Seattle Kraken Sign Gustav Olofsson to One-Year, Two-Way Contract; Waivers Loom

The Seattle Kraken added veteran blueliner Gustav Olofsson to a one-year, two-way NHL contract carrying a reported $775,000 cap charge, then placed him on waivers for reassignment immediately after the March 2 signing. Seattle’s social post even read “Goose is back 🪿” alongside a “SIGNED” graphic listing the $775K figure.

PuckPedia and coverage of the transaction list an AHL salary on the new deal of $460,000, up from the $350,000 minor-league pay he received on his last NHL contract, and ProHockeyRumors noted the move “will bump him back up to an NHL, two-way contract – mirroring the contract details of his last deal with the Kraken: a two-year, two-way, league-minimum contract signed in 2023.” The Kraken announced the deal March 2, 2026 as a depth addition ahead of the trade deadline and playoff stretch.

Seattle placed Olofsson on waivers the day of the signing; follow-up reporting on March 3 confirmed the procedural outcome. “Olofsson has cleared waivers, per Friedman. The team confirmed he’s been sent back to Coachella Valley,” Gabriel Foley reported, with the team officially reassigning him to the Coachella Valley Firebirds on March 3.

Olofsson, 31, has been a mainstay with the Firebirds this season and serves as an alternate captain. He has posted 16 points (2 goals, 14 assists) in 29 games with Coachella Valley during the 2025-26 AHL season, and TimesofIndia tallied his Firebirds totals at 151 regular-season games and 51 points (7 goals, 44 assists) across four seasons from 2022-26.

Across his broader AHL career, one aggregated report lists Olofsson with 395 AHL games, 20 goals and 111 assists, 173 penalty minutes, and a plus-47 rating. In the NHL, Olofsson has skated in 63 games over six seasons, registering no goals and 11 assists; he appeared in four NHL games for the Kraken between 2022 and 2024 and has not been recalled by Seattle since the 2023-24 season.

Olofsson’s pro timeline is clear: the Borås, Sweden product was a second-round pick (No. 46 overall) of the Minnesota Wild in the 2013 draft, spent his post-draft season at Colorado College before turning pro in 2014, skated in his first NHL games in 2015-16, and reached a career-high 41 NHL games with Minnesota in 2017-18. He also represented Sweden at the 2014 World Junior Championship, posting five points in seven games en route to a gold medal.

Kraken general manager Jason Botterill framed the signing as an organizational depth move. “We’re happy to have Gustav under contract with our team,” Botterill said. “He’s been a steady, veteran presence in Coachella and brings depth to our blueline.” With the new two-way contract and waiver clearance complete, Olofsson is eligible for Seattle recalls for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs, but all coverage indicates he will remain with Coachella Valley for now.