This season hasn’t been smooth sailing for Kraken forward Ryan Donato.
He earned his keep during the Kraken’s inaugural season, and for a time it looked like that might be a problem. After 16 goals – good for fourth on the team – and a career-high 31 points, strengthening his potential salary arbitration case, restricted free agent Donato wasn’t extended a qualifying offer last summer. He said the way it all transpired surprised him, but he kept trying to make it work with Seattle.
He eventually signed with the Kraken and was in and out of the lineup, sometimes a healthy scratch. But he’s currently the team’s hottest hand and has goals in four straight games for the first time in his career, opening the scoring in Tuesday’s 5-2 Seattle win over the St. Louis Blues at Climate Pledge Arena.
