The Seattle Kraken had just one preseason game since last week’s Monday Musings, a 6-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers. It was the perfect game to end the preseason, with both teams fielding nearly full-strength rosters. Shane Wright scored two goals, and Philipp Grubauer delivered a solid performance in net, which should help boost his confidence. The game felt as close to a regular-season matchup as you could get.
One thing that stood out on Wednesday was the Kraken’s level of competitiveness. Jordan Eberle set the tone with a clean check on Mattias Ekholm behind the net, which eventually led to a Kraken power play after Leon Draisaitl took exception to the hit. Will Borgen went into “psycho mode” without crossing the line or committing a penalty. Competitiveness doesn’t mean fighting or hitting more; it’s about being fearless and battling for every inch of the ice. While I don’t want to read too much into a preseason win, it was a satisfying way to head into the regular season.
Shane Wright is getting to the inside
Getting inside for shots is crucial because it greatly increases a team’s chances of scoring, often referred to as generating “expected goals.” Last season, the Kraken struggled to create these high-danger chances, which impacted their overall goal scoring. They ranked 28th in the league, averaging just 2.61 goals per game.
Enter Shane Wright. We talked a lot last season about Wright’s innate ability to generate shots from the high-danger area, often called the “home plate,” in front of the opposing team’s net during his time in the AHL. It’s one thing to see that kind of play in junior hockey, but when Shane consistently displayed this ability last season with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, it really stood out. Players in the AHL are bigger and tougher than the 16-to-20-year-olds you face in junior leagues, so his success there is even more impressive. Again, without reading too much into the preseason, his shot opportunities have been consistently of high quality.
Looking at the shot attempts from the Kraken’s projected regular-season centers this preseason, Wright has been generating a significant number of dangerous chances, which has resulted in three goals.
It’s still just preseason, but this is very encouraging for a team that needs to add more scoring if it hopes to compete for a playoff spot. In case you missed it, Alison Lukan wrote a terrific piece about how players find ways to get to these high-danger areas for shot opportunities.
Roster set for now
In case you missed it, the Kraken’s general manager made a couple of timely roster moves over the weekend. On Saturday, they placed John Hayden and Josh Mahura on waivers with the intent of assigning them to Coachella Valley. On Sunday, after both players cleared waivers, the Kraken assigned Hayden and Ryan Winterton to Coachella Valley and recalled Josh Mahura. This played out exactly as expected with Hayden and Mahura clearing waivers. The Kraken don’t have enough cap space to keep Winterton on the roster for opening day, so without a trade, it was always going to come down to Hayden or Mahura.
By sending Mahura down and then recalling him, the Kraken can now send him back without needing to clear waivers again, as long as he doesn’t spend more than 30 days in the NHL. This is a strategic way NHL teams manage cap space. It is entirely possible that Mahura will be sent down and recalled for Seattle’s first road trip of the season on Saturday. As of now it appears the Kraken will be carrying an extra defenseman as opposed to an extra forward. It’s interesting because last season, Kraken forwards missed 119 games due to injury, compared to just 25 games missed by defensemen, implying the depth is more needed in the forward group.
CHL players to become eligible for the NCAA
A little bit of breaking news from last week, according to senior writer Jim Connelly from USCHO, the NCAA is planning emergency legislation that will open the door for Canadian Hockey League (QMJHL, OHL, WHL) players to become eligible to play in the NCAA. This issue has been developing for about 10 months and seemed to reach a tipping point when former CHL player Rylan Masterson filed a lawsuit against the NCAA and several schools.
Historically, CHL players have been banned from participating in NCAA hockey. Lifting this ban would have a significant and disruptive impact on the North American junior and college hockey ecosystem. Even experts are unsure of the full implications, but here are my thoughts on the potential impact across the leagues:
- NCAA: Lifting the ban will significantly increase both the quantity and quality of players eligible for college hockey. This will especially benefit mid- to lower-tier schools, helping them build up their programs more quickly.
- CHL: I don’t believe the CHL will be as affected as some have predicted. In theory, players who were previously reluctant to sign with CHL teams for fear of losing NCAA eligibility will now be able to play in the CHL without jeopardizing their NCAA options. This could expand the CHL player pool.
- USHL, BCHL, etc.: These leagues, which have traditionally served as feeder leagues for the NCAA, will be the most impacted. There will be less incentive to play in these leagues if players can now maintain NCAA eligibility while playing in the CHL. U.S. players may continue in these leagues, but some Canadian players who would have played there might now opt for CHL teams. Players like Cale Makar, Macklin Celebrini, and Adam Fantilli chose the NCAA route and played in these leagues—one wonders if they would have made the same choice if the CHL-to-NCAA path had been available.
Change is always challenging, but ultimately, this will create more options for players and their careers, both on and off the ice. This should be applauded.
Other musings
- As of Monday morning, the Kraken have not announced a captain for the upcoming season. I still expect a captain to be named before Tuesday’s game. If I were betting, I’d pick Jordan Eberle, though I did speculate a few months ago that Adam Larsson could also be a candidate. Either would make a great captain.
- Tuesday’s opener will be the first time in four seasons that the Kraken start the season at home. The team has never won a season opener or a home opener.
- The Kraken have never earned more than four points in their first five games to start a season.
- The Kraken’s power play went 2-for-26 during the preseason. There was a lot of mixing and matching of AHL and NHL players as they adjusted to the new coaching staff’s special teams systems. The power play looks noticeably different from last season, and from the eye test, it seems more dangerous, with a lot more puck and player movement.
- The “percentage of shots on target” measures how many shot attempts (shots on net, missed shots, and blocked shots) were either goals or saved by the goalie. 87 percent of Shane Wright’s shot attempts this preseason were on target.
- I just learned that not all teams play the same number of preseason games. In the Pacific Division, Calgary and Edmonton played eight preseason games, while the rest of the division played six. How is this possible?
- The New Jersey Devils went 1-6-0 in the preseason but have started the regular season 2-0-0.
Chart of the week
Preseason play has revealed one key trait about Brandon Montour: he’s not afraid to shoot. Take a look at his shot attempts per game.
Player performances
Carson Rehkopf – The Seattle Kraken’s 2023 second-round draft pick has burst out of the gates with 10 points in his first five OHL games. Expect frequent updates on his progress.
Berkly Catton – The Kraken’s first-round selection from the most recent NHL draft tallied five points over two games for the Spokane Chiefs over the weekend. Catch the Chiefs in the Puget Sound on Nov. 22, when they face the Everett Silvertips.
Abbey Murphy – Off to a strong start with seven points in four games for the Minnesota Gophers. Highlighting her impressive start, Murphy also scored an incredible penalty shot goal.
The week ahead
The Kraken have an interesting start to the season, opening at home against St. Louis, followed by three road games in four days: Minnesota on Saturday, Dallas on Sunday, and Nashville on Tuesday. While it’s not the toughest four-game stretch to begin the season, it’s also not the easiest. Historically, the Kraken have struggled out of the gate since joining the league, but perhaps a new coach is just what the team needs to start off on the right foot.
In case you missed it, the good people at King5 put out this handy schedule to help you find the Kraken games on TV this season.
We made it. In less than 24 hours, the dreaded Kraken offseason will officially be over. Go Kraken!