McCann given 'great opportunity' by Kraken with Gourde out

Jared McCann is on his fourth NHL team in seven seasons. Technically, he's on his fifth. After stints with the Vancouver Canucks, Florida Panthers and Pittsburgh Penguins, he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 17 and selected by the Seattle Kraken in the 2021 Expansion Draft four days later.

Now, at least for the time being, he's a No. 1 center.
McCann scored five points (two goals, three assists) in four preseason games, which was tied for the most on Seattle with Jaden Schwartz (three goals, two assists). Jordan Eberle was right behind with four assists.
Schwartz, McCann and Eberle look like they will be the No. 1 line when the Kraken play at the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday (10 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS) in their first regular-season game.
"I've been given a great opportunity by (general manager) Ron Francis and the coaching staff here to kind of show I can be that guy for them, and I'm going to take full advantage of it," McCann said.
This is one of the best parts of expansion. It opens opportunities for players, and you never know what might happen.
The Golden Knights shocked the hockey world during their inaugural season in 2017-18, when they won the Pacific Division, finished fifth in the NHL standings and made the Stanley Cup Final.
A big reason why: William Karlsson shocked the hockey world, too.
In his first three NHL seasons with the Anaheim Ducks and Columbus Blue Jackets, Karlsson scored 50 points (18 goals, 32 assists) in 183 games. Suddenly, in Vegas, he scored 78 points (43 goals, 35 assists) in 82 games as the center on a dynamic No. 1 line with Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith.
Although Karlsson and his linemates haven't produced at that rate since, they have remained key members of what has become a perennial contender.
That isn't necessarily the bar for McCann and his linemates. It can serve as inspiration, however.
McCann's NHL career highs are 19 goals, 21 assists and 35 points. The Kraken liked how he filled in for Evgeni Malkin while the Russian forward was out with a knee injury last season, and they liked his shot.
With Yanni Gourde recovering from shoulder surgery, coach Dave Hakstol put McCann between Schwartz and Eberle on the first day of training camp and has kept them together through the preseason (without labeling them as the No. 1 line himself), using them at 5-on-5 and on the power play, allowing them to develop chemistry.
"I'm very excited," McCann said. "They're two easy players to play with."
Schwartz and Eberle are established scorers and good passers, and they go back to when they grew up together in Saskatchewan. Eberle is two years older, so they never played on the same team, but each played with the other's brother, their sisters played together, and they went to the same high school. They were always in the same rinks, watching one another.
Schwartz said of Eberle: "A lot of familiarity there. Really, really smart hockey player since he was young. Very skilled. Sees the ice well. Always knows where guys are. Always finds a way to get to those open areas. So just an easy guy to read off of."
Eberle said of Schwartz: "I've known him since 10 years old. … I know their family really well, I know him well, and I know his game. Even before [camp], we were trying to work on some stuff together, just to try and get that chemistry."
Offensively, Schwartz and Eberle should complement McCann and vice versa.
"I've never played with him before, but very skilled," Schwartz said. "You can tell he sees the ice well. He's got a lot of speed. You can tell he's a guy that can create offense."
Defensively, Schwartz, Eberle and McCann will have to handle tough matchups, too.
Schwartz and Eberle each come from structured, successful teams -- Schwartz from the St. Louis Blues, who won the Stanley Cup in 2019, Eberle from the New York Islanders, who made the semifinal round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs each of the past two seasons.
McCann has played all three forward positions but a lot on the wing.
"He's getting used to being back in the middle," Schwartz said. "You can tell he's asking questions about certain things. I'm just trying to help him out there, so we're all learning together and learning how each other likes to play a little bit."
Does McCann stay between Schwartz and Eberle? Does Hakstol keep Alex Wennberg between Marcus Johansson and Calle Jarnkrok on an all-Sweden line? What happens when Gourde returns? Gourde shed his red non-contact jersey in practice Monday, though he remains out indefinitely.
We'll see as the regular season develops. It's up to them, and it's part of the story the Kraken will write.
"It's just been good so far," Schwartz said. "They're smart hockey players, but they still also do the little things right. They go to the net when they need to, drive the net to create space. Really like what I'm seeing. I'm pretty excited to play with them."