Should Kraken Jagger Firkus Start In The NHL Or AHL Next Season?
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Jagger Firkus is evidently too good for the WHL but the Seattle Kraken will have to decide if he should start the 2024-25 season in the NHL or with the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the AHL.
After scoring 61 goals and 126 points in 63 games en route to winning the WHL championship, WHL MVP and the CHL MVP, Firkus' time in junior hockey will and should come to an end.
Firkus was surprisingly left off of the Team Canada World Junior's roster but he never let it affect his performance for the Moose Jaw Warriors. The 2022 second-round pick is one of the best offensive prospects in the NHL and has developed into one of the Kraken's most promising prospects.
The 20-year-old signed his entry-level contract back in April of 2023, making him eligible to play in either the NHL or AHL next season.
The Kraken can go about their decision in a few ways. They can stick to the plan of putting him in the AHL, patiently letting him develop and calling him up later in the season, similar to what the Dallas Stars did with Logan Stankoven, who was also a former second-round pick and WHL MVP.
Another strategy they can attempt is giving him a nine-game try-out to start the season if he impresses during training camp and preseason. Players on entry-level contracts can play nine games in a season before burning a year off of their contract. If he plays well and doesn't look out of place he can stick around with the NHL club but if he struggles and shows signs of not being ready he can be sent down to the Firebirds without any issue.
The Kraken have the luxury of Firkus not requiring waivers but have the difficult decision of choosing what is best for him at the moment but also for his development.
Firkus will want to play in the NHL and all he can do is continue to show the Kraken why he deserves that opportunity. His ability to shoot the puck and make plays for his teammates allow him to be a difference maker offensively which is something the Kraken lacked in the 2023-24 season.