Kraken Recoup Additional Pick, Deal Brandon Tanev to Jets
Seattle Kraken left winger Brandon Tanev stands in front of the crease awaiting the puck in a game against the Florida Panthers. Credit: Jennthulu Photos
After a megadeal that sent Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjrokstrand to the Tampa Bay Lightning a few days ago, the Seattle Kraken were not done shipping veterans out of town for draft picks prior to the NHL trade deadline.
As the 12pm PT deadline nears in the NHL, Seattle made perhaps its final sizable deal. According to multiple reports, left winger Brandon Tanev has been traded to the Winnipeg Jets for a 2027 second round pick, adding to the team’s growing draft assets for the next three years.
"Turbo" was certainly a fan favorite in Seattle. While he never put up the big stats in the box score, the effect he has on the game with his relentless effort and energy on the ice is infectious.
Tanev was part of the original batch of Kraken hockey players selected in the 2021 expansion draft. He was Seattle's 15th selection, plucking him from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Over the last four seasons, Tanev was an integral part of what little success Seattle experienced. The team’s postseason run to the Western Conference Semifinals probably doesn't happen without Tanev's efforts. That year, he played in all 82 regular season games and all 14 playoff games. He racked up 39 total points, including four in the playoffs.
Over 238 career games in a Kraken uniform, Tanev accumulated 41 goals and 42 assists. His plus/minus of +15 is third-best in franchise history and he is one of just five Kraken players with multiple short-handed goals since they began play in 2021.
Now, Tanev heads back to Winnipeg, where he made his NHL debut in 2015. He skated for the Jets for the first four seasons of his NHL career and now returns as a seasoned vet looking to boost the Jets' chances at making a run to the Stanley Cup.
On the Seattle side, they get yet another draft pick. Between the two big trades the Kraken have made ahead of this deadline, including dealing Bjorkstrand and Gourde to Tampa Bay on Wednesday, Seattle has extra first round picks in 2026 and 2027 along with extra second rounders in 2025 and 2027.
With those assets, Kraken general manager Ron Francis now has some serious firepower to build a strong foundation for the Kraken for the next several years.
From a sentimental standpoint, the Kraken parted with another major part of their original team from 2021-2022, and those players will have a special place with the fandom. But now, it appears a new era of Kraken hockey is beginning and the players still on the roster will be playing to maintain a spot with the team next season.
