Kraken Notebook: Vince Dunn, Matty Beniers back to practice; Philipp Grubauer activated from injured reserve

SEATTLE - A banged up Seattle Kraken team is on the mend with Vince Dunn and Matty Beniers each returning to practice on Tuesday, and goaltender Philipp Grubauer was activated from injured reserve with Chris Driedger reassigned to AHL Coachella Valley.

Dunn and Beniers have each been out the last four games for Seattle after sustaining injuries in a 7-4 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets 10 days ago. Dunn was seemingly a full participant in practice while Beniers was wearing a red "no-contact" jersey.

"Not playing and it sucks," Dunn said of his absence. "I'm excited to get back with the group today and to get into it tomorrow."

Dunn said the injury was not related to his fight with Blue Jackets center Cole Sillinger, nor was his absence due to the illness that had affected several players on the team throughout the road trip.

"It wasn’t the bug and it wasn’t from my fight either. I see a lot of people asking me about my hands or my head or my shoulders or you name it so it was just something that was bothering me a little bit and just needed some rest."

Dunn's fight came as a direct retaliation towards Sillinger as he hit Beniers into the boards in the Columbus game. Beniers remained in the game through the end of the second period, but has been sidelined ever since for Seattle.

Head coach Dave Hakstol officially called both Dunn and Beniers "day-to-day," but said they'll have a decision to make with Dunn for Wednesday night's lineup against the Chicago Blackhawks.

"Dunner had a good day today, Matty’s still in a red jersey so, really good progress," Hakstol said. "With Dunner, there’s a decision probably to be made there tomorrow, but he's back with his partner today and had a good practice."

Additionally, Grubauer got a full practice workload as he nears a return to action from a lower-body injury that has kept him out for the last month.

"We wanted to give him the full day today," Hakstol said. "Obviously, (Driedger) not on the ice. So that gives Grubi the full net. … Grubi has taken all the right steps. Today was one of the steps that you have to go through towards the end of that rehab as you build yourself back to game readiness.

"We're close to having him back."

Winger Oliver Bjorkstrand was absent from practice for a personal day, per Hakstol. Bjorkstrand played over 18 minutes in Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Meanwhile, center Yanni Gourde will have to miss one more game as part of a two-game suspension for a charging penalty against Edmonton Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm.

Barring any further issues, the Kraken could have their full roster back on the ice by Friday night's game against the St. Louis Blues.

"That's all just part of it. It challenges the strength of character inside of the room," Hakstol said.

With all the absences, the Kraken are currently riding a four-game losing streak. However, the losses have come to three teams currently in the playoff picture in the New York Rangers, Oilers and Maple Leafs. The four games left to play heading into the All-Star break come against three of the worst four teams in the NHL in the Chicago Blackhawks, Blue Jackets and San Jose Sharks.

Jaycob Megna grateful for chance to play in Chicago after stint with Kraken:

Blackhawks defenseman Jaycob Megna is happy to have a chance to play again in Chicago after several months of being a healthy scratch fighting for playing time with the Seattle Kraken.

Acquired for a fourth-round pick from the San Jose Sharks last March, Megna ultimately played in just six total games for the franchise, all of which came last season. Megna remained with Seattle through the Winter Classic on New Year's Day before being placed on waivers and landing with the Blackhawks.

Megna was with the Kraken for 38 games this season. And for 38 games, Megna didn't play. He was on every road trip, working in every practice, and didn't get the chance to ultimately suit up and play.

"I'm not going to lie. It was frustrating," Megna said. "It's frustrating when you compete and you want to have an opportunity to show that you can play and it just never really presented itself for whatever reason. It wasn't easy, but coming here has been a breath of fresh air. It's been really nice getting to play. It's a really good group here and it's been a lot of fun so far just being a part of it and being in the mix."

The opportunity to play just didn't exist in Seattle. The top six defensemen of Adam Larsson, Vince Dunn, Jamie Oleksiak, Will Borgen, Brian Doumoulin and Justin Schultz rarely came out of the lineup. Then, when they didn't, it was prospect Ryker Evans getting the nod to play instead.

That paradigm has completely shifted for Megna in Chicago. Playing with a young, rebuilding team, Megna has played all 10 games since joining the Blackhawks. After not playing at all this season, Megna immediately dressed in games on consecutive nights against the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils.

"I got thrown into a back-to-back my first two days I was here. So after that I felt like I was good to go," Megna said with a laugh. "It was definitely nice to get playing again and there's no complaints here about too many games. I'm almost wishing there wasn't an All-Star break. I'd like to keep playing. It's been nice to get going here and to play consistenly."

The on-ice opportunity wasn't what Megna was hoping for with the Kraken, but he did make several lasting relationships that will follow him moving forward.

"It's a great group of guys over there," Megna said. "There's some teammates that I had that I'll talk to for a long time and be friends with for many years here coming. That was the best part of it. There's a lot of good guys in that room and despite not playing made it bearable and more fun to come to the rink every day having those guys. Obviously, last year with the playoff run it was pretty special to see just the fan base and just the way that they supported the team, which was really cool. And that's the stuff that I'll remember."

Former Seattle Thunderbird Kevin Korchinski set to make Seattle return with Blackhawks:

Kevin Korchinski spent four seasons with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL and helped lead the team to an appearance in the Memorial Cup final last spring. After making the jump to the NHL this year, Korchinski will make his first appearance back in the Puget Sound area on Wednesday night.

"It was a really memorable time. Really special," Korchinski said. "To get back to be here kind of feels like home."

The 19-year-old Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native was a standout performer for the Thunderbirds over the last two seasons. A 65-point season in 2021-22 helped make Korchinski the No. 7 overall pick in the NHL Draft. He followed it up with a 73-point campaign last season with 11 goals and 62 assists, both career-highs.

The Thunderbirds roster was slammed with NHL talent, including five first-round draft picks. Korchinski and Arizona's Dylan Guenther are both already playing in the NHL this season.

"It's been good," Korchinski said. "A learning curve, obviously. It's special playing in the NHL. It's a dream. So, every day, I don't take it for granted and just appreciate everything that comes with it. Whether it's just the hockey, the lifestyle, the people, it's just top-tier everything. So it's been amazing so far."

Korchinski and Megna are now paired up together on the Chicago blue line as Megna can serve as a veteran voice to help make his adjustment to the NHL game.

"Kev has been great to play with and get to know," Megna said. "Young guys are so happy to come to the rink. They want to be around it. It gives you some energy and it's been a really fun environment to step into despite we haven't won as many games as we'd like to."

Korchinski is enjoying the process of playing at the top level and learning the ropes throughout his rookie season.

"Just little things you can't get away with here," Korchinski said. "Just different coaching, stuff that you didn't know you're just learning that pros do that you have to implant in your game. It's awesome."

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