Jared McCann signs $25 million extension with Kraken

Jared McCann remembers fondly his temporary, low season tenure as a Maple Leaf.

“My buddies don’t let me overlook about it, that’s for positive,” stated McCann. “I used to be a Leaf for 72 hours. It’s fairly humorous. Issues occur for a motive, and I’m meant to be in Seattle.”

The 25-year-old ahead from Stratford, Ont. — for whom large issues had been anticipated when he was drafted within the first spherical by Vancouver in 2014 — signed the most important deal of his skilled life on Tuesday, a five-year, $25 million extension with the Seattle Kraken.

He did it simply earlier than the Kraken performed the Maple Leafs, recalling how he was used as a pawn within the enlargement draft chess match.

It was clear that the Penguins had been going to lose McCann within the enlargement draft, in order that they needed to get what they may for him slightly than lose him for nothing. In stepped the Maple Leafs, sending prospect Filip Hallander and a seventh-round draft choose to the Penguins on July 17.

For the Leafs, McCann was insurance coverage.

They might expose him and Alex Kerfoot — amongst others — for the enlargement draft. So far as the Leafs had been involved, their roster would stay intact after the draft. They might actually solely lose a prospect. Leafs GM Kyle Dubas was upfront with McCann.

“I used to be up at a good friend’s cottage when Kyle referred to as me and defined to me the entire state of affairs and simply went from there,” stated McCann.

Then it was Seattle’s flip to play head video games. They had been doing movies that might be a part of the enlargement draft TV broadcast, and leaked a video — from Seattle’s famed fish market — that they might be taking Kerfoot.

“I truly noticed that and I referred to as my agent straight away. I used to be like: ‘I’d say in Toronto?’ And he’s like: ‘No.’

“Lots of people jumped the gun and perhaps thought I used to be simply going to Leaf. But it surely labored out for the perfect.”

McCann is a first-line participant in Seattle — a job he didn’t have in his earlier stops in Vancouver, Florida and Pittsburgh, and possibly wouldn’t have gotten had he stayed in Toronto. He has eclipsed 20 objectives for the primary time in his profession and has stability for the primary time in his profession.

“It’s numerous strain off my shoulders,” stated McCann. “I can simply deal with enjoying hockey. It’s an enormous honour to get that deal and to be part of this for future.”