The Seattle Kraken split two games over the past seven days, with a loss against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday and a thrilling overtime win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday night. The win broke their four-game losing streak and marked the first time the Kraken have defeated the Golden Knights at Climate Pledge Arena. In the post-game press conference, coach Dan Bylsma described it as the team’s best game of the season—not because it was perfect, but for the way they battled through to come back and win in overtime.
The win against Vegas also gives hope that this team has the skill to make the season interesting. If you want to understand how some fans were feeling, just read the comments from last week’s musings. I’m not prepared to say one win puts this team back on track for the playoffs, but it did showcase its potential. I’ve said it before, and I’m sure I’ll say it again: this season’s team is better than last season’s, which should put Seattle in a position to play meaningful games in March.
The acquisition of Daniel Sprong
In case you missed it, the Seattle Kraken re-acquired Daniel Sprong on Friday. Sprong is expected to bring a much-needed offensive boost to the lineup, and hopefully, he can recapture the scoring magic he had during the 2022-23 season with the Kraken, when he put up a career-high 21 goals. Darren provided an in-depth breakdown of how Sprong will fit into the team if you need more details. When the trade was made, it seemed likely that Tye Kartye would be the one to come out of the lineup for Sprong, but Kartye had a strong game against Vegas, and his line was one of the best on the ice Friday night. I’m also not sure Sprong would be an ideal fit with those two, so I imagine there could be further line adjustments when he joins the group.
The acquisition of Sprong also creates another issue that will need to be addressed down the line: salary cap compliance. For now, there’s no issue with the Kraken’s cap situation because they’re using the cap relief from Vince Dunn being on long-term injured reserve. During the Kraken pre-game show on Friday night, general manager Ron Francis mentioned that Vince Dunn is about three weeks away from being activated, which delays this issue a bit.
Once Dunn is activated, they’ll need to clear $970K of cap space, which complicates things since Sprong carries a $975K cap hit. Assuming they want to keep Sprong on the roster when Dunn returns, simply sending Josh Mahura down won’t be enough to resolve the issue.
Another option is to make a trade, which I believe has been on the table since the beginning of the season.
Adjusted goal differential
One topic I’ve discussed in the past is adjusted goal differential. This metric measures the difference between goals scored and goals allowed, excluding empty-net goals on both sides. The takeaway from this analysis is that teams close to an even goal differential have about a 50 percent chance of making the playoffs. The more positive the goal differential, the more likely a team is to reach the playoffs.
I was pleasantly surprised to see the Kraken very close to the even mark, currently with a goal differential of negative two.
It’s not a perfect science, but it underscores that this is a competitive team capable of contending for a playoff spot. I’m sure many people will point out the team’s flaws, but I don’t believe those flaws are as significant as they seemed during the losing streak.
Other Musings
- I’m embarrassed to admit how much better I feel the day after a Kraken win compared to a Kraken loss. It’s not that I’m grumpy after a loss—I just feel like bouncing off the walls when they win.
- The Kraken’s overtime-winning goal on Friday night was fantastic, but check out Jared McCann’s subtle stick check on Jack Eichel that caused the turnover, leading to McCann’s breakaway opportunity.
HANDS AS SMOOTH AS SILK 🤩 pic.twitter.com/0DBifay9B1
— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) November 9, 2024
- Friday night’s win was the Kraken’s second victory of the season after falling behind by two goals—a feat they didn’t accomplish even once last season.
- Shane Wright logged his lowest ice time of the season on Friday, which raised concerns among some fans online. Shane is still adjusting to the NHL’s speed and physicality, so give him time. Quinten Byfield, for instance, didn’t hit his stride in the NHL until his fourth season after being drafted. This is Wright’s third year since his draft.
- Yanni Gourde has been playing great, but is there any player more snakebitten than him? It feels like he’s hitting a post in nearly every game.
- (Lost) face-off goal alert:
TURBO TIMES ✌️! 🚨
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) November 9, 2024
Great work by Kartye to keep the play alive and get it to Tanev for his second of the game.
2-2 #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/uRyfL6TnLs
- The Coachella Valley Firebirds have now won three games in a row.
- I know there were some challenges with the “Meet the Team” event over the weekend before the Super Skills Competition, but several people I spoke with absolutely loved the event. It was a chance to see the players loosen up and showcase their personalities, something we aim to capture on the Sound Of Hockey Podcast when we host Kraken guests. Plus, it was fantastic to see so many kids there!
- I loved this feature from KING5 on Kraken play-by-play announcer John Forslund. Even before he joined the Kraken, I thought he was the best in the business. We’re lucky to have him calling our games.
Player performances
Berkly Catton (SPO/SEA) – The Kraken’s first-round pick from the most recent draft posted eight points over Spokane’s three games this week.
Caden Price (KEL/SEA) – The Kraken’s 2023 third-round pick notched two goals and two assists over the weekend, including this beauty against Spokane.
Nathan MacKinnon (COL) – Ever heard of this guy? He tallied nine points in three games over the last week, including five assists against the Kraken last Tuesday. He continues to be one of my favorite players to watch—when he’s not playing the Kraken.
The week ahead
If the Kraken have a shot at getting back into the playoff picture, they need to take advantage of their remaining November schedule, with six of their 10 games this month against Anaheim, Chicago, Columbus, and San Jose. They absolutely need to start gaining ground on the teams ahead of them.
This week, the Kraken host Columbus, Chicago, the Islanders, and a tough matchup against the New York Rangers. There are no gimmes in hockey, but the first two games of the week should be easier than the last two. Four points seem like the minimum, with at least five as the target. Columbus comes in having lost four of their last five games, averaging under two goals per game in that stretch.
How are we feeling out there? Has the win against the Golden Knights turned that frown upside down, or are we still anticipating a challenging season?