Seattle Kraken slammed the door on NJ Devils’ pursuit of $25,000,000 star forward: Reports

The Seattle Kraken have told the New Jersey Devils that forward Jared McCann is not available. McCann is signed on a five-year, $25 million contract that runs through the 2026-27 season. The 29-year-old forward is earning an average salary of $5 million per year.

Reports from Rob Simpson of the Seattlehockeyinsider.com indicate that the Devils asked about McCann earlier this summer.

"New Jersey Devils were at least one NHL team told by the Seattle Kraken earlier this summer that forward Jared McCann was unavailable," Simpson wrote on Tuesday. "The Devils showed interest due to the fact they’re in desperate need of a consistent top-6 forward who has the ability to play the middle."

McCann led the Kraken in scoring during all four of their NHL seasons, starting in 2021-22. His best year came in 2022-23 with 40 goals and 70 points. Since then, he has posted 62 and 61 points in back-to-back seasons.

McCann’s value comes from his scoring and a reasonable contract. Last season, he finished with 22 goals and 39 assists for 61 points. He averaged 17:12 of ice time per game, the highest of his career. Seattle relies on him to produce offense and provide leadership. So, if they are trading him, they are going to lose the team's best offensive producer.

The Kraken missed the playoffs last season, but still consider McCann a key piece. He has become one of their most trusted forwards since arriving in Seattle. Unless the team struggles badly next season, trade talks seem unlikely.

Kraken GM talks about team's balanced lineup

Last Sunday, Kraken general manager Jason Botterill talked about the team’s depth compared to other Western Conference teams.

"There's other teams in the League (in WC), ... that have better first lines than our first line and where we're at right now," Botterill said, via NHL.com. "But we think we can have a team with four strong lines and three strong defense pairings. Hopefully that depth will allow us to win hockey games."

The Kraken will rely on centers Matty Beniers, Chandler Stephenson, Frederick Gaudreau and Shane Wright. Eighth pick of the 2024 draft, Berkly Catton, may also join the group. Forwards Jani Nyman and Mason Marchment add more size and strength to the lineup. Botterill thinks this group can create a steady offense and strong pressure.