Seattle, WA
What to know about the trade deadline for the Seattle Kraken
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – FEBRUARY 06: Brandon Tanev #13 of the Seattle Kraken pushes the puck as Steven Lorentz #18 of the Toronto Maple Leafs pursues during the third period of a game at Climate Pledge Arena on February 6, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Christopher Mast / NHLI / Getty Images)
With the Seattle Kraken set to return to the ice later this week following the 4 Nations Face-Off break, the NHL trade deadline is now looming just two weeks away with decisions possible for several pieces of the roster.
The Kraken will not make the playoffs this season. They are 11 points out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference and have played two more games than the Vancouver Canucks, who hold that spot in the standings. Seattle would need to win at least 20 of their final 25 games to have a chance to back-door into the postseason.
The reality is the team will be sellers at the trade deadline and very few pieces of the roster should be considered untouchable. So who could be headed out of Seattle in the next two weeks before the trade deadline on March 7?
BRANDON TANEV
There is very little reason for forward Brandon Tanev to be on the Kraken’s roster after the trade deadline.
An original member of the Kraken from the NHL Expansion Draft, Tanev, 33, is in the final year of his contract and is set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer. A noted fan favorite, Tanev has nine goals and eight assists in 55 games played with Seattle this season. However, his $3.5 million AAV (average annual value) contract is too pricey for his limited fourth-line role.
Tanev has valuable traits that other teams could find useful for the playoffs ahead. Tanev’s speed is one of his greatest assets, and he’s a proven option on penalty kill units. However, Tanev’s offensive ability is extremely limited, and he’s realistically only a depth option for competitive teams.
The Kraken could retain up to 50 percent of Tanev’s salary for the rest of the season in a trade, which would potentially allow them to secure a better return in a deal. He does have a 10-team no-trade list, per PuckPedia.com.
YANNI GOURDE
Like Tanev, center Yanni Gourde is an original Kraken who is in the final year of his current contract and is set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Gourde, 33, has been one of the Kraken’s cornerstone players, and has served as an assistant captain for each of his four seasons in Seattle. He’s embraced being a part of the Kraken’s foundation and has been a productive depth forward for the team.
Gourde accepted having his playing time reduced this season while centering the fourth line behind free agent addition Chandler Stephenson, and former draft picks Matty Beniers and Shane Wright. He had six goals and 10 assists in 35 games this season before he was sidelined in January with a sports hernia that later required surgery.
Gourde’s contract also outpaces his current production as he’s earning $5.17 million in AAV from Seattle this season. That’s a contract that is too rich for a fourth-line center.
However, Gourde won’t play another game before the trade deadline due to his recovery timeline from surgery. That reality could make Gourde harder to move at the deadline. He also has a 23-team no-trade list – per PuckPedia.com – and could veto a trade.
A contract extension for Gourde isn’t outside the realm of possibility either, but it would have to be at a much reduced rate to his existing deal to make sense for Seattle. Eventually, the Kraken’s center depth will include 2024 first-round pick Berkly Catton as well, which will affect future roster planning.
Gourde can play center and on the wing and is an effective penalty kill option as well. His ability to play down the middle still makes him a potentially valuable addition for playoff teams. The two-time Stanley Cup champion also has a strong reputation around the league.
JAMIE OLEKSIAK
A left-handed defenseman and other original Kraken, Jamie Oleksiak has one more year remaining on his existing contract as he’ll be a free agent at the end of the 2025-26 season.
Oleksiak, 32, is a defensively-focused blueliner who has more skill in his game than you’d expect from his 6-foot-7 frame. He’s been a fixture on Seattle’s penalty kill units throughout his tenure in Seattle and has four goals and nine assists in 57 games played this year.
Though Oleksiak doesn’t make use of his size as much as some would like to see, he would still be a solid depth addition to a team in search of defensive help.
Unlike Tanev and Gourde, Oleksiak having another year on his contract means it isn’t urgent for Seattle to consider moving him before the trade deadline. But that extra year on his contract could be seen as a plus for teams looking to make an addition as well.
Oleksiak is currently earning $4.6 million in AAV and is part of a rather pricey defensive core for Seattle. With Ryker Evans set to be a restricted free agent who could see a significant raise this offseason, moving Oleksiak is certainly an option to consider.
Oleksiak has a 16-team no-trade list, per PuckPedia.com.
OLIVER BJORKSTRAND
Winger Oliver Bjorkstrand might be the most valuable piece that could leave the Kraken ahead of the trade deadline.
Bjorkstrand, 29, is fourth on the Kraken in scoring this season with 15 goals and 20 assists in 56 games played. A right-handed shot, Bjorkstrand has been consistently productive since mid-November. After a slow start to the year, Bjorkstrand has 11 goals and 16 assists in his last 37 games played, which trails only Shane Wright for most points on the Kraken over that span.
Like Oleksiak, Bjorkstrand has another year remaining on his existing contract, which is worth $5.4 million a year in AAV. However, he’s also the youngest player on this list so far. He was Seattle’s representative at the 2024 All-Star Game and had his most productive season of his career with 59 points on 20 goals and 39 assists.
There isn’t a pressing need to move Bjorkstrand, but he might be their most valuable asset at the deadline. If the Kraken get an advantageous offer, it’s a decision they would need to consider.
LESS LIKELY OPTIONS
Jared McCann:
McCann, 28, is the Kraken’s leading scorer with 42 points in 57 games. However, he’s also on his lowest goalscoring pace of his four seasons with Seattle, with just 14 goals this season so far.
McCann would likely be the Kraken’s most valuable asset in the trade market. However, his $5 million AAV is terrific value for Seattle as well and would take quite a valuable return to consider moving. He also has a 10-team no-trade list, per PuckPedia.com.
Jaden Schwartz:
Schwartz, 32, is on pace for his most productive season in his four years with the Kraken. Schwartz has 18 goals and 18 assists in 57 games played for Seattle, which ranks third on the team behind McCann and Stephenson (40).
Schwartz has been a part of Seattle most productive line over the last month alongside Beniers and Kaapo Kakko. With that production, Schwartz would have value. But his value to the Kraken alongside Beniers and Kakko might be more valuable to Seattle and his $5.5 million AAV isn’t prohibitive either. He has a 16-team no-trade list, per PuckPedia.com.
Eeli Tolvanen:
Tolvanen, 25, has been on a heater over the last month with eight goals and three assists in 16 games played for Seattle since January 9. His presence in the locker room has also helped Kakko – a fellow Finn – transition to the Kraken after his trade from the New York Rangers in December. His 175 hits also leads the team as he’s been a willing forechecker.
Tolvanen has one year remaining on his contract with Seattle and earns $3.48 million in AAV with the team.
André Burakovsky:
Burakovsky, 30, would almost certainly be traded if he could. However, his contract makes that an unlikely proposition for Seattle.
Burakovsky was Seattle’s leading scorer two seasons ago with 13 goals and 26 assists in 49 games played before an injury ultimately forced him to miss the rest of the season. After surgery, Burakovsky has been unable to recapture his old form. He had just 16 points on seven goals and nine assists in 49 games last season, and has just five goals and 16 assists in 54 games this year.
Burakovsky has two more seasons on his contract with Seattle through the 2026-27 season at $5.5 million in AAV. The Kraken might have to attach a significant prospect to Burakovsky in order to trade his contract to another team. He also carries a 10-team no-trade list, per PuckPedia.com.
The Source: Original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle.
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SEATTLE — A man accused of stealing copper wire from the West Seattle Bridge is wanted after prosecutors say he failed to show up in court this week, prompting a warrant for his arrest.
New police body camera video shows an officer arresting the man, who had bundles of copper wire in his arms.
Seattle police arrested Gregory Wayne Galitzeck after prosecutors say he was caught stealing copper wire from the bridge in the middle of the night.
Court documents say Galitzeck had four 100-foot coils of stolen copper wire, causing about $100,000 in damage that Seattle City Light customers will have to pay to repair.
Prosecutors say that when he was caught, Galitzeck claimed to be a Seattle City Light employee.
People in West Seattle called the alleged theft shocking, but not surprising.
“I feel like we live in an alternate timeline now anyway, so nothings really surprising to me,” said Lisa Coronado, who lives in West Seattle.
The case comes amid a string of similar crimes. This was the second copper wire theft along the West Seattle Bridge in just weeks. Similar thefts have also hit agencies such as Sound Transit, with thieves selling copper wire for cash.
Galitzeck is charged with theft and impersonating a City Light worker. He was supposed to come to court this week to answer the charges but did not appear. A $5,000 warrant has been issued for his arrest.
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King County prosecutors are again pushing for a new law that would require recyclers to upload photos of purchased copper to a database, a step intended to help investigators track stolen metal.
Breast milk samples from moms in the Seattle area contained chemicals linked to health problems, new research has found.
The chemicals are often used in beverage can liners, receipt paper, and other products, and they’ve been linked to reproductive problems, cancer, and immune problems like asthma.
Ryan Babadi is the science director at the nonprofit Toxic Free Future, which co-authored the research. He said breast milk is still the best food for most babies.
“The problem is not breast milk,” he said. “The problem is that we have chemical policies that are allowing these contaminants to end up in women and breastmilk and result in exposure to infants during a very sensitive time period of development.”
Researchers collected breast milk from 50 women and tested it for various chemicals. They found that the majority of the samples contained BPA and the related chemical BPS, triclosan, and melamine. All three of these chemical groups are known as “endocrine disruptors” because they can mimic, block, or alter human hormones and thus affect a large number of systems. BPA, for example, has been linked to diabetes, the early onset of puberty, and a number of cancers. Triclosan interferes with thyroid function and could increase cancer risk. And melamine has been linked to kidney problems.
“This isn’t a problem that mothers or people in general can shop their way out of,” Babadi said. “We need government decision-makers and policymakers as well as the corporate environment to come up with policy solutions that protect us.”
RELATED: Trump administration actions contradict MAHA rhetoric on toxic chemicals
Breast milk for the study was collected in 2019. In the years since, Washington state has started regulating some of the chemicals the researchers found.
For example, as of last year, beverage cans in Washington aren’t allowed to contain BPA and related chemicals. And as of January, those chemicals aren’t allowed in receipt paper in the state.
That’s because, under a state law passed in 2019, the ecology department prioritizes harmful chemicals, identifies consumer products that contain those chemicals, and writes new regulations to ban or restrict them.
So far, the state has regulated not only BPA and related chemicals, but also phthalates in personal care products and vinyl flooring, triclosan in cosmetics, and PFAS chemicals in carpets, rugs, and furniture. Those last are known as “forever” chemicals because they do not degrade over time.
RELATED: 5 ways to reduce everyday exposure to ‘forever chemicals’
The state is now looking at chemicals in cosmetics, jewelry, cookware, paint, and artificial turf, among other products, for possible future regulation.
The state has not looked at banning or restricting melamine, one of the chemicals the researchers found in breast milk.
Babadi said in an email that Washington’s law is the nation’s strongest for regulating toxic chemicals, but he said it needed to be improved “to be able to enact bans in urgent scenarios when, for example, we observe harmful chemicals in breast milk.” The process for restricting new chemicals currently takes at least five years.
Marissa Smith is a toxicologist and the former technical lead for the Safer Products for Washington program. She now works on chemical policies across the ecology department.
She said the state’s current process of chemical regulation helps build compliance by giving manufacturers and industries plenty of lead time and compliance assistance.
“We generally do see compliance with state laws,” she added. “Most manufacturers want to sell products that are compliant.”
RELATED: Trump cuts demolish agency focused on toxic chemicals and workplace hazards
Smith emphasized that state-level chemical regulations like those in Washington and California can have an effect across the country, as manufacturers switch over to safer alternatives for their entire supply chain.
And Smith sees other reasons for hope.
“ Products are getting safer over time,” she said. “ There were some toxic flame retardants that were used in kids’ pajamas and other products, and we banned those, and we actually saw concentrations in our bodies and in our environment go down.”
For another example, Smith pointed to the dramatic decline in how much lead was in children’s blood after the U.S. banned leaded gasoline in 1996.
“ There’s just a lot of examples where we have actually regulated products and we’ve seen reductions in people’s exposure,” Smith said.
Seattle, WA
14-year-old dies in Seattle e-bike crash at Colonnade Park after losing control on steep stairs – MyNorthwest.com
A 14-year-old boy was killed Monday evening after crashing a motorized electric bicycle while riding down a steep staircase at Seattle’s Colonnade Park, according to the Seattle Police Department (SPD).
Investigators said the teenager was riding an e-bike on a staircase inside the park, located beneath I-5 near the Ship Canal Bridge, when he lost control. He suffered severe head and body injuries.
Seattle Fire Department (SFD) medics attempted life-saving measures, but the teen died at the scene, according to police.
The crash happened at Colonnade Park, a popular mountain biking destination known for its technical trails and riding features. Police said the investigation determined the teen lost control while attempting to ride down the steep stairs. Because of the victim’s age, SPD’s Homicide Unit responded to conduct the investigation, though authorities said the death appears to have been a tragic accident.
The fatal crash comes as electric bicycles continue to grow in popularity among teenagers and young adults across Washington and the country.
Research published by the American College of Surgeons has found that riders injured on electric bicycles are more likely to suffer serious trauma than riders on traditional bicycles. The study found e-bike riders faced a 17% risk of internal injuries compared with 7.5% for riders on conventional bicycles, a difference researchers attributed in part to the heavier weight and higher speeds of electric bikes.
Under Washington law, electric bicycles capable of producing more than 750 watts of power or traveling faster than 28 mph while powered by a motor are not classified as e-bikes and may instead be regulated as motor-driven cycles or motorcycles.
The Seattle tragedy follows several recent serious crashes involving young e-bike riders. Earlier this year, a child was critically injured in Kirkland after an e-bike collided with a vehicle, while other fatal e-bike crashes involving teenagers have been reported in Illinois and Missouri.
SPD will continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash.
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