Kraken General Manager Provides Updates On Injured Players and Trade Market

Seattle Kraken general manager Ron Francis spoke to 93.3 KJR to provide updates on the health of injured players Vince Dunn and Jordan Eberle and provided insight on how the team is approaching the trade market.

Dunn and Eberle are not only two key members of the Kraken because of their play on the ice, but the leadership they provide off of it. Eberle was given the honours of becoming the second captain in Kraken history and Dunn has been a leader on the back end since his arrival.

When speaking about Dunn, Francis stated "In regards to Dunn, we said six weeks. This Thursday will be five weeks, so next Thursday is six weeks. So, we still think that we are projecting in and around that number, whether that's a day ahead or a day behind, that's kind of our target and hope date."

He also went on to say that Dunn is skating and that they've got him into practice with contact.

The case for Eberle isn't as clear as it is with Dunn. Francis said they are still trying to figure out what they are dealing with.

"We saw a doc on Monday, we're getting a couple of other opinions, and we should probably have more in the next 24 hours - a better, clearer picture as to what we're dealing with and what that timeline will look like"

Related: Kraken Captain Suffers Injury; Out Minimum Of Two Games

Francis also mentioned that the trade market is something they are monitoring but at the time, is difficult to explore due to their cap situation.

"Well, with Dunn in the lineup and 21 players, we were $4,288 below the cap, so ... not a lot of wiggle room there. When we're in (long-term injured reserve), we've got a little bit more room to spend, but when Dunn's coming back, if everything is healthy, then we're going to have to do something to get underneath the cap. So, whether that's a waiver, sending somebody down or assigning somebody to the minors or making a trade, those are options we all have to explore, but we still have a little bit of time before we get to that point."

Related: Maple Leafs Possibly Targeting Kraken Trade Candidates

The Kraken are about to begin a five-game stretch against the three California teams. The sooner Dunn can return, the better prepared they'll be for the next stretch of games.

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