Due to a three-day break until their next regular season contest the Seattle Kraken have made a cap-related roster move. The Kraken announced they’ve reassigned forward Mitchell Stephens to their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
This transaction would only be counted as a non-paper move if Seattle expected Yanni Gourde back by the weekend which isn’t the case. Despite AHL Coachella Valley having two games between now and the Kraken’s next game, there’s no expectation Stephens will suit up for them.
Since Stephens cleared waivers earlier this month, Seattle won’t have to send him through the wire for the modest cap-savings. The move was made during the 4 Nations Face-Off break so the Kraken still have a seven-game window with Stephens before he needs to clear waivers again for reassignment.
He’s been a fine if unimpressive bottom-six center for Seattle this year. Stephen is only 10 contests away from reaching his career-high of 38 games played which came in the 2019-20 season with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He’s scored one goal, and two assists, and has managed a 53.6% faceoff percentage averaging 9:14 of ice time this season, albeit with a -8 rating.
Those numbers don’t jump off the page as a legitimate bottom-six option for most teams in the NHL but the cap-strapped Kraken are positioned to rely on cheaper insurance options this season. Stephens could finish the final stretch of the regular season with Seattle should the team sell off multiple forward assets leading up to the trade deadline.