It was a fun night at Xcel Energy Center, where the Seattle Kraken jumped on the coattails of captain Jordan Eberle and rode his two goals, plus the deciding shootout tally, to their first win of the season—a 5-4 victory over the Minnesota Wild.
The Kraken trailed by two, erased that deficit, and then trailed by one twice more but continually fought back.
“I don’t think you want to get into the habit of having to do that,” said head coach Dan Bylsma, who also earned his first victory as Kraken head coach. “But it was the story of the game. We got it back 2-2, they got another one, we got a great goal by the [Tye Kartye] line, and then they scored again, and we had to come up with one late to claw back into it.”
Indeed, it was a resilient performance by Seattle, which did not always look like the better team on this night but found a way to earn two points in the end.
Here are our Three Takeaways from Seattle’s 5-4 shootout win over the Wild.
Takeaway #1: A big night for Captain Ebs
Seattle was fortunate to reach the first intermission trailing just 1-0 after the Wild appeared to score a power-play goal at the horn. However, the green light (indicating 0.0) appeared behind the net just before the puck crossed the line, and the Kraken briefly avoided that two-goal deficit. With plenty of penalty time left, Minnesota’s potent power play went right back to work at the start of the second, and Matt Boldy struck to officially make it 2-0.
At this point, it felt like things were heading in the wrong direction for the Kraken, but Eberle sprang into action. Just 40 seconds after Boldy’s goal, Eberle went hard to the net and kept pounding away until the puck snuck through a sprawled Marc-Andre Fleury and trickled over the line to make it 2-1.
“It’s getting to the blue paint and having a presence in the blue paint,” Bylsma said. “It took two or three whacks to get it in the back of the net, but Jordan Eberle gets his 300th career goal right where it should be, right in the blue paint.”
Then, six minutes later, the Kraken power play connected on its first opportunity of the night. After hitting multiple posts and keeping Minnesota on the ropes for a bit, Andre Burakovsky sent a hard shot-pass toward Eberle at the far post, and the puck caromed in off his skate.
Boom. Two-goal deficit erased.
“We were kind of snapping it around, which was great,” Eberle said. “The power play, in my opinion, is all about momentum and confidence, and hopefully we can continue that.”
As if the two goals weren’t enough, Eberle followed Oliver Bjorkstrand’s beautiful equalizer in the shootout with a well-placed snapshot of his own, the eventual shootout winner after Boldy fired his attempt wide of Joey Daccord.
Before the season, I hypothesized that Kartye could be ready for a bigger role and more production. He has a huge shot and was a prolific scorer at the AHL level, so with almost a full season of NHL experience under his belt, my theory was that he would find more ways to put his shot to work. He did that Saturday to give Seattle another response goal just 1:06 after Kirill Kaprizov made it 3-2.
With linemates Brandon Tanev and Yanni Gourde battling in the corner, Kartye went to the left circle and did well to find just a little area of quiet space. The Wild defenders were puck watching, and by the time they realized Kartye was unmarked, the puck was on and off his stick and into the back of Minnesota’s net to tie the game 3-3.
Not to be outdone, Jared McCann notched another equalizer for the Kraken at 16:34 of the third. Eberle (who else?) had gone hard to the net and drawn a penalty. On the delayed call, McCann slid down the wall, took a pass in his wheelhouse from Ryker Evans, and launched a heat-seeking missile that whistled past Fleury’s ear and under the bar.
“It’s just Jared McCann being Jared McCann on a great shot there,” Bylsma said. “It allowed us to get to overtime and allowed us to get to the shootout, and it’s great to claw out a win that way.”
Takeaway #3: Vince Dunn injured?
One negative from this game was Vince Dunn taking a heavy hit into the endboards from Marcus Foligno near the end of the third period and heading to the bench hunched over and furious. He stayed on the bench for a bit in visible distress before trying a “test-it-out” twirl at the last stoppage of the game. After just a couple seconds on the ice, Dunn went down the tunnel and did not return for the overtime period.
When asked if Dunn would play Sunday in the Kraken’s back-to-back game against the Dallas Stars, Bylsma said, “That’s a wait and see. We’ll see. He was smiling after the game, so we’ll see what it is for tomorrow.”
The fact that Dunn is being considered for Sunday is a good sign, but I’ve been fooled by these kinds of signs before. Dunn missed significant time last season and is one of the cornerstones of this team, so Kraken fans will be holding their breath to see if he emerges with the team in Dallas.
Another angle here is that Seattle is cap-strapped and only has space for one extra player, Josh Mahura, who is on the trip. If he gets pressed into action, the decision to keep Mahura (a defenseman) over John Hayden or Ryan Winterton will prove to be a good one. However, if Dunn misses time, and then another player has to leave the lineup for any reason, things could get very interesting.
For now, just keep your fingers crossed that Dunn is okay.
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.
Statistically, the Seattle Kraken power play wasn’t horrible last season. Over the entirety of the 2023-24 campaign, it converted on 20.7 percent of its opportunities, ranking 17th in the NHL. But as the season progressed, even an untrained eye could recognize what the team was trying to do. The play became stagnant and—at times—downright predictable.
Players would get into their 1-3-1 positions, barely move their feet, and look for a pass, usually to Jared McCann, who would be sneaking down from the blue line to the top of the left circle. If that didn’t work, they’d scamper back to their positions and try again.
Now, the Kraken have a new coaching staff at the helm, and Dan Bylsma has tasked Bob Woods and Jessica Campbell with making the power play units more dynamic.
“Jess and Woody have done a great job of just giving us the tools and just giving us the options to kind of keep moving and open up plays that maybe we wouldn’t have seen before,” McCann said. “And they’re giving us some leeway with doing our own thing, too, which we like… We’re not just looking for the same plays anymore.”
We began to see this more fluid approach in the preseason when the Kraken mixed and matched NHL, AHL, and even CHL personnel on their power play chances, which resulted in an uninspiring 2-for-26 success rate.
“We’re only going to talk about the percentage, but the power play and penalty kill are factors in every game,” Bylsma added. “And that’s not just from scoring goals or keeping goals out of the net. It’s about gaining momentum for your team and creating opportunities.”
Let’s dig in to understand the updates the Kraken have made to their power play this season.
Upgraded personnel showing some flashes
Bylsma highlighted a few specific preseason power plays that looked the way he wanted them to look. These included opportunities in the last meaningless game against Edmonton, in which the team nearly scored on multiple occasions, and the final power play in Calgary in Seattle’s penultimate exhibition game. Ironically, the Kraken went 0-for-5 in that game against the Flames with the man advantage, but then came out for a sixth opportunity early in the third period and immediately converted.
On that goal in Calgary, all five players touched the puck, using a mix of exterior and seam passes. Shane Wright ultimately cleaned up a rebound for what looked like an easy goal.
In Seattle’s season-opening 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, the Kraken only got one power play opportunity, and neither of the two units converted during the two-minute advantage. But even in that small sample size, you could see what the team was trying to do, and both units came within inches of tying the game.
For that contest, the units consisted of Brandon Montour, Chandler Stephenson, Shane Wright, Oliver Bjorkstrand, and Jaden Schwartz on one, and Vince Dunn, Andre Burakovsky, Matty Beniers, McCann, and Jordan Eberle on the other. We had previously assumed the Dunn-backed unit was the No. 1 power play, but Montour’s group went over the boards first on Tuesday. On paper, these two groupings present a greater scoring threat than what Seattle iced last season.
“Chan is so, so smooth with the puck, he’s such a great skater. He’s going to help us a lot on the entries, and he can make a play. He can also shoot the puck pretty well, too,” McCann said. “Monty back there adds a little level of poise, and he’s got a missile, too, obviously. You saw that in the last [preseason game] when he blew one through the goalie. So I feel like we’ve added some threats to our team, some bigger options, and it’s going to open up everybody else too, myself included.”
Regardless of which group is PP1 and which is PP2, both have so far looked notably different from last season.
More movement, more “freedom”
During that lone 5-on-4 Tuesday, there were two great opportunities to score, both of which came after stretches of strong player and puck movement. The first chance came from the Montour unit.
In the below clip, you’ll see the initial 1-3-1 setup. Montour is the “one” at the blue line, Stephenson (right halfwall), Wright (middle/“bumper” position), and Bjorkstrand (left halfwall) are the “three” in a line across the hashmarks and face-off dots, and Schwartz is the other “one” as the net-front presence. This is similar to what we saw last year and to what all NHL teams run to some degree.
In both groups, the blue line and right halfwall players act as “quarterbacks,” with the puck typically returning to them for distribution or shooting.
With 12:50 left on the clock, the stylistic change from last season becomes apparent. While last year’s team might have stuck rigidly to the 1-3-1, Stephenson shifts to the blue line, Montour moves to the left halfwall, and Bjorkstrand and Wright both push low toward the goal line. Bjorkstrand attempts a cross-crease pass to a crashing Wright, Montour reads the play and slides into the slot, and the result is a high-danger chance that rings off the crossbar.
From the PK perspective, it’s chaotic. Players are moving all around the zone, and with the numerical disadvantage, it becomes nearly impossible to stick to assignments.
“Movement is key,” Montour said. “Obviously, we’re snapping it around. You’ve got to play quick… You want to make plays and find that perfect play, but in the end, power plays are simple. You’ve got to get shots to the net and move the puck, which is what we were doing there.”
When the other unit took the ice on Tuesday, it also created confusion for the Blues killers, ending with Jordan Binnington barely fighting off a high shot from Dunn.
This group stuck more closely to the 1-3-1 formation but still showed creativity. McCann continued to act as the “climber,” starting high in the zone and looking for an opportunity to drive toward the circle. We saw this often over the last couple of seasons, to the point it became obvious Seattle was trying to get McCann the puck when he started rolling toward the net.
“I just feel like I open up other options if I’m that guy climbing because I can score coming down from pretty high,” McCann said of the theory behind the climber play. “I feel like I can get the puck to the net, and obviously, it depends on the screen, and if I can get it through the defenseman’s layer, but it’s just something I’ve always worked on.”
What’s different now is that McCann isn’t the only shooting threat. In the clip, Beniers is in the bumper position and Eberle is at the net-front. As the puck moves up the wall (11:58 left on the clock), Beniers shifts, and the Kraken overload the left side with four players (Dunn, McCann, Beniers, and Eberle).
Beniers is now in a spot we rarely saw him in last season, playing along the same wall as McCann. As expected, McCann gets rolling downhill, drawing attention from the Blues. Dunn capitalizes by finding Beniers, who walks in and shoots, putting St. Louis on the ropes. Initially, the Blues are too condensed, and then they overcompensate, becoming too spread out when the puck goes back to Dunn at the blue line. Dunn gets a great look from the top of the slot, but Binnington manages to deflect it.
**Editor’s note: How did Justin Faulk’s crosscheck to Matty’s back as the previous penalty was expiring not get called?**
Here’s the difference this season from Dunn’s point of view: “I think it’s just more freedom… We still want to be really predictable until we get into the flow of things, and then we can look to think outside the box a little bit more. But it’s nice that we don’t feel any pressure to be so stationary.
“Where guys are, they’re comfortable, and they know that if they get flipped around, they’re not running back to their spots. Everyone has the ability to play in different positions.”
Will the new Kraken power play approach work?
What we’ve seen from the Kraken power play in games and practices has been encouraging, but the results haven’t come yet. They have the personnel and game plan to confuse and challenge opposing penalty kills but need to score a couple of power-play goals to build confidence in this new approach.
Bylsma knows that improvement here is essential if Seattle wants to score more this season.
“Teams can play well by just having a good power play… some teams can,” Bylsma said. “And so the power play can establish your team game with how you operate, how they execute, and how they play.”
Has the team made enough advancement for Bylsma to like what he has seen?
“Difficult to say… That will remain a work in progress.”
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.
One of the lingering questions about what the Seattle Kraken would do after this season has already been answered. General manager Ron Francis got ahead of the game and signed goalie Joey Daccord to a five-year, $25 million contract extension (a “Daccord Accord” if you will) on Wednesday, locking the netminder in with the organization.
“Joey stepped up last season and proved his ability to handle an increased workload,” Francis said. “We’re confident he can take his game to another level, and we’re excited to have him under contract long term.”
Indeed, the Kraken are betting that Daccord will continue his upward trajectory, which elevated him to borderline No. 1 goalie status last season. The 28-year-old from Boston posted a solid .916 save percentage and a 2.46 goals-against average in his first full NHL season, while recording a 19-18-11 record for a team that finished well outside the playoff picture.
The new Daccord contract kicks in next season, following the conclusion of his current two-year deal that pays him $1.2 million annually. So, Daccord will theoretically remain with Seattle through the 2029-30 season, and he will hit unrestricted free agency at age 33.
Lots of money in the goal crease
On its own, this is a solid deal for both player and team. It’s a massive and well-deserved pay raise for Daccord, who is widely regarded as one of the best to work with in the game and has endeared himself to fans in both Seattle and Coachella Valley, where he previously starred for the Firebirds. He emerged onto the national stage last season when he pitched a shutout in the Winter Classic at T-Mobile Park on New Year’s Day, an unforgettable experience for all involved.
If you haven’t listened to our recent podcast interview with Daccord, you can check that out here, and you’ll get a feel for how he is as a person. If you didn’t love Joey before, you will after you listen to that interview.
On the ice, Daccord has developed into the player Seattle hoped for when they selected him from the Ottawa Senators in the Expansion Draft.
If Daccord were the only goaltender under contract for next season and beyond, we would be doing cartwheels in celebration of the signing. The one concern, though, is that Philipp Grubauer still has this season plus two more left on his deal at $5.9 million average annual value. So, for next season and the season after, the Kraken will be on the hook for roughly $10.9 million in cap hit dedicated to their netminders.
Now, the good news on this front is that A.) the cap is projected to go up next season, and B.) Seattle has some contracts set to come off the books, such as those of Yanni Gourde and Brandon Tanev. Will Borgen will also be a UFA after this season, but we have to think there’s mutual interest for him to stick around.
As of today, without increasing the cap, Seattle projects to have around $8 million in cap space before (potentially) re-signing Borgen and backfilling for Gourde and Tanev, who we assume will move on after this season. If the cap goes up, say, five percent, then the Kraken would project to have closer to $12 million in space.
Betting on Daccord
We know the organization thinks very highly of Joey, and this deal proves that out. Clearly, the team believes he has not reached his full potential yet, and that he will begin to take over as a true No. 1 in the next season or two.
IF he does reach the level of consistency that the front office is hoping he will, then this could prove to be a great deal. Heck, if Daccord can reach Juuse Saros-level performance, which he already statistically exceeded last season (Saros had a 2.86 GAA and .906 save percentage in 64 appearances), then this could prove to be a steal. Saros, by the way, starts a new contract next season that will pay him $7.74 million for eight years.
The fact of the matter is that the sample size of NHL experience remains small for Daccord, though, and that makes this deal a bit risky.
What do you think, folks? Do you like the five-year Daccord contract extension?
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.
While there were some highly memorable moments from Opening Day at Climate Pledge Arena, the outcome was more of the same for the Kraken, who still have yet to win a season-opening game in four tries (0-3-1).
The tone from new head coach Dan Bylsma and his players was markedly positive after the game, as the Kraken recognized they easily could have won against the St. Louis Blues.
“There was a lot of good. Maybe a slow start, tentative start, but just in the first period, there was a lot of good,” Bylsma said. “I think that really continued in the second period. The way to losing the game is solvable moments in the game and periods in the game.”
Indeed, there was a two-minute section of the second period when the game turned on its ear, and the Kraken went from up 2-0 to down 3-2. There was some pushback from Seattle, but not enough shot generation in the third period meant the Kraken started another season with a loss.
Here are our Three Takeaways from a 3-2 Kraken loss to the Blues on Opening Day.
Takeaway #1: A few bad minutes
This game was a scenario where the analytics matched what the eyeball test showed: the Kraken should have won. The “Deserve to Win O’Meter” on MoneyPuck.com gave Seattle a 66-percent chance of winning, and per NaturalStatTrick, the Kraken also had 66 percent of the shot quality in all situations.
It remains to be seen what kind of team the Blues will become this season, but if the Kraken play like that every night, they should win more often than they lose.
“There’s a lot of good tonight,” Vince Dunn, who scored Seattle’s first goal, said. “It’s hard for me even saying that after losing 3-2 when you’re up by two, but the first one’s out of the way. We’ve got 81 more opportunities to play well, and there’s no doubt in my mind we will bounce back from this one.”
Things started to go sideways after a scrum resulted in a Blues power play. After a zone entry, Jordan Kyrou got a step on Jamie Oleksiak, burned around the corner, and slipped it through Philipp Grubauer’s wickets.
Philip Broberg—playing his first game for the Blues after signing an offer sheet with St. Louis this summer—got vengeance for a monster Will Borgen hit by shooting from the top of the left circle through a screen, beating Grubauer.
Kyrou struck again at 15:37 of the second after an offensive-zone turnover by Oleksiak led to a Kyrou breakaway.
In all, the three goals came in a span of just 1:55 and cooked the Kraken’s goose for the night.
Takeaway #2: A generally good first performance
I generally liked what I saw from the Kraken on this night, except for that little letdown that led to Seattle’s first “L”. Bylsma told the media on Monday that it’s hard to feel confident after training camp that the team has accomplished what it needs to be ready for the regular season.
Bylsma and his players should feel good about the way they played in this game and hopefully use it as a confidence builder rather than a blocker.
“If we can manage— be able to have more maturity in our game and be able to sustain that pace for 60 minutes, we’re going to be successful this year,” Yanni Gourde said. “And I think playing fast, playing together, playing in our spots, playing predictable… When we did that during this game, I thought we did a great job at controlling the pace.”
Takeaway #3: Memorable milestones
Sure, the result was disappointing, but there were some big milestones reached in this game. First, Jess Campbell became the first woman to ever coach a regular-season NHL game. The cheer she received from the home crowd was one of those that raised the hairs on my arms—a truly special moment.
Right after Campbell was announced, Bylsma was introduced for his first game behind the Kraken bench and also got a big cheer, though perhaps not quite as loud as Campbell’s.
“I was waiting to see if the reaction to me would be as loud,” Bylsma joked when asked what he was thinking when Campbell received the huge ovation. “It wasn’t.”
Finally, there was the announcement of Eberle as captain. The 34-year-old forward earned this opportunity, and seeing him announced to the home fans as part of the pre-game festivities was a classy touch by the organization.
“I’m obviously pretty honored,” Eberle said. “To be a captain in this League is special. I like to think that with our group, we’ve got a lot of guys who’ve got Cups, guys with playoff experience, and being part of this group has been special. My family and I love this city, love the culture here, and that was part of why we wanted to be here.”
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.
The Kraken captain announcement was pushed to the absolute last possible moment before the official start of the 2024-25 season, but in the end, it was who we expected. Jordan Eberle officially became the second player in franchise history to don the “C” when he was the last player to be introduced prior to Seattle’s Opening Day game against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday.
“Jordan’s been a leader for our franchise since Day 1,” said Kraken general manager Ron Francis via press release. “He has the full respect of his teammates and is a tremendous role model for our younger players. Jordan’s everything you’d want in a captain.”
Eberle, 34, is in his fourth season with Seattle and follows Mark Giordano, who was Kraken captain for less than a season before being dealt at the 2021-22 trade deadline, as the only players to wear the “C.”
Said Eberle: “It’s an honor to be named captain of the Seattle Kraken. I’ve been able to learn from some great leaders throughout the course of my NHL career. I take pride in being a good teammate and mentor for teammates, and I’m humbled to wear the ‘C’ for this franchise.”
This choice comes as no surprise to us, though there were cases to be made for several other players. The three others who served as alternate captains with Eberle last season, Yanni Gourde, Adam Larsson, and Jaden Schwartz, all maintained their status as members of the leadership group. But third-year center Matty Beniers also joined that group as an “A” for the first time.
Beniers’ elevation to alternate captain does give legs to my theory that Eberle is meant to be a “bridge” captain until Beniers or (perhaps) Shane Wright is ready for the responsibility. I wrote about this theory here, so give that a read.
I’ve always been so impressed by Eberle and the presence that he brings on and off the ice. When he speaks, it’s obvious the other players on the team listen and that he is well respected in the dressing room. If you haven’t heard our recent Sound Of Hockey Podcast interview with him, give it a listen, and you will understand why he was the right choice.
Also, kudos to the Kraken organization for making the announcement in this way, in front of their home fans. It was a really special way of doing that. They held firm on this approach and kept it a secret, even as fans and media members were pestering.
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.
The Seattle Kraken season opener is here! For the first time ever, the Kraken open the season at home. And it’s a true “Opening Day” game with puck drop at 1:30 pm PT. Roster questions have been answered. Last practice skates completed. It’s time for the games to count. We’re ready to go.
So, now is as good a time as any to lock in our hot (or lukewarm) Kraken-related season predictions so that all can bask in their accuracy and glory six months down the road. It’s time for another Kraken Roundtable with the gang.
First goal of the season
Curtis Isacke: Like last year, we’re going to kick this off with a silly one: Who scores first and why?
I’ll start us off and say Brandon Montour. Sure, he only had eight goals last season, but the energy and good vibes he brought all camp seem to match the electricity of Opening Day. We know he’s a clutch performer. But scoring the first goal of the season for his new team, after hoisting the Stanley Cup in his last meaningful game, would be next level. Lock it in.
Darren Brown: Curtis, I’ll see your Brandon Montour, and I’ll raise you a Chandler Stephenson out of spite for you. For those who don’t know, Curtis hasn’t been the biggest proponent of the Stephenson signing, so I think it would be pretty funny if he gets things rolling for Seattle this year and just slams it right in Curtis’s face from the jump. The Chan Chan Man did also score the game-winning goal for Vegas with a debatable kick-in in Seattle’s first ever game in the inaugural season, so he owes Kraken fans some good feelings on Opening Day.
Blaiz Grubic: Andre Burakovsky is my pick to score the Kraken’s first goal of the season. He’s shown flashes of brilliance and is eager to rebound from a disappointing injury-riddled season. With his talent and the team’s offensive focus, I am hopeful for a strong campaign. He has looked good in the preseason and at training camp, so I am tapping No. 95.
John Barr: I was going to go with Burakovsky, but now that Blaiz has picked him, I’ll choose someone different. I’m going with Eeli Tolvanen. For the most part, he has looked pretty good in the preseason, which makes me think he had a solid offseason of training and will be ready to start on time.
Most improved player or aspect of the team
Curtis: Give us an aspect of the team that you are optimistic about or excited to see go to the next level.
Darren: I’m really interested to see how the power play does this year. It struggled mightily at times last season, and it got so stagnant. The Kraken have upgraded personnel, and they’ve been practicing a lot at being more dynamic. Getting Montour as the quarterback on the second unit makes things pretty interesting, too, because now there are theoretically two dangerous puck movers dancing across the blue line with him and Vince Dunn and lots of talent on both units.
I know they didn’t score much with the manpower advantage in preseason, but I do like where this thing is headed. If the Kraken power play units don’t click on Day 1, give them some time.
John: Goal scoring. It was Seattle’s biggest weakness last season and therefore has the most opportunity to improve. The gains will come from the entire group. I anticipate some rebounds from Beniers and Burakovsky, plus the additions of Montour and Stephenson will open up opportunities for others. Based on his preseason play, I am optimistic on Shane Wright’s contributions to light the lamp this season.
Blaiz: The Kraken’s center depth has significantly improved. Following the departure of Alex Wennberg at the trade deadline, the team struggled at center, and once Dunn got hurt on the blue line, the season was effectively over.
However, with the acquisition of Stephenson and the emergence of Wright, the Kraken have strengthened their center depth. This has forced Yanni Gourde to move to the fourth line, which is not a slight against his abilities, rather a testament to the team’s overall improvement.
Curtis: John and Blaiz both touched on this tangentially, but Wright is the biggest reason for optimism in my mind. He had a strong scoring season as a 19-year-old in the AHL last year, but beyond the points, his smaller contributions, confidence, and play speed really blossomed at that level.
We only have a few games from last year and the exhibitions this season, but I do think Wright is primed to carry over that play to the NHL level and reach the heights that some had predicted for him pre-draft. It won’t come all at once, and there will be some rough games along the way, but I’m a believer that Wright will get there.
Prospect you’re most interested to watch
Curtis: Is there a player not on the initial roster that has your eye this year? Why?
Blaiz: Eduard Sale, the 19-year-old prospect currently playing for the Coachella Valley Firebirds, is one I will be watching this year. Despite a challenging 2023-24 season, Sale impressed the Kraken brass enough to earn a longer look at training camp.
While he’s currently with the Firebirds, there’s a possibility he could be sent back to his junior team, the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL, if he struggles. I’m looking for Sale to continue developing and showcase the potential that made him a first-round draft pick.
John: Sale is the same for me. I expect players like Berkly Catton and Carson Rehkopf to dominate on their respective CHL teams, but that means little until they start playing against older competition in the AHL or NHL. In my opinion, the Seattle Kraken need to take a more hands-on approach with Sale’s development. Despite his lack of production in the OHL last season, I think his time might be better spent in Coachella, under closer supervision. Of all the Kraken prospects who could return to play junior hockey this season, he looked the best in preseason games.
The criticism of Sale is his lack of drive to compete. This was true in his draft year and seemed to carry over into last season in the OHL. He can get away with it somewhat when playing against his age-group peers, but he’ll need to compete much harder in the AHL. That’s why I wouldn’t be surprised if he sticks in the AHL.
Curtis: Sale is a good pick. For all of the discussion of his stagnated development, he is slated to be the seventh-youngest player in the AHL to begin this season, according to Elite Prospects. If he can simply hold his own and stick around the roster all year, as John suggests, it will be a solid step forward.
But, honestly, you could talk me into pretty much any of the “rookie” Firebirds: David Goyette, Jagger Firkus, Ty Nelson, Jani Nyman, and Niklas Kokko all amount to must-see television for me. For now, I’ll pick Kokko. Goalies are notoriously slow to develop, but Kokko already proved he was up to the challenge (and then some) in Liiga, earning an AHL assignment at age 20. It looks like he’ll be at least the fourth-youngest goalie in that league.
Darren: I’m staying on the Lleyton Roed bandwagon. I know he’s 22 years old and therefore should look a step ahead of the other prospects being considered here, but the organization clearly likes what it has seen from the undrafted signee out of Bemidji State University. And man, he was fun to watch in his one preseason game and throughout training camp. With his speed, I think he has an outside chance to play in the NHL relatively soon.
Award the team MVP
Curtis: Whether it’s scoring goals, saves, vibes, or something else, who contributes the most to winning this year?
Blaiz: With a career-best 59 points in 2023-24 and his fifth 20-goal season, Oliver Bjorkstrand is well-positioned for continued success. During his seven years with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Bjorkstrand maintained a shooting percentage of 12.0. While his average dipped to 10.4 percent during his first two seasons with the Kraken, there’s potential for a positive regression. This could further boost his scoring numbers and increase his chances of winning the team MVP award.
Curtis: I’ll swerve here and say that if this team has a big rebound season, a major reason will be the change in mentality and approach from the coaching staff. Players have to get the goals and earn the standings points on the ice, no doubt, but we all saw a team that seemingly struggled with its confidence and identity for prolonged stretches last season. To the extent the Kraken avoid similar losing streaks this year, I think the staff will be a big reason why.
Darren: I made a hot take on the SOH Podcast that Brandon Montour will be viewed as the Kraken’s best player this season. I love what he brings to the table, and I think we’re going to see him used in so many different scenarios that the team will end up winning on his back some nights.
John: I love the thought of Bjorkstrand or Burakovsky being the team MVP, but Jared McCann has been the best Kraken player from Day 1. In a way, it’s a boring pick, but it is also likely he continues to deliver.
Predict the Kraken season
Curtis: Here is the big one. Give us your point total for the team, Seattle’s final place in the Pacific Division standings, and make a prediction on whether the team makes the playoffs. If so, how far do they go?
Curtis: Last year, I was alone among the panel in predicting the Kraken would miss the playoffs. I thought their talent level looked closer to a 90-point team once the shooting luck was stripped out. But even I underestimated just how hard the regression would hit.
This year, Shane Wright looks primed to be an important “addition.” Montour and Stephenson are upgrades over pieces the team had last year too–though I think we are too quick to forget that Brian Dumoulin and Alex Wennberg were solid players and certainly not “the problem” the last year.
“The problem” is the sliding offensive regression of an aging forward core. Jaden Schwartz, Yanni Gourde, and Jordan Eberle, to name a few, could bounce back and have Kraken-best seasons. Andre Burakovsky could stay healthy. But netting it all out, it’s more likely the contributions from the veteran group resemble last year’s production than the 2022-23 output.
Overall I think the team has improved a bit, but perhaps only into the 91-92 point range. This could be enough in a suspect Pacific Division, but I’ll predict they’re on the outside looking in for the second straight year. Every point will be important. Buckle up. It starts today.
John: The 91-92 range sounds a bit optimistic when you cross reference the national outlets rolling out their predictions. These national outlets seem to think that this season’s team is roughly inline with last season’s team. That is insane. I will peg them at 93 points, and they will jump over the Kings and the Golden Knights in the standings this season to finish third in the Pacific. Who’s going to tell me off?!?!?
Darren: I’m so hilariously optimistic sometimes. I read both of your predictions and thought, “No, no! That’s WAY too low!” I really do feel good about this group, though, especially when coupled with the bounce of a new and energized coaching staff in place. If the Kraken can stay healthy, I say they make the playoffs with 96 points and win their opening-round series before being bounced again in Round 2.
Blaiz: On paper, the Kraken have assembled their strongest roster in their young franchise history. They have the potential to be a competitive team, and if they can regain confidence in their goal-scoring abilities, they could surprise some teams.
I see the Kraken as a borderline playoff team. My prediction is they will finish with 95 points and secure fourth place in the Pacific Division. The Calgary Flames and Los Angeles Kings did not do enough in the offseason, and the Kraken will leap-frog them in the standings. This allows the Kraken to slip into a Wild Card spot.
Once in the playoffs, anything is possible. While I’d love to see the Kraken pull off another upset, a first-round exit is more likely given the competitive nature of the postseason.
Predict the Stanley Cup
Curtis: Finally, give us your Stanley Cup Final matchup and champion. If your crystal ball is clear enough, feel free to elaborate further. For my part, I think the West might have the three best teams overall in Dallas, Colorado, and Edmonton. The heart rejects Edmonton and, to some extent, Colorado. If I remember correctly, I had Dallas emerging from the West and defeating Carolina in the Stanley Cup Final in our pre-playoff prediction last year. Without much new to go on, I guess I’ll just double down on that prediction here: Dallas over Carolina.
Darren: I was very high on Dallas last year as well and thought it was the most balanced team in the league. I say they get over the hump this year. I’m also going to do the most ridiculous thing I can think of and say the Leafs will make the Final out of the East. They are undeniably talented, and I actually think Craig Berube cracking the whip will be a good fit for that club. I’ll go Stars over Leafs.
John: I generally hate predicting anything positive for the Pacific Division’s Canadian teams, but the Edmonton Oilers have improved offensively, and they were obviously close last season. I think they can win it all. That prediction could fail miserably if their goaltending falters, and I’d be okay with that.
The Eastern Conference seems more open than the West. The trendy picks from the last couple of years, Florida and Carolina, have both taken a step back. That leaves the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins as potential contenders. I’ll take the Rangers over the Bruins, but they’ll still lose to the Oilers in the Final.
Blaiz: Western Conference: I’m following John’s prediction and selecting the Edmonton Oilers to make a return trip to the Stanley Cup Final. They maintained a strong core, losing Warren Foegele but acquiring valuable additions like Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson to easily offset any offensive losses. Given their impressive performance last season, the Oilers are well-positioned to win the Stanley Cup this year. My dark horse pick in the West is the Nashville Predators.
Eastern Conference: Believe it or not, I agree with Darren. The Toronto Maple Leafs have been a perennial playoff failure, but with their strong offensive core led by Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander, they are always a threat. If the Leafs can remain steady in their defensive play and goaltending, with the guidance of new bench boss Craig Berube, they could make a deep playoff run and reach the Stanley Cup Final.
