NHL Rumors: Seattle Kraken, Chicago Blackhawks, Trevor Zegras, and Jarmo Kekalainen

Shane Wright will get a good opportunity before the Seattle Kraken return him to the AHL

TSN: Pierre LeBrun notes Seattle Kraken forward Shane Wright is back with the team for the time being and skated with Jaden Schwartz and Jordan Eberle earlier this week. He’ll play some bigger minutes with the Kraken and then return for the AHL playoffs to gain more experience. He’s put up 20 goals in the 56 AHL games.

Would the Chicago Blackhawks be interested in Trevor Zegras?

Nate Brown of Chicago Hockey Now: Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras could be made available this offseason according to some reports. There are some question marks about his game, but he does have a high ceiling.

He’s on a bridge deal, with two years left at $5.75 million per. Should the Chicago Blackhawks be interested in Zegras? What could Zegras look like playing with Frank Nazar on a line or with Connor Bedard and Philipp Kurashev?

The cost to acquire wouldn’t be cheap. The Ducks may ask for Alex Vlasic which likely wouldn’t interest the Blackhawks. Would the Ducks consider a deal involving Ethan Del Mastro, Nolan Allan, or Wyatt Kaiser? A draft pick(s) or a prospect(s) would likely need to be included.

Jarmo Kekalainen hoping for another GM shot

Jon Lane of NHL.com: 57-year-old Jarmo Kekalainen was fired by the Columbus Blue Jackets back on February 15th after 11 seasons. He’s not ready to retire yet and hopes to get another shot one day.

“I’d be a lot better general manager the second time around,” Kekalainen told NHL.com. “I’m also realizing that I’m not ready to retire, so I’m staying active. I’ve some games to make sure that I stay current with the other prospects coming into the NHL, which is a lot of NHL hockey, college hockey, major junior, , so I’m definitely full of energy and ready for the next challenge as well.”

He had a 410-362-97 regular season record and made the Stanley Cup playoffs five times.