Critics of the Seattle Kraken have still given the club generally high marks for their amateur drafts.
For example, analysts have been elbowing each other aside to heap praise on 2026 1st round pick Chase Reid. That praise, however, isn’t universal among all six years of Kraken 1st round selections.
Scott Wheeler in The Athletic wrote a piece headlined, “Prospects I Was Wrong About.” In the case of three of the five players listed, Wheeler admits he didn’t rate them highly enough. The two he overvalued are both Seattle draft choices.
Off the top, Wheeler says the 2022 draft was tough to handicap. (We previously explained that this was a league-wide problem.) Shane Wright, taken 4th overall that year by the Kraken, comes in for unambiguous criticism.
“A vanilla game that lacked a dynamic trait and the feistiness scouts wanted to see from him at times, allowed for three players — Juraj Slafkovský, Šimon Nemec and Logan Cooley — to pass him down the stretch. He has become a good player, but may not reach the 30-goal, 70-point ceiling I set for him that year.”
And here’s a metric rarely discussed in scouting reports: “There was a missing je ne sais quoi in Wright — the aura — with truly world-class athletes.”
Kraken Center Focus Of Continuing Trade Rumors
The French expression “Je ne sais quoi” means an appealing quality that defies description. However, another The Athletic writer, Josh Yohe, scrounged up a few words describing the 22-year-old Kraken center.
“Two different sources in the Penguins’ organization, who spoke anonymously because they do not have permission to discuss the subject publicly, told me that general manager Kyle Dubas and the front office are intrigued by Wright. And really, why wouldn’t they be? He checks every box.
“He’s got talent. He’s apparently not that happy in Seattle. Even better, he’s a center. And other than Ben Kindel, the Penguins don’t have any sure things in the pipeline down the middle.”
Another Pittsburgh connection is the executive just hired as a senior advisor. What’s his name? Oh, yeah – Ron Francis, the former Kraken general manager, the man who drafted Shane Wright in 2022.
‘No Sale’ On A Different Kraken 1st Rounder
Eduard Sale, chosen 20th overall by Seattle in 2023, comes in for an even harsher critique from Wheeler. “Low-compete, low-pace perimeter winger. Czechia’s junior league doesn’t produce many first-rounders, even if his shot, puck skill and touch were all eye-catching at times in his draft year.” Ouch.
Wheeler believes the language barrier may have slowed Sale’s development. Here’s a mitigating factor he didn’t mention: the Kraken were coming off the best season in their history, 46 wins and 100 points in 2022-23. That makes Sale their only draftee outside the top 10 of the 1st round.
Earlier Kraken:
— Kraken Captain Dishes Big Assist To Home Province
— Helsinki Finland Travel Planner For Kraken Fans
Earlier Canucks:
— Canucks PR Poisons Writers Association
Bonus Video: Simmer had a chance to speak with NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly about a variety of interesting and entertaining hockey topics and current events. Check it out …
Glenn, you have misread the Sale part of the Athletic article. You said “Wheeler believes the language barrier may have slowed Sale’s development.”
What Wheeler said was “Some of the translation challenges he has faced in the North American game were predictable.” This has nothing to do with the language barrier, merely the change in hockey style as played in NA versus Europe.