Seattle remains maybe the most mystifying team of the offseason. They did not make a single trade at the Expansion Draft, and it seemed they shot themselves in the foot by asking for too much in return. That is a huge mistake because teams are dumping good players left and right *with* draft picks in order to clear cap space. Why the Kraken weren't in on players like Shayne Gostisbehere is beyond me.

The head-scratching continues:

Not that Wennberg is a bad player or anything. But why sign him for three years at $4.5M a season when they could have traded *for* Tyler Johnson at a similar cap hit (which is irrelevant for them anyway) *and* receive a draft pick for their troubles? No? Just sign a middling free agent for some reason? Ok.

Anyway, I called him a middle free agent for a reason. According to HockeyViz, his offensive and defensive impacts are the very definition of middling:

In that sense, this isn't a terrible deal. The Kraken get a guy who can competently play 3C for three years while the team is building. But again, why not just go get Tyler Johnson and a draft pick?

Does he do anything for them in the fantasy game? Well, it depends.

One of Wennberg's strengths is playmaking. He isn't good in transition, but once the puck is in the offensive zone, he's near the 90^th percentile in shot assists. He has had two seasons where the team's on-ice shooting percentage spiked over 10 percent with him on the ice (2018 and 2021) and if he can do that in Seattle, he'll be a huge boon for his wingers. He can also finish when he gets the chance, he just doesn't shoot enough to do it.

His problem might be his line mates. It doesn't look like Seattle is stocking up this year, and if he's on the third line for a true expansion team, we're looking at line mates like Brandon Tanev, Calle Jarnkrok, and Mason Appleton. If he's not with their top guys like Jordan Eberle or Yanni Gourde, even if he plays well, the team could struggle to score with him on the ice.

There just isn't much here for fantasy. If he were to go to a team with good third liners like Tampa Bay or Colorado, that's one thing. An expansion team without a set roster? He is a pass in most leagues.

It does make Florida's 3C spot more interesting. Sam Reinhart? Noel Acciari? We'll see.

Who this helps

Brandon Tanev

Noel Acciari

Who this hurts

Alex Wennberg

Morgan Geekie

Alex True