game, playing just 3:51 total.
Kakko joins Jared McCann and Joey Daccord on IR, two other strong players the Kraken are without. Seattle cannot afford to lose any more players in the top six, nor their starting goaltender. Matt Murray and Philipp Grubauer have been holding down the fort, but the team will need their starter as the Kraken prepare for their next road trip after this game against the Sharks.
On the other hand, Gaudreau was activated via IR, which is a good sign that he could play tonight. He is a new addition to the Kraken team after being traded by the Minnesota Wild this past offseason in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. Gaudreau played just four games with the Kraken before succumbing to a upper body injury on October 16 when Seattle played the Ottawa Senators. He recorded one assist in the game ahead of the Montreal Canadiens.
With Gaudreau back in the lineup, this is a good time for him to once again add a veteran presence to the bottom six. The younger players who have put together this line over the past few games, Ben Meyers, Tye Kartye and Ryan Winterton, could use the extra experience Gaudreau has had to teach them a thing or two. The fourth line has already been successful for the Kraken over the past few games, so hopefully Gaudreau can contribute to that.
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