SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MAY 13: Jaden Schwartz #17 of the Seattle Kraken warms up before Game Six of the Second Round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Dallas Stars at Climate Pledge Arena on May 13, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)Photo: Steph Chambers / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images
Injury issues struck the Seattle Kraken again ahead of Thursday’s road matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs, this time with veteran forward Jaden Schwartz. The Kraken placed Schwartz on injured reserve, last seen in Tuesday’s 4-3 loss at Chicago when he left the third period with a lower body injury.
The news comes at a less than ideal time for a Kraken team still looking to find solid footing in the Western Conference race, past the quarter pole of the season and one point back of the final wild card spot.
Schwartz started hot this season, and despite an eight game goal drought has eight goals and 15 points in 23 games while logging key minutes on the power play – primarily as a crease-crashing presence and a moonlighting face-off role, winning a whopping 61 percent of his draws this season.
Schwartz, who is projected to miss at least the remainder of the trip which ends next Monday in Montreal, has routinely experienced injury shortened seasons throughout his 12-year career, and when healthy, the Kraken have benefited from his presence. He missed only 11 games last season en route to the historic Stanley Cup Playoff run, didn’t miss a postseason game, and became one of six players to crack the 20-goal mark.
No corresponding move was made, though the Kraken called up speedster forward Marian Studenic from AHL Coachella Valley on the trip, a likely candidate to take Schwartz’s spot in the lineup. Studenic is looking to make his Kraken debut possibly Thursday night and has 44 games at the NHL level with New Jersey and Dallas, scoring three goals with three assists.
Andre Burakovsky, out for the last 17 games and recovering from what the Kraken say is an upper body ailment, suffered on Oct. 21 against the New York Rangers, has continued to make progress while returning to morning skate sessions in a red non-contact jersey. Brandon Tanev, missing since Friday’s loss against the Canucks, remains out but only on a day-to-day basis with an undisclosed injury.
The Kraken will make their only visit to Toronto on Thursday, 4pm PT (93.3 KJR-FM / Kraken Audio Network) at Scotiabank Arena.