The 2022 trade of Seattle Kraken defenseman Mark Giordano turned out to be a gift that keeps on giving.
At the trade deadline in their inaugural season, the Kraken sent their captain, along with Colin Blackwell, to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The final asset acquired in return was the 88th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
With that additional 3rd round selection, Seattle nabbed 6-foot-5, 176 pound Finnish goalie Kim Saarinen.
The Kraken may have cornered the market on goalies from Finland with repeating letters in their names; an extremely competitive market, as Niklas Kokko and Visa Vedenpaa are previous Seattle draft picks.
His praises:
- NHL Network: “I like his athleticism. Pucks find him in traffic. He squares up when he ‘butterflies.’ He sits tall, so he absorbs pucks through screens. Good compete, good feet.”
- Steven Ellis, Daily Faceoff: “Saarinen stands tall and lets his body do the talking. He covers so much of the net, but he’s athletic enough to easily stretch out to make more difficult stops when needed. He had a rough go at the recent U-18 Five Nations tournament but bounced back with an excellent outing back home, reminding me just how good he can be when he’s in the zone.”
Previously, the Kraken had used Toronto 2 nd round picks to select goalie Kokko in 2022 and defenseman Lukas Dragicevic in 2023. Both are promising prospects in the Seattle system.
By the way, Blackwell, now with Chicago, and Giordano are set to become unrestricted
free agents on July 1. Both missed significant time with injuries last season.
Let’s welcome Kim to the Deep!
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