from Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times,
“We have to spend money and we’re looking to spend money,” Francis said.
That means contracts ordinarily considered “risky’’ or “bad’’ because of high salary won’t necessarily generate such fears for the Kraken.
“It’s certainly one possibility that you could take on what some teams determine to be bad contracts,” Francis said. “But that’s not necessarily the case.”
Francis said the Kraken still must spend “wisely” to avoid backloading too much salary for years they’ll need cap space to pay young entry draft picks and other prospects. They have ample space now, but that can quickly evaporate if Francis behaves like the kid in the proverbial candy store armed with Bonderman’s credit card.
“Certainly, in today’s world, cap space is extremely valuable, so we’ve got to be careful as we build things.”
Nevertheless, the NHL freezing its cap this coming season means teams previously expecting more room are scrambling to fit players within tighter confines. Which leaves the Kraken sitting pretty; the only team with 100% cap space available.
“We were looking at that $85 million, $86 million cap when we started,” Francis said. “So, there are some teams in that situation where the cap staying flat kind of affects their planning and they may have to do different things.”
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