Sometimes, a trade can be about more than just the assets exchanged between teams.
It can send a message.
Whether that’s what Seattle Kraken general manager Jason Botterill had in mind Friday when he dealt veteran forward Mason Marchment to Columbus for a pair of draft picks is unclear. But it certainly appeared that his team received a message.
The Kraken snapped a four-game skid Saturday and won for just the second time in 12 games (2-9-1), defeating the host San Jose Sharks 4-2.
The Kraken will continue their pre-holiday California trip Monday night when the face the Ducks in Anaheim.
Kraken coach Lane Lambert cryptically didn’t shed any light on the “sending a message” theory.
“As far as trade talks go, we’ll leave that to (Botterill),” Lambert said. “We’ve had to shuffle our lines around a little bit here.”
Forward Kaapo Kakko, who has missed two stints this season with injuries, took Marchment’s spot on the Kraken’s top line with Matty Beniers and Jordan Eberle, and Ryan Winterton slotted back into the lineup on the fourth line.
“It’s going to give some other players opportunities,” Lambert said. “That’s the way we’ve done it all year long, whether it be through injuries or now this situation.”
Eeli Tolvanen and Chandler Stephenson each had a goal and an assist for the Kraken and goaltender Joey Daccord made 35 saves.
“You get frustrated when you don’t win games,” Tolvanen said. “We had little conversations over the last couple of days. Not that we have to turn it around. We were talking about how we’ve got to play loose, play our own game, play confident. I feel like everybody did (Saturday).”
The Kraken scored three times in the third after San Jose took a 2-1 lead in the opening minute of the period on a fluke goal. A shot went off the post and the puck then deflected off Daccord before trickling over the goal line.
It was sixth time the Kraken have come back in the third period to claim victory this season, tied with Vegas for the most in the league.
“It’s nice to win. Feels good, but we know how it’s been here as of late,” said Stephenson, who has scored in four straight outings and has an eight-game point streak (five goals, four assists). “Obviously going to enjoy this one. I like how we played.”
The Ducks overcame a Marchment goal in his Columbus debut Saturday to defeat the visiting Blue Jackets 4-3.
Mikael Granlund had a goal and an assist for the Ducks and Pavel Mintyukov scored the winner with 3:29 remaining. Goalie Lukas Dostal made 23 saves in the win after being pulled from an 8-3 loss to visiting Dallas a night earlier.
“We got a better start, we got a lead early there,” Granlund said. “We weren’t down 4-1 after the first period (like against Dallas). It changed the game quite a bit. Good two points for us.”
The Ducks moved back atop the Pacific Division after losing four of their previous five games (1-3-1).
“It was a great response,” Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said. “The start was the response we were hoping (for), and it put us in a really good spot. … It was an important win in a lot of ways. We were asking for a response, and we got it.”
–Field Level Media
