It’s here! Seattle Kraken training camp is here! The summer has somehow felt simultaneously way too long and way too short, but the players being back in action is always a welcome sight. There’s a certain optimism and excitement that comes at this time of year, when we see how players have progressed from last season and start to piece together how things might look for Kraken v4.0 when the campaign begins in earnest on Oct. 8.

While the Opening Night Day lineup appears to be mostly set (assuming good health… knock on wood!), there will be plenty of storylines to monitor from Thursday onward. Here are five such storylines we will be watching closely.

Storyline #1: Who fills the last roster spot(s)?

Seattle has several players who will be vying for the last spots on the roster. Whether there is regular playing time—or even cap space (more on that in a moment)—available for those individuals remains to be seen.

At first glance, it does seem the Kraken have 12 forwards locked into roster spots, along with six defensemen and two goalies. Take these line combos with a grain of salt, but this is how we would envision the Kraken Opening Day lineup if the season were to start tomorrow:

Jared McCann // Matty Beniers // Jordan Eberle
Andre Burakovsky // Chandler Stephenson // Oliver Bjorkstrand
Eeli Tolvanen // Shane Wright // Jaden Schwartz
Tye Kartye // Yanni Gourde // Brandon Tanev

Vince Dunn // Adam Larsson
Jamie Oleksiak // Brandon Montour
Ryker Evans // Will Borgen

Philipp Grubauer
Joey Daccord

This would give the Kraken a full lineup, but there are always extra players to consider to create competition and to slot in for injuries or illnesses. If the team opts to keep a full 23-man roster, then there is space for (most commonly) two more forwards and one more defenseman.

Several names we consider to be in the running for those last spots include, but are not limited to, forwards John Hayden, Ryan Winterton, and Ben Meyers, and defenseman Josh Mahura. There’s always a chance that somebody comes into Kraken training camp and blows the doors off to demand a spot on the roster, so we’ll keep our eyes peeled to see if anyone starts to emerge that we weren’t expecting.

Worth noting, Winterton joined Wright as one of the two “veterans” at rookie camp who did not travel to the Rookie Faceoff tournament or participate in the last practice on Tuesday. This could indicate Winterton has an inside track to the roster. Even so, it’s always debatable whether it’s better to keep a young player like Winterton with the roster or send him down to the AHL if it appears he won’t get much playing time with the big club.

The answer to that debate could hinge on whether the Kraken escape camp without injuries. Either way, the battles for these last few spots should be fun.

Storyline #2: How does Seattle solve its salary cap crunch?

As our own John Barr explained last week, the Kraken are in a salary cap pickle. Although it seems there are 20 players who are “locks” to make the roster, those 20 would leave space for only one more minimum contract before the team hits the upper limit of the salary cap. To be able to keep at least one extra forward and one extra defenseman around, which is absolutely necessary in the long run, the front office will need to find a way to shed some dollars before the end of Kraken training camp.

Barring a big injury, and unless there’s some serious voodoo coming from assistant general manager Ricky Olczyk, we still think it’s likely that one of the 12 in-the-lineup forwards will be traded.

Storyline #3: How do Shane Wright and Matty Beniers look?

Wright appears destined to make the Kraken out of camp. He has nothing left to prove at the AHL level, and he showed at the end of last season that he can be an impactful NHL player. But how will he fare over the course of a full NHL season?

It will be fun to see how Wright stacks up against NHL competition during preseason games and how he’s utilized by new head coach Dan Bylsma. We believe he will be put in a position to succeed, with good linemates around him, but he still needs to perform. Does Wright take full advantage of the opportunity and leave no doubt in the minds of the coaching staff and front office as to where he belongs this season?

Meanwhile, Beniers is looking to bounce back after a somewhat disappointing sophomore season. He will enter camp noticeably stronger than how he ended 2023-24, which can only be a positive. Will he look a little sturdier on the ice in camp? Will he be able to fight through tight checking this season?

Storyline #4: How do things look under Dan Bylsma?

Speaking of Bylsma, we’re also excited to see how different this camp looks compared to the previous three with Dave Hakstol at the helm. Bylsma is known to bring a balance of fun and seriousness, and training camp can often feel intense, especially for bubble players and youngsters looking to leave a lasting impression.

Hakstol always seemed to lean into that tension to create more competition in Kraken training camp, but we expect there will be plenty of moments of levity over the next few weeks with Bylsma steering the ship.

We’re also intrigued to see how things look in preseason games. Though the personnel used in these games, especially the first few, won’t resemble an NHL lineup, we should start to see how Bylsma wants the team to play, who he expects to skate together initially, and how he intends to use newcomers Brandon Montour and Chandler Stephenson.

Storyline #5: Which other young players start knocking on the door?

Past training camps have been where we started to realize how good some of the team’s prospects were. Players like Carson Rehkopf and David Goyette have had memorable performances that made us think they could be players for the Kraken within a couple of years.

Which other young prospects will show glimpses that get us thinking they could be close to reaching the NHL? Who has progressed the most this offseason?