Shakin’ hands: Jordan Eberle signs two-year extension with Seattle Kraken hours ahead of NHL trade deadline
By Charles Hamaker
Northgate, WA – There were wonders if it was going to get done, conflicting reports of Seattle moving him outright and the possibility of an extension coming through. With just hours ahead of the 2024 NHL trade deadline, it was unclear what the Kraken organization was going to do with a player that has been so instrumental to their success in multiple facets, but around 8AM things became clear. With a two-year extension at $4.75M AAV and a full no trade clause, Jordan Eberle will be with the Seattle Kraken for the Next Go Round and will likely finish his career here in the Pacific Northwest. With Eberle’s intentions made known about his desire to remain with Seattle and considering his recent form of nearly point-per-game play, it’s a happy resolution for him, the team, and this fanbase.
Seattle Kraken forward and alternate captain Jordan Eberle celebrates his second period goal in the teams 5-2 win against the Vancouver Canucks on February 22nd, 2024 at Climate Pledge Arena. (Photos by Rio Giancarlo)
Retiring a Kraken
With this two-year deal, and especially considering the full no trade clause, the 33-year-old alternate captain will more than likely close out his playing career in a Kraken sweater. Eberle has been loyal to the franchises he’s been with over the course of his career, never hitting unrestricted free agency and signing extensions with his teams. The only real way that he’s left those teams is via trade or in his case with Seattle, the expansion draft, and it doesn’t appear he’ll be making any more stops in his playing career. Considering the comments made by Eberle at exit interviews last season and this preseason about how he had made his stance clear about wanting to re-sign with the Kraken, we could’ve seen this coming, and many were just nervously waiting to see when it would get done. The possibility of a trade notably threw a wrench in this being a clean and easy transaction, with some reports ahead of today speculating that if an extension wasn’t reached then Seattle was going to ship out one of their alternate captains.
“He’s been with us from day one, big part of our locker room, character guy. Not only a good player on the ice with a tendency to play well in the big games, but a good leader in our locker room, he and his family are good in the community. We felt it was important to keep them on board as we try and build this thing the right way.”
Seattle Kraken forward and alternate captain Jordan Eberle in recent games. (Photos by Rio Giancarlo)
Importance to the team
Eberle has a sort of dual value when it comes to the Kraken, considering his on the ice play and his leadership role with this group and now into the future. Whether it’s his scoring ability, at least in recent weeks, his playmaking, or how much of a help that he’s been to Matty Beniers early into his career, Eberle still has value to NHL teams and that’s evident with the rumored trade interest that there was ahead of the trade deadline today and the extension that he just signed. It’s been obvious over speaking with different teammates of his, including those who have played on a line with him, that Eberle is a valued player and his leadership aspect is big for the coaching staff and front office to have on this roster as well. With his ten goals since January, which ranks as the second most on the team behind only Jared McCann, and eleven assists to boot, Ebs has been holding his own when it comes to results and playing performance.
“Ebs has been here from day one. He’s part of the foundation here, and very important in terms of his leadership, as well as his on ice play. I mean, looking at just his performance over the last 20 games, he’s nearly a point a game guy, he’s playing his best hockey when we need it the most. That probably speaks a lot to his mental makeup, what makes him tick? He’s a very competitive guy, and those are all really important traits for us. ”
When you take a wider look at Eberle and his value to this team, he ranks behind only McCann for the most goals in franchise history and had the biggest goal in franchise history: his series-tying overtime winner over the Colorado Avalanche in game four of their round one Stanley Cup Playoffs matchup last year that helped the Kraken eventually go on to upset the defending cup champions in seven games. For his efforts previously and this year, Eberle get’s a slight raise in this extension but it does come at somewhat of a compromise. It was previously reported in the days leading into the deadline that Eberle was looking for a third year, and Seattle was trying to give him a deal at $4.5M annually. Instead, Jordan gets a slight bump in the annual money and the Kraken don’t commit to an extra year.
“He’s kind of the go to guy in the locker room. A lot of times, he’s been there in the league a long time. How he handles himself as a pro, how he takes care of himself, both in the weight room, how he eats off the ice is valuable for the young players, the experiences. He’s easy to talk to for our young players. He’s just that kind of guy. He’s a quality person, he’s a good hockey player, and he’s a big part of our leadership in our locker room. I was glad that we’re able to keep them on board here.”
Jordan Eberle celebrates his game winning goal in overtime of game four, round one against the Colorado Avalanche in last seasons Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Photo by Liv Lyons)
He wanted to be here
To reflect on this personally, noting that this segment is more of my own opinion than fact, it’s always refreshing when athletes on the teams in your city state that they want to stay long term and that they enjoy being here. With the uncertain nature of this trade deadline due to the Kraken struggling early in the season and needing to push hard now to find themselves in a playoff spot once again plus the trade of Alex Wennberg just a few days ago, Seattle fans were worried beyond belief that they may lose another expansion draft player and valuable member of the team in the present. Eberle has captured the hearts of Kraken fans with his clutch performances, mentorship role to players like Matty Beniers, how much of a “dad” he is, and the fact that he was part of the inaugural group through the expansion draft. With some players, while they were part of that inaugural group, it’s fine to see them leave in terms of their value to the team because they simply aren’t good enough to be part of the team in the present when it comes to competing nor will they be valuable down the road, but Eberle is not one of those.
While Eberle didn’t have the start to the season that he’d want, the team itself didn’t either for a multitude of reasons. In the time that it’s mattered for the Kraken the most, down this stretch here as they looked to push themselves through some sort of miracle into a playoff spot, Eberle has been performing well since the second half began, performing at a nearly point per game pace since the midway point of the team's schedule. That sort of performance to help boost the teams struggling offensive numbers, plus his calm nature and competitive fire are aspects that Seattle needs if they’re going to be able to work their way to the postseason for a second consecutive year. His leadership capabilities are not only valuable as they look to get through this difficult stretch of the season, but also for Matty Beniers’ continued development, but also moving forward when Shane Wright and other young Kraken prospects make their way to the NHL level.
“It’s been a whirlwind three years since the Expansion Draft, coming in not knowing what to expect... We’ve just really made it our home, it’s nice. Obviously, we’re from the West, and it’s nice to be on the West Coast. My wife and my kids, we’ve inserted ourselves in the Seattle Community and we enjoy the lifestyle here. And not only that, but for me at the rink, enjoy the group here and the organization and what they’re doing. Wanted to be a part of that, and glad it got done.”
What’s next for Ebs and the Kraken?
While the playoffs still seem like an unlikely adventure for Seattle considering the hole that they’re still working to dig themselves out of, there is a mathematical chance for them to find their way to the postseason. The Kraken have been playing well in recent weeks, finding themselves sitting just six-points out of a playoff spot at the moment, but they’ll need to continue that strong play considering the recent form of teams such as the Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues who Seattle is battling with for one of those wild card spots in the Western Conference. Seattle takes on the Winnipeg Jets tonight, the second matchup between them in the last four days, while the rest of the month of March includes other tough contests such as the Las Vegas Golden Knights twice, the Predators, and the Dallas Stars. For Jordan Eberle personally, he has a big milestone coming up: his 1,000th NHL game (as long as he stays healthy) will take place on Tuesday, March 12th against the Las Vegas Golden Knights at Climate Pledge Arena.
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Cover photo and photos in article by Rio Giancarlo.
