DENVER — Kraken winger Andre Burakovsky had a glimmering surprise waiting for him when he arrived at Ball Arena for Friday’s morning skate.
It was Burakovsky’s first visit back to the place where he captured the Stanley Cup with his former Colorado Avalanche team last June. Burakovsky, playing with a broken foot, scored the Game 1 overtime winner to defeat Tampa Bay and added another goal in Game 2 before his injury sidelined him the final four matchups in the series.
Shortly after arriving at the arena Friday, Avs captain Gabriel Landeskog — who made a special trip over because he is recovering from knee surgery — invited Burakovsky into a backroom where other Colorado players had gathered to present him with his commemorative Cup ring. And it’s no modest piece of jewelry, made from 14-carat white gold and containing 669 diamonds, 18 custom cut sapphires, two round sapphires and 42 rubies.
“Really nice, clean, lots of diamonds,” Burakovsky said of his first impression. “It was a really nice ring. Good design on it, for sure.”
Burakovsky said he liked this ring better than the one he received for winning the Cup with the Washington Capitals in 2018. Many Avs players are equally impressed by the box their rings came in, which plays a video when opened of them rushing on the ice in celebration after their Cup-clinching Game 6 win.
Colorado players received their rings at a private dinner 11 days ago. Two other departed players, Nazem Kadri of the Calgary Flames and Jack Johnson of the Chicago Blackhawks, were given their rings before recent games against the Avalanche, making Burakovsky the final one to receive his.
“We had a lot of fun every day; it was a good group to be around,” said Burakovsky, who signed a five-year, $27.5 million free-agent deal with the Kraken shortly after winning the title. “I made a lot of friends with the guys and would be hanging out with them a lot.
“I still talk with a lot of the guys every week.”
Asked by a contingent of Colorado media members how he likes things in Seattle, he replied: “I actually love it. I think it’s beautiful in Seattle.
“Where we all live in Bellevue — it’s a good spot. A lot of nice restaurants; the neighborhood is really nice. It’s beautiful by the water.”
Still, he was looking forward to playing in front of the Colorado fans again and facing his former teammates. Receiving the ring made it admittedly difficult for Burakovsky to concentrate during the Kraken’s morning skate afterward.
He was so distracted, he didn’t even look up to see the championship banner hanging from the arena’s rafters since the team unfurled it at their home opener.
“Oh, I forgot about that,” he said, laughing. “No, I didn’t (look). Maybe tonight. Maybe tonight I’ll take a peek.”
Kempny waived
The Kraken have parted ways with veteran NHL defenseman Michal Kempny, 32, who was signed to a one-year, $750,000 deal before training camp. They’d hoped Kempny would provide them injury depth this season, but he got hurt in a preseason game against the Vancouver Canucks and was one of the last training camp cuts.
Kempny played two AHL games for the Kraken’s new Coachella Valley Firebirds affiliate, scoring a goal. But Kraken GM Ron Francis said Friday that Kempny told him in recent days he didn’t want to play in the AHL this season — even though he was still making the same NHL money in the minors because of his one-way contract.
The Kraken placed Kempny on unconditional waivers Thursday for the purpose of terminating his contract. When no team claimed him, the contract ended.
There are reports Kempny, a native of Czechia, has a deal to play professionally in Europe. Francis said Kempny didn’t tell the club his future plans. He also said it isn’t a priority for the team to add another depth defenseman for the time being, though he’d consider it if the right player came along.
Notes
- Kraken forward Jared McCann entered Friday’s contest having notched seven points in his previous seven games against the Avalanche. He quickly tacked on two more in a 22-second span early in the second period, assisting on a Jaden Schwartz power-play goal and scoring off a loose puck in front of Avs goalie Pavel Francouz off the netminder’s initial failed clearance attempt.
- Jordan Eberle notched an assist on the Schwartz goal, sliding a perfect pass to him for a one-timer from the slot. Eberle has points in all four games the Kraken franchise has played against Colorado.