The Kraken will stay centered this summer. On Thursday the forward-heavy team swapped its fourth-round pick in this weekend's NHL draft for 32-year-old center Frederick Freddy" Gaudreau, an 18-goal scorer last season.
Like another recent Kraken trade pickup, Mason Marchment from the Dallas Stars, the Wild were reportedly looking to dump Gaudreau's salary and rebuild up the middle. Seattle took on the rest of his three years at a $2.1 million average annual value.
Gaudreau was born in Bromont in southern Quebec. He was undrafted out of what is now known as the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. The 6-foot, 184-pound penalty killer won a Memorial Cup with the Shawinigan Cataractes in 2012.
He played four whole seasons in Minnesota and scored 19 goals in 2022-23, but has never reached 20. His career-high in points, 44, came the previous season. Between stops in Minnesota, Nashville and Pittsburgh, he's appeared in 410 career games.
Gaudreau bounced back after an injury-filled season and led Wild forwards in total short-handed time on ice (157:08) in 2024-25. He won 48.2% of his faceoffs.
"Frederick's a versatile skater who plays a strong two-way game," general manager Jason Botterill said in a team statement. "He gives us depth down the middle and has the ability to produce offensively. He's a player that can be trusted on the defensive side of the puck, especially on the penalty kill.
That sounds a bit like another Québécois, Yanni Gourde, whom the Kraken traded at the March deadline to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Only the Kraken seemingly weren't hurting for a replacement — they're loaded with centers and potential middle-six forwards, having picked up both over the past week. In addition to Marchment, Joe Veleno, another center, came over in the Andre Burakovsky trade to Chicago on Saturday.
The Kraken already have three established centers in Matty Beniers, Shane Wright and Chandler Stephenson, and one in the wings in 19-year-old prospect Berkly Catton, who could potentially make the team this fall.
What they don't have are clear-cut, top-line players. Those are hard to come by. But Botterill cleared some cap space to sign the Kraken's restricted free agents — chief among them young winger Kappo Kakko — and perhaps make a run at one of players toward the top of the unrestricted free agent list next week. The madness begins Tuesday at 9 a.m.
In the meantime, they're collecting more NHL centers than they can reasonably put into a lineup. Something has to give, either by shifting someone over to the wing, more trades, demotions, buyouts or other means.
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