Hayden, Stezka, Henman, McCormick sign new deals with Seattle Kraken
On Sunday, as the dust settled from the chaos of the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas, the Seattle Kraken got a bit of business done.
Seattle announced they have signed forward John Hayden to a one-year, one-way contract extension, as well as goaltender Ales Stezka and forward Luke Henman to one-year, two-way contract extensions and forward Max McCormick to a two-year, two-way deal.
All contracts will be worth the League minimum of $775,000 for the 2024-25 season.
Dearest Gentle Reader… ✍️
We are pleased to announce that the #SeaKraken have re-signed forward John Hayden to a one-year, one-way contract with a 775K AAV. pic.twitter.com/fUK1PlE6Wo
Hayden is somewhat of an NHL veteran, with 249 career games under his belt so far. In eight seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, New Jersey Devils, Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres and Kraken, the 29-year-old has 37 points (17 goals, 20 assists) and a minus-30 rating.
In 2023-24, Hayden played only two NHL games, spending most of the season with the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the American Hockey League. He finished the season with 26 points (15 goals, 11 assists) in 65 regular-season games. He added 13 points (nine goals, four assists) in 18 playoff games, losing in the Calder Cup Final.
Hayden was originally drafted by Chicago in the third round (No. 74) of the 2013 NHL Draft.
Stezka is an AHL goaltender, debuting with Coachella Valley last season. In 27 games, the 27-year-old went 18-6-2 with a .924 save percentage and a 2.48 goals-against average. He did not play in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Stezka was originally drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the fourth round (No. 111) of the 2015 NHL Draft.
Henman has yet to make his NHL debut, playing the past two seasons in the AHL with Coachella Valley. In 2023-24, the 24-year-old tallied 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in 45 regular-season games. He finished with a plus-14 rating. He added four points (one goal, three assists) in 14 playoff games.
Henman was originally drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the third round (No. 96) of the 2018 NHL Draft.
McCormick has played in 94 career NHL games across seven seasons with the Ottawa Senators, Hurricanes and Kraken. The 32-year-old has 13 points (four goals, nine assists) but only played in one game with Seattle in 2023-24. He was one of the Firebirds’ best players, however, racking up 60 points (32 goals, 28 assists) in 68 AHL games and adding 11 points (eight goals, three assists) in 18 playoff games.
McCormick was originally drafted by Ottawa in the sixth round (No. 171) of the 2011 NHL Draft.