Perhaps that wasn’t the outcome that fans in attendance at accesso ShoWare Center in Kent, Wash., might have wanted, but there were a lot of positives that came out of Saturday’s 4-1 Kraken preseason loss to the Calgary Flames.
Playing its last “home” game of the exhibition season, Seattle really put forth a solid all-around effort, but couldn’t finish offensively and had some bad bounces that found the back of the net behind Chris Driedger. In all, the Kraken allowed just 13 shots on goal and really didn’t give up much from the slot area.
Now there’s just one meaningless game left on the schedule, but before we get there, here are our takeaways from Saturday night’s loss.
Takeaway #1: A blueprint for Seattle’s game defensively
A lot has been made of the defensive depth that the Kraken are expected to possess on their inaugural roster. Although the team conceded four goals on Saturday, there were long stretches where nothing was getting through to Driedger, and when shots did make it on goal, they were typically from the outside. Two of the goals were deflected shots from the point, and two were of the “soft” variety, as Driedger indicated in his post-game presser.
“I thought we played an incredible game, kind of start to finish,” Driedger said. “They just kind of got a couple of nice bounces… I really like how we looked on the back end. We’ve got some big ‘D’ that can move the puck, and that’s kind of what you like to see as a goaltender.”
Driedger added that if the Kraken play like that more often than not, they will win a lot more than they lose. Pepper in a few Seattle goals each night, and that will absolutely be the case.
Takeaway #2: Who can score beyond the top line?
Seattle did get some chances to score. Kole Lind made a dazzling play early in the game to break a defender’s ankles at the blue line and rushed in uncontested against Dan Vladar. He put the puck right into the flaming ‘C’ on Vladar’s chest, though, as did Nathan Bastian on an open look in the second period. Meanwhile, Morgan Geekie had a few big blasts that he launched over the bar, and Alex Wennberg had a wide open net on a two-on-one, only to see the puck hop over his stick.
Moments like those leave you wanting and wondering who beyond the top line of Jaden Schwartz, Jared McCann, and Jordan Eberle can score for Seattle. If it does evolve into a team that only has one line capable of putting the puck in the net, it will become very easy to check and neutralize that group, and the naysayers who have been asking, “Who can score for Seattle?” will quickly become justified in their pooh-poohing.
In the two preseason games the Kraken have played without that top trio, the team as a whole has scored one goal combined.
Still, we have yet to see what happens when the full roster is in on a given night. Hakstol implied in a recent press conference that Tuesday’s game in Vancouver could be a dress rehearsal for the full roster, so perhaps this issue will be put to rest then.
Takeaway #3: Playing games in WHL rinks was the perfect way to launch this franchise
Of course it would have been nice to play these three preseason “home” games in the new Climate Pledge Arena. But in a way, doesn’t it make opening night that much more exciting? This way, there’s still plenty of intrigue and interest going into that first home game on Oct. 23 against the Vancouver Canucks, as fans will show up without having ever been in the nearly billion-dollar facility.
We certainly saw glimpses into what the Kraken have up their many sleeves (one assumes a Kraken would have to wear a shirt with eight sleeves) from a Game Operations standpoint, and it does appear that “Lithium” by Nirvana is the goal song.
But we definitely have not gotten the full presentation at this point, and we have not experienced all the bells and whistles that a brand new, state-of-the-art arena will bring.
To the credit of Spokane, Everett, and Kent, the fans showed up in a big way for all three preseason games. All three had regular-season atmospheres, and all three were great representations of the rabid hockey fanbase that exists in the Pacific Northwest.
Hello from the home of the Seattle Thunderbirds, accesso ShoWare Center, in Kent, Wash., where the Kraken are set to take on Dustin Wolf and the Calgary Flames. Yes, we do expect Wolf to make an appearance tonight, which should be fun for the home T-Birds fans who surely heckled him the last four seasons while he was dominating the WHL in Everett.
We also expect to see former Thunderbird Alex True centering a line with Nathan Bastian and Kole Lind tonight. True, of course, scored the overtime series-winning goal in Game 6 of the 2017 WHL Championship. He will likely get a warmer reception than Wolf.
The Jordan Eberle/Jaden Schwartz/Jared McCann line, which has been so successful in its past couple appearances, is out tonight, so the all-Swede line of Marcus Johansson, Alexander Wennberg, and Calle Jarnkrok will have to shoulder more of the load on offense.
These two teams played a good, even game the last time they faced one another in this preseason, although the lineups looked a bit different that night. Seattle did come out of that one with a 4-3 shootout victory.
The Kraken got an exhilarating overtime win in Everett last night. What do they have in store for the city of Kent tonight?
SEATTLE – In preparation for a pair of preseason games this weekend, the Seattle Kraken hit the ice at the Kraken Community Iceplex Thursday for a practice session.
The team was split into two groups which offered insight on who the club views as being in the mix to start the season with the NHL group. Before the workout, a small group of about seven players worked out separately. That group included young players like Luke Henman, Cale Fleury, and Kole Lind.
While the groupings were notable, head coach Dave Hakstol hinted those things are far from settled.
“That was more a matter of function today,” he said after practice. “We want to do some different things in our practice, and going forward for the next two games, players from both groups will play.”
The lines on Friday looked familiar.
Jared McCann again centered what would be considered the team’s top line with Jaden Schwartz and Jordan Eberle on the wings. Behind that group was Morgan Geekie centering a line with Joonas Donskoi and Ryan Donato. Alex Wennberg was back at practice after he had personal time off for the birth of his son. He was flanked by Marcus Johansson and Calle Jarnkrok. Riley Sheahan was centered between Brandon Tanev and Mason Appleton.
A so-called fifth line was also on the ice led by Yanni Gourde – still wearing his red, no-contact jersey – with Alex True and Carsen Twarynski on the wings.
Friday’s defensive pairings included Mark Giordano with Vince Dunn, Dennis Cholowski with Adam Larsson, Haydn Fleury with Jamie Oleksiak, and Jeremy Lauzon with Carson Soucy.
Seattle will play the Edmonton Oilers Friday night at Everett’s Angel of the Winds Arena before moving to Kent and the accesso ShoWare Center Saturday for a matchup with the Calgary Flames.
Wennberg and the Swedish connection
After missing all three preseason games, Wennberg was back and looking forward to playing Friday. He was all smiles when asked about being a father for the first time saying it was amazing and that “Life does a 360 on you there.”
Seattle Kraken center Alex Wennberg will make his preseason debut this weekend. (Brian Liesse photo)
Prior to training camp, Wennberg had expressed excitement to see fellow Swedes on the Kraken roster and during camp he’s found himself playing with two of his fellow countrymen. For most of camp he’s centered a line with Johansson and Jarnkrok.
We have yet to see the trio – dubbed the ‘Swedish House Mafia’ by The Athletic’s Ryan Clark – in a preseason game, but it should get its first action Friday in Everett.
“We obviously go really well together,” Wennberg said. “We’ve been really hitting it off… now to finally get a game to try it out, I’m super excited. I feel like we can really do something good so it’s a good test for us to go out there tomorrow and try it out and see how it goes.”
Kraken forecheck clicking in the preseason
One major constant through the Kraken’s first three preseason games has been the forecheck.
Hakstol hasn’t been shy to deploy an aggressive forecheck, often sending two players deep into opponents’ territory to force bad passes, steal pucks, and to generally cause havoc. The forecheck was key to the win in Calgary Wednesday and Hakstol has been happy with it, save for the 6-0 loss in Edmonton.
In that game, Hakstol felt that they couldn’t get into the forecheck enough because they were chasing the Oilers all game due to giving the puck back too easily. Forechecking is a skill and attitude and not every player is built for it, but the Kraken seem to have guys that are.
“There’s certainly a mentality to it and there’s an intelligence to it and we have a lot of guys that are able to get in, come up with pucks or create loose pucks.” Hakstol said. “It’s not just one guy it’s a five-man project so we’ve had some success.”
If you’re watching the games this weekend, keep an eye on how successful the Kraken forecheck is.
Kraken make some cuts
The group was smaller Friday as the Kraken returned their junior prospects and made some moves. In that group was 2021 second-round pick Ryker Evans and fifth-round pick Jacob Melanson. When Evans was selected there were some self-proclaimed draft gurus who felt the pick at 35 was a stretch, but the defenseman put a good showing forth at camp.
He showed a keen offensive skill set and instinct with no fear in making plays. Evans will now return to the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League.
Also waived were Brent Gates, Tye Kartye, Ryan Lohin, Cole MacKay, and Frances Marotte.
Well, the Kraken can’t win ’em all. The Kraken especially can’t win ’em all when they take their entire top scoring line out, two of their top-four defensemen, and their top goalie, and send out whatever’s left to try to stop Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and essentially the entire regular NHL lineup of the Edmonton Oilers.
On Sunday, the Kraken dressed most of their veterans to take on an undermanned and very youthful group of Canucks. Seattle took advantage, looked good, and skated to a 5-3 win. As we said after that game, the result probably should have been taken with a grain of salt, based on which players had participated.
When we saw who was playing for Edmonton on Tuesday compared with who was playing for Seattle, we knew it had the makings of a bloodbath. We were right, but again, the result should be taken with a grain of salt.
Here’s what we took away from Seattle’s shellacking at the hands of McDavid and the Oilers.
Takeaway #1: Connor McDavid is good
Don’t worry, we’ll talk more about the Kraken, but the overarching story of Tuesday’s game was the otherworldly play of McDavid, who predictably drove the bus for the Oilers.
Have you seen this guy? Have you heard about this guy? Watching McDavid on Tuesday was both awe inspiring and terrifying at the same time. The way he was able to navigate the offensive zone doing essentially whatever he wanted was a bit concerning to watch from a Seattle perspective.
16 minutes into the first period, he slipped the puck around Nathan Bastian in a way that made the Kraken forward look a bit like a pylon. He didn’t convert on that play, but seconds later McDavid got the puck back and found new teammate Zach Hyman standing wide open on the doorstep. All Hyman had to do was put his stick on the ice, and McDavid found it for one of the easiest goals of Hyman’s career.
McDavid ended the night with a goal, two assists, three shots on goal, and several jaw-dropping moments.
Takeaway #2: Ryker Evans shows promise
It can be hard to find bright spots in a 6-0 loss, but there were a few for the Kraken. One sliver of silver lining (wow, “sliver” and “silver” are very similar-looking words, aren’t they?) was the play of 19-year-old defenseman Ryker Evans.
Evans, the second-round pick of the Kraken in this summer’s NHL Entry Draft, turned some heads in Saturday’s intra-squad scrimmage. That day, he had a few impressive offensive plays, including one where he toe-dragged around a defender off the rush and nearly scored.
We asked Hakstol if any young players made an impression in today’s scrimmage. He called out Ryker Evans, saying he looked like he “belonged” out there.
Couldn’t agree more. The youngster looked very smooth, showed his impressive offensive skill a couple times. pic.twitter.com/BGYQ2oyxnL
On Tuesday in Edmonton, Evans was back at it, looking smooth and poised on an NHL stage facing some of the best players in the world. He was officially credited with a shot on goal, two blocked shots, and two hits in 20:39 of ice time, significantly more time than we expected him to get.
At this stage, we still fully anticipate that Evans will be returned to the Regina Pats of the WHL, and as does he. But he has shown very well in this training camp and will almost certainly be knocking on the NHL door next season.
Takeaway #3: Joey Daccord impresses in small sample size
The other positive for the Kraken on Tuesday was netminder Joey Daccord, who took over for Chris Driedger in the third period when the score was already 5-0. There were a couple odd plays with the puck by Daccord, but aside from that, he looked rock solid in his Kraken preseason debut, turning away nine of 10 shots and allowing just one goal in five rounds of the just-for-laughs shootout that followed the game.
There were two stops that stuck out. The first was when Kyle Turris received a pass just a few feet outside the crease to Daccord’s left. For a moment, it looked like a sure goal for Turris, but Daccord slid across in plenty of time and gloved the shot, quickly taking away every inch of the open net that Turris had just been seeing.
The second was when McDavid flew into the zone, swooping low to cut around a defender and trying to take the puck across the goalmouth to tuck it around Daccord on the stickside. Daccord read it perfectly and threw a pokecheck that took the puck right off the stick of the best player in the world. It was a gutsy and perfectly executed play by Daccord.
Like Evans, we do not expect Daccord, a friend of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast, to be on the Kraken roster when they break camp. Assuming no injuries to Philipp Grubauer or Driedger, Daccord is Charlotte bound. Still, it’s great to see that the third goalie appears to be NHL ready in case something comes up that presses him into action.
Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at Sound Of Hockey and the host, producer, and editor of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is an inconsistent beer league goalie who believes that five players have to make a mistake before the puck gets to him. Follow him on Twitter @DarrenFunBrown or email darren@soundofhockey.com.
Hello from downtown Spokane, where the Kraken defeated a bunch of guys in Canucks sweaters (there’s a reason I’m not simply calling them “the Canucks”) 5-3 in Seattle’s first-ever preseason game at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. Although the outcome was moot, it was a night that will live on in the hearts and minds of Kraken fans everywhere, especially for those in the sellout crowd of 10,208.
I’ll speak from personal experience here. I did not expect to get choked up as the puck dropped and fans started chanting, “Let’s go, Kraken!” But get choked up I did. There were a lot of emotions that came rushing in at that very moment, as the gravity of it all suddenly hit home.
The Expansion Draft was neat. Training camp has been great. But this was different. This was real hockey being played by Seattle’s shiny new NHL team, and thankfully, the rest of the night did not disappoint.
Whoa. Actual chills. We are playing hockey. The fans are chanting, "Let's go Kraken!" Holy guacamole.
Though it’s right to feel optimistic after the victory, expectations should be managed a bit. The Kraken looked like a much better team on Sunday, but the caveat is that they also dressed the majority of what will certainly be their regular lineup when the season gets underway. Vancouver, on the other hand, trotted out quite a few young players and prospects, including two goalies who are unlikely to crack an NHL roster any time soon.
Here are our takeaways from Seattle’s preseason-opening win Sunday night in Spokane.
Takeaway #1: The depth players mean business
At the onset of training camp, I delved into which Kraken players I thought should be carefully monitored by fans. I had Ryan Donato and Riley Sheahan as probables for making the roster but perhaps challenging one another for playing time. Meanwhile, I surmised Morgan Geekie would really have to prove himself in camp just to make the big club on opening night.
Lo and behold, all three found themselves on the scoresheet Sunday, with Geekie notching two goals (his first was a strange and lucky gift, courtesy of Vancouver), and Sheahan and Donato getting one apiece.
But it wasn’t just about the goals. Those guys were involved offensively seemingly all night. Geekie easily could have had a couple more, as could Donato. It’s still very early, but if training camp were to end this week, it would be nearly impossible to leave any of those three in the press box or off the initial roster. If things continue this way, head coach Dave Hakstol is going to have some extremely tough decisions on his hands over the next couple weeks.
Dave Hakstol on the sentiment in the room, performances of some individuals tonight: pic.twitter.com/O97YXksGcL
At the Expansion Draft in July, Brandon Tanev — who had previously played with McCann in Pittsburgh — confidently stated that not only was Seattle getting a great guy, it was getting a great player as well.
McCann was slotted on the top line with Jordan Eberle and Jaden Schwartz and came out with guns ablaze on Sunday, driving offensive zone time and creating scoring chance after scoring chance.
In the first period, he hit the post on Seattle’s first power play and later had two consecutive open looks from right on the doorstep but was robbed twice by Latvian man of mystery Arturs Silevs.
Jared McCann was outstanding in the Kraken’s win over the Canucks. (Photo Brian Liesse)
In the second, McCann rifled a shot from the left halfwall that caught Silevs up high and caused the Canucks netminder to delay the game while he recovered. Seconds later, with Seattle on the power play, McCann took a similar shot from the left face-off dot that found it’s way just under the bar and leveled the score at 2-2.
After the game, McCann said he recognizes general manager Ron Francis is giving the players a great opportunity here, and he plans to “take full advantage of it.” Sunday was a great start toward proving that to the Kraken brass.
By the way, since I mentioned Brandon Tanev in this takeaway, we do need to point out that he did one of the funniest things in the history of post-game media scrums on Sunday:
half-naked brandon tanev sneaking past jack rathbone's post-game interview is the highlight of the day pic.twitter.com/L2KZBZPdEg
Honestly, that’s some pretty quick thinking to use the curtain in that way to slide past. He’s like the world’s worst magician doing the world’s worst disappearing act.
Takeaway #3: Hints at what Kraken Game Ops department has up its sleeve
Though this game was played in a Western Hockey League building — the Spokane Chiefs’ home building, there was definitely an NHL feel to the overall presentation. The videos played throughout were funny, thoughtful, and well produced. My own personal favorite piece of content was when the voice of Freddie Mercury rang through Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, getting the crowd to sing back with several variations of “Day-o!”
Though the voice heard was that of the legendary Queen frontman performing at Live Aid from Wembley in 1985, the image on the video board was that of an animated blowfish. It reminded us once again that we are in the world of the Kraken, which exists solely at the bottom of the sea. There, the inhabitants are fish that sound exactly like Freddie Mercury.
We also saw the likes of SpongeBob and Charlie from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory requesting additional noise from the fans, and we heard several options for goal songs during the course of the night. I also loved hearing a little riff from Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Posse on Broadway,” which played under and just after the announcement of the first goal.
Without the bells and whistles of the state-of-the-art Climate Pledge Arena, the Kraken put on a really good show in Spokane. I, for one, cannot wait to see how the finished product will look.
Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at Sound Of Hockey and the host, producer, and editor of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is an inconsistent beer league goalie who believes that five players have to make a mistake before the puck gets to him. Follow him on Twitter @DarrenFunBrown or email darren@soundofhockey.com.
SPOKANE – The game didn’t count in the standings, and to drive that point home the NHL didn’t send a statistician to tally who scored the goals. But to the Seattle Kraken franchise, its players, and fans, the game meant everything. It meant that NHL hockey was here.
Over 10,000 fans packed into the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena Sunday and cheered every move the Kraken made during a 5-3 preseason win over their would-be rivals, the Vancouver Canucks. Winning felt like icing on the cake.
Playing the game meant the Kraken had won no matter the final score.
“It was unbelievable to be honest,” Kraken forward Ryan Donato said. “I’m from the East Coast, so I’ve never been out here, and it just goes to show how exciting hockey is and how much it’s growing. Coming in here and seeing all the Kraken jerseys and how everything’s grown so fast, it’s truly awesome to be a part of it.”
Donato scored a power-play goal Sunday – Seattle would score three power-play goals despite little to no work on special teams during training camp – and his line with center Morgan Geekie and winger Joonas Donskoi continued to play well.
They were in the Canucks zone throughout the night and helped the Kraken earn nine of the game’s first 10 shots. As efficient as they were, they weren’t the only line to produce.
Jared McCann scored a goal and once again was put together with Jordan Eberle and Jaden Schwartz.
“We have the day off tomorrow, we’ll go back and re-evaluate that and look at the changes that we want to make and some of the new combinations that we want to look at,” Hakstol said. “There are things there that we liked. If we do go away from them to look at something different, we can always come back to that combination. But that’s something we have to really look at closely and we’ll discuss and talk about tonight and tomorrow through the day off.”
Lots of promise
The Kraken showed off what could be possible in the coming season.
While the Canucks iced a younger roster, they still stole their way to a 2-0 lead in the first period. The scores came against the flow of play and were of the odd variety.
The first goal came just after a Seattle power play had expired when Jack Rathbone came out of the box to pick up a loose puck and beat goalie Philipp Grubauer. Shortly after, Vancouver’s Brock Boeser flung the puck into traffic, and it struck a Seattle defender and deflected in.
Just like that, Seattle’s early work had been erased.
Seattle came out in the second period and stuck to the game plan. Riley Sheahan would convert a crafty pass from behind the net by Nathan Bastian to cut into the Vancouver lead. He also solidified himself as the answer to a future niche and borderline minutiae trivia question.
Seattle’s Jared McCann tries to score during the Kraken’s 5-3 preaseason win Sunday. (Brian Liesse photo)
McCann would get the game square when he somehow found an opening on the short side of Vancouver goalie Arturs Silovs’ position in the net.
“(You have to) just move the puck quicker,” McCann said. “I feel like we had to get them running around a little bit. They’re a hard forechecking team, they like to get on the puck a lot. Just make them skate and get tired and open up lanes for you.”
The Canucks would tie the game in the second period, but Geekie would score twice in the third to put the game away.
A moment in Seattle hockey history
It was a successful night for the Kraken on the ice and off.
Winning is nice, but the launch of the Kraken experience felt bigger. The wait was over and instead of debating about arena sites and parking, we can now talk about the Kraken forecheck that pinned Vancouver in its own zone for most of the night.
A full building four hours away from the Kraken’s home was impressive and proved this Kraken squad is in fact Washington’s team.
“To come here to Spokane and play in front of this kind of a crowd on night number one of the exhibition season was awesome,” Hakstol said. “You know, the Spokane Chiefs hosting us and taking care of both teams in this building was a great way to start the exhibition season.”
After a day off Monday the Kraken will next travel to Edmonton to play preseason game two against the Oilers on Tuesday.
