NHL Trade Rumors: Seattle Kraken willing to 'eat' 50% on Brandon Tanev’s cap hit amid strong interest

The Seattle Kraken is reportedly open to trading Brandon Tanev before the 2025 NHL trade deadline. He will be a free agent after this season and the Kraken are not in a playoff spot. NHL insider Pierre LeBrun reported that the team is willing to keep 50% of his $3.5 million cap hit to help make a trade happen.

"Hearing that the Kraken are willing to eat 50 percent on Brandon Tanev’s $3.5M cap hit to help facilitate a deal. Which makes sense. Strong interest from both Cup contenders and bubble teams in the pending UFA winger." LeBrun tweeted on Tuesday.

Tanev signed a six-year $21 million contract in 2019, and he has drawn interest from playoff contenders. Keeping half of his salary would make him more affordable for other teams and help Seattle get a better return in a trade. In 59 games this season, he has nine goals, 17 points, 91 blocked shots and 120 hits.

The Kraken have struggled this campaign, as they are seventh in the Pacific Division with a 26-31-4 record. Jaden Schwartz leads the team in goals with 19 and Jared McCann is leading in points with 44. However, the team faces a tough road to the playoffs. It needs 10 points to get the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Seattle Kraken prevented hat-trick losses with a 6-3 win

The Seattle Kraken ended their two-game losing streak with a 6-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday. Eeli Tolvanen scored twice and Joey Daccord made 28 saves. The Canucks lost for the fourth time in five games.

Seattle scored first at 5:47 of the first period. Andre Burakovsky finished a 2-on-1 rush, scoring off a pass from Shane Wright. Vancouver tied it at 11:35 when Pius Suter took advantage of a mistake by Vince Dunn and scored. Filip Chytil made it 2-1 for Vancouver at 16:27, putting a loose puck past Daccord.

Seattle answered in the second period. Oliver Bjorkstrand tipped in Brandon Montour’s shot at 4:11 to tie the game. Dakota Joshua scored on a shorthanded breakaway at 8:05, giving Vancouver a 3-2 lead. Matty Beniers tied it again at 12:08, redirecting a shot from Dunn. One minute later, Tolvanen tipped Ryker Evans’s shot into the net, making it 4-3 for Seattle.

In the third period, Montour scored at 5:38 with a slap shot, pushing the lead to 5-3. Tolvanen sealed the win for Kraken with an empty-net goal at 18:29.