Three Takeaways – Kraken split weekend games with New York teams
The Seattle Kraken faced their third set of back-to-back games of the season, this time entirely on home ice. The weekend featured matchups against both New York teams, with the Kraken coming away with two points after splitting the series with a win over the Islanders on Saturday and a loss to the Rangers on Sunday.
Kraken vs. Islanders (Nov. 16, win 3-2)
This game showcased the classic “bend but don’t break” mentality. The teams traded goals throughout the night, with neither holding more than a one-goal lead at any time. Both finished with about 20 shots on goal, but the Kraken emerged victorious, securing a 3-2 win.
Despite the final score, the Islanders had the edge in shot quality, generating 56.5 percent of the expected goals, according to Natural Stat Trick. At times, it felt like the Islanders might take control, but the Kraken held on. The Yanni Gourde, Brandon Tanev, and Tye Kartye line provided crucial energy, while Joey Daccord delivered another solid performance in net, marking his fourth consecutive start.
Kraken vs. Rangers (Nov. 17, Loss 2-0)
Another close contest, but this time the Kraken came up short, falling 2-0 to the New York Rangers. The Rangers came out firing, recording the game’s first five shots before the Kraken found their footing.
According to Natural Stat Trick, the Kraken out-chanced the Rangers in high-danger shot attempts (HDSA), 10-7. Despite tilting the ice slightly in their favor, the Kraken couldn’t find the back of the net. Moneypuck’s “Deserve to Win O’Meter” gave Seattle a 54.8 percent chance of winning this matchup, but the scoreboard told a different story.
This weekend marked the Kraken’s third back-to-back set of the season, and the trend continues to be a concern. They have not fared well in any of the second games, going 0-3 and losing all three by identical 2-0 shutout scores.
Takeaway #1: Backwards weekend
Both games this weekend were closely contested and could have gone either way. Based on the Kraken’s performance, you might have expected them to lose to the Islanders and beat the Rangers. Instead, the results flipped. Take a look at the shot heat maps for both games—Seattle vs. Islanders on the left and Kraken vs. Rangers on the right:
The Kraken consistently got pucks to the front of the net against the Rangers, which is a strong indicator of long-term success, even if it didn’t translate into goals against on Sunday.
Takeaway #2: Goaltending tandem looked solid
I liked the coaching staff’s decision to start Joey Daccord against the Islanders and Philipp Grubauer against the Rangers. The reasoning was sound: knowing Igor Shesterkin started the Rangers’ previous game against the San Jose Sharks, there was a strong likelihood Jonathan Quick would face Seattle. Shesterkin is the better goalie, though Quick has been outstanding in his few appearances this season. By factoring this in, the Kraken coaching staff maximized their chances of winning at least one game—and it paid off, as they split the weekend 1-1 and earned two valuable points. Sure, four points would have been better, but let’s not get greedy.
Daccord was strong again, posting a .917 save percentage and saving 1.07 goals above expected to help secure the win against the Islanders. Grubauer, meanwhile, earned third-star honors for his performance against the Rangers with a .913 save percentage and two goals against. Unfortunately, he had zero goal support for the third time this season. Sure, the second goal Grubauer let in was one he’d surely want back, but it doesn’t matter if the Kraken don’t provide any offensive support. The loss against the Rangers rests squarely on the offense’s inability to produce in this game.
Takeaway #3: Wright’s line struggles to produce
Shane Wright logged a season-low 8:34 of ice time in the game against the Islanders. Head coach Dan Bylsma addressed the limited usage, explaining, “[Shane Wright’s] minutes in terms of the game was a lot to do with the flow of the game… Some of the decisions on the ice were due to the fact that we were dealing with a top-heavy [Islanders] group.”
In the following game against the Rangers, Bylsma made the call to scratch Wright in favor of recent call-up Ben Meyers. Regarding the decision, Bylsma shared, “The message [for Shane Wright] is, take a reset, watch the game tonight, which he did, and get back focused on playing the way you can play.” Credit to Curtis Isacke, who predicted Wright’s scratch in favor of Meyers on Episode 311 of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast early this week.
Unfortunately, Meyers didn’t fare much better centering the line with Daniel Sprong and Eeli Tolvanen, finishing with just 8:21 of ice time. With the other three Kraken lines generating offensive pressure, most of the ice time this weekend was spread between those three lines.
Watching Wright play, I’m not overly concerned yet. He’s getting to the right spots on the ice and hasn’t been a defensive liability. However, this line isn’t clicking offensively. Whether it’s bad luck or poor line chemistry, the puck isn’t finding its way to Wright—or the front of the net—when this line is on the ice.
Blaiz Grubic
Blaiz Grubic is a contributor at Sound Of Hockey. A passionate hockey fan and player for over 30 years, Blaiz grew up in the Pacific Northwest and is an alumni of Washington State University (Go Cougs!). When he’s not playing, watching, or writing about hockey, he enjoys quality time with his wife and daughter or getting out on a golf course for a quick round. Follow @blaizg on BlueSky or X.
Photo Gallery – Kraken vs Rangers – Nov 17th
Down on the Farm: Will an NCAA ruling change the landscape for Seattle Kraken prospects?
This is ‘Down on the Farm,’ a moniker borrowed from the Sound Of Hockey Podcast segment of the same name. We’re here to talk about the week that was for the Seattle Kraken prospect pool and get you an overall data update on where things stand.
Typically, we begin with a featured prospect, but this week I’m changing that up a bit to feature a question that could have implications for Seattle Kraken prospects next year and beyond. I’ll follow that with a shorter “feature” on Kraken prospect Caden Price before moving onto our other standard sections. Let’s dive in.
Kraken prospect question of the week
Q: Will the NCAA rule declaring CHL players eligible to play Division I college hockey affect any Seattle Kraken prospects?
A: On Nov. 7 the NCAA adopted a rule opening Division I college hockey eligibility to players from the Canadian Hockey League, effective as of Aug. 1, 2025. Until this ruling, a player who played even one preseason game in the CHL was no longer eligible to play NCAA hockey. This is in contrast with leagues like the BCHL and USHL, where a player could play and retain their NCAA eligibility. This dynamic forced young hockey players with professional aspirations into an early choice to pursue a college track or not. Since players in all junior leagues are now NCAA eligible, the hockey landscape is likely to see significant changes.
DI Council adopts rules change in men’s ice hockey & skiing, allowing involvement with pro teams prior to college enrollment (in line w/other sports), effective Aug. 1, 2025.
— NCAA News (@NCAA_PR) November 7, 2024
Decision is not final until meeting concludes this afternoon.
Learn more here ⤵️ https://t.co/p8c1ZuJfz2
As for existing Kraken prospects, I don’t foresee any immediate seismic shifts, but it is possible we could see a few players currently in the CHL play NCAA hockey next year.
Players who have signed true professional contracts (like Berkly Catton, who has signed an NHL contract, or Zeb Forsfjall, who signed in the SHL) remain ineligible to play NCAA hockey. So, college isn’t an option for them.
CHL players not currently signed with the Kraken may have the NCAA option, though, regardless of their age. To date the CHL leagues have taken the position that only players who have aged out (20 years old-plus) can move to the NCAA. But most analysts believe that the contracts players sign with their CHL clubs will not prevent them from leaving to take an NCAA opportunity earlier.
This opens the door for players like Clarke Caswell, Nathan Villenevue, Alexis Bernier, and Ollie Josephson to consider the college option. Consider Caswell’s case, for example. He is currently averaging 1.7 points per game, near the top of the WHL in scoring. By the end of the year, he may reach the conclusion that his development would be hurt by remaining in the WHL for another year. On the other hand, he’ll still be too young for an AHL assignment, and it’s doubtful the Kraken would view him as a serious NHL option. Before this ruling, Caswell would have been trapped in a junior holding pattern. After this ruling, the NCAA option likely exists for Caswell.
I don’t know if any of these players would seriously consider the college avenue or if the Kraken would steer them toward or away from NCAA hockey. Right now I’m skeptical any existing Kraken prospects will move, but the landscape is changing quickly. At the least, it’s an option that did not previously exist. We will be monitoring developments in this area closely.
Featured Kraken prospect: Caden Price
Kelowna Rockets (WHL) | LD | 19 years old | 15 games played | 4 goals | 19 assists | 1.53 PPG
Kraken defense prospect Caden Price is off to a prolific scoring start for the WHL Kelowna Rockets. He has 19 assists in 15 games, and is near the top of the league in highest percentage of his team’s total assists. This is not entirely surprising since he is quick to activate, loves to have the puck on his stick, and is logging heavy first-pair minutes for Kelowna.
He has also scored four goals, including two in Kelowna’s matchup against the Spokane Chiefs last Saturday. His shifts from that game are excerpted in the video above. The game gives a solid snapshot of his ample offensive skillset with the puck through the neutral zone and his attacking mentality in the offensive zone. There were also examples of his defensive shortcomings, particularly with his footwork. He ended up lunging and diving to defend a handful of chances against Spokane. Berkly Catton beat him in one such case, and Price was lucky not to pick up a penalty or two in other instances.
Overall I’m optimistic on Price. He looks stronger and more athletic this season with an ever-improving offensive game. His 23 points are tied for first among defensemen in the WHL. And the tools are there to develop his defensive game over time. The arrow is pointing up on the 2023 third-round pick.
Most importantly: Price’s six points in three games since our last update earns him Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week.
Notes on three more Kraken prospects
Oscar Fisker Mølgaard
HV71 (SHL) | 19 years old | C | 2 games played | 0 goals | 0 assists | 0 PPG
The biggest Kraken prospect news of the past seven days is the return of Oscar Fisker Mølgaard to the lineup for HV71 in the Swedish Hockey League. Mølgaard was injured in HV71’s regular-season opener and missed 53 days with a lower-body concern. In his return to the lineup he had 13:05 time on ice, two shots on goal, and won four of seven draws. I suspect his play time and involvement will continue to ramp up over the next couple weeks, but it’s good to have him back out there for now.
Kaden Hammell
Everett Silvertips (WHL) | RD | 19 years old | 18 games played | 2 goals | 9 assists | 0.61 PPG
You may have heard: The Everett Silvertips are quite good this year. Everett’s 31 standings points lead the entire WHL, as does the team’s +41 goal differential. Kraken prospect Kaden Hammell is the Silvertips’ co-Captain and first-pair right defenseman. In that role he has an eye-popping +22 on-ice plus-minus. This is second in the entire WHL behind only teammate Tyler McKenzie. Over the last seven days he chipped in with some scoring too, potting one goal and adding four assists in three games.
Hammell is currently unsigned, and the Kraken face a June 1, 2025, deadline to get him under contract or the team loses its exclusive NHL negotiating rights. His situation is one to monitor as we proceed through the winter into spring.
Zaccharya Wisdom
Colorado College (NCAA) | RW | 20 years old | 8 games played | 2 goals | 4 assists | 0.75 PPG
Like the previously profiled Justin Janicke, Barrett Hall, and Ben MacDonald, Zaccharya Wisdom is a Kraken drafted player playing hockey in college, which puts him on a longer development path and extends the deadline for the team to sign him. His grinding play saw relatively few individual rewards on the scoreboard last season, as he posted only .67 points per game. (That said, he did score a mind-boggling four goals during the one Colorado College game I saw broadcast on ROOT Sports last year; check out all of his shifts from that game here.) In his sophomore year, the production has ticked up a bit; he’s at .75 points per game currently. Most significantly, he scored an overtime gaming-winning goal last Friday night to keep his Colorado College Tigers undefeated.
You're a wizard, Mr. Wisdom🪄#CCTigers pic.twitter.com/91XAluXlkM
— CC Hockey (@CCTigerHKY) November 9, 2024
Kraken prospect data update
Mitchell Stephens, Max McCormick, and Jacob Melanson all missed Coachella Valley’s two games since our last update due to injury. Forsfjall returned to his SHL team’s lineup yesterday after an absence due to the U20 Five Nations Tournament. He recorded an assist in that game.
Ben Meyers is tied for the Firebirds team lead in points and continues to be the veteran engine of the team, particularly with Stephens and McCormick missing. He remains high on my personal “first recall” list.
Kraken goalies in the system won five of six total starts over the last seven days. Kim Saarinen didn’t get a start due to his attendance at the U20 Five Nations Tournament.
Overall, Semyon Vyazovoy continued his strong play as the second goalie in a tandem for Salavat Yulaev Ufa in the KHL. Visa Vedenpaa remains out.
2024-25 Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week tracker
Clarke Caswell: 2
Alexis Bernier: 1
Berkly Catton: 1
Caden Price: 1
Previewing the week ahead
The Firebirds have three games in the next seven days, including a back-to-back tonight (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday). I suspect Niklas Kokko will draw one of those starts. Julius Miettinen, Kaden Hammell, and the Everett Silvertips take on their rival Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent tomorrow (Saturday). Ollie Josephson and the Red Deer Rebels visit Tyson Jugnauth and the Portland Winterhawks tonight (Friday) and then take on Berkly Catton and the Spokane Chiefs in Spokane tomorrow (Satruday). Mølgaard and Forsfjall clash in an SHL matchup tomorrow (Saturday).
Previous prospect updates
November 8, 2024: Kraken prospect Jagger Firkus is doing the little things necessary to succeed
November 1, 2024: ‘No days off’ approach for Kraken prospect Clarke Caswell
October 25, 2024: Kraken prospect Eduard Sale’s “tryout” in Coachella Valley is going well
October 18, 2024: Kraken prospect Andrei Loshko filling the stat sheet in the OHL
Curtis Isacke
Curtis is a Sound Of Hockey contributor and member of the Kraken press corps. Curtis is an attorney by day, and he has read the NHL collective bargaining agreement and bylaws so you don’t have to. He can be found analyzing the Kraken, NHL Draft, and other hockey topics on Twitter and Bluesky @deepseahockey.
Three Takeaways – Kraken defeat Blackhawks 3-1, Jordan Eberle injured
It was a win/loss kind of night for the Seattle Kraken, who won 3-1 over the Chicago Blackhawks but lost their captain, Jordan Eberle, to a lower-body injury.
The Kraken had a much better first period than in previous games, dominating play for most of the first 40 minutes before the Blackhawks pushed back in the third. Matty Beniers and Jaden Schwartz scored key goals, while Brandon Tanev added an empty-netter—his fourth goal in three games.
“The mindset with which we came out to execute was we made hard plays, we made north plays, and the result was getting to play in the offensive zone,” coach Dan Bylsma said.
Here are Three Takeaways from the Kraken’s 3-1 win over the Blackhawks.
Takeaway #1: Concern for Eberle
While the win marked Seattle’s third consecutive victory since snapping their recent four-game skid, the biggest storyline from this game was Jordan Eberle’s injury. The Kraken captain hobbled down the tunnel with assistance from the medical staff after an awkward crash into the boards.
Eberle was racing for a puck with Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy when the two became tangled, sending Eberle hard into the boards. Though he got up quickly, he was hunched over on his way to the bench and appeared to struggle as he headed to the dressing room.
Uh oh. Jordan Eberle with a VERY hard slam into the end wall.
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) November 15, 2024
He ended up getting helped down the tunnel. That didn’t look good. #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/E1rvVGLe8j
The injury caused lineup shuffling for the Kraken, who rotated players on different lines, even experimenting with Shane Wright as a winger alongside Beniers at times.
“It created a situation where we used a couple different wingers, and as we saw, Wrighter stepped in and did a great job with Matty for a couple shifts there,” Bylsma said.
Whether Eberle will miss significant time remains unclear. Bylsma noted postgame that Eberle was still being evaluated. Interestingly, the Kraken announced during the game that Eberle was “unlikely to return” due to a lower-body injury, rather than immediately ruling him out entirely—a potentially encouraging sign. Could there have been some thought that he might return? Or maybe I’m just reading into that too much.
If Eberle does miss games, the timing is notable. Daniel Sprong, acquired in a trade with Vancouver but delayed by work visa issues, could debut in the upcoming games against the New York teams. A scoring winger stepping in as another scoring winger goes out? That might be fortuitous, albeit bittersweet.
Still, you hate to see anyone get hurt, especially a captain who’s been central to the Kraken’s success this season. Here’s hoping for good news on Eberle.
Takeaway #2: Ryker Evans was excellent
Flying under the radar in this game—though the broadcast gave him due credit—was Ryker Evans, who had the second assist on Jaden Schwartz’s game-winning power-play goal early in the third period.
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF THE SCHWARTZ! 🚨
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) November 15, 2024
Great setup off the zone entry by Stephenson, career goal No. 200 for Jaden Schwartz.
PPG. 2-0 #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/vaPBU2qa59
I’ve been impressed with the young defenseman all season and believe he could develop into a top puck-moving blueliner for this team. On Thursday, Evans was especially sharp in all three zones and led all Kraken skaters with 24:33 of ice time. In those minutes, he remained calm, cool, and collected, making no noticeable mistakes.
It’s amusing to recall the criticism Seattle faced for drafting Evans as an over-ager in 2021, with pundits calling it an “off-the-board” pick. While there were other strong players available (Logan Stankoven comes to mind), Evans’ development into an every-game player suggests the Kraken’s drafting and development strategies are paying off.
Takeaway #3: A 60-minute effort
The Kraken have hung some crooked numbers on the Blackhawks in the past, but this Chicago team is improved, and goalie Petr Mrazek has been stellar in the first quarter of this season.
Though the score remained close, Seattle controlled the game from the start, something they’ve struggled with on several occasions this season. The Kraken outshot the Blackhawks 20-9 through two periods and held Chicago to just 19 shots overall. Old friend Ryan Donato’s fluky third-period rebound goal tightened the score (his eighth goal of the season—good for him!), but Seattle never gave up much defensively.
It’s not delivery, it’s Donato. 😔
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) November 15, 2024
2-1 #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/IQVKHwuLJ0
“The focus has been on our starts the last few games,” Bylsma said. “I thought the guys did a great job of coming out and—really, led by Matty’s line—they had the first couple shifts in the offensive zone.”
Seattle finished the night with 73 percent of the shot quality according to Natural Stat Trick. It was a solid, top-to-bottom effort that showed the Kraken are capable of taking care of business against inferior opponents.
How does Daniel Sprong fit into the Seattle Kraken lineup this time around?
Ding dong, Daniel Sprong is back in Seattle, or he will be as soon as his visa paperwork is processed. Sprong, a fan favorite in Seattle two seasons ago, scored 27 goals in 82 games for the Kraken, making his mark on the team’s offense.
But despite a career shooting percentage of 11.6 percent, Sprong has bounced around the NHL throughout his career, suiting up for six different teams. When it’s time for the Dutch winger to re-sign, teams—including the Kraken—have opted to let the sniper move on. The critique of Sprong’s game has always been his defensive play, or lack thereof. But he can score, and the Kraken know that finding consistent goal scorers in the NHL is no easy feat.
Sound Of Hockey’s own John Barr has already covered the salary cap implications in Monday Musings, so I won’t dive into that aspect here. Darren Brown also had a write-up following Sprong’s trade to Seattle. But I am curious to understand where he might fit into the lineup.
Ding Dong! Who’s there? The fourth line
Sprong was a key part of Seattle’s fourth line during the Kraken’s 2022-23 campaign. Rounding out the line were Ryan Donato and Morgan Geekie most nights, though others did rotate through. Despite bringing critical depth scoring, none of the three were re-signed after the 2022-23 season: Donato is now with the Chicago Blackhawks, and Geekie joined the Boston Bruins. While it might seem reasonable to assume Sprong will return to the fourth line, I have my doubts about whether that’s where he’ll ultimately play.
The 2024-25 edition of the fourth line consists of Brandon Tanev, Yanni Gourde, and Tye Kartye—all of whom excel on the defensive side of the ice. Tanev and Gourde are mainstays on the penalty-killing units, with Kartye often stepping in when one of the regular penalty killers is in the box. This defensive emphasis is what first raised my eyebrows about the idea of slotting Sprong into the fourth line, where the focus has shifted firmly to playing defense first.
Shift starts
With Sprong’s offense-first reputation, I took a closer look at how this season’s fourth-line trio—Kartye, Gourde, and Tanev—compares to the 2022-23 group of Donato, Geekie, and Sprong in terms of shift starts. All data in this article was gathered from MoneyPuck and is current as of Nov 13.
During the 2022-23 season, Sprong had a team-low 4.8 percent of his shifts start in the defensive zone. Overall, Donato, Geekie, and Sprong started only 7.3 percent of their 5v5 shifts in the defensive end. By contrast, this season’s fourth line of Tanev, Gourde, and Kartye has defensive-zone starts at 12.8 percent, jumping to 18.1 percent when factoring in all situations.
Neutral-zone starts can be murky to analyze since these face-offs can occur at center ice or near the blue lines, with four of the five dots being close to either the offensive or defensive zones, but still being considered neutral zone. This season’s fourth line starts 21.3 percent of shifts in the neutral zone, compared to 15.4 percent for Sprong’s line.
These percentages may seem small, but that’s due to hockey’s game flow. Roughly 50 to 60 percent of shifts start on the fly (meaning during play), while the rest begin with face-offs in the offensive, neutral, or defensive zones. When a player’s on-the-fly percentage is over 60 percent, it suggests the coaching staff is managing their minutes to control the situations they play in.
In this regard, Kartye, Gourde, and Tanev fall within the typical 50-to-60-percent range, with 56.6 percent of shifts starting on the fly. In contrast, Donato, Geekie, and Sprong had 64.1 percent of shifts starting on the fly; that’s the highest of any Kraken forward line, indicating that former coach Dave Hakstol was shielding their play to specific scenarios.
Third line
We’re still early in the season, and head coach Dan Bylsma continues to tweak the lines. However, one line stands out with a similar zone start profile to Sprong’s fourth line: the third line, currently featuring Andre Burakovsky, Shane Wright, and Eeli Tolvanen.
Burakovsky has moved around lines this season, currently starting 13.2 percent of his shifts in the defensive zone, which pulls up the line’s overall defensive-zone start average. In comparison, Wright and Tolvanen each start 9.6 percent of their shifts in the defensive zone. Both these lines have over 60 percent of shifts starting on the fly, feature the lowest defensive-zone deployment rates for their respective seasons, and show similar usage in offensive and neutral zones. This sheltered usage and shift-deployment model aligns with where the Kraken have seen Sprong succeed and could offer him the easiest path to playing time.
Adding a new player to the lineup always creates competition, meaning someone will have to sit or even be offloaded from the roster if everyone remains healthy when Vince Dunn returns from his stint on long-term injured reserve. The coaching staff has shown it won’t hesitate to scratch big-name players to make a point, as was recently done with Oliver Bjorkstrand.
Where will Sprong go?
We’ll see how this unfolds in the coming days and weeks. For now, Sprong is set to join the Kraken, and if he can replicate his scoring touch from his last stint in Seattle, there will be some tough decisions ahead for general manager Ron Francis as he works to keep the team under the salary cap. If Sprong doesn’t work out, he could be waived and potentially sent down to the AHL.
Where do you see Sprong slotting into the Kraken lineup? Who do you think will sit to make room for Sprong? Let me know in the comments below.
Blaiz Grubic
Blaiz Grubic is a contributor at Sound Of Hockey. A passionate hockey fan and player for over 30 years, Blaiz grew up in the Pacific Northwest and is an alumni of Washington State University (Go Cougs!). When he’s not playing, watching, or writing about hockey, he enjoys quality time with his wife and daughter or getting out on a golf course for a quick round. Follow @blaizg on BlueSky or X.
