I assure you, there will be extensive analysis of the Seattle Kraken’s performance throughout the 2023-24 season in the coming days, weeks, and months. We’ll delve deeper into what went wrong and speculate on offseason plans starting this week.
My mind is filled with topics to investigate and evaluate. Each investigation takes me down a different rabbit hole, and these don’t always yield findings worth sharing, so it will take me time to get through these. In the meantime, I thought I would wrap up the season with a final ‘Monday Musings.’
Injuries
Injuries were mentioned a couple of times during the season-ending press availabilities, and they truly took a toll on Seattle’s performance throughout the year. While maladies were a constant presence, we may not have fully grasped the extent of the challenge they presented this season for the Kraken.
Injuries are a part of the game, and the team faced a few last season as well. It’s hard to compare how this season’s man-games lost relates with last season or with other teams because of players on LTIR (Chris Driedger was included in Seattle’s man-games lost in 2022-23 but was replaced by Martin Jones).
Regardless, the above chart gives a good feel for just how much hockey was missed by key players. Due to turnover on the goal-scoring fourth line, the margin for error became much narrower this season. So in a season where goal-scoring was a challenge, the extended absences of Andre Burakovsky, Jaden Schwartz, and Vince Dunn had a significantly greater impact compared to the 2022-23 season.
Watching the playoffs though a Kraken lens
During Saturday night’s playoff game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins, I sent out a tongue-in-cheek tweet suggesting Mitch Marner could be traded to Seattle. While a Marner trade would be a long shot, these are the types of scenarios that general manager Ron Francis could be considering during the offseason. Players entering the last year of their contract, with several quality years left in their career, may become targets—especially those unlikely to re-sign with their current team or in situations where the current club is seeking change. Marner is just one example of the type of player Francis could be exploring.
As I watch every second of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, I also find myself keeping an eye on pending free agents who might fit into the Kraken’s lineup next season. In my opinion, signing the top free agents with lengthy contracts isn’t ideal, as they often don’t age well. Instead, the team needs a reliable goal scorer who can commit to a shorter contract of two or three years while the prospect pool matures. Among the players I’ve observed in the playoffs who fit this criteria are Tyler Toffoli, Anthony Duclair, and Jake DeBrusk. All three of them possess goal-scoring abilities and would be valuable additions to help address the team’s pressing need for scoring.
Thoughts on the new TV deal
The feedback and thoughts about the new Kraken TV partnership with TEGNA (KING 5/KONG) and Amazon Prime Video have been overwhelmingly positive. This partnership will remove significant financial barriers for fans to enjoy Kraken games. I’ve received numerous texts from Kraken fans expressing excitement about finally being able to watch locally broadcasted games.
However, a couple of fans raised legitimate questions. For instance, how will people in Idaho and Montana watch the games? The Kraken’s press release specifically mentioned availability in Washington, Oregon, and Alaska, suggesting that Idaho and Montana may not have local broadcast access via over-the-air or Amazon Prime Video.
We asked about this and were told that viewers in those states can subscribe to ESPN+ to watch games as “out of market” fans.
Another question is whether Amazon Prime Video will offer the capability to start games on a delay. Not everyone can make it home for a 4 pm start for games on the East Coast and might prefer a ‘start from the beginning’ option. While this feature is standard for many streaming services, Amazon’s first-time regional game broadcast could see some evolution in capabilities.
Regarding replays, will they be available on Amazon Prime Video immediately or will fans need to wait 48 hours as with ESPN+? NFL game replays on Prime Video are typically available right away, but it’s uncertain whether the same will apply to these games.
We have also asked about the ‘DVR’ functionality and will pass along what we hear back.
Fans have also asked about pre- and post-game shows. How will these be presented, and will Piper Shaw be joining the team? Imagine a world without #TheExperience!
This transition in distribution is a significant undertaking, and I anticipate there may be some initial challenges. Let’s all practice patience as the Kraken work to develop this new solution.
Other Musings
In case you missed it, the Kraken signed Carson Rehkopf, one of their second-round selections from last year’s draft, after his Kitchener Rangers squad was eliminated from the OHL playoffs. He will be joining the Coachella Valley Firebirds for their playoff run.
With the signing of Rehkopf, Oscar Fisker-Mølgaard remains as the last unsigned second-round pick from last year’s draft. Expect him to join the Denmark national team at the IIHF World Championship in Czechia.
The Kraken will have strong representation at the upcoming World Championship, starting May 10, as announced by Ron Francis in his postseason press availability. Players such as Jared McCann, Brandon Tanev, Jamie Oleksiak, Andre Burakovsky, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Philipp Grubauer, and Tomas Tatar will be playing for their respective countries.
Although it feels like ages ago, I was deeply moved watching the final Arizona Coyotes game at Mullett Arena. When I started NHLtoSeattle some 14 years ago, the possibility of the Coyotes relocating to Seattle was often discussed. I vividly recall texting with the prospective ownership group on the night of the Glendale vote in 2013. It wasn’t something I was rooting for, but I was certainly keeping a close eye on it. There were incredibly dedicated fans there, and I hope the NHL returns to Arizona soon.
The Coyotes have made the playoffs only once since the NHL-owned team reached the Western Conference Final in 2012.
Here’s an interesting tidbit I came across recently: During the 2023-24 season, the Kraken had 15 fighting majors. Interestingly, seven out of the nine teams with fewer fighting majors than the Kraken are currently in the playoffs.
Get Off My Lawn
With the significant news of the Seattle Kraken moving on from ROOT Sports, I began researching streaming options. The top two choices for my needs are YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV, with Hulu + Live TV being the favorite due to its bundle options with ESPN+. However, a major drawback with either option is the inability to add the NHL Network.
For passionate hockey fans like myself, the NHL Network offers 24/7 hockey content and serves as the home for events like the U18’s, Women’s Worlds, Men’s World Juniors, and Rivalry Series games. The only alternative streaming option would be Sling, but adding the NHL Network requires subscribing to the Orange package (~$40) and then purchasing the ‘Sports Extra’ add-on for an additional $10, totaling an extra $50 per month. That’s a bit steep for just adding the NHL Network, so I’ll pass on that option.
NHL Network distribution options, get off my lawn.
Down on the Farm
The Coachella Valley Firebirds earned a first-round bye in the Calder Cup Playoffs, and their second-round matchup is now set against the Calgary Wranglers. The series will follow a five-game format with the first two games scheduled in Calgary and the next three in Coachella Valley. This two-three format is often used to reduce travel costs when teams are geographically distant. Similarly, Abbotsford and Ontario are adopting a similar format for their series. I don’t love it for the Firebirds’ sake, since it feels like a disadvantage to open the series on the road.
Here is the schedule:
In case you missed it, early last week the Kraken and Firebirds announced that prospects Carson Rehkopf, David Goyette, Caden Price, Kaden Hammell, Andrei Loshko, and Eduard Šalé would be joining the Firebirds. Most of these guys will not get into any playoff games and are just around to absorb the pro atmosphere. But don’t be surprised if a couple of them get into a few games. Last season, Goyette ended up playing seven AHL playoff games after his junior season ended. Jagger Firkus and Jacob Melanson also got into one AHL playoff game each last season.
Speaking of Firkus, he will not be joining the Firebirds, since his Moose Jaw Warriors are still going and are knotted up at one game apiece against the Saskatoon Blades in Round 3 of the WHL Playoffs. On the other side of the WHL playoff bracket, Tyson Jugnauth and the Portland Winterhawks are tied 1-1 in their series with Prince George. Meanwhile, Ty Nelson of the North Bay Battalion is the only Kraken prospect still playing in the OHL playoffs.
You Don’t See That Every Day
This happened a while ago, but any time you see a goalie goal, you share it.
This is just a friendly reminder that the Kraken still have more playoff wins in the last three seasons than Vancouver.
Thank you all for reading and engaging with the Musings this season. It has been a rewarding routine that sparked discussions about the highlights and challenges of the Kraken’s season. Your thoughtful interactions in the comments section have been enriching and sometimes challenging, expanding my perspective and prompting me to reconsider my assumptions. Once again, thank you!
I have a substantial backlog of areas to investigate, but if you have any thoughts or ideas, please share them in the comments section.
Regardless of the playoff picture, I still enjoy watching the Kraken right now, especially when they win. The Kraken completed their California swing with wins against the Sharks and Ducks and a loss to the Kings in between. Sure, the victories were against two of the weaker teams in the league, but wins are wins, and you certainly wouldn’t want to see them lose to those teams, would you?
Shane Wright looks good
In my limited viewing of Coachella Valley Firebirds games and discussions I’ve had with people inside the Kraken, Shane Wright’s development has been very positive this season. The 20-year-old center has looked impressive since being called up on March 31, though I understand it has only been a few games. While I am excited about Shane, I remain cautious with prospects, knowing there’s an inherent bias in valuing something you possess. Nonetheless, we can appreciate what we’ve seen from him so far.
He scored a goal in his first game against the Sharks and added two against the Ducks on Friday night. However, his contributions extend beyond goal scoring. Wright plays sound defense, delivers quick, creative passes, and consistently positions himself well for scoring. He did make a few mistakes in his three games so far, but these should serve as learning opportunities.
When he was called up for three games in November, Wright appeared competent but cautious, often opting for the safe play to avoid errors. Although he wasn’t on a line with Jordan Eberle and Jaden Schwartz that time, which might have altered his current role with the big club, he now exudes more confidence and poses a greater threat on the ice than before.
Tremendous give and go between Wright and Schwartz in the neutral zone and then another that ends in a royal road feed from Eberle to Wright for the goal pic.twitter.com/pn3bs2wj9I
When evaluating Shane Wright’s development, I often compare it to the development path of Quinton Byfield, the Los Angeles Kings’ centerman. Their paths are not identical, but Wright and Byfield share similarities. Byfield, drafted second overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, was an OHL player. Due to the pandemic, he was allowed to spend his draft-plus-one season in the AHL and began playing most of his games in the NHL from the 2021-22 season onwards. However, it wasn’t until this season, four years after his draft year, that Byfield began to hit his stride at the top level, just as pundits were speculating that he might be a bust.
Shane is currently in his draft-plus-two season and, by all indications, will become a regular in the NHL next year, his draft-plus-three season. If he follows Byfield’s trajectory, we might not see his full capabilities in the NHL until 2025-26. The broader point is that we still need to be patient. What we should look for is progress in his development, which we have undoubtedly observed since he joined the franchise.
Other Musings
Friday’s win against the Ducks was Seattle’s eighth regular-season win against Anaheim since the inception of the Kraken, the most wins they have posted against any one team. The Kraken have the chance to beat the Sharks for the eighth time on Thursday in Seattle.
Logan Morrison and Ryan Winterton were scratched from games this week, a strategy often deployed when developing players to provide them with a different perspective of the game. This allows them to apply what they have learned from the handful of NHL games they’ve experienced at ice level and observe it from above. We would expect the duo to get another game or two at the NHL level before being sent back to Coachella Valley.
I would not pencil Morrison or Winterton into the lineup next year. Both show promise, but I am not convinced they will be ready to be regular NHLers next season.
Congratulations to Lleyton Roed on scoring his first professional goal on Sunday, just a week after signing his first professional hockey contract.
— x – Coachella Valley Firebirds (@Firebirds) April 8, 2024
After experiencing lots of challenges this season, Matty Beniers has been finding the net more often, with goals in four of his last six games. Below is his 10-game moving average of goals scored per game, which shows his scoring trend over 10 games at a time.
The IIHF Women’s World Championship kicked off last week, and one of the marquee games of the opening round is Canada versus USA at 7 p.m. PT, airing Monday on the NHL Network. Check it out if you are so inclined.
Speaking of international tournaments, it will be interesting to see how many Kraken players will participate in the men’s version of the IIHF World Championships in Czechia, which kick off in May. One player expected to represent Denmark is Kraken prospect Oscar Fisker Mølgaard. I’ve discussed him extensively this year, but this will be an opportunity to see how he fares against a number of NHL players.
The Kansas City Mavericks, the Seattle Kraken’s ECHL affiliate, clinched the Brabham Cup over the weekend, an award given to the top team of the regular season. In full transparency, I had never heard of the Brabham Cup before.
We alluded to it last week, and now it has been confirmed: Jani Nyman is joining the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
The Everett Silvertips closed out their first-round series against the Vancouver Giants on Sunday. They will face the Portland Winterhawks in the second round, which kicks off on Friday in Portland. The Winterhawks won six of the eight regular-season games between the two teams.
Player performances
Niklas Kokko (PEL/SEA) – Since last Monday, the Kraken goalie prospect won a decisive Game 7 in the opening round of the Liiga playoffs and then won the first two games of the semifinal matchup against his former team, Karpat. He has a .925 save percentage in those two games.
David Goyette (SBY/SEA) – The Kraken’s second-round selection from the 2022 NHL Draft had nine points, including four goals, in the Sudbury Wolves’ first-round series win against the Mississauga Steelheads. The Wolves won the series in five games and will now face Ty Nelson and the North Bay Battalion in Round 2.
Shane Wright (SEA) – We’ve talked about him a lot lately, but he has four points in his three games with the Kraken since he was called up.
Goal of the week
The goal of the week comes from the semifinals of the SHL playoffs, Växjö Lakers vs Rögle BK.
The analytics community has long understood that outhitting an opponent in a hockey game does not necessarily lead to more wins. The overarching idea is that if you’re outhitting an opponent, it likely means you don’t have the puck. Recently, I’ve noticed a broad group of media outlets highlighting hitting as if it were a key component of success on the ice. This has made me somewhat uneasy, so I decided to investigate how well the Kraken perform when outhitting opponents versus being outhit this season.
When the Kraken are “close” with their opponent in terms of the number of hits delivered, or they deliver at least four fewer hits than their opponent, their winning percentage is significantly higher.
The week ahead
The Kraken will play their last two home games this week, taking on the Coyotes on Tuesday and the Sharks on Thursday. Despite the challenges of the past six weeks, I’ll be sad to see the season end. I still love watching the team play, and if it weren’t for the unrealistic expectations created by last year’s team, I would have been content with this season. The Kraken are laying the groundwork to become a perennial playoff contender, rather than a team that gambles too early and risks having to rebuild. In short, while I would have been thrilled to see them in the playoffs, I appreciate the direction they’re heading.
I have a personal backlog of offseason analysis and investigation, but please let me know if there’s anything specific you’d like me to focus on as the season winds down.
It’s been two weeks since the last installment of Monday Musings, and while I won’t delve into the details of each of the seven games that have since passed, it’s safe to say it’s been quite the roller coaster ride. We witnessed some lackluster performances against the Sabres and the Canadiens, hard-fought battles versus the Coyotes and Golden Knights, two victories against the Ducks, and a game where Seattle showed heart but ultimately fell short against the Stars. Emotionally, I’m coping a bit better with the losses now, but there’s no denying the joy that comes with the wins, regardless of their significance in the grand scheme of things.
Player signings and timing
The Seattle Kraken recently inked one of their second-round selections from the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, Lukas Dragicevic, following the conclusion of the Tri-City Americans’ season. This aligns with the Kraken’s strategy of signing many of their draft picks a season after their selection. Likewise, we anticipate Oscar Fisker-Mølgaard to follow suit over the next couple of weeks, now that HV71’s season has ended.
HV71 secured its spot in the SHL for next season after a crucial Game 7 victory, sparing themselves relegation against IK Oskarshamn. Mølgaard, another second-round pick from the 2023 draft, showcased his talent with an impressive season in the SHL. While we anticipate Mølgaard’s signing, unlike Dragicevic, we don’t foresee him joining the Coachella Valley squad for the remainder of the season.
European prospects typically make the transition to North America at the end of their respective seasons if the Kraken intend to have them play in North America the following campaign. Our projection suggests Mølgaard will spend another year honing his skills in the SHL before potentially making the move across the Atlantic.
Similarly, Jani Nyman wrapped up his season last week when his team, Ilves, bowed out to KalPa in the Liiga quarterfinals. Nyman showcased his talent throughout the season, tallying an impressive 43 points in 48 games, earning him the under-20 scoring title and the coveted Red Bull helmet. Having signed his standard entry-level contract (ELC) last year as part of the 2022 Kraken draft class, there’s speculation about his future plans. While nothing is certain, there’s a growing anticipation that he may transition to North America for the upcoming season, potentially joining the Coachella Valley Firebirds to finish out the current season.
Here is a look at the status of all the Kraken draft picks by year and round.
In addition to Mølgaard, I would anticipate Carson Rehkopf to sign whenever the Kitchener Rangers season is complete.
Forecasting the draft picks
I recently received a thought-provoking question from a friend: How many players drafted by the Kraken will become regulars on the team in three years? It’s the kind of inquiry that tends to surface when your team finds itself out of playoff contention.
The data reveals an intriguing reality: only 80 percent of first-round draft picks manage to accumulate more than 100 games in the NHL. For second-round picks, that number drops to 50 percent, and it dwindles to less than 20 percent for those selected beyond the third round. Despite our enthusiasm for some of the draft picks, the odds remain steep for most of them to secure substantial NHL playing time. Assessing which players will succeed and stick in the NHL involves applying probabilities to all Kraken prospects. However, this method doesn’t offer a foolproof prediction of when they’ll make their NHL debut, and it’s worth noting that players may also be traded by the Kraken, further complicating matters.
Using a rough estimation based on the player’s draft round and potential, out of the current 28 drafted prospects, we project that approximately 8.2 will accumulate 100 games or more in the NHL. This rough proxy can help gauge the number of Kraken-drafted prospects likely to feature on the team in three years. While it may seem like the Kraken have excelled in drafting compared to other teams, this perception could be influenced by confirmation bias. To make a more definitive statement, we’ll need a few more years of data to validate this notion.
Shane Wright call-up
In case it slipped under your radar, the Kraken made a notable move on Sunday by recalling Shane Wright. This marks Shane’s second call-up to the Kraken this season, with his first stint occurring back in November for three games.
His performance in Coachella Valley this season has been impressive, fueling excitement about his potential at the highest level. From recent observations, particularly in terms of his two-way play, Shane appears to excel, demonstrating deft puck movement and a quick release, whether shooting or passing to teammates.
While I’d love to offer insights into how his skills will translate to the NHL, the reality is that there’s limited exposure to 20-year-old centers playing in the AHL. Nonetheless, my expectation is that he’ll remain with the team for at least five games, affording us the opportunity to witness his talents in action during the last two home games of the season next week.
Other musings
With the departure of Alex Wennberg and the absence of Vince Dunn, the power play has looked very different. There seems to be a greater emphasis on getting the puck down low for either a touch pass to the slot or sliding a pass across the crease. It seems to be working. The Kraken have a 22.2 power-play percentage since March 3. That is slightly better than the 21.2 percent they had prior to Wennberg’s departure.
One of the more noticeable elements of the power play recently is the change of shot location of Oliver Bjorkstrand and Jared McCann. They are still getting their shots; they are just getting it from different locations.
The Kraken goaltenders still have the second highest save percentage in the league since Dec. 1.
In case anyone missed it, the Kraken will be the only NHL team in the league without a home win on a Saturday this season, and I have no theories on why.
Goal scoring continues to be a challenge. The Kraken have scored two goals or less in seven out of their last nine games.
Alison Lukan beat me to it by five days, but the 10 power play opportunities against the Anaheim game on Thursday was a franchise record. The previous record was eight against Vancouver in the inaugural season.
The Ducks are far and away the most undisciplined team in the league, while the Kraken are one of the most disciplined.
The Kraken allowed their ninth goal of the season within five seconds of a face-off on Saturday. We commonly refer to these as ‘face-off goals against.’ They are second in the NHL at allowing face-off goals against this season. The second goal Dallas scored was nine seconds after a face-off.
I have watched a lot of Liiga (Finland) and SHL (Sweden) via their streaming platforms. The picture quality is so superior to footage of the AHL and most of the NHL Regional Sport Networks. Why can’t we get this kind of quality for North America? I understand why it might be a challenge for the CHL, but the other leagues have the money and viewers to make their products better.
Speaking of Scandinavian hockey leagues, Kraken goalie prospect Niklas Kokko will be playing an elimination game in the Liiga playoffs when his team, Lahden Pelicans, squares off against HIFK in a Game 7 matchup Tuesday evening in Finland. Kokko has a .935 save percentage and 1.58 goals against average in these playoffs. He just turned 20 years old.
Player performances
David Goyette (SBY/SEA) – The regular-season points leader in the OHL had a Gordie Howe hat trick in the Sudbury Wolves’ second OHL playoff game. The Wolves lead that series 2-0 and are headed to Sudbury for Games 3 and 4.
Joey Daccord (SEA) – posted a .951 save percentage over the last week with a goals against average of 1.01 in that stretch.
Visa Vedenpää (HER/SEA) – The sixth-round goalie selected in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft had a 39-save shutout on March 27 playing for Hermes in the second round of the Mestis league playoffs.
Goal of the week
Shooters shoot. Check out Goyette’s goal from a crazy game against Mississauga on Saturday.
Furthering the discussion about the Kraken draft picks, here is a look at the number of draft picks playing for the teams that drafted them. I leveraged the CapFriendly.com depth charts so there could be players not reflected in the data if they are currently out of the lineup.
What to watch for
Shane Wright. There are not a lot of obvious roster changes next season, but you can probably lock Shane into a spot right now. I don’t think we will be able to extrapolate much from this stint with the Kraken, but my hope is we see the strides he has made by developing in the AHL this season. It would be great to see a goal or two, but I am eager to see how he moves the puck and how he plays defensively. Hopefully, he gets some special teams opportunities.
We are getting close to offseason mode where we will be digging into the draft, prospects, what went wrong, and a host of other content ideas we have brewing. If there are areas you want us to dig into, please let us know.
It is time for another playoff update. With 10 games remaining, the Kraken are not mathematically eliminated just yet, but they’re closing in on that painful milestone. The Kings, Golden Knights, and Predators need to get more than 93 points for the Kraken to be officially out. Currently the Kings are at 87 points, the Golden Knights are at 88 points and the Predators are at 90 points.
What happened this week
Mar. 24 – Demoralizing Kraken loss to Montreal (5-1)
The Seattle Kraken gave up four goals in the first period and just looked flat the entire game. Philipp Grubauer was pulled, but this was definitely a loss by the whole team. Dave Hakstol called out the group after the loss, saying “Every time you put this jersey on, it means a lot, and right now we are not portraying that out on the ice. You play this game with passion, you play it with heart, and you play it for the guy next to you. And we are not doing that right now, and that’s more than disappointing. That’s hard to be part of and something we are going to change.”
"You play this game with passion. You play it with heart. You play it for the guy next to you. We're not doing that right now and that's more than disappointing."
General manager Ron Francis also had a message and delivered it in the form of bringing up some youth from Coachella Valley in 20-year-old Ryan Winterton and 21-year-old Logan Morrison.
Mar. 26 – Kraken shut out the Ducks (4-0)
The streak ended!!! The Kraken were on an eight-game skid, one shy of their longest losing streak ever, which was a nine-game losing streak during the inaugural season. The Kraken finally broke through on the scoresheet, putting up four goals after only averaging 1.38 goals per game in their previous eight contests. Goaltender Joey Daccord and the Kraken as a whole looked solid against a bad team and earned a shutout. The Ducks were limited to just 12 shots.
Morrison, playing in his first NHL game, received the Davy Jones hat from Andre Burakovsky and earned an impressive 14:21 of ice time, including 3:46 of power-play time. While he did not record a point, he had four good shots on net and generated two turnovers. Overall, the fourth line of Tye Kartye, Winterton, and Morrison looked good with a youthful and spirited effort.
Mar. 28 – Round two with Anaheim, Kraken win (4-2)
There was not much going on in the first and second periods, but the Kraken were able to get on the board and hold a 1-0 lead to start the third period. The third was wild, though, featuring five goals (including two short-handed by Anaheim), some fisticuffs, and 28 penalty minutes.
Even though the Kraken gave up two short-handed goals 44 seconds apart, they rallied and scored three straight to recapture the lead and win the game. Morrison had 13:12 of ice time with an incredible 6:30 on the power play. Unfortunately for Morrison, he also had the puck stripped from him, which led to the second short-handed marker by Jakob Silfverberg.
The key here is Hakstol is giving the youngsters on the fourth line lots of playing time and valuable experience.
Wild card race
St. Louis Blues
Realistically, only the St. Louis Blues are the only team outside the playoff bubble that still have a chance at a wild card spot, five points behind the Kings for the last position. Both Los Angeles and Vegas are in striking distance for St. Louis, but one of those two teams will qualify as the No. 3 seed in the Pacific Division. Vegas has a six-point lead with nine games remaining, and Los Angeles has 10 games left. According to tankathon.com, the Blues have the second easiest schedule remaining.
Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles is sitting at 87 points and won four of its last five games. The Kings do have a game in hand over St. Louis and Vegas but will need to finish strong to keep their playoff spot. The Kings also have an easy schedule remaining and actually have the easiest of all NHL teams, according to tankathon.com.
Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas has the toughest remaining schedule of the teams fighting for a spot, coming in at 17th hardest in the NHL. The Knights did not make it easy on themselves, going to overtime with both St. Louis and Nashville, but they finished with an impressive 3-0-1 record this week that has put them in the third playoff spot in the Pacific Division.
Nashville Predators
Nashville’s unbeaten streak was ended at 18 games (16-0-2) by the Arizona Coyotes (of all teams) on Thursday night. The Predators have pretty much punched their ticket to the playoffs, holding an eight-point lead over St. Louis. They are only four points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the third spot in the Central Division. The Jets and Predators will play one more time this season, so that lead could disappear quickly.
The week ahead for the Kraken
The Seattle Kraken have three games this week (Mar. 29-Apr. 3). They will face one team from each team categorization, Playoff-Bound, Bubble, and Tanker:
Mar. 30 (Home) – Kraken vs. Stars – Playoff Bound
Apr. 1 (Away) – Kraken vs. Sharks – Tanker
Apr. 3 (Away) – Kraken vs. Los Angeles – Bubble
Personally, I am looking to the game versus the San Jose Sharks, as the Kraken look to avenge the 2-0 shutout they got handed back on Jan. 30.
The Kraken probably will be eliminated from playoff contention in the next week or two. If the Kraken lose two or more games this week, that would likely do it. If they get a couple wins, this could stretch out for another week.
More call-ups?
With Morrison and Winterton getting called up to the Kraken, we are thinking that Shane Wright will be brought up for a couple games before the end of the season. Wright has only played in three games with the Kraken this year. He can play six more without burning a year of his entry-level contract. Overlaying the Firebirds schedule with the Kraken schedule, we theorize that if Wright is called up, it is most likely for the Apr. 9 and Apr. 11 home games against the Coyotes and Sharks.
For the first time in the Seattle Kraken’s young franchise history, a highly touted prospect made non-Kraken-related appearances in the region. The high-flying Moose Jaw Warriors made their lone trip of the season through the U.S. Division last week, and along with them came Jagger Firkus, a second-round pick of the Kraken in the 2022 NHL Draft.
To call Firkus a junior-hockey sensation would be an understatement. The dynamic center for the Warriors is having one of the best seasons of any player in the Canadian Hockey League this year, not only leading his team in goals, assists, and points, but also leading the CHL in total points. And on a team with as much NHL potential as the Warriors have, he’s stuck out like a sore thumb. Nobody else on the roster is within 20 points of his team lead.
Since he arrived in the Pacific Northwest last week, the “Firkus Circus” received nothing but praise. The forward tried to embrace as much of it as possible.
“It’s been unbelievable,” Firkus said in an interview with Sound Of Hockey. “The support I’ve gotten, ever since I stepped into Everett, (has) been next level. Honestly, it’s something that I never really thought would happen to me.”
Circus Week
“Circus Week” began Thursday night at Climate Pledge Arena for Firkus, as he and the Warriors were treated by the Kraken, taking in their game against the Pittsburgh Penguins from the press bridge.
“It’s electric in there,” Firkus said on experiencing Climate Pledge Arena from a fan’s perspective and catching up with Kraken staff members. “It’s an unbelievable facility… it was just great to see everyone. A lot of [my teammates] were in awe of how nice that rink really is.”
The 19-year-old from Irma, Alberta, was elated to see one of his boyhood idols, Sidney Crosby, play for the first time in person.
“(For) pretty much every kid from Canada, it’s the guy that you idolize and dream to be,” Firkus said. “To see him in real life was honestly unbelievable, and he was exactly what I imagined.”
One of the games of the year in the WHL came on Friday night at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett with Firkus and the Warriors in town. Firkus was the first skater out during warmups and was met with a warm welcome from fans eager to see what he could do in person.
In what could be a preview of a potential WHL Finals matchup, the Warriors went up by two goals two separate times, only for the Silvertips to claw their way back and force overtime and eventually a shootout with the game tied 7-7. Firkus showed off his hands and his vision with a goal and an assist in regulation for the Warriors.
All the exhilaration in regulation culminated in Firkus scoring a beautiful backhand goal over Silvertips netminder Tyler Palmer to give Moose Jaw the lead in the shootout, which they held for the win. Firkus fumbled the puck a bit on his entry, though he made it sound like he did it on purpose.
“I think that little fumble kind of froze (Palmer),” Firkus said. “So I tried to go up top, and it ended up going in.”
With a 19.6 shooting percentage on the year, Firkus has a tight release that gives him the ability to shoot with power from almost anywhere in the offensive zone. Silvertips defenseman and fellow Kraken prospect Kaden Hammell had high praise for Firkus and harped on how challenging it was to defend a shot like his.
“He’s probably one of, if not the most dynamic player in the WHL,” Hammell said. “It’s fun as a challenge for a defenseman like myself to take on players like him. He’s a hell of a player.”
Hammell got to know Firkus well at Kraken Development Camp in July, 2023. “He’s a great guy, and I’m hoping that we can continue to develop our relationship over the next couple of years.”
Firkus’ team is loaded with NHL potential, too. Often, when the Warriors go to the power play, they send out a unit featuring Firkus alongside first-round picks Matthew Savoie (BUF), Brandon Yager (PIT), and Denton Mateychuk (CBJ), not to mention, February’s WHL Player of the Month, Atley Calvert.
Savoie, Firkus’ newest teammate and former Wenatchee Wild (acquired in a trade before the WHL trade deadline), thinks it’s pivotal for players like themselves to be around others at similar skill levels, all striving for the same brand of success in the NHL.
“It always helps to be surrounded with really talented players,” Savoie said. “And to have the ability to play with those guys helps our drive to get us to where we want to be.”
Firkus has been the points leader for the Warriors three seasons in a row, nearing 300 career points, and is again is on pace to win the CHL’s scoring title. It leaves one to wonder, does scoring at a high volume in juniors like Firkus has translate to doing the same at the NHL level?
Of the last 20 CHL single-season scoring titlists, 17 have played games in the NHL, with 10 having played over 100 games. But Crosby, Patrick Kane, and Jason Robertson are the only three players to win the award and excel with above a point-per-game in their careers.
So, maybe the inflated production for Firkus won’t be as high as what he’s putting up now in the WHL, but who knows? With the intangibles and work ethic he’s shown, it’s only a matter of time before the Kraken give him the opportunity.
“Obviously, there’s lots of room to improve for me,” Firkus said. “I think there’s times in games [in the WHL] where you can think twice and try to make the smart play, but at the pro level you have to make that play 10 times out of 10, or you’re gonna have someone else taking your spot.”
The Warriors finished their three-games-in-three-days weekend with contests in Kent and Wenatchee. Firkus shined again on both nights, scoring twice in a 4-2 win over the Seattle Thunderbirds on Saturday, then following that with arguably his best night of the road trip on Sunday, when he gathered a goal and two assists in another 3-0 win over the Wenatchee Wild. With his goal in Wenatchee, Firkus hit 50 on the season.
Going 6-0-0-0 on their U.S. Division trip for the first time in franchise history, the Warriors outscored opponents 40-19 over this span. Firkus finished this stretch at two points per game, and he netted three game-winning goals. He is now second in the WHL in game-winning goals with 10 on the year.
With a point on Friday, the Warriors became the second team in the Eastern Conference to clinch a playoff spot, currently occupying the second seed. With six games remaining in the regular season, Firkus and the Warriors know what’s at stake this time of year.
“This is our last kick at the can to win something,” Firkus said on the core group of players graduating or moving after the season. “Everyone wants to go into this playoff run hot, and we all want to win.”
The WHL Playoffs are set to begin on March 29.
Header photo: Jagger Firkus races for a puck with Nathan Pilling on Saturday. (Photo/Brian Liesse, Seattle Thunderbirds)
In last week’s Monday Musings, I mentioned that the Seattle Kraken would need at least four out of six available points against Detroit, Vancouver, and Minnesota, with at least one point coming against the Wild. That did not happen.
It was looking good heading into Saturday night’s matchup against the Wild. The Kraken were coming off one of their more impressive games of the season with a 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks, and it seemed like this team was starting to play with the type of purpose that would be required to contend for one of the last playoff spots.
Heading into Saturday night, the Kraken were also 9-1-0 in the last 10 games in which they scored first, so when Vince Dunn made it 1-0 just 36 seconds in, there was a reason to feel confident. Alas, the Wild went on to score the next five goals and cruise to a 5-2 win over the Kraken.
It was not the effort you wanted to see for a very important game in the race for one of the wild card spots. On top of that, the Kings, Predators, and Flames all won to either extend their leads on the Kraken or, in the case of Calgary, jump over the Kraken in the standings.
I’ve said it before, and Darren said it in Three Takeaways: the challenge is not necessarily the point gap between the Kraken and the last wild card spot, it is the number of teams ahead of them. The Kraken are now seven points back of the Nashville Predators with a game in hand for that last playoff spot, but there are also three more teams (St. Louis, Minnesota, and Calgary) they would need to jump over to get back in. That is a tall task.
Despite the poor showing on Saturday night, the Kraken are currently sitting with about a 20-percent chance of making the playoffs. That is better than I would have expected their chances to be, but if a week from now, they are still sitting on a 20-percent chance, it is highly likely they will sell off some of their pending UFA’s at the March 8 trade deadline.
Power play pressure
The Kraken had a season-high five power play opportunities on Saturday and came up empty on all five. The power play has been playing well of late with a goal in each of the prior three games. Despite coming away with no goals against the Wild, there were several power-play opportunities where the Kraken maintained offensive-zone possession, and that created shot opportunities, so I’m not terribly concerned about this particular area.
I don’t have the data, but there were a couple opportunities where the Kraken maintained offensive possession for the first 90 or so seconds of the respective power plays. If the Kraken can maintain this type of pressure in the upcoming games, the goals will eventually follow. Sustained offensive pressure can force the opposing penalty-killing unit to fatigue, leading to defensive breakdowns and increased vulnerability to scoring chances.
Shot quantity and locations for top line
One thing that has been going well is the play and production of the reunited Matty Beniers, Jordan Eberle, and Jared McCann line. Coach Dave Hakstol reunited the trio after the loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Feb. 10. That trio has at least one goal in each of the last five games and has a combined for 10 goals over that span.
Hakstol mentioned that they were struggling to get inside shot opportunities at the beginning of the season but are having much more success lately.
The rink map shows a lot more shot attempts inside over the last six games from that group compared to how they started the season.
That top line is also generating more shot attempts over the last six games compared to the start of the season, averaging over three more shot attempts per game.
Other Musings:
Marc-Andre Fleury is now 5-1-1 against the Seattle Kraken. Only Stuart Skinner has more wins against the Kraken in their franchise history. Edmonton comes to town Saturday. 😐
The Kraken are now 0-4-2 on Saturday games at Climate Pledge Arena this season. They have three more home Saturday games for the rest of the season.
The Kraken were shorthanded six times on Saturday night against the Wild, which was tied for second as the most times they have been shorthanded in a single game in franchise history. The Wild converted on two of the six opportunities. This was out of character for the Kraken, as they are generally one of the more disciplined teams in the league.
Saturday night’s game against the Wild is the 14th time the Seattle Kraken have been down by three goals in a game this season. They have lost all 63 games in franchise history when they have fallen behind by three goals. I keep telling myself that one day, a three-goal comeback will happen, and it will be epic when it does.
Somehow the Kraken have a 2-2-1 all-time record against Boston.
Oliver Bjorkstrand has not scored a goal in nine games, his longest drought of the season.
The Moose Jaw Warriors come though the Puget Sound over the weekend, which brings opportunities to see Kraken prospect Jagger Firkus. He will be in Everett on Friday night, and on Saturday, you can do the double-header with the Edmonton Oilers at the Kraken at 1 pm, then Moose Jaw at the Seattle Thunderbirds down in Kent at 7 pm.
Speaking of prospects, Scott Wheeler from The Athletic published the Seattle Kraken’s prospect rankings a little over a week ago. There weren’t a lot of surprises. Shane Wright was ranked No. 1, Carson Rehkopf No. 2, and Jagger Firkus was No. 3. If you have a subscription, it’s a fun read; just remember prospects are like chips on a roulette table. Most prospects face long odds, and there are probably only a couple of real winners in there.
Player performances
David Goyette (SBY) – Goyette has an active 14-game point streak and has four goals and three assists over his last three games.
Carson Rehkopf (KIT) – Rehkopf continues to score in bunches in the OHL. He had nine points over three games, including the below six-point game on Saturday.
Andrei Loshko (ROU) – I’ve mentioned Andrei Loshko before, but the fourth-round pick from the 2023 NHL Draft tends to fly under the radar. He had three goals in two games for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in the QMJHL.
You don’t see that everyday
I saw the stick break at the game on Saturday, but I didn’t see McCann’s ninja like skills until the next day.
With the NHL trade deadline fast approaching, the Kraken find themselves at a pivotal juncture in their season. This feels like a do-or-die type week. To remain in contention for a playoff spot, they must secure at least five out of the six points available in their three games this week. Failure to do so will realistically eliminate any postseason hopes and could trigger selling assets at the deadline. It will not be easy, as the Kraken face Boston on Monday, Pittsburgh on Thursday, and Edmonton on Saturday.
Here is a look at the rest of the wild card contenders schedule this week:
There are several games around the league with wild card contenders facing off against each other. That further illustrates why it is so challenging to jump over multiple teams, as one of the two will get two points, and there’s always the chance of an OT loser point.
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