Kraken activate two-time Stanley Cup winner

The Kraken activated winger André Burakovsky from the injured list Friday, per CapFriendly’s transactions log. He will be an option for Friday’s game against the Flyers after participating in the team’s morning skate. Burakovsky had been listed as week-to-week with an undisclosed injury since early this month, his second long-term absence of the season.

While a true top-six threat, the 28-year-old Burakovsky hasn’t had much of a chance to show off his skills since signing a five-year, $27.5M pact with the Kraken as a free agent in 2022. He’s played in 56 out of 118 regular-season games (less than half) since the beginning of 2022 due to injuries and missed all 14 postseason contests last year. A groin muscle tear cost him the latter half of 2022-23, while an upper-body injury sidelined him for 20 consecutive games earlier this season.

That’s limited Burakovsky to seven games on the season for the struggling Kraken, notching three assists. With 39 points in 49 games last season, Burakovsky was the team’s second-highest scorer on a per-game basis. His 0.80 points per game were behind only Jared McCann’s 0.89.

He’s coming back at the right time for Seattle, who’s rattled off three straight wins for the first time this season. The Kraken are 5-0-2 in their past seven games. It’s been a crucial run for a team looking to right the ship and make its second consecutive postseason appearance. At one game below the .500 mark, the Kraken still have a ways to go, but they currently sit just three points back of the Predators for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

The Kraken only had 22 players on the active roster prior to activating Burakovsky, so no corresponding move is necessary.