Kraken Signings
A Swede and a Finn walk into a bar …
Do these two, Ostman’s on the left, kind of look alike? Maybe it’s just their youthful exuberance. At least their deals are identical.
Swedish goalie Victor Ostman, who turns 26 in October, signed a one year, two-way deal that’ll pay him $850,000 at the NHL level and $125,000 at the American Hockey League (AHL) level.
Righty defenseman Ville Ottavainen, who turns 24 in a month, signed for the same thing. Both are the basic qualifying offers for restricted free agents on expiring contracts.
Ostman picked up his first ever NHL start in the Kraken’s season finale on April 16th in Colorado against the Avalanche and played well. He made 33 stops, a save percentage of .943, but he didn’t get any run support. Netminder Scott Wedgewood picked up the shut-out at the other end in the 2-0 win.
Ostman appeared on one other occasion for Seattle, in relief for 20 minutes during the 2024-’25 season.
Is he still considered a prospect? One never counts goalies out. They’re often late bloomers. The Kraken’s Joey Daccord is a perfect example; not catching on as an NHL regular until age 27.
Finnish D-man Ottavainen has played one game for Seattle, that on April 15th, 2025 when he skated close to 15 minutes against the Los Angeles Kings. He picked up an assist on a goal by Jaden Schwartz. Ottavainen did score a goal in an NHL game, but it was an exhibition match against the Calgary Flames the previous autumn.
Ostman was undrafted and signed by the Kraken as a free agent out of the University of Maine in the spring of 2024. He was the back-up to Nikke Kokko with the Coachella Valley Firebirds last season, posting a record of 17-15-and-3 with a 2.81 goals against average.
Ottavainen was a 4th-round pick of Seattle in 2021. He’s played 193 AHL games for the Firebirds, posting 66 points over three full seasons.
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