The Seattle Kraken can learn some major lessons from the Carolina Hurricanes, who completed a historic run through the playoffs and lifted Lord Stanley’s Cup as the NHL’s best team on Sunday.
Led by a forward-thinking scientist/blogger/stathlete-turned-general manager, Eric Tulsky has pulled several rabbits out of his hat over the last two seasons while molding his roster into the perfect blend of players to fit the unique, high-pressure style of hockey that head coach Rod Brind’Amour demands.
What’s interesting about Tulsky’s approach is that every personnel move seems to be made with an eye toward how a player fits into that high-pressure, high-shot-volume system. That clear-eyed vision for a specific—and truly unique—style of play helps Carolina identify the types of talent to target for secondary and tertiary roles. At the same time, Tulsky has done a masterful job of acquiring big-time players who help drive the bus.
Heck, even after taking a massive swing to land Mikko Rantanen last season and seeing negotiations to retain him go belly-up, Tulsky made the best of the situation and somehow came out ahead. Remember, he acquired Taylor Hall as a throw-in as part of that deal, and Hall ended up being a point-per-game player in these playoffs.
Then, recognizing the risk of losing Rantanen for nothing, Tulsky cut his losses and flipped him to Dallas for Logan Stankoven, two first-round picks, and two third-round picks. At 23 years old, Stankoven’s 11 goals in the postseason led the Hurricanes. It’s safe to say Stankoven fit the vision.
The Kraken may never play a style like what we saw from the Hurricanes, but what can general manager Jason Botterill and the rest of the front office take away from Carolina’s run? A lot.
Establish an identity and never waiver from it
What is Kraken hockey? Five years in, we still don’t definitively know the answer to that question. For a brief flash during the team’s second season, Seattle’s style was defined by staunch defense mixed with a balanced, four-line attack that came at opponents in waves and generated scoring from throughout the lineup.
But the organization quickly moved away from that balanced approach, effectively letting the entire high-scoring fourth line go after that season. Morgan Geekie—who scored 39 goals this season for the Boston Bruins—and Ryan Donato—who scored 31 goals in 2024-25 in Chicago were both allowed to leave via free agency, with Seattle even declining to extend a qualifying offer to Geekie. Daniel Sprong also departed before returning for a failed second stint last season.
The point is, it felt like the Kraken were starting to figure out what kind of roster could succeed, as long as they got scoring from all four lines. But after reaching the second round of the playoffs, then-GM Ron Francis quickly changed course, reverting to a more traditional makeup that featured a grinding fourth line rather than one capable of producing offense. The problem is that successful teams with classic grinding fourth lines also tend to have a true first line—something Seattle has never really had.
The good news is the Kraken don’t need to do an about-face to replicate what the Hurricanes built. Based on two of their three coaching hires, there’s no question this organization values tight defensive structure, not the shoot-from-anywhere mentality that defines Carolina’s game. If that’s the long-term vision, winning through defense and a balanced attack, that’s fine. But Seattle needs to commit to that identity with every fiber of its being.
Playing a Carolina-style, high-pressure, high-volume game is not the lesson here. Instead, the lesson is to understand who you are, who you want to be, and ensure that every personnel decision supports that vision. Does a player on your roster help at both ends of the ice? If not, he may not be a fit. Can a potential acquisition contribute in all three zones? If so, pull the trigger. If not, don’t make the deal.
Depth plus top-end talent
As we saw with that second-year Kraken team—and again with this Carolina group—depth matters. Seattle can lean into that defensive identity (if that is truly what it decides to be) by continuing to build a foundation of players who do the right things in all three zones.
But if it commits to that approach, it will also need a small collection of game-breaking forwards—the types of players who, when given even a small window, can capitalize on chances and change a game in an instant.
The Kraken haven’t really had those players to date, save for perhaps Jared McCann, who once scored 40 goals but is coming off a lackluster, injury-marred season. Adding a true high-end scorer or two this summer, while continuing to supplement the rest of the roster with reliable two-way players, could move the needle back toward playoff contention.
Players like Dylan Larkin (we don’t believe he would want to come to Seattle) and Robert Thomas would help in both ways, as might—to a lesser extent—a middle-tier player like Jake DeBrusk, guys who can score and also play responsibly in all three zones. The Kraken could also go in a different direction and add a forward who is more offensively minded like Jason Robertson or Jordan Kyrou, but then they may want to supplement such an acquisition with a purely defensive move to balance it.
Regardless of what route they take, there is an obvious need for an injection of high-end talent, and finding such players who still fit the vision (whatever that may be) is a serious challenge for the front office. Even if they land a big fish, will the Kraken become a Stanley Cup contender by next season? Of course not. But with several big names rumored to be available this offseason, there is an opportunity to get meaningfully better.
Enjoy the fruits of draft-and-develop labor
It was fascinating to see two teams with such different roster-building philosophies—Vegas essentially saying “to hell with the draft,” and Carolina building its core through homegrown talent—meet in the Stanley Cup Final.
Seattle has quietly built a strong pipeline of prospects and young players. Matty Beniers is growing into a true leader, Shane Wright is close to establishing himself as a full-time NHL contributor (though he could perhaps benefit from a change of scenery), Berkly Catton and Oscar Fisker Mølgaard appear ahead of schedule, and Jake O’Brien is on the way, along with several others. That pipeline will only deepen at the 2026 NHL Draft in a couple of weeks.
Considering how many players on Seattle’s roster last season were either drafted by the organization or developed within its system, this has been an area of real progress. Those young players will continue to improve as they enter their prime years, meaning this approach should pay increasingly larger dividends.
Drafting and development are long-term plays, and we’re only beginning to see the early returns. But as Carolina has shown, a core of homegrown players can serve as the bedrock of a contender with a sustained window for success.
That window is built through drafting and development, but trades can accelerate it. As a result, it may behoove the Kraken to begin dealing from this position of strength—though only with that identity question firmly in mind. Does a young player fit what this team wants to be? If not, he could be used to acquire someone who does.
No more philosophical resets
Part of the narrative over the past couple of seasons is that the Kraken’s unexpected success in Year 2 threw a wrench into Ron Francis’s long-term plan. Suddenly, the timeline was accelerated, and the organization drifted away from its original slow-build approach.
More recently, much has been made of the team’s ongoing “audit” this offseason—something we at Sound Of Hockey don’t believe was ever intended to draw as much attention as it did. What that process should ultimately deliver, however, is clarity around the question of what this team wants to be.
Seattle has leaned toward a structurally sound identity, and if that’s the path it chooses, it can absolutely work. But then Jason Botterill and his front office must fully commit to that vision—through every draft pick, every personnel decision, and every hire.
The Kraken don’t need to replicate Carolina’s style of play; doing so would essentially mean starting over. Instead, they should learn from the principles that helped the Hurricanes reach the top of the mountain—and apply them in a way that makes sense for Seattle.
Darren Brown
Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at soundofhockey.com and the host of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is a member of the PHWA and is also usually SOH’s Twitter intern (but please pretend you don’t know that). Follow him @DarrenFunBrown and @sound_hockey or email darren@soundofhockey.com.
“Based on two of their three coaching hires, there’s no question this organization values tight defensive structure, not the shoot-from-anywhere mentality that defines Carolina’s game.”
The thing is, you’re selling Carolina way short here — Carolina also has tight defensive structure, they have a balanced attack with 4 lines that can score, and they get plenty of high danger shots (in addition to their shoot-from-anywhere shots). Their style of play is unique because there are no wasted puck possessions. They very rarely chip it out of the zone or dump it in and purposefully turn it over — they are constantly turning defense into offense. Every pass and play has a possession-related purpose, which is something the Kraken have been horrible at for 3 seasons. Instead they favor trying to get a 1 goal lead, constantly chipping it out of the zone, and hoping for the best while getting outshot 30-20.
Watching these playoffs has made me way more depressed about the Kraken, because it’s made me realize how incredibly far this organization has to go before becoming even playoff relevant. We’re talking at least another 5 years. My #1 comp for Beniers is Jordan Staal, a very good 2 way center who peaked as a 2C on a great team. The hurricanes have like 6 better players than him who can score. The Kraken currently have ZERO. Let that sink in.
Matty Beniers is nothing like Jordan Staall what are you talking about. Jordan Staal is a behemoth of a man. Beniers is not. Hes a totally different type of player. Beniers is a much more dynamic skater than Staal every was. They’re just completely different players.
Now if you want to say Beniers is a good 2C thats fine. Thats your opinion. But he’s nothing like Jordan Staal.
And let what sink in? That the Carolina hurricane are a good team that just won the stanley cup with Jordan Staal winning the Conn Smythe despite being out scored by a number of players?? How is that related to the Kraken at all????
Matty is the best player on one of the worst teams in the NHL. Whats so hard to understand about that?? What exactly needs to sink in??
“Playing a Carolina-style, high-pressure, high-volume game is not the lesson here. Instead, the lesson is to understand who you are, who you want to be, and ensure that every personnel decision supports that vision”
I don’t agree I think you are misreading what it takes to be a successful team in today’s NHL. The kraken played a passive system on both ends of the ice… that’s system isn’t going to get you success, you need to be more aggressive on the forecheck and keep pucks. Allowing the puck to easily turn over and being content to let them have the puck is looser hockey and the playoffs have shown us that looser teams that play like that can’t succeed.
The idea that we should build our roster around a dead style of hockey that no successful teams in the NHL play is ridiculous.
Kraken do everything passively, take very few risks and are as conventional as any NHL team, anywhere. Worked back in the pre-forward pass era. At this point one hopes they just don’t sign any long term bad deals in the next few weeks. Getting an adventurous, risk-taking management seems so far off but they could honestly turn the entire thing around in 2 years…
I don’t think we are in unrecoverable territory here. I am mystified by other teams and their challenges, like the NYR. They have
Zibanejad
Miller
Trocheck
Lafreniere
Trocheck
Cuylle
Perreault
Fox
Gavrikov
They gave up Kreider, Panarin and Trouba. They finish below The Kraken.
How did New Jersey not make the playoffs?
How did The Leafs finish lower than The Kraken?
People say Seattle can’t develop talent. How about Columbus and Kent Johnson?
I said Trocheck twice…
You were right both times though ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
You like Trocheck😀
Nino. I dont think you understand what it takes to be a successful in today’s NHL. If you think the Kraken could have made a deep run, or even just made the playoffs with this team you’re delusional. The roster is not good. Replace Eberle with Celebrini and they still dont make the playoffs. Stop blaming the coach for a year in which they didnt make the playoffs. If anything you should be thanking Lambert for getting this team up to 3rd in the division at one point in the season and on the brink of making the playoffs again. The players are not good.
And by the way, lambert plays an aggressive forechecking game. It’s the players that cant execute.
What I’m saying is the future of the kraken should not be LL’s style it’s simply bad hockey that has no business being played in the NHL. It will never win is a cup. In no shape or form should we be forced on building out a roster that suits how LL wants the game to be played, that would be a huge mistake and make us a crap team for a very long time. Regardless of what you think of LL he’s very unlikely to be our coach in another few seasons, he’s had zero success coaching in the NHL and hasn’t shown us anything in his first year with the kraken to make us believe he’s a capable head coach.
You don’t like defense, then?
I appreciate you opinion Nino because you follow the team so closely but you have no clue what will and what wont win a cup. No one does. You state you’re claims with conviction without providing any details on why this style of hockey wont win a cup. Personally, I this this style is perfectly suited to playoff hockey.
As for his first year. see my comment above. he wasnt expected to have success was he. Yet he dragged this team to the brink a playoff birth.
Did you think they could do something special this year? It looked like it for a while there i will admit, but they showed their true colors when it mattered most. As did other teams. Vegas specifically. Im surprised by their run because they looked pedestrian for most of the season. Seattle had their number in a number of games.
No team that played a passive defensive system did anything in the playoffs. It’s dead hockey puck possession is critical, you simply cannot allow the other team to keep the puck and expect to be successful. Show me an example of a team that is consistently allowing easy puck possession that did anything….. don’t say I’m wrong unless you have something that shows that I am.
Back to LL himself, he had a horrible season last year. In fact it was the worst season in kraken history when you actually look at where we got the majority of our points from. Hint it was the historically bad pacific division. We should have been able to feast and we didn’t. Not only that but we fell apart at crucial times for long stretches, that is a sign of bad coaching. His history on the island was exactly the same and the reason he was fired in a year and a half. If he was good at developing that would make it easier to swallow but he isn’t, the only thing he respects is the ability to dump pucks and reset into a passive defensive position.
IF the Kraken execute my plan to have both the 7th and 8th picks (trading McCann to WPG for #8)…and we draft Viggo Bjorck and Albert Smits…
Beniers playing wing = Svechnikov
O’Brien = Aho
Kakko = Martinook
Wright on a wing = Hall
Catton on a wing = Jarvis
Viggo Bjorck = Blake (or maybe Stankoven)
Miettinen = Staal
Melanson = Carrier
Stephenson = Jankowski
Nyman = Robinson
Molgaard, being very generous = Ehlers (they are both Danish)
Albert Smits = Slavin
Monty = Chatfield
Fiddler = Miller
Evans = Walker
Jugnauth = Gostisbehere
Ottovainen = Nikishin
Joey = Freddy
Kokko = Bussi
And reviewing the various age and weight differentials, a lot of our guys need to gain anywhere from 10-25 pounds depending on the player.
…and if you’re somehow getting Jaxon Jacobson in the 2027 draft, he’s your Stankoven and Viggo is your Blake?
Are we hiring Allvin because we want Pettersson? Then that Carolina comp line could be Pettersson/Bjorck/Wright. Does that suck? I don’t know.
Don’t know if they would go for it but I would totally trade McCann to Winnipeg for number eight. Would probably have to throw in the TB pick also but that would probably be worth it depending I guess on who is still available at number 8…
You’re insane if you think McCann is worth the #8 pick in this years draft. He’ll pull a late first round pick, 25+ on a contender by the trade deadline this year. i like the idea of moving McCann but lets be realistic here. This is the NHL, not EA sports
Insane? I don’t agree. Just go onto Puckpedia and review the ages of the key players (ALL the key players) on WPG. They have to make a push to win in the next 2-3 years. Toews is gone (that was fun). Now they need a a real point producing top 6 who can play wing AND center. McCann is the guy.
WPG is not a good team. They didnt even make the playoffs this year and they’re not about to trade their future for the potential to make the playoffs. potential. Hellebuyck wants out. do you really need to know more?
Im not that high on McCann if you can tell so the likelihood of him being flipped for #8 pick in this draft class is very low in my opinion but what do i know. I mean think about it. You can get McCann and maybe be a better team, or get a D1 at the #8 pick who will be in the NHL in 2 years.
surprised you didn’t talk about the GM before Tulsky, who went 0-8 for post season appearances…
The GM that wasn’t allowed to spend by the owners you mean?
Who’s supposed to be in charge of this new Kraken identity? As long as you still have the same people at the top, how can we expect any different? Ron Francis was supposedly in a new role last season, and they didn’t make any deals anyway (Okay, Bobby M, but still) So who’s going to write the face of the Kraken? Their attempt to shake up the management was half hearted. I don’t see any difference this season. I hope I’m wrong.
What are you talking about? “The same people at the top”, as if the owner is going to relinquish her ownership of the team. As if the CEO is going to get fired for not making the playoffs when in the pre-season they were never expected to make it. The General Manger, in charge of making personal and coaching decisions is no longer with the team. What else do you want for this middling franchise?
You say the attempt to shake up management was half hearted. who is “management”? Thats a lazy term thrown around when you dont know whats going on. You assume the owner wants to “shake up” the “management”. Thats an assumption on your part.
But you’re right. dont expect anything different this season. The roster is not good. get it through your head. they’re not good. headed for another lottery season. What you should be hoping for is shane wright development on the defensive side as well as puck managment. Then hope they win the lottery next off-season.
What am I talking about? You don’t seem to remember that the GM is the only one left standing and you think he’s no longer with the team! RF moved to a different role. Botterill was GM all last season. They just moved the pieces.
If you say the best thing they can do is win the lottery next year – wow!
Yeah my apologies. I glazed over that detail. Ron Francis was moved from GM to “president” last off-season as a gesture of good will and let go this year. I was referring to that, not the current GM situation.
What are you saying exactly? you speak in such vague terms I dont know what you’re talking about. You’re saying they moved the pieces around. What are they suppose to do? not promote from within? Just fire everyone and start over because this garbage team didnt make the playoffs?? You make it seems as though there is some kind of conspiracy.
Thats fine if thats your opinion but to say “their attempt to shake up the management was half hearted” makes it sound like you’re part of their organization and you know what the execs intent is behind closed doors.
Thats just not true.
This “What is Kraken hockey? Five years in, we still don’t definitively know the answer to that question.” is the most frustrating thing of all. We are the laughing stock of the league with all our mid forwards and how poorly this team has been led the last five years. I’m with John in that tanking isn’t the answer but you need a north star for what you are trying to do and RF may have said he has it but it sure doesn’t feel like it. Botts sure the hell doesn’t feel like he has it.
“We are the laughing stock of the league”
Unfortunately, I don’t think the rest of the league even thinks about us or pays attention to what’s going on here.
we really are columbus west
Worst case scenario this upcoming season is we get a couple of 1st round prospects. We keep McCann, Schwartz and Tolvanen (instead of something like McMann, Roslovic and Dickinson). Beniers, Wright, Catton, Melanson and Molgaard (and probably Winterton) get another development season. A bunch of guys move into CV, like Miettinen and Villeneuve. Obviously, we are getting rid of Oleksiak…right?? We also really need to move Larsson down the depth chart. He should be a 3rd pair “place holder”. Kraken draft high in 2027.
What do you mean we keep McCann?? Hes not a pending UFA. You want to resign this bum??? Getting a high draft pick in 2027 and re-signing McCann in 2027 are not compatible. McCann needs to be traded to a contender asap. Most likely gonna happen at the trade deadline. Along with Vince Dunn. Acquire draft capital or better yet a prospect already playing NHL hockey. The only problem with that is that contenders have low value R1 draft picks and low value prospects. Move him to Anaheim or SJ might make sense though.
resigning Schwartz and missing the playoffs again this year makes even less sense.
And im sorry, i enjoy the bouncy ball that is jacob melanoson but he is not a good hockey player.
Larssen is the most responsible blueliner on this team. what are you talking about. Vince Dunn is the liability.
Usually the phrase “worst case scenario” is self-evident.
ah ok. my bad. Yes, this would not be a good scenario. But Beniers and co (specifically Catton, OFM, Winterton and CV guys) do need another year of development at both NHL and AHL level so not sure why thats part of a “worst case scenario”. Thats best case scenario. Worst case scenario is Shane Wright gets traded for pennies, who then goes onto be an all-star else where.
This comment section has all the drama you’d expect. Get your popcorn kids and sit down for a good watch.
Good article Darren.
Teams build around cores of players and we still don’t have a good and well defined core. It’s easy to forget how much this roster has turned over and changed.
What was The Hurricanes’ core? They traded Necas. Tried to get Rantanen and he left. Stankoven is a very recent addition. Blake is 22 and just had his 2nd season. He was drafted 109th. They just got Ehlers. This was his first season. Hall is 34 and this was his second season with the Canes. That means their core is…
Staal, 37, 2nd overall by Pens
Martinook, 33, 58th by Canes
Slavin, 32, 120th by Canes
Aho, 28, 35th by Canes
Jarvis, 24, 13th by Canes
Thanks for bringing your awesome wisdom. Always appreciated!
Sorry. I forgot an important piece.
Svechnikov, 26, 2nd by Canes
Does Seattle have a core?
Beniers? 2nd.
Wright? 4th.
Catton? 8th.
O’Brien? 8th.
Kakko? 2nd by NYR.
Others?
Time will tell.
I see I triggered you with a pretty benign comment. I’m sorry the fact that teams build their playing identity around their roster is so controversial to you. You did prove the first part prophetic though
What does “triggered” mean? Responding to a comment? I guess I’m triggered, then.
Your comment wasn’t benign. You insinuated The Kraken don’t have a core, and OTHER teams build their team around a core. So I just drew your attention (using the word generously) to the Hurricanes’ “core”. We used to call it “reasoning”. Foreign concept these days, obviously.
He said “Teams build around cores of players and we still don’t have a good and well defined core.”
Lacking a “good” and “well defined” core is not the same as “no core at all.” Are any young players besides Beniers part of the core? Catton is still very young but didn’t exactly blow any doors off last season. Wright took a huge step back and is now a change-of-scenery trade candidate. Evans was very meh on the back end. Time will tell, but it sure seems that questions about this core are valid. This is why I’ve been all in on tanking — it’s been 5 years, and the young players on this team just aren’t good enough.
Responding to Boist…what should our core be, then?
I didn’t want to go here, but for the weak-minded among us, I would like someone to explain the “building around the core” process Carolina employed. Maybe you can kick things off, Koist.
Are you not entertained?!?!
It is quite fascinating to watch people go unhinged on a pretty benign and uncontroversial statement.
i think if the kraken take Verhoeff and find a way to get back into the top 10 to take Belchetz would be a great start. my real dream scenario is them somehow getting the 2nd pick off of san jose and taking stenberg and keeping their 7th to snap up smits/verhoeff/rudolph/carels (whichever is left) at 7 but the price on that may be counter productive. im half crossing my fingers that theyre bad enough to have high odds for landon dupont next draft. regardless of the high pick, i hope they use the late 1st rounder on a gamble like Lin or Roobroeck.
That would be awesome but probably a long shot…
Great article Darren, generally in agreement with you. I would like to see them still be patient for another year or two at least and focus on adding some younger emerging talents with upside. They are still at least a year or two away from having any semblance of a young core that they are built around. Would hate to see them trade off assets to pick up veterans with the hopes of just squeaking into the playoffs this year or next. Would prefer to see them build a core for a sustained playoff run. Similar to what Carolina has had recently, or even better what Detroit had for 25 years and multiple Stanley cup titles. The playoffs can be so Hit or Miss with significant luck factor, especially related to health. For example, see Colorado or Florida not even making the playoffs this year. Best odds of winning a cup or multiple cups is to have sustained playoff appearances over a number of years and hope with some luck and tweaks here and there you can win some cups…
Your view doesn’t click with what Darren wrote but I agree with your sentiment other then agreeing with his article 😂
How? Theres no way. these top 10 picks are wayyyyy to valuble. top 15 even. its not realistic. And to get the #2 pick?? the top 3 picks hardly everrrr get traded. everr. not gonna happen. To think you’ll get someones #2 pick AND keep you 7th is just lunacy.
Also, you dont need to be the worst team to get the #1 pick, as we keep seeing. You just need to be in the top 10 and get lucky. They haven’t been so far.
Getting 8, 9 or 10 is definitely doable between future picks and expiring contracts but I absolutely agree the 2nd would be pretty difficult/cost prohibitive. Only reason I said that one is because san jose has indicated they could be moved off of it but like I said, the cost may be higher than the value. Thats why I said it was my dream scenario.
The picks you get are not an indicator of success. Just look at
Carolina.
It seems to me the argument for tanking wasn’t done any favor by the two teams in the Final; however, another No.1 overall pick did break through. Just seven teams and 16 years later, Taylor Hall joined Aaron Ekblad and Nathan MacKinnon as the only other No.1s drafted in that time to win a Cup.
Tanking, I think, guarantees the team will suck… and nothing more. For every Colorado or Florida there is a Buffalo or Detroit – teams where their best players have actively forced their way out.
Florida have Barkov and Ekblad (two 2nd OA picks). Colorado have MacKinnon and Makar (1OA and 4OA). Buffalo have had all kinds of drama within the org. Detroit’s best picks are 5OA Raymond and 6OA Seider. Detroit never fully bottomed out and they never got the difference makers. They are quite reminiscent of Seattle. A lot of decent picks, no cutting edge.
Vegas had exactly two drafted homegrown players on their team this run. The vast majority of their team was aquired through trades. Carolina had six homegrown players on their cup winning team, but I’d argue this was a rather atypical year. Carolina is a high floor team but usually there are better teams around to win the cup, not this year as Florida and Colorado were devastated by injuries, and in Florida’s case exhausted by several deep runs.
Seattle right now lacks the trade ammo to get out of the hole they find themselves in. Seattle also lacks the pulling power to attract top UFA. A trade or two for a top player, say a Larkin, will not make this team good – it will only make Seattle the next Detroit, which is why the Larkin level players will use their NTCs to nix trades to Seattle.
The only realistic way forward, despite the cries of denial, is to build through the draft and develop young talent to the point they are desirable in trades if/when deemed surplus to the teams needs. But then the GM, who has said he wants to build through the draft, hired an ultra boring vet loving dino coach…
I agree with Darren that this team badly needs an identity, but before that can happen the leadership needs to get a grip. Right now the Kraken is a multi-headed Hydra more than a fearsome Kraken. Which head is in charge? The Owners pushing for the playoffs, the GM who wants to build through the draft, the marketing dept. who wants a “Star” (e.g. Panarin) to sell to the fans, the coach who is stuck in outdated hockey?
I’m waiting for the org to announce the result of “The Audit”. It is weeks overdue. Until the organizational dysfunction is fixed I don’t see how the org can progress meaningfully.
So, it’s irrelevant to you we have Beniers, Wright, Catton, O’Brien and a 7th and 25th pick in this years draft? Plus Montour, Stephenson (“overpaid”), Eberle and Dunn. None of that matters.
I feel sorry for these Kraken “fans”.
The only young player you mentioned that is played like a “core” player by the org is Beniers and he lacks the IQ/creativity to be a 1C.
The vets you mentioned are over 30 or in Dunn’s case will likely be traded. These vets are not good enough to even get the team to the playoffs, as proven repeated times. They are not the future core that will open the cup window for this team.
Please identify that core for me if you can. The kids we have are good prospects, but most of them are unknowns at this point in time. They may become strong 1st line/NHL players one day, or they may not.
My entire line of argument is that the Kraken must find a way to create that young cup contending core, and support then with adequate players (i.e. don’t be Toronto).
I like the article darren but the more interesting question and conversation is what is that direction and style? Because its not just what carolina was able to do. Every successful team picks and lane, sticks to it and constructs the roster around it. Lane Lambert is the current HC. They’ve chosen to move in that direction have they not? You’ve been with this team and with direct access to him. What is his style and how does it relate to the current roster?? That’s the more interesting angle. That’s what I and I think other fans want to hear.
As for this comments section, its getting tiresome reading through some of these over the top opinions. Id like the comments turned off with more content around the team itself and how it functions rather than reading about peoples opinions on failures they cant fully explain or point to directly. The coaching style! cry. Ron Fancis! cry. the “managment”!. cry. Vegas did it. cry. Every excuse you can think of, besides calling out specific players. its getting to a point in which i dont want to read these articles any more because im rage bated into commenting against some of the louder voices here.
Wow. Someone pompous enough to suffer chronic butthurt regarding opinions not his own, with obvious attendant “solution” being ban all comments altogether. Brilliant!
A few other solutions to your problem.
1. Your own “BMR” solution (last sentence). Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.
2. The “technology” solution. The end of the written article is indicated when the author’s bio. At this point, simply take your finger off the mouse wheel to avoid scrolling down to the comments. Pretend they don’t exist.
3. The “self-introspection” solution. These are comments/opinions on a sports website. Pretty sure the authors are just fine with this setup as is. Just get over yourself already
Just to be clear, I don’t always agree with, but I appreciate your hockey-related comments, so I hope you continue provide your thoughts and insights related to the team (a version of #3 I suppose).
Time will tell
Maybe you should go hang out with your Hab buddies. You would be much happier.
As an ex-bruins fan. I fking hate Montreal