It is Seattle Kraken OPENING NIGHT, folks! The boys are set to take on the Ducks in Anaheim on Wednesday and the Kings in Los Angeles on Thursday, before playing their first home game of the season at Climate Pledge Arena on Saturday. So, there’s no time like the present to get the hot take machine cooking again.
How will the Kraken fare in the Pacific Division? Who will win the Stanley Cup? The guys do their best to answer those questions and more.
Enjoy!
How many points will the Kraken rack up in the standings this season? Will they make the playoffs?
Darren Brown –I’m going to predict 90 points. That will not be enough to make the playoffs in what looks to be a pretty good Pacific Division, but they will be in the conversation all season long (I hope).
Frankly, 90 might be optimistic, but this is absolutely a better team than last season, and on top of the improvements to the roster, I think Philipp Grubauer is going to get back to the form he was in before being signed by the Kraken as a free agent last summer.
Of course, I would love to say the Kraken will make the playoffs, and the players have all stated publicly that playoffs is the goal, but I don’t know how realistic that is.
Curtis Isacke – I don’t think the Kraken will be able to climb quite that high. I’ll come in just south of your points prediction, Darren, and say the Kraken record 84 this year. To be clear, this would still be a remarkable 24-point/12-win improvement over last season. The difficulty I have in going higher is uncertainty on defense and in net. Last year we thought the blue line and goaltending were strong on paper and would be the engine of the team on the ice. But, as it played out, those groups vastly underperformed.
I am reasonably confident in projecting a significant improvement in the forward group. From Andre Burakovsky to Oliver Bjorkstrand to a full season of Beniers, the forward group is now skilled and deep. But the question remains: What are we getting on the back end? Is it the intimidating, defense-first unit we projected at this time last year or the group that showed a proclivity to lose structure and discipline at key moments? Time will tell.
Who will win the Pacific Division?
CI – I think Edmonton will rise to the top of the Pacific Division this year. Calgary navigated the loss of Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau admirably. But I expect it will take a little bit of time for the new core to find its footing, and I don’t think the team has the necessary depth to win at a high level if its elite players aren’t quite coalesced and producing. Edmonton, on the other hand, can roll out of bed and score goals with their all-world forwards. By the end of the year, I expect these teams to be very close and competitive. I’d sign up for another Battle of Alberta.
DB – Sadly, I have to agree with you. The Oilers’ couldn’t get a save last year, and they seem to have addressed that by bringing in Jack Campbell. I’m also curious to see how Vegas and Los Angeles will be this year. They played a very fun opener on Tuesday that ended with the Golden Knights skating off victorious, but the Kings–who surprisingly made the playoffs last season–look like they could be the real deal (at least on paper). Plus, Vegas had never-ending injury issues last season, so with better health, that team should be a divisional contender.
Who will win the Presidents’ Trophy?
DB – When it comes to questions about who will be the top team in the NHL this season, it’s really hard to bet against the defending champion Colorado Avalanche. They were so dynamic last season, and although they lost Nazem Kadri and Burakovsky, their true core players are still there.
To me, the only thing that was potentially standing between the Avs and the Cup last season was their goaltending. I’ve never been sold on Darcy Kuemper as an elite netminder, and—despite his mediocre stats in the postseason—they still won hockey’s greatest prize with him as their backstop.
They enter this season with Alexandar Georgiev as their starter. After playing second fiddle to Igor Shesterkin in New York, it’s really hard to say if Georgiev is an upgrade or a downgrade in the crease.
If he’s good, Colorado will win all the games. If he’s bad, Colorado will still win the vast majority of the games. I’m going to guess he’s good, and the Avs will skate away with the Presidents’ Trophy (but will not repeat as Cup winners).
CI – Hard to find fault in the Colorado choice, Darren. But if there is a weakness on the team, it might be their bottom-six forward group, which I’d call: Average? Maybe below average?
I’ll take the Maple Leafs here. They have found ways to fit talented players (*cough* Mark Giordano) around the large superstar contracts at the center of the team and will send out a skater group that lacks any significant weaknesses. The argument against Toronto focuses on two things; the goaltenders and the tough Atlantic Division. I don’t have particularly high confidence in either Matt Murray or Ilya Samsonov in isolation, but taken together I could see one or the other step up and record a serviceable regular season. The postseason is another question, of course.
Who will win the Stanley Cup?
CI – I’ll go with the Colorado Avalanche over the New York Rangers for a repeat Stanley Cup Champion. Chickpea pasta for everyone in Denver.
I was tempted to put one or both of Edmonton and/or Toronto in the Stanley Cup Final, but I think a Canadian team is going to need to prove it is possible first before I can actually pick one to win. Edmonton versus Toronto would be fun, though.
DB – It’s opening night, and I’m feeling frisky, so I’m going full Minnutiae here and picking my beloved (though slightly less beloved since the arrival of the Kraken) Wild. Sure, they historically have almost always bowed out in the first round, but the culture on that team has changed dramatically since Bill Guerin arrived. On paper, they got worse by trading away Kevin Fiala and Cam Talbot, but I have a hunch they will be just as good or better than they were last year.
Are we allowed to feel optimistic about Seattle’s chances this season?
DB – Absolutely. As I mentioned above, my expectation is that the Kraken will narrowly miss the playoffs, which will be disappointing in the end, but it’s all part of the process. Plus, experiencing the “must win” feeling in March, when the Kraken are battling for their lives, will be a big thrill.
As for the process I just mentioned, I think Beniers will establish himself as a star player this season, and Shane Wright will get the development experience he needs to be a difference maker next season or maybe the season after.
Here’s hoping Seattle surprises me, wins a few games it shouldn’t, and sneaks into the dance at the end of the year.
CI – Yes, fans should be optimistic. Seattle will blindside more than a few national commentators and fan bases this year with their skill up front. Gone are the days where Seattle has to grind out every offensive zone possession in the corners. The Kraken have the talent to control play, and it’s going to make for a much more exciting product. Even on tough nights, fans will find reason for excitement in the emergence of Beniers and the development of Wright. These are exciting times for Seattle fans, and it is alright to feel that way, playoffs or not.
The second season in the history of the Seattle Kraken has arrived, and the Sound Of Hockey Podcast is thrilled about it. With Andy absent for this episode, John and Darren manage to talk listeners through the 23-man roster that will open the season Wednesday in Anaheim. They also review the last preseason game, project forward lines, and give thanks that Joey Daccord is still in the organization.
Additionally, John and Darren got the goods from Kraken VP of Marketing, Katie Townsend, about all of the exciting changes fans can expect for the gameday experience at Climate Pledge Arena. Darren wrote about this on soundofhockey.com, in case you’re looking for more info on this topic. Spoiler: there are a LOT of changes coming this season.
After talking about the in-arena updates, the show shifts to segments. Segments for this episode include Goalie Gear Corner, Weekly One-Timers, and TWEET of the Week.
The second season in the history of Seattle Kraken hockey has arrived, and with that comes a new opportunity for the organization to dazzle its fans at home games. With COVID protocols now seemingly a thing of the past, a full season at Climate Pledge Arena under the belt, and a lot of the kinks of being a completely new franchise worked out, Seattle has a lot of new tricks up its sleeve for 2022-23.
We spoke with Kraken senior vice president of marketing, Katie Townsend, about some of the updates fans can expect.
“One thing we spent a lot of the offseason doing was listening,” Townsend said. “We heard from casual fans, season ticket members, people like [Sound Of Hockey] who are there every game. We did the same with our investor group and some of our corporate partners. And then we took all of that in May and June, and we were like, ‘Ok, what are the consistent findings, and now how do we act on them?’”
Here is what the organization has in store.
Game presentation
Revamped pre-game show
There will be a new pre-game show with new video, new ice projections, and new music. The updated show will also allot for 20-30 seconds of video focusing on a different individual player for each game. This will keep things a bit fresher than the show last year, which—although spectacular—did get repetitive by the end of the season. In all, there will be 25 different versions of the open, and Townsend says there are a lot of Easter eggs, which should make for new discoveries every time fans see the show.
Townsend says the new show, “Combines the story of our fans—you know, [fans] who, from Day 1—kind of embarked on this pretty brave journey to be like, ‘Yep, we’re gonna back this,’ with the idea of our players coming together, and then everyone together embodying the spirit of the Kraken.”
If you’re wondering about the neon tentacle that gets lowered from the rafters to mark the Kraken players’ entrance to the ice, it will still be used this season, but it will “appear in a slightly different way.”
“Hoist Your Colors,” an all new pre-third-period show
There will also be a new pre-third-period intro called “Hoist Your Colors.” The Kraken partnered with Bellingham’s famous electronic dance duo, Odesza, and filmed video all across Washington for this portion of the in-game presentation. During “Hoist Your Colors,” a large flag will be raised in the arena. “It combines that kind of nautical theme with the Pacific Northwest and with the Kraken.”
In-arena music
There will be several changes to the music heard by fans in the arena throughout a game night. From the jump, more consistent voices will be heard singing the national anthems.
“We heard that people generally like consistent anthem singers, so we did anthem auditions,” Townsend said. “So, we have Madison Stoneman and Tommie Burton will rotate throughout the games, and then hype nights and specialty nights, we’ll still have [other] people come in.”
During pre-game and intermissions, house bands were a popular and Seattle-centric touch in the inaugural season. House bands will be back this season, but in response to fans wanting to get to know more about the bands that were playing, the Kraken will move from one-off performances to a “residency program.” With this program, each band will play four or five games in a row, assuming the scheduling works out for that band. The first act to be featured will be King Youngblood, a Seattle-based alt-rock band.
Additionally, be on the lookout for a new Kraken-employed marching band debuting at Saturday’s home opener called “Red Alert,” named for the color of the eye in Seattle’s logo. The band will perform brief pre-game concerts at Seattle Center Armory, the plaza in front of Climate Pledge Arena, Alaska Airlines Atrium inside the arena, and then in different places in the concourses during games.
There will be bespoke Kraken-themed sea shanty music videos (perhaps featuring cameos by a few members of Sound Of Hockey?) with famed shanty singer David Coffin coming later in the season. Fans will also hear a new organist, Ben Wooley, tickling the keys for most games, though Rod Masters will still make some appearances.
Fan giveaways
Fans let the Kraken organization know they wanted to receive more free stuff on game nights. High on the list of most desired swag was bobblehead dolls, which the team was not able to give out in its inaugural season. “Bobbleheads take around four months to make,” Townsend explained. “So, for us last year, when we found out the team, when we found out the roster, and then not knowing who’s going to emerge as a star and a fan favorite, it wasn’t really an option for us.”
This season, in addition to a whole host of other giveaways, the team will have five bobblehead nights. Of the five, which will feature Yanni Gourde, Adam Larsson, Matty Beniers, Brandon Tanev, and Jordan Eberle, Townsend said her personal favorite is that of Larsson. Asked if the Larsson bobblehead will sport the defenseman’s trademark deep v-neck under shirt, Townsend said, “Maybe.”
Salmon toss update
The ceremonial yeeting of the plush salmon that became so popular during post-win “Three Stars” announcements last season will live on in 2022-23. But there will be a new fish thrown by the players.
This season, the Kraken worked with the Bristol Bay Native Corporation to develop the stuffed salmon. Now, it will be an Alaskan pink salmon, which is a smaller species and the most abundant of North America’s salmon species.
There is also hope the game ops department can find a way to get those salmon delivered deeper into the crowd, as most fish seemed to land within a couple rows of the glass last season.
Buoy the troll
Buoy, the team’s new troll mascot, has been very visible since he was introduced to the world on Oct. 2. He’s been at the Stocker Farms corn maze and Pike Place Market, he’s been doing school visits and other community engagement initiatives, and there’s a lot more to come on that front.
As for what Buoy will do during games, Townsend says we have only caught a glimpse of his antics. “Buoy will have different intermissions and different skits at TV timeouts that he will be doing, so [we are] working on those at the moment.”
Townsend also re-confirmed that Buoy will be able to skate on the ice during intermissions, and that there will be a new, larger t-shirt cannon utilized this season. The cannon Buoy used during his one preseason appearance was the smaller of the t-shirt cannons in the team’s t-shirt-launching arsenal.
Food and drink
New beer options
The price of beer inside Climate Pledge Arena was an unsurprisingly hot topic with fans last season. “We heard from fans,” Townsend said. “Lower-priced beers, but larger quantity. So, we’re introducing a $9.99 Miller High Life 16-ounce can, and then a $9.99 rotating craft beer, 16-ounce as well.” Bigger beers for less money is certainly something that we at Sound Of Hockey can get behind.
The new in-game beer offerings will be available at several locations throughout the arena, so these lower-priced options will not be difficult to locate.
Fans arriving early for weekend home games can also enjoy a cold college soda at a new Modelo-sponsored pre-game beer garden, which will be located inside the Seattle Center Armory.
New food options
There will be several new menu items available for purchase inside the arena, including a salmon chowder sourdough bowl, more options from Impossible Foods, and additional selections like a brisket sandwich at Mercer Street Mac & BBQ. More adventurous fans can also look forward to a special new offering; the peanut butter and jelly corndog.
Perhaps most notably, Lil Woody’s Burgers & Shakes is being replaced with Molly D Burgers. Named for Climate Pledge Arena’s executive chef, Molly Demers, Molly D Burgers will be its own concession stand, and the specialty burger there will be the quarter-pound Royal Ranch beef patty topped with cheddar, pickles, onion, and a secret sauce.
The team also hopes to help fans navigate more easily to the various food and beverage offerings. “One thing we learned is [we need] better maps,” Townsend said. “We’re going to try that on the [Kraken + Climate Pledge Arena mobile] app and around the arena so that people— we heard from some fans, like, ‘I only see the food options that are around me.’ And so, I think what I would encourage people to do is to look at that map and to go and explore the arena.”
Mobile app
Speaking of the Kraken + Climate Pledge Arena app, there will be updates to that this season too, as it will be more Kraken-focused than before. Last season, the app was designed with Climate Pledge Arena as the center of attention, with some Kraken info mixed in. This season, it will be a lot more Kraken centric and will also allow fans to stream live radio broadcasts of games in real time.
Transportation
After receiving feedback about parking spaces being too tight at the arena garage, some spaces are being re-striped to make them wider. The team is also now partnered with a new garage in Pacific Place, which will be cheaper than garages around Climate Pledge Arena. Pacific Place is located downtown, but fans can park there and hop on the monorail to get to the game.
Additionally, there is a new option to valet bicycles, scooters, skateboards, and other personal forms of transportation right at the arena, and the popular free transit program for ticketholders is still available and redeemable through the mobile app.
Community initiatives
A new “Heroes of the Deep” program was introduced during preseason, which will award $32,000 to charity at every single home game. “[It’s a] huge commitment on behalf of the ownership group, so people should look out for those stories, and also, if they have people that they want to nominate, they 100 percent should do that,” implored Townsend.
Finally, there is a new 50/50 raffle that was tested in preseason. Fans can buy tickets from raffle sellers around the concourses. One winner will take home half of each night’s pot, while the other half of the proceeds will benefit the One Roof Foundation.
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The Kraken kick off their season Wednesday in Anaheim at 7PM Pacific. Their first home game, where many of these new endeavors will officially debut, will be Saturday at 7PM against the Vegas Golden Knights.
With the kickoff of the NHL season this week, it is a good time to breakdown the 2022-23 schedule. Here, we drill into who is logging the most frequent flier miles, which teams have the most back-to-back games, and which teams will appear on the most national television games.
Travel distance
Comparing 2021-22 to 2022-23 is not a fair comparable due to the impacts COVID had on the schedule, with several games being postponed and rescheduled throughout the season. If you were to compare this year’s schedule to last year’s planned schedule, though, the median travel for last year would have been slightly less due to the condensed nature of last season.
Here is how travel distances for the 2022-23 season stacks up by team.
The Pacific Division teams tend to have the most travel miles in a season, so it is no surprise to see those teams around the top. The Florida Panthers are the only non-Pacific team in the top seven this season.
Here is how the travel miles split out by division.
Based on that perspective, the schedule looks encouraging for Seattle, considering the Kraken will travel less than five division rivals.
Number of road trips
Travel distance is one aspect of evaluating the challenges of a team’s schedule, but the quantity of road trips is another variable to consider. Here is the breakdown of the number of road trips by team.
The Kraken are tied for having the third fewest road trips this year. Here is how their road trip and homestands break down throughout the year.
Of course, having fewer road trips also means longer trips at times, so is that better for Seattle? That’s hard to say.
Back-to-back games
Last year, the Kraken played 13 sets of back-to-back games. When playing in the second of back-to-back’s, they accrued just six points, or 23 percent of the points available in those games. In all other games, they accumulated 43 percent of the points available. Playing back-to-back games was a challenge for the Kraken last season. As a whole, the league will see fewer back-to-back games now that the NHL calendar is on a more traditional schedule post-COVID.
It is nice to see the Kraken will play the second fewest back-to-back games in 2022-23.
Bonus content: NHL national TV schedule breakdown
While we are talking about schedules, let us take a quick peek at the NHL national TV schedule for this year.
As the graph shows, there are plans for 14 more nationally televised NHL games this season than there were last season. Note that the 2021-22 numbers were based on preseason reported schedule that was eventually impacted by COVID cancelations and rescheduled games.
Here is how this season breaks down by network.
TNT, which has the rights to broadcast the Stanley Cup Final this season, added 12 more games compared to last season. ESPN added 10 more games to the flagship network and five games to ABC. The ESPN+/Hulu exclusive scheduled games are down to 53 from 75 in 2021-22.
NHL TV schedule by team
The 10 nationally televised Kraken games for 2022-23 is down from 13 games in 2021-22. If you want to mark your calendars for those games, here is the list.
The real season begins this week. Enjoy the games!
SEATTLE — A quiet Wednesday morning at the Kraken Community Iceplex is given noisy life as 60 children bound through the front door with squeals of joy, anticipation, and excitement. The children sit on benches patiently as their teachers and chaperones lace skates to their feet. They are escorted out to the ice where they grip orange cones, many apprehensive about letting their skates touch the ice.
It is the first day on the ice for the kids, many of whom have never been inside an ice rink before.
Day one
Wednesday was day one of a learn to skate program for children whose families participate in early learning centers with the Refugee Women’s Alliance (ReWA) and the Kraken’s One Roof Foundation. It’s the second year of the program that runs for 32 weeks. At the end of the on-ice session, the same children who dared not to let go of the cones on the ice in the beginning were flying around it.
“The children are working individually to build their confidence but also working as a team,” Susan Lee, ReWA operations director for early learning centers said. “They know that when they fall down, they will get up and somebody is going to give them a hand. But they can also do it themselves, and that’s something that a parent had shared with me on their first day last year.”
ReWA has been serving the local community for the past 35 years and is nationally renowned for its work with refugee and immigrant women and their families, taking a holistic approach to promote integration and self-sufficiency. The goal is to quickly and effectively stabilize clients, promote acculturation, increase language proficiency, and improve employability.
Children cling to orange cones before learning to skate
The learn to play clinics are part of that goal as well as opening access to children who might not otherwise feel welcome on the ice.
“We wanted to remove barriers to entry of the sport of ice hockey and to ice skating, and transportation is a huge barrier,” Kraken community engagements and youth access specialist Andrew Bloom said. “We found this group that we could work with, to bring the kids here to the Iceplex and remove that transportation barrier on top of the cost barrier. This is a very diverse group of kids and having them start at such a young age, they’re going to have the same advantage as any other kid.”
On the ice, the four- and five-year-old’s participating go through the trials of learning to skate. That includes pushing objects down the ice like giant cones, chairs, and plastic seals.
There is also the expected falls, but they get up every time, and the one constant among the diverse group is the smiles and laughter.
“I can speak on behalf of the families and the children that this is an amazing opportunity to really bridge the gap of equity and accessibility in early learning,” Lee said. “Especially for ice skating, and hockey, which is a really expensive sport. This is ensuring that our early learners, who I would say about 95 percent are low-income families, children of color, families of color are now able to have a foundation for future growth and this really opens their eyes as well for endless possibilities. These are future Olympians and hockey players.”
The Kraken skills coaches and youth hockey coaches help the on-ice instruction. ReWA serves families who speak up to 60 different languages, but a common language of ice skating becomes the norm for the kids.
Buoy brings added excitement
Near the end of Wednesday’s sessions, the Kraken mascot, Buoy, took the ice to the delight of the skaters who mobbed the mascot and posed for a group photo before they shuffled off the ice with just as much excitement as when they took to the ice 45 minutes earlier.
Hockey is the Kraken’s main business, but that’s not the ultimate point of the learn-to-skate partnership with ReWA.
“It’s learn to skate first,” Bloom said. “We definitely introduce hockey after they get comfortable on the ice. In the coming weeks we’ll introduce hockey sticks and do a little learn to play hockey for free type of event and just get them exposed to it.”
Whether the kids move on to hockey or into figure skating and other skating sports is irrelevant. The benefits go beyond the ice and sport.
It’s not only fun but helping in these young children’s development.
Buoy was a hit among the children
“It’s about social and emotional skills,” Lee said pointing to a young girl skating a chair around the ice. “It’s about their physical skill as well gross motor skills, their fine motor skills and cognitive as well. All of these are in place as the children are learning. For example, this little girl, she’s coordinating her skates and her skating, right? But it’s using her audio and her visual, gross motor skills, and learning from one another through modeling.
So, there’s a lot of learning. Yes, you’re having fun, but there’s a tremendous amount of learning. These kids here, they’re all from different countries, different cultures and this is really exposing them to something that is tangible.”
Watching from just outside the glass were the parents, armed with cell phones to record the memories through picture and video.
The smiles outside the rink were just as plentiful as the kids on the ice.
In the build up of the Kraken becoming an official NHL team, executives from the franchise to be spoke a lot about the importance of being more than just a hockey team. They wanted to be a community partner, and a partnership such as the one with ReWA is proving it wasn’t just lip service.
“As an immigrant child myself, this would have been something that I wish I had,” Lee said. “This is a dream come true for me to be able to see 60 of my kids in our programming, having this ability, this accessibility, to enjoy themselves and not think about the disparity and where they come from. This allows them a space to really express themselves. It gives me hope that corporations such as the Kraken can think about investing in the future of early learning. I’m grateful, I’m very hopeful, and I hope that other professional sports team will follow their example.”
The guys at the Sound Of Hockey Podcast have decided they want to *try* to increase the number of episodes they deliver to you this season, so they’re trying something new here. For as many weeks as they can, John, Andy, and Darren are going to record a second episode that is shorter, more raw, and follows less of a formula than the regular weekly “integer” episodes, which will remain completely unchanged.
Let the guys know what you think of this idea by way of a five-star review. 🙂
For this first “.5” episode, Andy and Darren chat with Coachella Valley Firebirds assistant coach, Jessica Campbell. It is an incredible interview that the guys think you will absolutely love.
Though Sunday was a scheduled day off for Seattle Kraken players, there was some big roster news announced. On the last day teams were allowed to place players on waivers before the regular season, Seattle made what appeared to be its final cuts before opening night Wednesday. Defenseman Michal Kempny and forward John Hayden were waived with intent of assigning them to the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds. We think this means Cale Fleury and Daniel Sprong have made the team (at least for now).
There’s still some murkiness, as the roster is still over the 23-man limit, but more on that in a bit.
Meanwhile, goalie Joey Daccord and forward Alex True cleared waivers and were assigned to Coachella Valley. Daccord staying in the organization meant Kraken fans could breathe a sigh of relief, as there was plenty of speculation the popular backstop could get snatched up. That would have made the Kraken organization very thin in the goal crease. Remember, Magnus Hellberg got claimed by Ottawa on Monday, so the Kraken were down to Philipp Grubauer, Martin Jones, Daccord, and Callum Booth as viable netminding options for their NHL and AHL teams. Keeping Daccord makes things much easier on that front.
Kraken roster down to 24
There’s still at least one roster move left to come, as Seattle needs to get down to 23 players on its roster before taking on the Ducks on Wednesday. Two remaining players have been banged up in camp, though, so it is our assumption that this piece has already worked itself out. Joonas Donskoi left Seattle’s Sept. 29 preseason game in Vancouver after colliding with Kole Lind in the second period and hasn’t been seen on the ice since. Coach Dave Hakstol has maintained Donskoi is day to day.
Additionally, Jaden Schwartz left Friday’s preseason finale in Edmonton and is also day to day, according to Hakstol. Before going down the tunnel that night, Schwartz was seen holding his upper thigh or groin area. He did not practice on Saturday.
Jaden Schwartz left the game in the second period tonight. Believe this was the last time he was on the ice… pic.twitter.com/PU3EorN3yZ
Our guess is that one of these two players will hit injured reserve, which brings the roster to 23.
Daniel Sprong earned this opportunity
Worth noting, Sprong’s inclusion on the opening night roster has not officially been announced by the team. He also did not participate in practice on Saturday, but Hakstol called it a personal day off the ice. Again, there’s some murkiness, but the fact he didn’t get placed on waivers Sunday tells us Seattle intends to keep him.
It is remarkable to see Sprong still on the roster, considering what has happened with him since last season’s trade deadline. Acquired in the deal that sent Marcus Johansson to Washington, Sprong was not tendered a qualifying offer at the end of the season and became an unrestricted free agent. Without a contract, he entered Kraken camp on a professional try-out and impressed every step of the way.
Sprong scored two goals in the preseason and earned praise from Hakstol for his play in all three zones, a consistent knock on Sprong’s game throughout his NHL career. The improved 200-foot play resulted in Sprong signing a two-way contract worth $750,000 at the NHL level or $325,000 at the AHL level.
Now, it does appear he’ll break camp with the Kraken, and assuming that is the case, it is a well-earned opportunity and a good example of why players accept PTO deals.
Cale Fleury beats out Michal Kempny
We always knew there would be a battle for the seventh and final spot on Seattle’s blue line. From the jump, it was plain to see that Kempny and Fleury were the two combatants trying to beat out one another, and Fleury ended up as the last man standing.
The 23-year-old, right-shot defenseman played 41 games as a rookie for Montreal in 2019-20, but didn’t see NHL action again until February of last season with Seattle. In all, he played nine games with the Kraken in 2021-22 and did not record a point.
Kempny, who has had several major injury issues in recent years, faced an uphill battle after he too got banged up in the Sept. 29 game. He missed several days of camp and spent time in a red non-contact jersey before getting back as a full participant in the last week.
Depth chart
We haven’t confirmed Schwartz or Donskoi will be on IR, but we are guessing at least one will be there, as discussed above. So, with that in mind, here’s how things look for Seattle’s depth chart. Based on how long it has been since Donskoi participated in practice, we predict he will land on IR, opening the spot for Sprong. Lines are, as always, very much subject to change.
Forwards
Jared McCann // Matty Beniers // Andre Burakovsky Jaden Schwartz // Alex Wennberg // Oliver Bjorkstrand Yanni Gourde // Shane Wright // Jordan Eberle Ryan Donato // Morgan Geekie // Brandon Tanev Daniel Sprong Karson Kuhlman Joonas Donskoi (potential IR)
Defense
Vince Dunn // Adam Larsson Jamie Oleksiak // Justin Schultz Carson Soucy // Will Borgen Cale Fleury
Goalies
Philipp Grubauer Martin Jones Chris Driedger (will be on IR, maybe LTIR)
Friday’s Kraken preseason finale against the Edmonton Oilers felt mostly celebratory. At least, it felt celebratory until the last few minutes, when things went sideways… then not… and then sideways again. Philipp Grubauer had a great game, until he tried to clear the puck out of Seattle’s zone late in the third period. The Seattle netminder partially whiffed on the clearing attempt, and the puck caromed off Leon Draisaitl and right into the net with just 4:33 left in the game. Oopsy daisy.
To Seattle’s credit, Jared McCann leveled the score temporarily with a power-play blast at 17:42, but Evander Kane got the game winner just 19 seconds later and sent the Kraken home sad.
Here are our Three Takeaways from the final Kraken preseason game.
Takeaway #1: Daniel Sprong makes his final statement
He would need to clear waivers if the Kraken try to sneak him through to the Coachella Valley Firebirds, so if that’s the play, there’s a chance he gets claimed by another team. Waivers or not, the Dutch forward has put himself in a great position to remain an NHL player this season, something that felt like the opposite of a sure thing a month ago.
In his final opportunity to prove that he belonged, Sprong wasted no time in getting himself on the scoresheet. Will Borgen ripped a slapshot from the right point about 12:45 into the game. Sprong whiffed on the rebound, but he stayed with it, found the puck bouncing around, and popped it over the outstretched pad of Jack Campbell to give the Kraken a 1-0 lead.
“If you want to score in this league, you have to find some of those on the inside,” coach Dave Hakstol said. “[Sprong] was able to do that on that first goal, so working to get inside and be around for some of those second [opportunities], to get them back on net is important, so it was a good goal by him.”
The Kraken had just two power plays in the game, and guess who showed up in the left circle to start the first one. Yes, Sprong was floating in the “Alex Ovechkin office,” waiting for a chance to blast away, but the puck never came to him. Even so, he has surely given this coaching staff a very difficult decision to make.
If Sprong does stay, who goes?
Takeaway #2: Did Jaden Schwartz get injured?
One of the refreshing sights to see in this training camp has been Jaden Schwartz seemingly at full strength. The top-six forward missed significant time last season with an undisclosed upper-body injury, but has spoken positively about his health status during camp.
He left Friday’s game in the second period and did not return. With just over 12 minutes left in the frame, Schwartz took a light tap on the left hand, then went to the bench and appeared to be holding his upper thigh area.
Jaden Schwartz left the game in the second period tonight. Believe this was the last time he was on the ice… pic.twitter.com/PU3EorN3yZ
It is hard to say from the video above what happened to him, but a healthy Jaden Schwartz is hugely important for Seattle’s chances this season. Here’s hoping it’s nothing serious.
Takeaway #3: Plenty of positives
A 5-3 loss wasn’t the outcome Kraken fans would have wanted, but 4-2-0 is a fine preseason record. And frankly, Seattle had every chance to win that game on Friday, save for an ugly miscue late in the game and a lack of focus seconds after scoring to make up for said miscue.
Things we liked were Sprong showing up again, Grubauer’s game through two and a half periods (until the late mishandle), McCann getting on the board for the first time this preseason, and Matty Beniers scoring his fourth goal in four outings.
“There were a lot of good pieces,” Hakstol said. “Tonight was more complete than we’ve been in the first four.”
This team looks much better than it did last preseason, from the goal crease out. As we head to the regular season, there is a lot to like about this roster, regardless of who the last few cuts end up being.
“You don’t get second chances now, we start next week,” added Hakstol. “We’ve had a hard-working camp. You know, we have a lot of guys that have had good camps, now we have a couple of days to get a little bit of rest, and then it’s for real, and we’ll get going in four or five days.”
This is a fun episode of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast, featuring another big-time guest. Kraken goalie Chris Driedger stops by for a relatively short interview to talk about his new charity, Driedger’s Keepers, as well as how he’s feeling after his offseason knee injury and his expectations for the Kraken this season.
Aside from the Driedger interview, John, Andy, and Darren answered a whole bunch of questions from the Mailbag, which got plenty of great participation this week and leads to some spirited conversation.
Before getting to those parts of the show, though, you’ll get a breakdown of the three Kraken preseason games that have been played since the last episode, a discussion on who got sent down and/or waived by Seattle, and thoughts on who will make the opening night roster.
After the Driedger interview, the show shifts to segments, which this week include Goalie Gear Corner, Weekly One-Timers, and Tweets of the Week.
One of the biggest challenges the Seattle Kraken had last year was scoring goals. The Kraken ranked 28th in the league with only 213 goals scored for the entire 2021-22 season. A key component of this challenge was the lack of opportunity and success on the power play. In this edition of Data Dump, we are going to explore the information we have around Seattle’s struggles with the manpower advantage last season and how the team is addressing the issue.
Power play opportunity
The Kraken had the third fewest power play goals in the league last year with just 32 such markers. This ranked ahead of only the Philadelphia Flyers (30) and Arizona Coyotes (28). There are two components that go into logging power play goals, number of power play opportunities and power play percentage. Let us look at those two numbers from last season.
As you can see, the Kraken were toward the bottom of the heap in power plays drawn (opportunities) and power play percentage (execution). These two statistics are not necessarily correlated. Toronto ranked 21st in number of power play opportunities but first in power play percentage. Similarly, Philadelphia ranked 16th in opportunities but last in power play execution.
Power play trends
One explanation could attribute the lack of execution on the power play to the unfamiliarity the players had with each other in Seattle’s inaugural season. Unfortunately, when we look at the power play over the season, it ebbed and flowed but never showed a consistent improvement.
Drawing penalties
As we mentioned above, part of the reason for Seattle’s low power-play goals output is due to the lack of opportunities. To get opportunities, you need players that draw penalties, so let us look at who drew penalties for the Kraken last season.
One encouraging item that stands out is that the players that drew the most penalties on the 2021-22 Seattle Kraken remain on the team for the 2022-23 season. We can take the analysis one step further by looking at the players by minutes played versus the number of drawn penalties from last season. Plus, we can overlay the new Kraken players to get a more complete picture for this season.
In addition to Oliver Bjorkstrand and Andre Burakovsky posting above-average numbers in drawing penalties, we also believe Matty Beniers could be one of the team leaders in penalties drawn this coming season based on what we have seen during the preseason. His numbers from last year hint at this.
Deployment changes
Getting more chances on the power play is one thing, but the team will need to take advantage of those opportunities. We know changes on the power play are coming, but before we get into that, here are the power play minute leaders from last season.
We already know the power play time taken by Mark Giordano, Calle Jarnkrok, and Marcus Johansson will need to be replaced.
Based on coach Dave Hakstol’s deployment during the preseason, we anticipate the changes to be more significant than just filling the vacancies left by those three players. The first power play unit is solid on paper, with Justin Schultz, Alex Wennberg, and the Killer B’s of Beniers, Bjorkstrand, and Burakovsky. The unit has not been remarkable during the preseason, but there have been moments where you can tell it will be just a matter of time before they really start clicking.
The second power play unit is still a work in progress, but looking at the remaining players on the roster, we like the options. Jared McCann, Jordan Eberle, Jaden Schwartz, Vince Dunn, and Yanni Gourde feels like the right combo to start the season with Shane Wright and Ryan Donato as options to slide in with those players.
Do not expect instant success when the season starts. Chemistry amongst players takes time, and when you consider the new faces on that first unit, we need to be patient for these players to develop that chemistry.
Improved Kraken power play will be critical
The Kraken will need to see improvements in multiple aspects of their game to expect a different outcome in season two. Behind goaltending, power play opportunities and production could be huge in deciding if Seattle plays meaningful games in March.
We think this chart sums up nicely the relationship between success on the power play and postseason aspirations.
