Jagger Firkus could debut for Kraken in Helsinki Saturday

Friday's lunchtime practice in Finland was the first real hint, and it started with Melanson ditching the red jersey.

Mike Benton

@Benton_Mike

Happy Friday from a lunchtime EET practice in Finland. #SeaKraken Jacob Melanson is done with the red non-contact jersey.

That's a big step. A red non-contact sweater means you're skating but nobody's allowed to touch you. Once it's gone, the trainers are basically saying you can take a hit again. Melanson came over on the trip with an upper-body injury, so seeing him in a normal jersey a day before game 2 matters.

Then the lines came out, and the interesting one was the second group: Stephenson-Gaudreau-Firkus. For a guy who hasn't played an NHL game yet, a practice spot next to Chandler Stephenson and Frederick Gaudreau is a real look, not a token one. Melanson rotated with Curtis Douglas on the fourth line, and Lindgren skated on a pair with Fleury as the eighth D.

Firkus also led the stretch circle, which is the classic hockey hazing for the new kid and also a pretty decent tell. Seattle called him up November 5, his first NHL recall. He was a healthy scratch against the Rangers and still hasn't gotten into a game, so Saturday in Helsinki would be his debut.

Mike Benton

@Benton_Mike

And leading the stretch circle: Jagger Firkus. If he plays Saturday, he will make his NHL debut. #SeaKraken

Mike Benton

@Benton_Mike

Practice lineup in Finland, 11/13: #SeaKraken McMann-Beniers-Eberle Stephenson-Gaudreau-Firkus Kakko-Catton-Samoskevich Winterton-Meyers-Wood Nyman-Morrison-Melanson/Douglas Dunn-Larsson Evans-Montour Mahura-Ottavainen Lindgren-Fleury Daccord Grubauer Kokko t.co/NlRynShbTJ

If it happens, it's been coming for a while. Firkus is a 2022 2nd-round pick who went nuclear in junior: 126 points in 63 games for Moose Jaw in 2023-24, which led the whole CHL. Last season he put up 68 points in 75 games for Coachella Valley, 2nd on the Firebirds behind Logan Morrison. He's 5-foot-11 and about 170 pounds, and size is always going to be the question. The hands and the vision never were.

Lambert didn't commit to anything, but he didn't slam the door either. He called both Melanson and Lindgren 'really close' and put all 3 in the same game-time bucket for Saturday.

Mike Benton

@Benton_Mike

Lane Lambert each calls Jacob Melanson and Ryan Lindgren’s status for returning to play “really close,” and on Saturday will be game time decisions. Same goes for Jagger Firkus, officially termed as a game time decision.

That's a lot of moving parts for one lineup. Earlier this week Lambert said he was 'not 100 percent sure' Lindgren would play at all on this trip, so 'really close' is real progress for the defenseman. If Melanson and Lindgren both go, somebody comes out. If Firkus goes too, it means the staff saw enough in Finland to throw a 22-year-old into an overseas game on short notice.

Puck drops Saturday, November 14 against the Hurricanes in Helsinki to close out the Global Series. The warmup lines will tell you everything. If Firkus is still next to Stephenson and Gaudreau, it's happening.