The Seattle Kraken are reportedly considering trading Jared McCann before the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline. McCann has emerged as one of the best players in Kraken history to this point. He is the team’s only 40-goal scorer in their young history. And there is no Seattle player with more goals and points than the veteran forward.
Seattle is currently comfortably behind Western Conference Wild Card contenders. They could certainly find themselves going on a heater and making the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, as things stand, it’s more likely the team will sell at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline.
With this in mind, putting McCann on the trade market makes sense. The veteran forward is one of the best players available ahead of the March 7th deadline. Especially after the trades of Mikko Rantanen and J.T. Miller. Moreover, McCann is not a rental like many players available. He is signed through the 2026-27 campaign.
There is certainly an argument to be made for the Kraken trading their star player before the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline. In saying this, there is just as much of an argument for them holding onto McCann. It’s a tough decision to make, without a doubt. But the best course for Seattle is to keep Jared McCann at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline.
Kraken may not need to hit reset button
The Kraken are certainly not a playoff contender at this time. Seattle is having trouble generating offense outside of McCann and Chandler Stephenson. Moreover, they struggle defensively despite having one of the best goalies in the league in Joey Daccord. This is not a team likely to make the postseason, let alone go on a deep playoff run.
In saying this, Seattle may not need to hit the reset button just yet. They have intriguing pieces making their way in the NHL. Matty Beniers has struggled a bit offensively but still possesses upside. Shane Wright is having a breakout campaign after a rough start to his career. Kaapo Kakko looks like a star after the trade from the Rangers earlier this season, as well.
Moreover, veterans like Stephenson, Daccord, Brandon Montour, and Vince Dunn are still highly productive. There are pieces of a competitive team on this roster. And the Kraken have more pieces coming through the prospect pipeline, such as Carson Rehkopf and Berkly Catton.
There is certainly work to be done with this team. But they don’t need to trade their best player and kick off a rebuild. McCann is still incredibly productive on the ice. And having him around will make those younger players a whole lot better.
Jared McCann will net big haul no matter what
The main allure for trading McCann now is that this is a seller’s market. A seller’s market is a major reason the Vancouver Canucks should trade Brock Boeser before the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline. If you have a player to move, you could get a nice package of assets back in return given the current environment.
However, a player like McCann is going to draw a big return either way. He is signed for a couple more seasons and he is as productive as ever. Contending teams certainly believe he could become even more productive playing on a team better suited to support him.
As a result, the Kraken don’t need to panic and trade him now. A move in the summer will net an acquiring team with two full seasons of McCann. Moreover, he will get a full offseason to settle into their system. There is a lot of benefit for a contending team to wait until summer even if the trade cost remains high.
If they play their cards right, the Kraken will receive a massive return for their star forward. Seattle controls this process, given how things look now and in the summer. This allows them to hold onto McCann longer than other teams may be able to hang onto their multi-year trade candidates.
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