Kraken’s Jaden Schwartz out six weeks with lower-body injury

The Seattle Kraken will be without winger Jaden Schwartz for the next six weeks as he recovers from a lower-body injury, the club announced Friday morning.

Schwartz, 33, has appeared in 23 games with the Kraken this season, collecting eight goals and 15 points. The 5’10” winger last suited up against the Dallas Stars on Wednesday, logging a season-low 11:26 of ice time in the 3-2 loss.

A product of Wilcox, Saskatchewan, Schwartz is in his fifth year with the Kraken after signing with the club as an unrestricted free agent prior to 2021-22, its inaugural season. He serves as an alternate captain with the team, and his current deal carries a $5.5 million annual cap hit.

Schwartz has remained productive throughout his tenure in Seattle and is now once again a pending UFA, with his contract set to expire on July 1, 2026. However, he has struggled at times to remain healthy for the Kraken, having missed a total of 77 games over his first four seasons with the club.

A first-round pick (No. 14 overall) of the St. Louis Blues in the 2010 NHL Draft, Schwartz made his NHL debut with his draft club late in the 2011-12 season after wrapping up a successful two-year NCAA career at Colorado College. Schwartz quickly emerged as one of St. Louis’ top offensive players, surpassing the 20-goal mark four times over his nine full seasons with the Blues.

Schwartz played an instrumental role in the Blues capturing their first and only Stanley Cup championship in 2019. Despite putting up relatively unimpressive numbers during the club’s tumultuous 2018-19 regular season, Schwartz rebounded with 12 goals and 20 points in 26 playoff contests as the Blues dispatched the Winnipeg Jets, Dallas Stars, San Jose Sharks, and Boston Bruins to win the Cup.

In 834 career games over parts of 15 NHL seasons split between the Blues and Kraken, Schwartz has collected 230 goals and 542 points. He’s added 31 goals and 64 points in 102 career playoff contests.