Seattle Kraken place Andre Burakovsky on injured reserve

The Seattle Kraken have announced that winger Andre Burakovsky will be placed on injured reserve, and is expected to miss some time.

The injury occurred on Tuesday night during the first period of the Kraken’s game against the New York Islanders after an awkward non-contact play. Burakovsky logged just 21 seconds of ice time in the game, immediately going to the bench after the incident. The Kraken would go on to lose the game 4-0.

It’s unclear as to how long Burakovsky will be out, but Kraken general manager Ron Francis said that they expect him to be out a while. Francis also didn’t specify whether or not the Kraken will alter their trade deadline plans to look for a scoring forward.

It’s a big blow for both Burakovsky and the Kraken, as the winger was the team’s leader in points with 13 goals, 26 assists, and 39 points in 49 games this season. He’s been a valuable addition to the Kraken lineup in the first year of his five-year contract with a $5.5 million cap hit, which he signed in the offseason out of free agency.

The Kraken announced that center John Hayden will be called up in response to Burakovsky’s injury. He has one goal in three games with the Kraken this season, along with 13 goals, 12 assists, and 25 points in 36 games in the AHL with the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

The Kraken also announced that defenseman Justin Schultz has been activated off of injured reserve. Schultz had missed the last six games with an undisclosed injury. He has five goals, 19 assists, and 24 points in 42 games this season.

The Kraken currently sit in second place in the Pacific Division with a 29-16-5 record, with that division being a tight race at the moment. They play the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night in the second game of a five game road trip.