Every NHL hockey team faces adversity at some point in its seasonal journey. When it happens and the intensity with which it hits are the variables, because dealing with the unexpected is… expected. Adversity will happen. Of course, there’s the matter of how well the team can manage through those challenges. While adversity is always hiding around every corner, waiting to rear its ugly head, no coach expects to have it strike for the very first game in the history of a franchise. But that is what Dave Hakstol and the Seattle Kraken are encountering now, as five players have popped up on the Covid protocol list just one day before the team’s inaugural season opener in Vegas.
Five Kraken players in Covid protocol
Calle Jarnkrok had been missing from practice since Friday and was confirmed to be in Covid protocol. Since then, we began seeing more stringent procedures in place at the Kraken Community Iceplex. On Monday, when several more players were missing from practice, you just knew something was up.
Media availability after Monday’s skate was initially focused on the Kraken naming Mark Giordano as the first captain in franchise history, but the conversation was facilitated via Zoom—not in person—for the first time since the opening of training camp. Making things even more obvious that the Covid situation had worsened, the podium was being sanitized every time a player finished his availability.
When Dave Hakstol finally took his spot at the microphone, the first question was on the status of the players that were missing from Monday’s practice. That’s when he confirmed that Jared McCann, Marcus Johansson, Jamie Oleksiak, and Joonas Donskoi had joined Jarnkrok in protocol.
So, if you’re scoring at home, that’s five regular players in total that we don’t expect to be available for Seattle in its first-ever game Tuesday against the Vegas Golden Knights. Yanni Gourde and Colin Blackwell also remain unavailable due to injury, so the full-time NHL lineup that we expected to see for the first time Tuesday has been seriously impacted.
Hakstol indicated that the team had a lot of decisions to make, as it needed to determine which players to recall from AHL Charlotte on short notice. It’s also possible that Alex Barre-Boulet—claimed off waivers by the Kraken from Tampa Bay on Monday—could slot right in.
“We’ve already started working toward that plan,” Hakstol said. “Things happen quickly and sometimes at inopportune times. There’s different challenges you go through throughout the season. This is one of them for us, early on. We have some decisions to make as we go through the day. We’ll do that, and we’ll be ready to play as we get into Vegas [Monday night].”
We should have a better handle on who will and won’t play Tuesday morning, but for now, expect the roster for the very first game to have more of a preseason flair than we anticipated.
Simply fielding a whole roster for Game 1 was certainly not a hurdle Hakstol and staff expected to have to clear. We shall see how Seattle handles this remarkably early adversity.
Mark Giordano named captain, four players named alternates
Giordano being named the first captain in franchise history was supposed to be the biggest news on Monday. Yanni Gourde, Jaden Schwartz, Jordan Eberle, and Adam Larsson being named alternate captains was supposed to be the second-biggest news. Instead, here we are halfway through the story before we’re even really touching on it, thanks to the Covid bombshell mentioned previously.
Now, this really is huge news in the grand scheme of things. All of the players earning letters indicated in their Zoom pressers that they expect to lead to the best of their own respective abilities, and the alternates all sang the praises of Giordano.
“I think for me it was an easy decision,” said Eberle about Giordano being named the team’s captain. “I’m from Calgary, and live there in the summertime, and a lot of people don’t know… Obviously they see the work he puts in on the ice and the leadership capabilities that he has. But being from Calgary, I know firsthand the leadership role that he has in the community, whether it’s charities or- the little things that he’s doing inside of Calgary. So we’re lucky to have him, and it’s an easy decision in my mind.”
Eberle was referencing the nine seasons that Giordano spent with the captain’s ‘C’ on his Flames sweater. So, this certainly isn’t Giordano’s first rodeo, but this time is a little different for the veteran blueliner, as he now comes into the role with experience.
“I think a captain of a hockey team has to be a guy who brings the guys together but relays the message from management and coaching to the players,” Giordano said. “So I’m looking forward to it. Again, it’s a great responsibility, but I can’t be more thankful to the organization for placing that trust in me.”
Giordano always felt like the no-brainer, slam-dunk candidate for the captaincy based on his impressive credentials, but one can’t help wondering how long it will last. After all, he is 38 years old and is in the final season of a six-year contract. Will he be with the Kraken next season? What about beyond the trade deadline this season?
Clearly, his captaincy is not expected to be one that lasts forever, but making Giordano the official leader for the inaugural year makes all the sense in the world… for now.
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.
The Seattle Kraken will make the playoffs in year one because the Pacific Division is weak. That’s the prevailing thought about the Kraken’s chances of doing something special during their inaugural season.
Is the Pacific Division weak?
Despite the one-year realignment last season only the Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers made the playoffs, and things aren’t looking that much better for the division this season.
We know what the Kraken have to offer. Up front they are armed with solid, two-way forwards. They don’t have a true elite center, but there is depth down the lineup which makes them competitive in the Pacific. Seattle’s top line with Jared McCann, Jaden Schwartz, and Jordan Eberle has looked great during the preseason and will lead the way.
Down the lineup there are players who have 20-goal potential along with young players like Morgan Geekie who could be on the doorstep. All that and we have yet to see how the Kraken lineup looks with Yanni Gourde and Colin Blackwell in it.
On the back end, Seattle’s defense is solid, led by veteran Mark Giordano who will help with secondary scoring and man the top power-player unit. The defense is playing in front of a goalie tandem that may be the best in not only the Pacific Division but the NHL. Philipp Grubauer is coming off a season in Colorado that earned him a Vezina nomination and he’s been lights out during camp and the preseason.
How do the Kraken match up with their Pacific Division mates? Here’s a look:
Vegas Golden Knights versus Seattle Kraken
Forwards: Vegas has two of the more dynamic forwards in the league with Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone. Last year the two combined to score 45 goals on the Golden Knights’ top line. Pacioretty has topped the 30-goal mark six times over his career while Stone is the ultimate two-way forward, adept at disrupting via the forecheck and stripping pucks almost at will.
The literal hole in the Vegas forward group last year was down the middle, and they still do not have a clear top-line center. Chandler Stephenson centered the top line and filled in adequately while William Karlsson played on the second line. In the playoffs the Golden Knights offense disappeared in part due to play down the middle.
They looked to add depth to their forwards in the offseason with trades for former Philadelphia Flyers high pick Nolan Patrick and also Evgenii Dadonov. Patrick will start at center and the bulked up third line gives Vegas a deeper and perhaps more consistent forward group. Advantage Golden Knights
Defense and goaltending: After a Vezina Trophy win the Golden Knights parted ways with Marc-Andre Fleury and traded him to Chicago this summer. He’ll go down as a Vegas legend after leading the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final in year one, but they’ll now hand the net over to Robin Lehner full time. Lehner and Fleury took turns over the past two years and Lehner is a top goalie in his own right. There should not be a huge drop off, if any, for Vegas here.
Defensively, the Golden Knights are as strong as any team in the league. Shea Theodore and Alex Pietrangelo are two offensively gifted defensemen and power-play quarterbacks. Theodore averaged .79 points per game last season which was only behind Stone and Pacioretty for Vegas. Those two are the flashy pieces on the Golden Knights back end, but Alec Martinez and Brayden McNabb round out the group well. Advantage Golden Knights
Edmonton Oilers versus Seattle Kraken
Forwards: All conversations about the Edmonton forwards begin and end with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The Oilers two top centers are also two of the world’s top centers. McDavid is coming off a spectacular MVP season just a year after Draisaitl won the Hart Trophy. The trouble in Edmonton is that the Oilers don’t get much from anyone else up front.
Last season when the two were on the ice together at 5-on-5, the Oilers dominated in every possession number you look at and scored 33 goals for and allowed 17 against. When neither were on the ice, the Oilers were outscored 52-29. Edmonton is hoping to find more scoring depth from guys like Kailer Yamamoto, who has been inconsistent, and Zach Hyman who they brought in as a free agent from Toronto. While the Kraken may have slightly more depth, with the stars at the top of the lineup, it’s hard to bet against the Oilers here. Advantage Oilers
Defense and goaltending: As elite as the Oilers are at the front of the lineup, the back end has been a struggle over the past few years. The defense has been troublesome for Edmonton and it doesn’t help that perennial top-six blueliner Adam Larsson is now in Seattle. Darnell Nurse is at the top of their pairings and is a top-end guy in the NHL, but the roster gets slim after that. Edmonton brought in a well-past-his-prime Duncan Keith to help. Will it?
In net it’s the return of 39-year-old Mike Smith, who rebounded for a nice season last year, and Mikko Koskinen. The best way to describe both goalies is… inconsistent. Advantage Kraken
Vancouver Canucks versus the Seattle Kraken
Forwards: The Canucks are looking for a bounce back year, and if enough goes right for them, they just might do so. They are strongest up front, powered by the recently re-signed Elias Pettersson who is one of the brightest young stars in the NHL. They’ll need a better year out of J.T. Miller this season, but they also have Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser returning. To bolster their forward group they added Connor Garland and Jason Dickinson via trade and a promising rookie in Vasily Podkolzin.
They can throw three solid lines at you which should lead to a consistent offensive attack. Advantage Canucks
How do the Seattle Kraken match up with their would-be rivals the Vancouver Canucks? (Brian Liesse photo)
Defense and goaltending: In net the Canucks feature the talented and young Thatcher Demko. In his first season as the number one starter Demko was a solid .915 goalie but is a step behind Grubauer at this point in their careers.
It’s in front of the goalie where there are issues, though not with Quinn Hughes. Hughes, who also just re-signed with the Canucks, is already a star and the 21-year-old speedster is only going to get better and more dangerous. After that, the Canucks defense is sketchy. They brought in Oliver Ekman-Larsson in hopes he can bolster a top six that struggles in its own end. That’s a risk. Advantage Kraken
Los Angeles Kings versus the Seattle Kraken
Forwards: The Kings have been threatening with a rebuild for a couple years now, and they’ve collected young, impressive talent but still may be a season away from truly cashing in. The ageless wonder Anze Kopitar still leads the way as their top center along with winger Dustin Brown. They’ve added Viktor Arvidsson and Phillip Danault which gives them a bit more veteran experience and production to their top six.
Los Angeles’ exciting forwards include Alex Turcotte (drafted fifth overall in 2019) and Quinton Byfield (drafted second overall in 2020) who have yet to impact at the NHL level but are certainly on the come. If those guys are ready, the Los Angeles rebuild is in full swing. Seattle has more depth in their forwards for the time being. Advantage Kraken
Defense and goaltending: Drew Doughty leads the Kings defensively again this year and at 31 years old is still productive. His best seasons are in the past, however, and Los Angeles has surrounded him with younger guys who will need to step up if the Kings want to make the playoffs this season.
Cal Petersen and Jonathan Quick are the goalie duo again this year and that is less than exciting. Petersen took the bulk of the starts last year as the 35-year-old Quick failed to get his save percentage above .900. The Kraken are much better equipped in net. Advantage Kraken
Calgary Flames versus the Seattle Kraken
Forwards: When you look at the Flames up front it’s a head scratcher as to why they weren’t better last season. Johnny Gaudreau can score and Matthew Tkachuk – who is still just 23 years old – make up a talented top line. Elias Lindholm centers a second line with Dillon Dube and Andrew Mangiapane which has the potential to make up a tough top six.
After those guys it falls off a bit for the Flames. Will that younger second line step up enough to provide the Flames with one of the best groups in the Pacific? They’re going to have to. Advantage Kraken
Forwards and goaltending: Seattle stripped the Flames of their best defenseman when they selected Giordano at the Expansion Draft and Calgary has yet to replace him. Their top pairing could be made up of Chris Tanev and Nikita Zadorov who are two serviceable blueliners. Former Tri-City Americans star Juuso Valimaki has the potential to be great but at 23-years-old hasn’t shown it quite yet.
A season ago the Flames landed former Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom with a $6 million free agent contract. That got them 31 starts with an average .904 save percentage. Behind him the Flames have an inexperienced Daniel Vladar. Advantage Kraken
San Jose Sharks versus the Seattle Kraken
Forwards: The rebuilding Sharks aren’t devoid of talent up front. Their top six still contains players like Logan Couture, Timo Meier, and Tomas Hertl. Those three guys can score and will win the Sharks a few games. After those three however, the pickings are of the slim variety. They’ve added veteran Nick Bonino, who will help them down the middle, and still have the troubled Evander Kane, but it’s not enough to make this a playoff contending team.
San Jose drafted William Eklund seventh overall in July and the Swede is loaded with potential. He’s got a shot of sticking with the Sharks, but at 18, he’s not going to make a difference just yet. Advantage Kraken
Defense and goaltending: Brent Burns, Erik Karlsson, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic are as good a defensive group you could have asked for… five years ago. Now, they are declining in production, aging, and weighing down the Sharks with high-end contracts totaling just over $26 million for the three. That’s not a good situation and there’s no clear way out for San Jose.
In goal the Sharks picked up Adin Hill from the Coyotes, and he looks ready to get a shot at taking over an NHL net. The former Portland Winterhawk has yet to play more than 19 games in one NHL season but showed promise during his tenure with the Arizona Coyotes organization. He’s 25-years-old and will probably suffer some growing pains, but his future looks good. Advantage Kraken
Anaheim Ducks versus the Seattle Kraken
Forwards: The Ducks are in a serious rebuild and their best forwards are their youngest. Trevor Zegras is coming off a good AHL season in San Diego and a monster World Junior Championship performance where he scored nine goals. He played 24 games in the NHL last year and averaged .54 points per game which was second only to Maxime Comtois in Anaheim. The talent is there but at 20 years old he’s probably not ready to be an elite center just yet.
Ryan Getzlaf is back for another year with the Ducks, but he’s coming off a five-goal season and offers little more than leadership and nostalgia. Advantage Kraken
Defense and goaltending: Chosen sixth overall by the Ducks in the 2020 NHL Draft, Jamie Drysdale turned in an impressive season in the AHL last year. He’s 19 years old now but is the future for Anaheim’s top pairing. Cam Fowler and Kevin Shattenkirk are nice veteran pieces, but overall, the Ducks will struggle here.
In net John Gibson appeared to be the league’s next young goalie when he posted a .926 save percentage in 2017-2018. In the four seasons since he’s seen that number drop each year down to last season’s .903. Is it him or the team in front of him? Advantage Kraken
The inaugural slate of preseason games for the Seattle Kraken has been completed. Coming in, there were plenty of questions around how the team would shake out, at least for opening night, and on that front, there are still a few questions lingering.
But the discourse surrounding the franchise was never just about how the roster would look coming out of training camp.
Who will score? How are the goalies? Where does Yanni Gourde slot in? Let’s consider what questions the Kraken actually have answered and what still needs to be worked out.
Who will score for the Kraken?
This has been the biggest question asked by hockey pundits everywhere when they talk about the Kraken. Seattle will almost certainly take a score-by-committee approach, as they don’t have any obvious superstars that we expect to fill the net nightly.
One thing that became abundantly clear in the preseason, though, is that Seattle does have a solid top line featuring Jaden Schwartz, Jared McCann, and Jordan Eberle. That trio has been excellent whenever it has been in the lineup, driving play and constantly creating scoring chances.
Those three players partially answer our “Who will score?” question, but scoring depth wasn’t terribly obvious in preseason. The top line had five goals, while all other forwards combined for just six.
To be fair to the rest of the lineup, we didn’t see the full complement of lines until Tuesday, and with them all there, the Kraken won 4-0 with Vince Dunn scoring twice and Nathan Bastian and Ryan Donato each scoring once. It was a promising development, because that’s secondary scoring on a night when none of the top-three forwards converted.
And while it’s possible Seattle won’t get enough production from the second line and below, the defense corps do look poised to pick up some of the slack, having notched four goals of their own during exhibition play.
Once we get into the regular season and coach Dave Hakstol starts rolling four NHL lines, perhaps we will start to see a little more secondary and tertiary scoring, as we saw on Tuesday. Still, this question has only been partially answered.
Is the defensive depth as good as people thought?
Yes, the defensive depth really is awesome. Saturday’s game against the Calgary Flames showed just how solid this team can be in its own end, despite the four goals that were allowed. As Hakstol pointed out after the game, there was almost nothing coming from inside, and even the short-handed goal that Seattle yielded came from an outside shot.
Allowing 13 shots in an entire game is almost unheard of in the NHL, and doing so without dressing Mark Giordano is all the more impressive, even if Calgary didn’t have its best lineup that night.
How good can the goaltending be?
We still think the answer to this question is, “Really friggin’ good.” Philipp Grubauer has looked as solid as ever, especially on Tuesday when he stopped all 38 of Vancouver’s shots. Even in practice, he has been making dazzling saves, so as of now, there’s absolutely nothing to worry about from Seattle’s No. 1A.
It’s been a bit of an odd camp for the No. 1B, Chris Driedger, and he probably gave up more goals than he would have liked in the games. In fact, after the 4-1 loss on Saturday, he called two of the goals he allowed “soft.” And four goals on 13 shots is nothing to write home about, but man, what an awkward game to be in from a goalie’s point of view. He only faced two shots on goal in the first period, and one of those came through traffic, deflected, and somehow found its way into the back of the net. For a netminder, you need to be in the flow of the game, feeling the puck regularly, and that just never happened on Saturday. It’s almost as if the defense was too good.
And in the team’s first road preseason game, Driedger allowed five goals in two periods, but was completely hung out to dry with the Kraken trotting out a shell of its best lineup against the likes of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Take his preseason results with a grain of salt, because Driedger is an excellent goalie who we don’t expect to have many games like what we’ve seen from him so far.
As for the Kraken’s third netminder, Joey Daccord? Well, we have a relatively small sample size to review, but he was outstanding in all his appearances. It’s comforting to know that if Seattle should lose one or both of its goalies to injury, there is another capable option waiting in the wings in Charlotte.
What happens when Yanni Gourde and Colin Blackwell return?
This one is difficult to answer, especially when considering how Hakstol will deploy Gourde. He can slot him in to center the second line and bump Wennberg down or put Gourde on the third line, but either move potentially pushes Geekie down to the fourth. We already know from past experience in Carolina that the fourth line is not the right fit for Geekie, and he’s shown that he has a skill set for a bigger role.
Blackwell’s presence creates a little less of a conundrum, because he can slot into the bottom six, where there’s less of a ripple effect. His inclusion does mean the exclusion of somebody like Riley Sheahan or maybe Nathan Bastian, though.
Getting a full roster with too much NHL talent is always a good problem to have. We will leave this question “outstanding,” but this will work itself out in due time.
Are the Kraken good?
Multiple advanced analytics models have the Kraken finishing in the 90’s for points, with Dom Luszczyszyn predicting 97.1 points. That should get the Kraken into the postseason.
We’ve seen flashes of brilliance in the preseason and enough skill and resilience to believe that Seattle won’t stink. But until it gets a few regular-season games under its belt with its full NHL lineup, we simply do not have enough data to say how this team will be with any level of certainty.
We’re optimistic, but we will leave this question in the “outstanding” category.
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.
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.
