We have turned the corner on training camp from the “Who will stick around for a while?” phase to the “Who will make the opening-night roster?” phase. While there’s plenty of whittling left to do for the Kraken (and a big round of cuts is looming), we feel we’ve seen enough to form our own opinions about which players will be with the NHL team when it breaks camp at the end of this week.
Worth noting, we’re still just projecting here based on our own observations of how things are playing out in camp. Who is getting the longest looks? Who has taken advantage of preseason playing opportunities? Which young players are skating alongside mostly veterans, as coach Dave Hakstol starts piecing together potential regular-season lines?
Even with everything we’ve seen over the past two weeks, this was still a hard exercise, and we don’t envy the Kraken brass tasked with deciding who to keep and who to cut. In fact, while we made our final picks here, we would love to see your opinions in the comments about what you think we got right and wrong.
Here are our picks for which players make the opening-night roster for the Kraken.
Bubble players we think will make it
Ryker Evans
We’re starting with our hottest take here, and this one could blow up on us if we’ve read the situation incorrectly. Throughout this camp, we’ve maintained that Ryker Evans deserves a chance to play at the NHL level, but with the signing of left-shot defenseman Brian Dumoulin this offseason, we didn’t see a spot for Evans on the Kraken blue line. For Evans to make the team, we figured an injury would have to occur or Evans would have to play so well, the Kraken would have no choice but to keep him.
The latter scenario seems to be coming to fruition.
After watching Evans dance around NHL competition, quarterback the power play, and frankly outperform some of the veteran defensemen on the team, we are sold. We now predict the Kraken will find a way to keep him with the big club.
What sealed the deal for us was Seattle’s home game against Vancouver on Thursday, in which Evans was deployed on the right side—his off-hand side—and didn’t miss a beat. Hakstol used the word “outstanding” that night to describe Evans’s handling of the puck in the offensive end of the ice, a word we don’t hear often from the bench boss.
Exactly where Evans fits in remains to be seen, but his ability to play either side helps his case for snagging a lineup spot.
Vince Dunn was mysteriously absent from camp for a few days but returned to the ice Tuesday to run through drills on his own with coach Jay Leach. So, filling in for Dunn doesn’t look like it will be an option for Evans.
On the other side of the coin, even assuming Dunn is ready to go by next week, we still see a scenario in which one of Jaycob Megna or Cale Fleury (or both) gets put on waivers, making Evans one of seven defensemen (or eight if they keep two extra blueliners) on the roster.
Having said all this, we only believe our own prediction here if Evans has a real opportunity to play games at the NHL level; we don’t think Seattle will keep him if he’s going to sit as a healthy scratch. Thus, if he is stealing a roster spot, that means a veteran will have to come out of the lineup, or maybe players will have to rotate through the press box.
Tye Kartye
The situation for Tye Kartye coming into camp was a little different than that of Evans. There has always minimally been a spot on the roster for Kartye and even a potential spot in the lineup; he just needed to beat out other players to secure that spot. We think he has done that.
Aside from Monday’s game against Edmonton, Kartye has largely skated on a line with veterans this preseason, specifically Brandon Tanev and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. Seeing this trio grouped together really felt like Hakstol testing out a potential fourth-line combo.
Tye Kartye was impactful in the 2022-23 Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Photo/Brian Liesse)
Kartye has made impressive plays at every stage of training camp and appears poised to build off his 2022-23 season, which brought an AHL rookie of the year award and five points in 10 Stanley Cup Playoff games. Kartye’s best play came in the split-squad game against Calgary, when he was stopped on a breakaway by Dustin Wolf, but then recovered in time to intercept an outlet pass and snipe it past the Flames netminder. The kid is NHL ready.
Kartye’s inclusion would likely mean Shane Wright and Kole Lind go to Coachella Valley, at least to start the season.
We’ve liked what we’ve seen from Shane Wright and think he’s right on the cusp of being ready. But we still think more time in the AHL, playing at the top of Coachella Valley’s lineup, will benefit Seattle’s most touted prospect and make him better in the long run. There’s no point in keeping a guy like Wright on the NHL roster if it means he’s going to play six minutes a night or be a healthy scratch. He has not had a normal developmental runway, and we think he still needs at least a little of that to become an impactful NHLer.
As for Lind, we love the player and still think he deserves a shot in the NHL. But he came into this camp needing to prove he was more NHL ready than Kartye and Wright, and that he brought more to the team than veterans like Devin Shore and John Hayden. From what we’ve seen, Kartye has the upper hand on Lind, and we are not convinced the brass will have seen enough from Lind to keep him over a serviceable fill-in veteran like Shore.
Joey Daccord
We don’t think it’s a coincidence that Philipp Grubauer’s batterymate for most of training camp has been Joey Daccord. With Seattle’s players split into two groups, Grubauer and Daccord have tended to stick together for their on-ice sessions, while Chris Driedger has mostly played opposite Ales Stezka.
We paused for a moment when Driedger joined Grubauer Sunday and Monday mornings, but Grubauer played the full game Monday night, while Driedger watched from the bench.
Daccord has earned his opportunity. He was lights out in the Calder Cup Playoffs last season, keeping a firm grasp on the Firebirds goal crease, even after Driedger returned from injury. His play earned him a one-way contract for this year and next, and he has continued to look solid throughout this camp. At this point, we think it’s Daccord’s job to lose, rather than the other way around.
Devin Shore
Of our “bubble” picks to make the roster, we have the least conviction in our selection of Shore to stay with the big club. He hasn’t blown any of the other bubble players out of the water, but he is a quintessential “extra” forward, perfect to keep around for added depth. At 29 years old, there will be less concern for getting him playing time, and he can fill in at any forward position, including center.
Hayden ticks a lot of the same boxes and adds more physicality. So if Hakstol and his staff aim to keep two extra forwards, and one of those is a veteran guy they can plug in when needed, Hayden may be the pick here. But we’re giving Shore a slight edge based on what we’ve seen in preseason action.
Bubble players we think will miss out
We talked throughout this article about why we think Wright, Lind, and Hayden will be among the final cuts from the Kraken forward corps. On the blue line, we think the same will happen for Megna and Fleury, though neither deserves to be sent through waivers. Both have had solid camps, and Fleury looks like he has taken a big step in his development this offseason.
The problem for Fleury and Megna is that the Kraken simply have too many NHL defensemen, and Evans only adds to that pool. For Fleury’s sake, we hope he gets a chance to play regular minutes this season, whether that be at the NHL or AHL level. But barring injuries, it’s hard to see a path to regular shifts on the Kraken for either Fleury or Megna.
Predicting the opening-night roster
Here’s what we are predicting will be the opening-night roster for the Seattle Kraken. We think Hakstol will keep two extra forwards this season, as opposed to two extra defensemen, as he has done in the past.
Again, let us know in the comments where you think we went wrong here.
Forwards
Jared McCann / Matty Beniers / Jordan Eberle Jaden Schwartz / Alex Wennberg / Andre Burakovsky Oliver Bjorkstrand / Yanni Gourde / Eeli Tolvanen Brandon Tanev / Pierre-Edouard Bellemare / Tye Kartye Kailer Yamamoto / Devin Shore
Defense
Vince Dunn / Adam Larsson Jamie Oleksiak / Will Borgen Brian Dumoulin / Justin Schultz Ryker Evans
Goalies
Philipp Grubauer Joey Daccord
Other candidates for last roster spot
Shane Wright Kole Lind John Hayden Cale Fleury Jaycob Megna
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.
It’s easy to have negative feelings after a 4-1 loss, but in the preseason, it’s important to think about the *way* a team played. Plus, there will be ample time for negativity during the regular season, so let’s save those feelings for now.
For Kraken fans, there were plenty of positives to take out of the team’s preseason loss to the Edmonton Oilers Monday. For one, Seattle didn’t give up much defensively to a team that dressed Connor McDavid AND Leon Draisaitl. Coach Dave Hakstol called this out as one of those positives, and the game’s stats bore this out, as Philipp Grubauer faced just 13 shots on the night.
Grubauer’s play could be seen as a negative, being that he had just a .769 save percentage, but it was one of those weird nights where he went long stretches without facing a shot, then would get the best player in the world barreling toward him with the puck on his stick. We aren’t reading into it too much, but it is notable.
Ah! Sorry, we let a negative sneak in there. Sticking to the positives the rest of the way! These are our Three Takeaways.
Takeaway #1 (Darren): Power play progress
We had a story on Sound Of Hockey recently about how Seattle aims to improve its power play this season, and—although it only converted once on five opportunities Monday—we did see improvement.
“[I saw] a lot of progress, power-play wise,” said Hakstol. “Not only the goal that we scored, but the other opportunities we got, and not just the opportunities, but where they came from. We had some real good looks.”
We got our first live look at a power play unit that featured Justin Schultz, Andre Burakovsky, Jared McCann, Jordan Eberle, and Matty Beniers, and that group was dynamic for most of its opportunities. The movement was good, and the passing seemed to be a little more creative than we saw last season. Beniers down low and McCann in the bumper spot are giving positive early returns.
With the score tied 1-1 early in the third period, the top unit was buzzing. Beniers saw the puck pop loose in the crease for what looked like an easy goal, but he whiffed on it and then got buried by Ben Gleason. Had that gone in, this game probably had a different outcome.
“The power play is huge for momentum and obviously a big part of winning [is] special teams on both sides,” Jaden Schwartz said. “We’re just trying to get numbers around the net, try to get inside. That’s kind of how you create space and allow other plays to happen around [the outside].”
The other unit was a bit of a hodgepodge Monday, but it too was effective with Ryker Evans quarterbacking and Andrew Poturalski, Schwartz, Alex Wennberg, and Kailer Yamamoto rounding out the quintet.
Unsurprisingly (because we’ve been so impressed with him in training camp), Evans had another impactful play in that role, creating Seattle’s lone goal on the night. On his off-hand side, he held the puck in the zone at the blue line, then smoothly spun and walked the line. He made a no-look pass to Poturalski at the right halfwall, Poturalski fired a shot-pass toward Schwartz, and Schwartz deflected it past Jack Campbell, only to see his goal get stolen from him by Yamamoto. It was a nice piece of work by that second unit.
Yamamoto STEALS the power-play goal from Jaden Schwartz! 😆
Great play to start that by Ryker Evans to catch the puck at the blue line, spin, walk, and make a no-look pass to Poturalski.
Takeaway #2 (Curtis): Kartye builds on 2022-23 postseason breakout
Tye Kartye continued his impressive preseason Monday night against Edmonton. Noticeable as much for his physicality and disruptions on the penalty kill as his skill game, Kartye brings a diverse skillset that can fit up and down the lineup. If the 22-year-old forward makes the opening day NHL roster for the first time in his young career, his versatility will be a big reason why.
After the game, Kartye noted that he was just “trying to play a role” and “listen to what the coaches are telling [him].” He said he was pleased with how training camp has gone so far because he has been able to put his best foot forward. “I try to bring a positive attitude and my best effort every day.”
The effort on Monday night demanded attention. While Kartye did not factor on the scoresheet in his 14:12 of ice time, digging a bit deeper, there was a lot to like. According to shot quality data tracked by Natural Stat Trick, no Kraken player tilted the ice in Seattle’s favor at five-on-five more than Kartye. While he was out there, Seattle totaled 16 total shots, nine scoring chances (with four deemed “high-danger” chances), and produced 1.03 expected goals. On the other end, Seattle conceded just seven total shots, one high-danger scoring chance, and just .17 expect goals against. All told, Seattle generated 85.93 percent of the shot quality with Kartye out there.
One of Kartye’s more impressive sequences came midway through the second period when he finished a penalty kill shift forechecking in the Oilers defensive zone. His pressure caused the defense to attempt a contested pass up ice, which Kartye disrupted leading to a neutral-zone turnover. He quickly jumped on the loose puck, turned into the Oilers zone, and saucered a pass on the tape to a streaking Cale Fleury in front of the net.
No matter how the Kraken opt to construct the bottom-six forward group, Kartye’s blend of physicality and skill would fit. And there is little question Kartye is among the team’s 13 best forwards. The only question is whether the teams wants the waiver-exempt Kartye to play regularly in Coachella Valley to begin the year while it evaluates other options.
Takeaway #3 (John): Early looks at the faceoff circle
The Kraken were 43 percent in the faceoff circle on Monday and 45.8 percent through the four preseason games in total. Evaluating preseason faceoff percentages is a bit of a fool’s errand since the sample size is so small and several of the players taking faceoffs might not end up in the NHL this season. Regardless, it is an area that has room for improvement from last season, and it is something to keep an eye on to see how the Kraken might deploy their quiver of left-handed centers.
One aspect of faceoffs I would really like to see improved is the win percentage on the power play. Winning more faceoffs will lead to more possession, and more possession will lead to more power-play time in the offensive zone and should help the power-play percentage. It is a small sample size, but the Kraken were 50 percent in the faceoff circle against Edmonton, which is below league average but above their 2022-23 regular-season average.
Individually, Matty Beniers was 50 percent at the faceoff dot, which should also be a good sign since he won just 42 percent of his faceoffs last season. Conversely, Alexander Wennberg was just 20 percent in the faceoff circle Monday, and he has traditionally been one of the stronger players in this area for the Kraken.
Of course, faceoffs are not as meaningful as once thought, so take this commentary with a healthy dose of salt. The more important stat is possession after a faceoff, but until that data is publicly available, we will use the faceoff percentages as a leading indicator for possession. Here’s hoping for more improvement when we get into the regular season.
In the split-squad game Monday, we were impressed by several of the young Kraken players that were in the lineup against the Calgary Flames. That night, the roster for the game played in Seattle was almost a 50-50 split between veterans and guys that had no shot at making the NHL roster this season. Against the Canucks on Thursday, Seattle dressed a more veteran-heavy group, yet it was still a couple of young players that caught our attention.
In the end, it was one of last season’s mainstays, Eeli Tolvanen, who stole the show with two third-period goals that gave Seattle the win.
Here are our Three Takeaways from a very positive 3-1 preseason Kraken win over the Canucks.
Takeaway #1 (Darren) – Pesky Jacob Melanson
A guy that continues to fly under the proverbial radar as a prospect, Jacob Melanson made his presence known in a lot of ways Thursday. First, he opened the scoring in the game by finding a sliver of quiet ice in the high slot at 9:25 of the first period. After linemate Shane Wright did the hard work to get his own rebound and make a perfect blind pass, the 20-year-old Melanson made no mistake with a yawning cage.
It was Melanson’s first goal at the NHL level, though being that it was in the pre-season, we can’t really call it his “first career goal.” Still, it had to be a memorable moment for the young man, who was drafted in the fifth round in 2021 and seems to be on the right track toward one day cracking the NHL.
It wasn’t just the goal that made Melanson stand out Thursday. He was visibly doing everything he could to get under the skin of Canucks players, and it seemed to work. Multiple times, he whacked away at goalie Thatcher Demko, causing post-whistle anger hugs. Ian Cole also took a run at Melanson in the neutral zone, and Melanson responded with a solid slash across the backs of Cole’s legs. It was classic pest behavior and the kind of gritty play that can give a young player a leg up against his peers.
Coach Dave Hakstol had a mix of praise and constructive criticism for Melanson after the game. “Mel got off to a good start,” Hakstol said. “He’s a hard-working guy that finally got into a game, and they knew he was on the ice, right? He went out and got to the net, stirred things up a little bit, played hard, played physical. That was a good start for him. It tailed off a little bit through the second and third period, and that’s what you learn as a young guy.”
Melanson is destined for Coachella Valley this season, but for most young players, the goal in training camp is to leave an impression. He did that Thursday.
Takeaway #2 (John) – the lore of Ryker Evans continues to grow
We got a real taste Thursday of what Ryker Evans brings to the table. He showed great vision and hands as he danced around forwards challenging him at the offensive blue line. Evans logged 22:16 of ice time, second only to Jamie Oleksiak, who had 22:38. Vancouver iced a much better squad than either of the Calgary split squads from Monday, so it was nice to see Evans stand out versus a lot of NHL regulars.
Like Melanson, Evans received praise from Hakstol after the game. “Ryker’s game tonight with the puck on their half of the ice was outstanding,” Hakstol said. That’s about as complimentary as Seattle’s bench boss gets.
Ryker Evans averaged a point per game in the 2022-23 Calder Cup Playoffs. (Photo/Brian Liesse)
The lore of Ryker Evans has been brewing for a couple years since he was selected as the Kraken’s second-round draft pick in 2021. At the time, draft analysts were critical of the selection, but ever since then, Evans has only exceeded expectations. The 21-year-old left defenseman had a fantastic campaign in Coachella Valley last season with 44 points in 71 regular-season games. There’s no spot for him on the Kraken blue line, so he is still expected to start 2023-24 with the AHL club. But if one of the top six defensemen goes down with an injury, expect Ryker to be first on the list to get the call-up to the big squad.
Worth noting, Hakstol deployed Evans on his off-hand side last night, and he still looked comfortable and confident. This kid can play.
Takeaway #3 (Curtis) – Tolvanen shines on reunited Gourde line
Those players stuck out to me too, John and Darren. I found my eye returning to Evans, in particular, throughout this one.
Hard to ignore, though, the multi-goal night posted by Eeli Tolvanen. At 3:55 of the third period, and with Seattle on the power play, Tolvanen scored with a patient and accurate wrist shot that beat Demko and gave Seattle a 2-1 lead.
Just as impressive was the overall operation of the reunited “Gourde line” from the 2022-23 season, which matched Tolvanen with Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand. The trio skated as a line in the first and third periods and looked like they hadn’t missed a beat.
“It felt really good,” Tolvanen said. “It’s fun to play with those two. I think the chemistry is there from last year and … we’ve been talking a lot during the camp too… Hopefully we can start the season [together] too.”
The three forwards worked in perfect harmony to produce the final goal of the evening with a beautiful tic-tac-toe connection leading to a Tolvanen one-timer tap in at 15:54 of the third period.
Eeli GOALvanen gets his second of the period! 🚨
Perfect pass off the rush by Bjorkstrand, and Tolvanen makes no mistake.
“They read off each other really well,” Hakstol said of the group. “[T]hey’ve still got work to do to get to regular-season level, but you see the chemistry.”
As we discussed on the Sound Of Hockey Podcast, Tolvanen and Bjorkstrand appear to be two prime candidates to increase their scoring relative to their 2022-23 levels. That should compensate for the loss of players like Daniel Sprong and Ryan Donato. On this night, they looked up to the challenge.
While the Seattle Kraken registered 100 points in the standings last season and came up just one goal short of a Western Conference Finals appearance, their power play was not one of their strengths. Seattle converted on just 19.8 percent of its power-play chances, good for 21st in the NHL during the regular season and second-worst among teams that qualified for the playoffs. As Seattle gears up for the 2023-24 season, improving this area is a focus for its players and coaching staff.
“I feel like the power play has to be really good if you want to win,” said Eeli Tolvanen, whose big shot makes him a likely candidate to again factor into one of Seattle’s units this season.
On Wednesday, the team spent a solid 30 minutes of on-ice time practicing manpower advantage situations, and there were some intriguing new looks, both in terms of personnel and tactics. Here’s how the Kraken will look to get better on the power play.
Personnel adjustments
With the roster still a work in progress, the Kraken had three units rotating during practice. Two of the units looked like true NHL power play units, while the third was made up of youngsters vying for roster spots (plus Kailer Yamamoto, who is a lock for the NHL).
Here’s how the groups looked:
Justin Schultz Andre Burakovsky / Jared McCann / Eeli Tolvanen Matty Beniers
—
Vince Dunn Alex Wennberg / Jaden Schwartz / Oliver Bjorkstrand Jordan Eberle
Coach Dave Hakstol indicated there will be more competition this season for spots on the power play. “We’re going to shift some roles and give guys a little different look and a little different opportunity and try to push the envelope for the overall production level of the power play,” Hakstol said.
The first unit mentioned above brings the most intrigue, with Andre Burakovsky back from injury and ready to contribute, and Jared McCann shifted from the left halfwall into the central “bumper” position. Burakovsky’s return also displaces Matty Beniers from the right halfwall—where he spent a good chunk of his power-play time last season—and into a net-front role.
The Kraken found success early last season with McCann receiving passes at the top of the left circle, skating downhill, and firing off his lethal snapshot. But teams eventually got wise to Seattle’s plan of using McCann’s shot as its primary weapon, and that well dried up.
“I feel like last year, as the season went on, a lot of teams just started to sit on me when I was the climber guy there,” McCann said. “It’s a different look for me. I’ve never really played the bumper before, but I’m getting more and more comfortable as we go on. I’m just trying to find some openings, get some quick shots off.”
In that new position in the middle of the ice, McCann says his role is to support the puck all throughout the offensive zone and to be “a good out” for his teammates when they engage in wall battles.
As Seattle’s top goal scorer (40) from last season, McCann sees another potential advantage in moving to the bumper spot. “I’m ok with being a distraction,” he said. “Having guys sit on me in the middle of the ice, that means that opens up a lot of different areas for my linemates.”
“Better starts” needed
In thinking back to some of the pitfalls of Seattle’s power play last season, Hakstol pointed out that it was far too common for the Kraken to begin five-on-four situations without the puck. They would work hard to draw a penalty, then come out for an offensive-zone face-off and lose the draw. That meant the puck would immediately be sent the length of the ice, killing dozens of precious seconds while Seattle lugged it back up through the neutral zone.
“That’s an area that brings you momentum right away,” Hakstol said. “Our entries are not a problem. We’ve been very good at getting in the zone and getting set up, but when you have to [chase the puck to your zone] too often at the start of a two-minute power play, you’re giving momentum away right away.”
Exactly how Seattle improves at starting with the puck remains to be seen. Face-offs in general were a big problem for the Kraken last season, and while Pierre-Edouard Bellemare was signed to help in this area, he is not expected to factor into the power play. We do know this is something Beniers has been trying to improve, and he showed progress by winning 12 of his 18 draws in Monday’s split-squad game against Calgary. Still, this will be a question mark heading into the season.
The Andre Burakovsky effect
Speaking of zone entries, those should only get better with Burakovsky pitching in. When healthy, he was Seattle’s best player at carrying the puck through the neutral zone and over the blue line, where penalty killers routinely set up shop and try to force dump-ins or turnovers.
“I talked about our entries, and our entries have been pretty good,” Hakstol said. “But for Burky, that’s one area where he’s— it’s a huge strength of his, so he’ll bring that, as well as other things in the zone.”
Andre Burakovsky is healthy and ready to contribute to the power play again.
McCann agreed with Hakstol on how Burakovsky can help. “He’s another threat out there for us,” McCann said. “He’s obviously got a lot of skill, great shot, he can make plays, but he’s so fast. He makes our breakouts look amazing, right? Like, he’s just at full speed, and as a defender, you see that coming at you, you’re just gonna back off.”
While most of the power-play drills Wednesday were done entirely within the offensive zone, the Kraken did spend a few minutes practicing special teams on the full length of the ice. Burakovsky showed off his zone-entry skills on one play by carrying the puck himself all the way through the neutral zone, dangling around a defender at the blue line, and immediately getting the power play set up in the offensive zone, entirely on his own. That is a skill the Kraken sorely missed in the second half of last season.
Familiarity, mixed with new tactics
A lack of familiarity with one another was an easy excuse for Seattle’s players in the club’s inaugural season. As the second year wore on, that became less of a crutch for the Kraken on the power play, yet the team still struggled in that area. Now, entering the team’s third year, that should be a thing of the past.
“I feel like last year in the playoffs, too, you get to know the guys and you know where they want to be and where they’re gonna go,” Tolvanen said. “[More familiarity is] gonna be huge, and with the power play, you talk with the guys in the locker room before the games and during the games. If there’s a scrambled puck in the corner, you know this guy’s going to be in the middle or that guy’s going to be behind the net or whatever.”
Eeli Tolvanen is expected to have a role on the power play. (Photo/Brian Liesse)
We did see a glimpse of that chemistry brewing Friday, when McCann passed to Beniers at the right post, and Beniers one-touched the puck across the crease to Tolvanen for a wide-open, easy goal. That was a play we didn’t recall seeing executed often last season, as Seattle became too predictable and stationary down the stretch.
With an added focus on the manpower advantage this season, will we see more creativity and movement like this from the Kraken? If so, and if the new personnel deployments work, Seattle could have significant improvement in this area.
John Hayden injured?
Kraken training camp was split into two groups Wednesday, with the players who appear to be destined for the AHL skating on the second sheet. Whether it means he’s headed to Coachella Valley or not, John Hayden was one of the players on Rink 2.
We didn’t see exactly what happened, but we heard a crash into the boards, then Hayden hunched over and gliding across the ice in pain. A member of the team’s medical staff hustled over to help him, and before Hayden exited the ice, he banged his stick angrily against the boards three times.
Remember, Hayden, who is still battling for an NHL roster spot, suffered a severe leg injury in a fight with Klim Kostin on March 18. That kept him out for the remainder of the 2022-23 regular season and much of the playoffs, but he returned in time to help the Firebirds reach the Calder Cup Finals.
Hakstol confirmed after Wednesday’s practice that Hayden was unavailable for the rest of the skate, but he did not have an update on Hayden’s availability for Thursday or beyond.
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.
That was a strange way to kick off the preseason, with half(ish) of the Kraken playing half(ish) of the Flames in Calgary, and the other halves facing off in Seattle. The north-of-the-border portion of the evening ended with a 5-3 Kraken win, led by Kailer Yamamoto scoring twice. But at Climate Pledge Arena, the Kraken fell 3-2 in a shootout.
Since there was effectively no way to watch the game that was played in Calgary, we will focus these Three Takeaways on the game played in Seattle. Matty Beniers looked awesome on his usual line with Jordan Eberle and Jared McCann, and we got some nice flashes from a few of the prospects, which we will talk about here.
Before we get into it, one programming note; Three Takeaways will be more of a group effort moving forward, compiled by myself (Darren), John, and Curtis each contributing a takeaway.
Let’s do it! Here are our Three Takeaways from Monday’s 3-2 Kraken shootout loss to the Flames.
Takeaway #1 (Curtis): A glimpse of the future
Early in camp, Seattle fans have been treated to a live look at a group of young players that could form the next Kraken core. As I mentioned on the Sound Of Hockey Podcast, one of the players I’ve been most excited to see is Tucker Robertson. A right shot, intelligent, and instinctive center, he made countless winning plays in driving his OHL team, the Peterborough Petes, to the Memorial Cup tournament last spring. He’s not as flashy as some of Seattle’s other prospects, but he was consistently finding the right play across all 200 feet of ice in my viewings last year.
On the other hand, if flash is what you want, David Goyette can deliver. Consistently undervalued by scouts and fan perception relative to the scoring he has posted at the major junior level, it felt like all he needed was a big enough stage to show his skill and win over those that doubt him based on small frame.
In their biggest Kraken opportunity yet, Goyette and Robertson combined for a highlight-reel goal in the first period Monday night. Goyette made two skilled plays, first defeating pressure at the zone entry and then recovering the puck and saucering it over a defender’s stick across ice. On the other end of the pass was Robertson, who got himself in precisely the right position. The result was a relatively easy one-timer into a yawning cage.
That play was tremendous, but Goyette and Robertson didn’t stop there. Joined by “first Kraken” Luke Henman, the line pushed the pace and created chances all night.
“It’s awesome,” Robertson said of playing with Goyette and Henman. “They’re both really fast players and think the game really well. So it’s easy for me.”
Coachella Valley Firebirds assistant coach Jess Campbell (more on her in a moment) offered pointed praise for the line after the game. “They did a lot of great things,” Campbell said. “A young line, just fast, fearless, they’re going after the puck [and] their pursuit was [on] all night long …” Later, when asked if any players stood out to her from the game, Campbell returned to specifically mention Robertson and Goyette. It’s easy to dream of the future on a night like this.
Takeaway #2 (John): Pierre-Edouard Bellemare was solid
We all knew when the Kraken signed Pierre-Edouard Bellemare this offseason that he would not be expected to replace the goals of a Daniel Sprong. But the Kraken were getting a steady two-way fourth-line center that can kill penalties. He did all of that and more in his preseason debut for the Kraken. He is not flashy but could be one of the most defensively responsible centers the Kraken have ever had on their team.
It was just a preseason game, and the strength of the competition was lower than what we should expect in regular-season games, but Bellemare looked like one of the all-around best players on the ice. I isolated on watching Bellemare for several shifts, and he was constantly disrupting Calgary’s puck possession by getting in their faces and forcing turnovers, and away from the puck he was taking away shooting lanes.
He will not be flashy, and we should not expect a ton of goals from him this season, but Bellemare’s defensive responsibility and penalty killing skills might contribute more to the team’s success than we are expecting.
Takeaway #3 (Darren): Jess Campbell continues to be awesome
Jessica Campbell kinda sorta made history Monday by joining a very small group of women who have been on an NHL bench for a game in a coaching capacity. It’s a little confusing, because Kori Cheverie was on the bench in Pittsburgh Sunday as a guest coach, and it’s hard to say for sure if they are the only two women to have done that. But… What Campbell continues to do in the Kraken and Coachella Valley organization is pretty damn cool.
You can tell the players really appreciate what she brings to the table, too. We asked Andrew Poturalski about Campbell’s impact on Coachella Valley last season. “She deserves being in the spotlight,” Poturalski said. “She brings such a different side of things, and she’s really creative and just [brings] a totally different perspective than what I’ve been used to.”
It was also an obviously special night for Campbell, who said she is “humbled” to be a part of the organization. Although she tried to focus entirely on the task at hand, she admitted after the game that she did find moments here and there where she was able to take it all in. “It was a pretty unbelievable experience,” she said.
Andy and I interviewed Campbell on the Sound Of Hockey Podcast last year, and she told us then that she had grown up wanting to play in the NHL because that was all she knew; girls hockey wasn’t a thing where she grew up. Now she has—at least briefly—reached the world’s best league as a coach.
Welcome to our latest Kraken Roundtable discussion, featuring John Barr, Curtis Isacke, and Darren Brown. In this discussion, we ask and answer a few pressing questions around training camp, which is now in full swing.
Enjoy!
Who has the most to prove in training camp?
John Barr: I think there are several players to keep an eye on, but I will call out Chris Driedger here. Driedger played a handful of games at the end of last season after returning from his knee injury at the IIHF World Championship in 2022, but I do not believe he has fully demonstrated he is at 100 percent. There is no secret that he is in a battle for the backup goalie position through the pre-season. Even if he is outperformed by Joey Daccord, I am sure he would like to send a signal to the rest of the league so he gets claimed, should Seattle put him on waivers.
Curtis Isacke: Kailer Yamamoto is facing a “prove it” camp. A former first-round pick and 20-goal scorer, Yamamoto was skating on NHL superstar Leon Draisaitl’s wing just five months ago. Even so, two different NHL teams parted with cap space or other assets this past offseason to move him off their rosters. Edmonton parted with the signing rights to Klim Kostin to trade Yamamoto’s $3.1 million salary to Detroit. Then Detroit bought out the Washington native’s contract. As I wrote about after Seattle signed Yamamoto, the diminutive forward had become a niche utility player in Edmonton. He needs to shake that mindset and remind the NHL of the broad skill set that made him such a dynamic WHL winger. Otherwise he risks falling into a category of borderline AHL players.
Darren Brown: I’ll go with Kole Lind, because he’s at an inflection point in his career. Will he be an NHL player, or will he be one of those guys that always stands out in the AHL, but–for whatever reason–just never quite makes it at the highest level? As I wrote in my “storylines” article on Wednesday, Lind did everything the organization could have wanted him to do in Coachella Valley last season, yet he has not yet been rewarded with a full-time NHL gig. Based on his output with the Firebirds, one would think he is deserving of a legitimate shot. BUT… There is again competition in camp, and he will have to prove that he belongs on the Kraken more than at least one of Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Shane Wright, or Tye Kartye.
Who stood out at rookie or main training camp so far?
Curtis: Vince Dunn and Ryker Evans stood out to me on day one of training camp for their ability to drive transition play in drills and during the training camp scrimmages. Each has advanced ability to scan the defense and exploit weaknesses for advance, and both looked spry on their skates to start camp. At a time when the players are still trying to get in sync on breakout and transition schemes, a one-man transition attack can be pretty appealing, and both Dunn and Evans looked at ease seizing those opportunities on Day 1.
What’s more, I thought Evans held up fairly well in one-on-one and two-on-two defensive zone drills. If he can handle net-front physicality and tighten up his defensive zone coverage just a bit, he’ll be NHL ready. If the first day of training camp was any indication, he’s close.
Darren: I wasn’t able to make Day 1 of the main training camp, so I’ll stick with what I saw from rookie camp. I have to agree with Curtis that Evans looked great on that stage against fellow youngsters, and I was also impressed by Ty Nelson. He was constantly competing with his long-time buddy, Shane Wright, in drills and was sticking with him step for step. His shot is also very heavy, unsurprising for the player that led the entire OHL in shots on goal last season.
John: I probably should not be surprised, but Eduard Sale impressed me. He is a really smooth and silky player out there and scored a couple goals that were frankly pretty nasty. I did not get those same vibes from him at development camp back in July, but at the time, he revealed that he had not been on the ice much before that camp.
Observations on Shane Wright?
John: During rookie camp, I felt Shane stood out as one of the better players but not distancing himself from everyone in the camp. Ironically, in the main camp scrimmage of Day 1, he stood out from his peers that have been drafted over the last three years. It is way too early to think he will make the opening-night roster, but he looks like he belongs with the big boys.
Curtis: John, I agree that he doesn’t look out of place. But there were moments during the scrimmage on Day 1 that reminded me of Wright’s struggles last training camp. In these moments, I can almost feel him thinking the game a little too hard–striving for the perfect play rather than simply trusting his ample instincts and skills to play loose. For example, at one point he got the puck at the point with space and time but looked to feather a pass down to the slot, which was easily swatted away for a defensive clear. I think the arrow is pointed up on Wright, but I’d like to see him take some weight off his shoulders and simplify a bit.
Darren: I observed that he looks very mature. He’s a full-grown adult now, despite still only being 19 years old. I did not have a physique like his at 19 (and I still do not).
What are you looking for in the first pre-season games?
Darren: I personally will be focused on those guys that are competing with one another for roster spots. Daniel Sprong demanded a contract and a roster spot with his play in pre-season last year, and I’ll be curious to see which of the bubble guys make similar statements for this season.
John: Of the recent draft picks, I want to see glimpses of belonging at the NHL level. For the handful of selections from the 2022 and 2023 draft classes that draw into a pre-season game, it is unrealistic to expect them to look NHL ready. In fact, there could be moments of them looking foolish or simply making a poor read on a play that is uncharacteristic of an NHL player. Those mistakes will happen, and what better place to make those mistakes than a pre-season game? But what I want to see is moments of making NHL plays.
It could be years before we see these guys in regular-season games, but I expect Eduard Sale, Ty Nelson, David Goyette, and maybe Carson Rehkopf to draw into a pre-season game or two over the next few weeks. Getting glimpses of them performing against current NHL players would be fun and should showcase a bit of what might be coming down the pike for the Kraken.
Curtis: You both covered areas I’ll be watching too, so I’ll answer a little more generally. After the first day of training camp, Kraken coach Dave Hakstol spoke about prioritizing team compete level early in camp. I think the same goes for the first pre-season game. What level is the team setting for itself? Is the team playing fast and disciplined? These things could be harbingers of a fast start–and it might be necessary to get off to a fast start if this team wants to replicate, or exceed, its success from last season.
