First off, a huge thank you to Chris for some excellent blogs and analysis while I was away!

After 8 months of recovery, Andre Burakovsky returned to the Seattle Kraken on Thursday night in a pre-season game against the Canucks. Burakovsky had not played since February 7th where he torn his groin muscle. Originally he was expected back sooner but there were constant setbacks with his recovery that kept him out the remainder of the season and the playoffs.

Now with Burakovsky back, we have a better idea at the lines that Hakstol will run to start the season. As of today, this is our best guess:

McCann-Beniers-Eberle
Schwartz-Wennberg-Burakovsky
Tolvanen-Gourde-Bjorkstrand
Tanev-Bellemare-Yamamoto
Kartye, Lind

Dunn-Larsson
Oleksiak-Borgen
Dumolin-Schultz
Megna-Fleury

Grubauer
Daccord
Driedger

The final decisions to make will be which defensemen and extra forwards will be kept and, what the plan is with Driedger and Daccord.

For those wondering why Shane Wright is not on the list, it looks like the plan will be for the former 4th overall selection to start the season in the AHL as the organization had to work to give him the exemption to play in the AHL as it would make little sense to return him to the OHL. Wright will be best served in a top line role for the Firebirds and a callup should injuries occur.

Another player fans are wondering about is Tye Kartye who burst onto the scene in a big way for the Kraken in the playoffs last season; his first ever NHL experience. Kartye filled in admirably in the top six for the Kraken in Burakovsky's absence but I see him also best suited to start in a higher end role in the AHL rather than an extra forward.

A player like Devin Shore could be an excellent 13th forward for this team. Shore is an unremarkable player but he was well liked in the Oilers room and can provide low event minutes in a pinch when needed. No need to rush the young guys.

The last big decision will come with the goaltending. As of today I would not be shocked to see the team send Driedger down and potentially hope he is taken waivers. A team like the Lightning with their sudden need for another goalie could look at Driedger but at the same time his 3.5 million dollar cap hit is a tough pill to swallow.

The lineup is starting to come together and the Kraken have some fantastic depth up front even if they have an injury or two in the top six. The defense, specifically the right side remains a weak point and Borgen needs to have a huge year otherwise that is where the team will be looking at come trade deadline.

Thanks for reading!

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