On the latest “.5” episode of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast, Darren checks in with Philipp Grubauer from the Kraken dressing room. It’s a nice one-on-one conversation that touches on Grubauer’s upbringing in Germany, his pride for his country as a growing hockey nation, his reflections on how things have gone over the past season and a half, and much more. Grubauer even hints at a new mask coming in for him very soon.
Darren also gives a quick update on how things have been going with the Kraken and gives a vibe check on the team (spoiler: the vibes have been high).
They did it for their dads (and mentors and brothers). On the first night of their first fathers and mentors trip, the Kraken came up with a big effort to down the red-hot Detroit Red Wings, who came in on a five-game heater.
The Red Wings had plenty of speed and jam to their game, but Seattle played off a boisterous home Saturday night crowd and got another good performance from Philipp Grubauer and a huge game from linemates Jordan Eberle and Matty Beniers. That was enough to push them over the top for a 4-2 win.
The two points the Kraken earned did not get them any closer to Vegas or Los Angeles in the tightly packed Pacific Division standings, as both of those teams also won Saturday. But it did create a three-point cushion over idle Edmonton, at least temporarily. Seattle remains in third place, one point behind the Kings with a game in hand and two points behind the Golden Knights.
Regardless, that was a hugely important victory, and we’re starting to feel like the Kraken are ready to go on another run. Since their three-game stinker through the New York metro area, the Kraken are 3-0-1 and face a bad Sharks team Tuesday in San Jose before two tough home games against Boston and Toronto. Is the team rolling again?
“I think it started a couple games ago,” said Grubauer. “We’re doing the right things, and it’s looking more like playoff hockey where we make the right decision in that moment for the team, and we’re not making any selfish plays… There’s not much hockey left, and our division is pretty tight, so we need every point.”
Here are our Three Takeaways from an impressive 4-2 Kraken win over the Red Wings.
Takeaway #1: Matty Beniers and Jordan Eberle showing chemistry
In Thursday’s game against Philadelphia, Jared McCann and Yanni Gourde were the standouts for Seattle. As has been standard with this team, though, it’s almost never the same guys that play the starring role two games in a row, a testament to the depth of the lineup.
“It’s nothing new,” said coach Dave Hakstol. “We do have that. I mean, you have everybody in here that feels like they need to contribute on a nightly basis, and we don’t win if we don’t get that. That’s not overplaying it, and I’m not underplaying it. That’s just how it is.”
Saturday, it was Matty Beniers and Jordan Eberle that stepped up. The duo seemed to be sending telepathic signals to one another to let the other know where to pass the puck. There was a definite “sixth sense” feel to their connection on this night, an indication that both are playing with a ton of confidence and that the chemistry between them is high.
“The biggest thing for me is trying to get him to turn off his brain,” said Eberle of his young linemate. “He’s a very cerebral player, and sometimes it gets in the way. Sometimes, turn your brain off and play. That’s the biggest thing. He’s got some confidence right now.”
The sequence at the end of the second period that ended with Jamie Oleksiak banging home his sixth goal of the season was a prime example of the pair’s chemistry. With the teams skating four-on-four, and the clock winding down, Eberle lunged to catch a 150-foot stretch pass from Carson Soucy that looked to be way out of Eberle’s reach. But he got just enough of the puck to slow it down, then dished a cheeky little offering under the stick of Filip Hronek, right onto Beniers’s tape in the slot. Ville Husso came up with a big save and deflected it behind the net.
That killed the play, right?
Wrong. Eberle was on the puck in a flash and twisted it around the boards to Beniers. The rookie laid a perfect pass for a crashing Oleksiak, who extended the lead to 3-1 as the teams headed to their dressing rooms after 40 minutes.
BIG RIG! 🚨 🛻
Incredible work by Eberle and Matty down low, and Oleksiak finishes it off with 7 seconds left in the 2nd.
Said Beniers, “I had a mini-breakaway before that. Ebs got the puck in the corner, dragged two guys to him, made a great play, and then I kind of had some time and just got my head up.”
We’ve been generally impressed with Beniers since he returned from his head injury after the All-Star break. He’s been one of Seattle’s best players almost every night, and on Saturday, he may have been the best player. Well, it was either him or Eberle. Either way, the duo is working really well together on their line with McCann right now.
“We’re doing the right things,” Beniers explained. “We’re getting on pucks, playing fast, playing north-south, so a lot of things that we’ve been talking about… I think we’re getting back into consistently doing it all the time and not just sometimes. It helps when [Eberle] is putting everything in.”
Takeaway #2: This is the Philipp Grubauer we expected when Seattle signed him
When Philipp Grubauer signed his six-year, $35.4 million contract at the opening of free agency two summers ago, we thought Seattle had pulled off a big coup. They were getting a guy coming off a Vezina-finalist-caliber season in Colorado, and he was the top goalie on the free-agent market. In fact, general manager Ron Francis said the Kraken didn’t even expect Grubauer to get to free agency, and all of a sudden, they had him in the fold.
Things obviously did not go as planned for Grubauer in his first season with the Kraken, and the second season didn’t start off all that remarkably either. He got injured in his fourth appearance of the season and missed more than a month, and along the way, he lost his starting job to Martin Jones.
Well, since a stinker against Edmonton on Dec. 30, Grubauer has been somewhere between good and great in each of his nine starts. He has now played four games in a row, and it’s no coincidence that the Kraken have points in all four.
“He was unbelievable tonight,” said Eberle. “He made some amazing saves, and the past— I don’t know how many it is, but he’s been great. He’s finding his game, and we’re feeling confident with him back there.”
Grubauer only faced 23 shots against the Red Wings, but there were a few stretches in the game when Seattle couldn’t get the puck out its zone. The Kraken netminder stood tall in those periods and bailed out his mates, particularly late in the game.
“He was awesome, especially in the third when they had a big push,” said Beniers. “We didn’t have a good answer sometimes, and he was able to come up with the big stop. Those are the kinds of stops that change the momentum of the game.”
It is safe to say Grubauer has re-taken the starter role. This is the guy the Kraken thought they were getting when they signed him for $5.9 million per year.
Saturday’s morning skate was one of the most fun practices we’ve witnessed for this team over the last two seasons. With the dads and mentors present, the energy was elevated, the mood was light, and the comedy was flowing.
At that skate, we privately said to a colleague in the media, “They are 100 percent going to win tonight.” They just had to do it. The vibes were simply too good for Seattle to lose to Detroit.
Sure enough, the group did what it had to do to get the two points and get the event off on the right foot.
“When you can win when they’re here, it makes things a lot lighter and a lot better,” said Eberle. “It makes the car ride home a lot better too.”
“I think I can speak for the group,” said Grubauer. “Once the dads, mentors, brothers are here, we don’t want to lose those games because they’re a huge part of why we get to play. And to get this win means a lot to us.”
The dads and mentors will now accompany the Kraken on their road trip to San Jose.
The vibes were immaculate for the Seattle Kraken Saturday morning, as they took the ice at Kraken Community Iceplex in preparation for their game against the Detroit Red Wings. It was a mostly full house for the skate anyway, as players, coaches, and families participating in the Can/Am youth hockey tournament at KCI looked on. But in addition to the Can/Am participants, Kraken players saw some familiar faces watching from behind the plexiglass; their dads.
For the first time, Seattle has invited the team’s fathers and mentors to watch the Kraken play at home Saturday, and they will then go on the road trip to San Jose this week. The Kraken would have had an event like this last season, but it got nixed because of COVID restrictions.
The presence of the VIP guests elevated the mood in the dressing room to an all-time high. In a clever move by Kraken PR, Jordan Eberle, Matty Beniers, and Morgan Geekie addressed the media alongside their fathers, Darren, Bob, and Craig. Hilarity ensued, as did plenty of poetic waxing and expressions of pride from the papas as they beamed talking about their respective sons.
Hidden talents
You can learn a lot about an NHL player by talking to his dad. Darren Eberle (great name), for example, divulged that his son is an aspiring musician. “You might not know that he thinks he’s a good guitar player,” the elder Eberle joked. “But the worst part about it is he’s learning to sing. I play guitar, so that’s the one thing I’m actually better than him at is guitar. And so I like to rub that in.”
Darren Eberle and Jordan Eberle addressed media at Kraken Community Iceplex Saturday morning. (Photo/Darren Brown)
Craig Geekie and his son connect through video games, a passion Morgan has shared publicly in the past. We knew Morgan was a stellar Mario Kart player, but we didn’t know his talent carries over to Call of Duty as well. “If it was CoD, because him and I play CoD with each other, I might say he’s a little bit better in CoD than he is in Mario Kart,” said Craig. “But I could be way off.”
“I think that’s saying how good I am at CoD,” Morgan joked.
Craig also shared that Morgan “Is turning into a pretty decent mechanic. How’s that? He’s fixing up his Jeep, which I’m pretty proud of.”
The Geekie’s also talked about how Morgan got his big slapshot, which Morgan said Craig wouldn’t let him use until he was 13 years old. “His shot, for whatever reason— it must take after his mum, for sure, in terms of his shot. Because he always had a really exceptional shot growing up, and I had a lot of people say that he was kind of above his years.”
Growing up with dad as the coach
Most hockey players can recall different memories from riding home from games with their parents and how the interactions would go on those rides.
“Depends how [the game] went,” said Morgan Geekie. Before he could continue, Craig jumped in. “Come on, I wasn’t that bad!” he said, defending himself. “There was a couple ultimatums in there,” quipped Morgan.
Morgan and Craig Geekie talked to media at Kraken Community Iceplex. (Photo/Darren Brown)
All three of Beniers, Geekie, and Eberle were coached by their respective fathers at some point as kids, and they all had unique perspectives to share about that relationship.
“He said I was the toughest coach ever,” said Darren Eberle. “He said ‘you benched me more than any of my coaches ever.’” Jordan corroborated what his father said. “He was probably one of the harder coaches on me. A lot of coaches would play me more; he would bench me if I wasn’t playing well.”
Bob Beniers coached Matty for 10 years, and over that time, Matty recalled Bob driving him all over the East Coast of the United States and beyond. “Canada, Buffalo, all these different places, and we were like 10,” said Matty. “Looking back on it, it’s pretty awesome that he was able to do that, but it all worked out, and it was a lot of fun.”
Bob knows he’s not Matty’s coach anymore, but he’s still very much along for the ride. “No, he’s on his own now. But it’s been fun. It’s been fun to watch his short experience here. It’s been a great organization so far and great coaching.”
Bob Beniers admitted that watching his 20-year-old son play in the NHL makes him a lot more nervous than when he was his youth coach.
Reaching the NHL is a long, hard journey
All three of the dads who met with media were visibly proud for their sons, who have worked so hard to get to the NHL. Interestingly, while the Beniers family saw Matty growing into a star player, Bob said they never talked about him making it to the world’s best league.
“We never talked about him playing professional hockey,” Bob said. “We only talked about him going to college and playing hockey in college. So this is an amazing treat, and he’s earned it, so I’m very proud of him.”
Craig Geekie gave us a glimpse behind the curtain about what it has taken for Morgan to reach this level. “Everybody from the outside always sees it as a pretty glamorous opportunity, right?” Craig said. “They don’t see the daily struggles. Whether it’s mental, whether it’s physical, whether it’s— you know, there’s so much stuff behind the scenes I just don’t think everybody sees on how hard it is to get here.”
A special experience for the coach, too
Coach Dave Hakstol has his father-in-law, Tim O’Keefe, on the trip, and the event is special for Hakstol as well. “It’s an awesome opportunity,” he said. “I mean, there’s a ton of new energy that comes in when dads and family members are here.” It’s O’Keefe’s first opportunity to do a trip like this, so Hakstol says he’s thrilled and happy to have him around.
We somewhat jokingly asked Hakstol if he was able to immediately connect any of the visiting fathers with their sons, even before being introduced. “What, are you trying to get me in trouble here?” Hakstol joked. “No, there’s some pretty neat personalities, though. I can tell you that. It’s been a couple hours here… You get them into this environment where everybody is here, you start to see some of the personalities come out. That’ll be one of the neat things throughout the weekend as it develops and as guys spend more and more time together.”
Hakstol was also asked why his father-in-law didn’t join him when he addressed the media. “Because I would not get one word in,” said Hakstol with a wry grin.
The Kraken came out—dare we say it?—flying against the Flyers on Thursday. They put the plane on cruise control and glided through to an easy 6-2 victory at Climate Pledge Arena, their first home game since Jan. 28. It was one of those nights where it seemed like everything was working for the home team and nothing was working for the visitors, as a few individuals had monster performances, and both the penalty kill and power play were clicking.
The Kraken also caught a bad Flyers team that was downright abysmal in its first game since these two teams played each other on Sunday, leading coach John Tortorella to predictably blow a gasket in his post-game presser.
There it is! The first ever “Re: Torts” to occur at Climate Pledge Arena!
The Kraken needed that one. They took just three out of a possible 10 points on their recent five-game road trip, and things are very compressed atop the Pacific Division right now. By winning this one, Seattle kept pace at two points back of Vegas, which squeaked by San Jose Thursday. Meanwhile, the Kraken took back a one-point lead on Los Angeles and a two-point lead on Edmonton, both of which were idle. Calgary lost again, so Seattle now has a comfortable seven-point cushion on the Flames.
Here are our Three Takeaways from a thorough Kraken whooping of the Flyers.
Takeaway #1: Gourde and McCann were the stars
Everyone contributed on this night, and those are the games when Seattle is at its best. But we thought there were a couple players who were especially impactful in Yanni Gourde and Jared McCann.
We asked coach Dave Hakstol if any individuals stood out to him, but he wasn’t willing to single out anyone specifically.
“Guys were ready to play,” Hakstol said. “I know the guys that had points, and I know the guys that played well defensively individually on the back end, all of that. But am I going to single one or two guys out in a good team win? No, I’m not.” That’s quite alright, because we’re more than happy to point out that Gourde and McCann had stellar performances.
Gourde got rewarded in a big way for his unrelenting work ethic, scoring two goals and adding an assist. McCann only had one point—more on that point in a moment—but he was noticeable every time he was on the ice.
McCann got things going in the right direction for Seattle in this game with a herculean shift on the penalty kill. Like in Philadelphia on Sunday, the Kraken took an early penalty when Ryan Donato got tied up with Cam York in the neutral zone. But unlike on Sunday, Seattle turned that PK into a positive, thanks to McCann.
Just moments after painfully blocking a shot, McCann stole the puck from Kevin Hayes at the blue line and took off on a two-on-one with Gourde. McCann didn’t think twice about passing, instead rifling it past Carter Hart to make it 1-0 at 3:01.
MCCANN CAN! 🚨
Moments after painfully blocking a shot, Jared McCann steals the puck at the blue line, carries it all the way up ice, and snipes a shorthanded goal over Hart’s glove.
“We’ve been working on the PK a lot,” said McCann. “Obviously, it’s not something I’m particularly good at, but I’m trying. I was able to kind of get in the lane there for the blocked shot, and then I kind of read— I thought he was going to shoot again, so I thought if I could get my stick on it, I could maybe deflect it, and I did.”
It was interesting to hear McCann say he doesn’t think the PK is a strength of his—which makes sense, since he’s not what you would envision for a PK guy—because that was the perfect shift.
It wasn’t just that one shift that made McCann stand out, though. He had a couple other good looks, set up Jaden Schwartz for a point-blank opportunity, drew a penalty, and was even involved in some extracurriculars after the whistle. He was awesome.
Gourde, meanwhile, had his best game as a Kraken. With a delayed penalty coming, Seattle maintained possession for an extended period and a 6-on-5 advantage. A nice passing play ended with Gourde tipping a Justin Schultz shot in to make it 2-0.
GOURDE SCORED (scourde?)! 🚨
With a delayed penalty coming, a nice passing play ends with Yanni Gourde tipping in his first goal since Jan. 10.
He didn’t get a point for Schultz’s power-play goal in the second period, but it was Gourde providing the screen to take Hart’s eyes away on that one as well.
He wasn’t done yet. He made a classy pass through the neutral zone to spring Oliver Bjorkstrand on a breakaway to make it 4-0 in the second, then—for good measure—added a power-play goal of his own with a one-time howitzer.
GOURDE SCOURDE AGAIN! 🚨
His second of the game after a ridiculous one-touch pass from Jaden Schwartz.
McCann is oozing with confidence this season, and his shorthanded goal Thursday was his 26th tally of the season. “As long as I can get the puck through and get it to the net, I feel like I always have a chance to score,” McCann said.
Gourde got his first goals since Jan. 10 in Buffalo. “Thanks for the reminder,” he said sarcastically after we asked if scoring for the first time in a while can help his confidence moving forward. “It’s always good to score a few goals going forward, but at the same time, don’t change the way you play. Just play hard, play into your game, and good things happen for you.”
Takeaway #2: Big night for special teams (finally)
That was a really long first Takeaway, so we’ll keep these other two short. It was refreshing to see the Kraken have success on both the power play and penalty kill Thursday. They got two bona fide (as in not deflecting off two skates and in like the one in Winnipeg) power-play goals, added a 6-on-5 goal with a delayed penalty coming, killed the lone penalty against, and even scored a shorthanded goal on that PK. That’s a heckuva night for the special teams.
“Simple power play usually gets it done,” said Gourde. “Use the top, Schultz has got a bomb. He’s got a great shot. We’ve got to utilize that and just take the goalie’s eyes away as much as we can.”
That’s exactly what Gourde did on both Schultz’s power-play goal and his tip-in goal with the Kraken skating 6-on-5.
Justin Schultz with a long-range missile, and it’s a power-play goal! 🚨
Who said special teams is a problem?
He doesn’t get a point, but look at Gourde in front, mucking things up again.
Hakstol thought the Schultz goal in the second was what put the game on the rails for Seattle. “The biggest goal in the hockey game, in my mind, was Schultz’s; the power-play goal… They came out [in the second] with good energy. You knew there was going to be a response after the first period, they had a response, and that power-play goal settled things down for us and it pushed the momentum back in our favor into the second period.”
Can the Kraken learn from what made their 20th-ranked power play and 31st-ranked penalty kill successful Thursday and carry that success over?
Takeaway #3: A dominant performance
That was a thorough spanking by the Kraken, who whipped the Flyers with all eight of their tentacles. Seattle allowed just one—ONE!—shot on goal in the entire first period and kept Philadelphia under 20 for the full game.
Hakstol said it wasn’t so much that the Kraken were defending well, but rather that they were on their toes and taking care of the puck.
Now, if Seattle can just figure out how to replicate that on-their-toesiness (pretty sure that’s what it would be called) for every game…
The Kraken are back in town for the first time in forever, and a lot has happened around the NHL since they were last home. Seattle took its lumps on a five-game road trip through New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Winnipeg, so the Sound Of Hockey breaks down that trip, and Darren shares some of his memories from the road.
Next, the guys discuss John’s recent goalie breakdown on soundofhockey.com that argued the Kraken should use Philipp Grubauer more.
Once they’ve finished most of their Kraken talk, John, Andy, and Darren talk about the blockbuster trade that sent Vladimir Tarasenko to the Rangers, as well as some names that seem to be getting bandied about before the Trade Deadline.
Finally, the show meanders to segments, which this week include:
The NHL Trade Deadline is an inflection point when a team’s front office is faced with the challenge of weighing the future against the present. Does this year’s team have a chance of making the playoffs? Does it have a chance of winning the Stanley Cup? And does the answer to one of those questions hinge on upgrading talent somewhere on the roster or filling a spot left by an injury? If so, how many future assets are you willing to sacrifice to fill those holes?
“I like what our guys are doing,” Seattle general manager Ron Francis said in an interview with NHL.com on Monday. “I like the way we believe in each other and play for each other right now. If there is a piece there that makes sense, and it isn’t at a ridiculous price, we’ll certainly look at it, but we’re not going to do anything that’s crazy at this point.”
First-round draft picks have immense value relative to other draft assets. Surely, those picks are off the table, right? Many teams, not to mention fanbases, likely felt this way last year at the deadline, but seven separate deals involved a first-round draft pick moving from one team to another. Ten others included at least one second-round pick. In other words, if you’re looking to buy a top-17 trade asset at the deadline, you’re going to pay an uncomfortable price. Prices are high and buyers are faced with a time-sensitive decision: Is the chance at a better playoff outcome this year worth it? Is there any value in the deal beyond this playoff run?
The Seattle Kraken are confronting these questions right now, 15 days out from the March 3, 2023, trade deadline. Francis told NHL.com the team would “sit and wait, [and] see where we are and see what the prices are and make some decisions as we get closer to the deadline.”
In constructing a big board of potential trade targets, I considered a player eligible if they met one of two criteria: (1) the player is a pending unrestricted free agent on a team out of playoff contention; or (2) the player has been identified as “available” in trade conversations by reliable league insiders I have seen. Players in the first category are classic “rental” options, but some may not be “available” in reality due to the team’s desire to retain the player. Likewise, with regard to the second category, we need to recognize that even credible insiders get inaccurate or indirect information, and some of these players may not be realistically “available.”
On the other hand, the board is under-inclusive too. There are going to be pending restricted free agents or players with another year or more on their contracts that are available but have not been identified by league insiders. Jaycob Megna falls into this category, actually. He was not on early drafts of my trade deadline big board because he has another year on his contract and had not been floated as a trade option, as far as I saw. Even so, I resisted the urge to expand the big board to include additional players on non-contenders to avoid the board becoming unwieldy or full of “wishful thinking.”
To finalize the big board, first, I separated the players by position and contract term (e.g., “pending unrestricted free agent defensemen”) and ordered them based on my assessment of each player’s potential value for this Seattle Kraken team. I then disqualified players I felt (1) would not be usable, even as depth, on this Kraken team, (2) could not conceivably justify the projected acquisition cost; or (3) were not realistic options for Seattle, given the team’s cap situation. Patrick Kane and John Klingberg are notable players I omitted from the final big board because, in my opinion, they fall in the second category. Vladislav Gavrikov is another one. Erik Karlsson is a player you won’t see on the board either because I put him in the third category. Finally, I rounded out the big board with a “long-shot candidates” category that included marginal candidates for the Kraken due to the projected cost or fit.
Ok, let’s dive in.
The trade deadline big board
Pending unrestricted free-agent defensemen
Nick Holden defends Jordan Eberle at Climate Pledge Arena (Photo/Brian Liesse)
Kyle Burroughs | Vancouver | Age: 27 | RD | 2 goals, 0 assists, 34.9 min PK TOI | Contract: $750,000
Notes: The supply of “rental” defensemen is relatively weak, which suggests to me that as contenders look to solidify their defensive depth chart going into the playoffs, the cost for these players could soar beyond potential value they could deliver. (This seller’s market dynamic could creep into the market for defensemen with term left on their contracts too.) This underscores the strength of Seattle’s early move to pick up Jaycob Megna for a marginal cost (a low fourth-round draft pick). Megna has a year left on his contract and compares favorably to the names below Nick Holden on the above list.
Shayne Gostisbehere is a standout offensive player who can contribute in transition, in the offensive zone, and on the power play, where he’d likely step in as the first-unit blueliner. His work in the defensive zone is less strong, and ideally he’d be on a third pair at even strength. Some of his best seasons were with Dake Hakstol in Philadelphia.
As an aside, John Klingberg is something of an exaggerated version of Gostisbehere: better on offense but worse on defense. His truly shocking defensive metrics led me to disqualify him, despite his previous links to Seattle. If the Kraken are not as pessimistic on his defense, Klingberg would factor into this conversation as an alternative in this same range, similar to Gostisbehere.
Jake Walman is a younger player on an upward trajectory who is well thought of by some scouts and most data analysts, even if his play hasn’t translated into counting stats or wide acclaim yet. Detroit has indicated it would like to keep him, but if talks don’t advance in the next couple weeks, it will need to at least consider moving him to mitigate the risk he leaves for nothing.
The remainder of the players are potential depth pieces. Jarred Tinordi is big blueliner with surprisingly good penalty differential and play-driving metrics; he is on IR at the moment, but it is not thought of as a long-term injury. Nick Holden is a veteran who could bring some leadership and penalty killing experience.
Mattias Ekholm handles the puck at Climate Pledge Arena (Photo/Brian Liesse)
Jake McCabe | Chicago | Age: 29 | LD | 2 goals, 14 assists, 98.4 min PK TOI | Contract: $4,000,000 x 2 years (M-NTC)
Mattias Ekholm | Nashville | Age: 32 | LD | 5 goals, 12 assists, 77.0 min PP TOI, 132.1 min PK TOI | Contract: $6,250,000 x 3 years
These two players are interesting because they could elevate Seattle’s second pairing for a playoff run and also provide insurance for Seattle at left defense long term. There is a bit of uncertainty with two Kraken mainstays on the left side. Carson Soucy is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent, and there is some sentiment he may move on after the year.
Vince Dunn is not under contract either. He will be a restricted free agent, which theoretically gives Seattle the inside track to retain him, but Dunn’s standout season this year likely puts the team and the player in a tenuous position. In my analysis, comparable players create a projection of somewhere between $6.5 million and $9.5 million AAV on a (very) long-term deal for Dunn. Such a contract makes sense only if the team views Dunn as a franchise defenseman. Does the team see him that way after an up-and-down tenure in St. Louis, followed by one up-and-down year and one brilliant year in Seattle?
Jake McCabe is not flashy but delivers strong support on offense and suppresses shots effectively on defense while avoiding penalties. His cap hit is manageable this year and for two more after. He would likely displace Jamie Oleksiak as the third-best defenseman on the team right away and bolster the team’s depth significantly.
Mattias Ekholm is a high-end, even-strength play-driver on both offense and defense with first-pair ability. He could form a devastating shutdown pairing with fellow Swede Adam Larsson in the playoffs or anchor a second pair that approaches the strength of the Larsson-Dunn combination. He plays a lot but with less production on special teams. Adding Ekholm would be tremendous insurance against the loss of Dunn, but taking on three more years of a $6.25 million cap hit would significantly reduce the team’s capacity to pay Dunn the contract he would likely want. If the team can only have one, is the team better off long term with Ekholm or Dunn? Additionally, I question whether Nashville is actually serious about moving Ekholm given the Predators are still in the playoff chase.
Adding McCabe or Ekholm would likely involve trading away Carson Soucy to create roster space and additional assets for a deal.
Pending unrestricted free-agent forwards
Pius Suter contends with Alex Wennberg at Climate Pledge Arena (Photo/Brian Liesse)
Ryan O’Reilly | St. Louis | Age: 32 | C | 12 goals, 6 assists, 54.0% FO%, 78.2 min PP TOI, 69.8 min PK TOI | Contract: $7,500,000
Tyler Bertuzzi | Detroit | Age: 28 | LW/RW | 2 goals, 6 assists, 59.2 min PP TOI | Contract: $4,750,000
Noel Acciari | St. Louis | Age: 31 | C/RW | 10 goals, 8 assists, 89.3 min PK TOI, 53.9% FO% | Contract: $1,250,000
Pius Suter | Detroit | Age: 27 | C/LW | 7 goals, 6 assists, 48.8% FO%, 51.0 min PK TOI | Contract: $3,250,000
Nick Bonino | San Jose | Age: 34 | C/LW | 9 goals, 9 assists, 50.3% FO%, 108.9 min PK TOI | Contract: $2,050,000 (M-NTC)
Nick Bjugstad | Arizona | Age: 30 | C/RW | 13 goals, 10 assists, 47.0% FO%, 118.3 mins PK TOI | Contract: $900,000
Sean Monahan | Montreal | Age: 28 | C/LW/RW | 6 goals, 11 assists, 55.1% FO%, 78.8 min PP TOI, 41.3 min PK TOI | Contract: $6,375,000 (M-NTC)
Ivan Barbashev | St. Louis | Age: 27 | C/LW/RW | 10 goals, 17 assists, 98.6 min PP TOI | Contract: $2,250,000
Gustav Nyquist | Columbus | Age: 33 | LW/RW | 10 goals, 12 assists, 88.4 min PP TOI, 83.1 min PK TOI | Contract: $5,500,000
The “rental” market for forwards is a bit deeper than it is for defensemen, with a number of interesting names that could check off one or multiple needs for Seattle. Since the Kraken already have solid NHL-caliber forward depth, I could envision a scenario where the team moves one of those pieces to make an addition. If Andre Burakovsky is out for months, it is more likely the team keeps all of its forwards.
Ryan O’Reilly tops this list because of the fit, but I think his likely acquisition cost could push him close to the “long shot” category. O’Reilly has had a down season, hampered by a foot injury. But, if he is at least 75 percent healthy, he could bring toughness, leadership, defense, and standout face-off ability to the Kraken. The Kraken could desperately use all of the traits when things get a little more difficult in April and beyond. I don’t think this move is very realistic, but there are few players on the list who could dramatically alter the team’s prospects (and do so without even scoring). O’Reilly is one.
Noel Acciari is a versatile, right-shot, bottom-of-the-lineup center who can be physical, take hard defensive zone minutes, kill penalties, and man the face-off dot effectively. Even better, Acciari’s face-off numbers tick up on the penalty kill, checking in at 56.5 percent. Nick Bonino is an alternative to Acciari who brings some of the same elements, likely at a lower cost.
Tyler Bertuzzi is a quality play-driving and goal-scoring top-nine wing whose value may be at an all-time low because he is shooting just 4.9 percent. His underlying metrics remain solid, and his career shooting percentage is in the upper echelon at 14.7 percent. He can score on the power play and at even strength. I really like the value proposition, but his fit with the Kraken isn’t as strong since he doesn’t have the ability to play center or take face-offs.
Pius Suter is another interesting name from Detriot who has never really broken out from a bottom-six role but sports solid metrics across the board. Suter is a better fit than Bertuzzi because he can take draws and kill penalties effectively.
Nick Bjugstad is a name that is frequently mentioned on the trade market. He has good size and physicality, and his contract would be easy to assume. On the other hand, he hasn’t been very productive on face-offs or on the penalty kill, so there are some arguments against his fit in Seattle.
Forwards with team control beyond this year
Adam Henrique tries to get past Adam Larsson at Climate Pledge Arena (Photo/Brian Liesse)
Adam Henrique | Anaheim | Age: 33 | C/LW | 19 goals, 13 assists, 51.8% FO% | Contract: $5,825,000 x 1 year (M-NTC)
Sam Lafferty | Chicago | Age: 27 | C/LW/RW | 8 goals, 11 assists, 53.3% FO%, 90.4 min PK TOI | Contract: $1,150,000 x 1 year
Adam Henrique is an interesting fit for the Kraken, but he comes with a contract that extends for one more season at $5,825,000. This is not an unreasonable number for him, but the Kraken are already heavily invested in their existing forward group for the 2023-24 season. It is a situation they could work out by subtracting a piece in the offseason, though. Henrique is skilled on the face-off dot and brings center/wing versatility on the left side that could support a player like Matty Beniers. He’d bring another goal scorer with a proven power play track record too.
Sam Lafferty may be the most interesting “realistic” candidate on the entire big board, followed perhaps by Noel Acciari. Lafferty is a physical, versatile, right-shot forward who can play anywhere at the bottom of the lineup, but he has had success on the face-off dot this year. He has been Chicago’s best penalty-killing forward this season too, exhibiting the biggest positive impact among forwards on his team’s total shot quality while he is on the ice shorthanded relative to his teammates (i.e., “relative xG%”). He could immediately step in on the first penalty kill unit, as the fourth-line center, and take key draws, solidifying multiple weaker areas. He would also be a solid option to fill those roles next year at a reasonable cap hit. Adding Lafferty would decrease the likelihood that Morgan Geekie is a long-term Kraken.
Long-shot candidates
Jakob Chychrun waits for a faceoff at Climate Pledge Arena (Photo/Brian Liesse)
Timo Meier | San Jose | Age: 25 | LW | 31 goals, 21 assists, 167.1 min PP TOI | Contract: $6,000,000 (RFA expiry)
Dylan Larkin | Detroit | Age: 26 | C | 20 goals, 30 assists, 54.1% FO%, 189.0 min PP TOI, 94.9 min PK TOI | Contract: $6,100,000
Jakub Vrána | Detroit | Age: 26 | LW | 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 games played | Contract: $5,250,000 x 1 year
Anthony Duclair | Florida | Age: 27 | LW | no stats; 31 goals, 27 assists in 2021-22 | Contract: $3,000,000 x 1 year
Jakob Chychrun | Arizona | Age: 24 | Pos: LD | 7 goals, 21 assists, 108.0 min PP TOI | Contract: $4,600,000 x 2 years
Jonathan Toews | Chicago | Age: 34 | C | 14 goals, 14 assists, 63.3% FO%, 141.2 min PP TOI, 55.1 min PK TOI | Contract: $10,500,000 (NMC)
As mentioned above, these are “interesting” names that are marginal probability candidates for one reason or another. Timo Meier is a bona fide All-Star-caliber scorer and all-around producer who is still just 25 years old and open to a long-term deal. He is one of the only players on this list for whom I could justify giving up a first-round pick and/or top prospect. If the Kraken want to get aggressive and move capital, he would be at the top of my list (along with Troy Terry, whom I have not seen discussed as a trade option).
If Meier is 1A, Dylan Larkin would be 1B on my list of “aggressive” targets, but he is less likely to be moved by Detroit, and the acquisition price is likely to be even higher. Larkin is a first-line center and All-Star producer in all areas of the game. Adding Larkin would open the window to immediate contention, but I would imagine the package would need to be something like Shane Wright, Ty Nelson, a first-round pick, and one-or-more second-round picks. It is justifiable, but Ron Francis’s history and his commentary suggest the team is unlikely to go there.
Jakub Vrána is a first-line offensive weapon at the wing, who is likely available on the cheap. But with him comes an incredible amount of uncertainty owing only partially to his stint in the player assistance program this year. He was on waivers a couple months ago and every team passed. Even on his best days he doesn’t bring much defense, and he would come with a hefty commitment for next season too, which, again, may not make sense for the Kraken.
Anthony Duclair is a stand-in for a few players the Florida Panthers could conceivably look to move to solve a cap crunch. Other potential trade candidates include Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett. That said, Florida seems likely to retain as many assets as possible as it tries to work its way back into the playoff picture. All of these Florida forwards could fill a role if the price were right. Duclair is working his way back from achilles tendon surgery, but could be nearing a return.
Jesse Puljujarvi is looking more like a bottom-of-the-lineup checking forward these days, but the same could have been said of Valeri Nichushkin at the same stage in his career. He is good at what he does: driving the puck away from his goal and toward the opponent’s goal at even strength. Beyond that there are many gaps in his game. In the abstract, I still really like the player as a reclamation project, but the fit may not be ideal this season as the Kraken consider addressing other specific needs for a playoff push.
The case for Jakob Chychrun is similar to the case for McCabe and Ekholm, but the acquisition price is likely to be higher than the Kraken are willing to pay, unless Seattle is effectively prepared to trade Dunn in the offseason to recoup some assets.
Finally, there is Jonathan Toews. He has been mentioned as a fit for the Kraken due to his league-leading face-off production. Otherwise he’s a shadow of his former self and comes with both a hefty price tag and legitimate questions about his leadership. There are some elements of a “fit,” but I don’t really see it right now.
The acquisition of Jaycob Megna has already addressed the first need for a depth defenseman. The Megna deal also provides insurance on the fourth need: Megna is a capable penalty killer when he draws in. How could the Kraken attack the other need areas with this market for players?
Strategies the Kraken could deploy
Shayne Gostisbehere stick handles at Climate Pledge Arena (Photo/Brian Liesse)
Aggressive buyer
I would consider the Kraken to have taken an “aggressive” deadline approach if they part with a first-round pick, a top prospect like Shane Wright, or a roster player (in something other than a salary or roster dump) plus other draft capital at the deadline. Examples of this approach could be trades for Ryan O’Reilly or Mattias Ekholm.
Based on historical prices, and the market set by the Bo Horvat and Vladimir Tarasenko deals, I would expect an O’Reilly deal would likely cost a top-100 prospect (e.g., Ty Nelson), a roster player (e.g., Morgan Geekie) and either a first-round pick or multiple picks including at least one second-round pick if concerns about the player’s foot persist.
The market for Ekholm could be tempered a bit based on the term left on his deal. Still, I expect a return for Ekholm to be better or comparable to the package Seattle obtained for Mark Giordano and Colin Blackwell (two second-rounders and a third-rounder). From Seattle’s perspective, if it could move Carson Soucy for a second-round pick, the cost would be at least Soucy, a second-rounder, and a third-rounder, plus the costs of additional cap gymnastics necessary to bring in the Ekholm contract. I could see the upgrade being appealing, but it would sacrifice significant futures and could nudge Dunn toward the exit long-term.
Buyer
If the Kraken are willing to put a second-round pick, top prospect, or roster player (in something other than a salary or roster dump) on the table, I think the team will fit into the conventional “buyer” category. A move to add Lafferty or Acciari to solidify the penalty kill and production on the face-off dot would qualify. A move on the blue line to acquire a player like Gostisbehere or Walman would also qualify. I would expect the blueliners to cost at least a second-round pick and likely more. Lafferty or Acciari may come in around that price or a bit less.
Opportunistic buyer
Alternatively, the Kraken could approach the deadline determined to make a deal only if it is a clear “value” win, regardless of the fit. For example, if the cost on Bertuzzi is low due to his struggles this year, I could imagine the Seattle front office viewing the prospect of adding the winger too intriguing to pass up. Likewise, if Detroit wants to retain salary on Vrana or if Edmonton wants to attach an asset to Puljujarvi just to dump his contract, I could imagine those offers being too appealing to ignore. If Florida has to dump a contract for a low cost, that could be of interest too.
Depth dealer/sideline observer
Under another approach, the Kraken could move toward the deadline committed to protecting their valuable future assets. The team might consider moving a third-round pick or later for an additional depth asset, but otherwise will not sacrifice its “foundation.” In this case, I could see the team make a move for a player like Nick Bonino to provide depth for the forward group similar to the depth provided by Jaycob Megna on the back end.
Opportunistic seller
Similar to the two approaches above, the team could be open to a small asset sale if the price is simply too good to ignore. If a team is willing to offer more than a late-second-round pick for Carson Soucy, the Kraken may have to strongly consider it. Also, while I believe the Kraken will keep their three NHL goaltenders, it is not impossible that an appealing deal could be offered for one of them.
Projection time: what will the Kraken do at the deadline?
Alright, if you’ve stuck with me this long, you deserve to get to the fun part. What will the Kraken do at the deadline? I’ll project that the Kraken trade a 2024 third-round pick and 2023 sixth-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks for Sam Lafferty. Lafferty would be a go-to righty face-off man, would provide grit, speed, and defense on the bottom line, and would upgrade the first penalty kill unit. Noel Acciari is an alternative who could check some of the same boxes.
I would also at least consider a trade (or trades) that would effectively swap Carson Soucy for Shayne Gostisbehere or Jake Walman. If the move could be made in an asset-neutral way, I’d lean toward doing it.
Thanks for reading. What do you think the Kraken will do? Let us know on Twitter or in the comments below.
Finland’s under-19 team competed in a tournament against Europe’s other four top hockey nations, intended to be a precursor event to the 2024 World Junior Championship in Gothenberg, Sweden. Seattle Kraken goalie prospect Niklas Kokko drew rave reviews, winning both of his starts and boasting a .943 save percentage.
Finland won all four of its games and allowed just three goals total, all coming in Kokko’s starts.
The performance from Kokko should draw some hope he’ll be more involved in Finland’s World Junior team after making the roster but not seeing any time between the pipes for the Finns in the 2023 tournament. His main competition appears to be Topias Leinonen, a Buffalo Sabres second-round pick in 2022 who recorded two shutouts in the four-game tournament.
While Leinonen’s stats were more impressive, Kokko may have the upper hand for the 2024 World Juniors, considering he was included on the 2023 roster and drew the toughest start against Sweden in the most recent tournament.
Kokko will also finish the season for a new team on loan with SaiPa of Liiga, Finland’s top league. The 18-year-old has played 20 minutes thus far for his new team, stopping eight of 11 shots (a .727 save percentage).
Kokko’s rights belong to Karpat of Liiga, and he was initially loaned to Hermes — which plays in Finland’s second division, Mestis — where he boasted a .901 save percentage in 14 games.
Wright still out with injury, return potentially nearing
Kraken top prospect Shane Wright continues to miss games for the Windsor Spitfires but is expected to begin skating again this week, according to Jim Parker of The Windsor Star.
Spits head coach Marc Savard said he believes Shane Wright and Daniil Sobolev will both start skating this week. No exact target date for a return to the lineup. https://t.co/thnCHXO9CG
Wright has missed seven of the last eight games for the Spitfires, who are riding a seven-game winning streak. We’ll be keeping a close eye on if Shane Wright is in the lineup for Windsor’s next game on Thursday against the Flint Firebirds.
Poturalski has season-ending surgery
The last couple of weeks have not been kind to Seattle’s forward depth on both the NHL and American Hockey League levels, from an injury standpoint, as Coachella Valley Firebirds forward Andrew Poturalski underwent season-ending surgery on Feb. 9.
The team announced that Poturalski underwent surgery to repair a lower-body injury, and the timeline for his recovery is four-to-six months, which will cause him to miss the rest of the regular season and likely the postseason, as well.
While he’s too old to be considered a prospect, Poturalski’s absence is a ding to Seattle’s organizational depth. The 29-year-old forward is third on the Firebirds with 42 points in 38 games and was the AHL’s scoring champ the prior two seasons.
Firkus tallied three goals in Moose Jaw’s 6-3 win over Edmonton on Feb. 8, bringing his season total to 28. The second-round pick in 2022 has collected 63 points in 51 Western Hockey League games this season.
In a 8-3 rout over Oshawa, Robertson notched an assist to go along with the trio of goals. The fourth-round pick in 2022 has 31 goals and 72 points for the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League. Robertson also leads all Kraken prospects with 19 points over his last 10 games.
Keeping an eye on pundits
Scott Wheeler of The Athleticreleased his top 50 prospect list, and Wright was the only Kraken included in the top 50, although Firkus, Nelson, and forward David Goyette were honorable mentions.
The No. 7 ranking for Wright isn’t totally surprising, but seeing David Jiricek, who went two spots behind him at No. 6 overall in the 2022 draft, move above Wright raised my eyebrow. Wheeler’s assessment of Wright was generally positive, but he confessed he’s cooled on Wright since he was considered the consensus top prospect entering the draft.
Josh Horton
Josh Horton is a freelance writer, former newspaper journalist, and erstwhile Western Hockey League writer for the Everett Herald and The Spokesman-Review (Spokane). He is NOT a juggler, nor is he a former professional baseball player. Follow him on Twitter @byjoshhorton.
In a time of the season when all points are critical, the Seattle Kraken picked up one Tuesday night but could not get a second, falling 3-2 in a shootout to the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre.
Seattle is 0-3 in the shootout this year and wasted a top-notch effort from Philipp Grubauer who made 38 saves. Neither of the two Kraken shooters converted during the shootout, but Pierre-Luc Dubois and Mark Scheifele scored for the Jets.
“Tonight is a hard-fought road game for us,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. “That’s a good team, a lot of respect for their ability and the way they play. We’re disappointed not to get two, but that’s a real important road point for us.”
Blake Wheeler and Dubois each scored a goal for Winnipeg (31-19-1), who became the fourth NHL team this year to win 20 home games. David Rittich made 27 saves after being a late starter when Connor Hellebuyk became ill during the day.
John Hayden and Jared McCann each had a goal for the Kraken (31-18-6), who return home after a 1-3-1 road trip.
Seattle was outshot 40-29 and was 1-for-4 on the power play, including three opportunities in the first period.
Grubauer was the star for Seattle, making big save after big save, especially during stretches where Winnipeg was controlling the play.
“He was awesome, he kept us in the game,” Morgan Geekie said. “His save at the end there, in the third. There were so many saves I can’t just pick one. He’s been awesome for us, and both our goalies have been great… good to see him have success. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get it done for him tonight.”
Grubauer with a game saver. #SeaKraken kill the penalty.
Winnipeg broke a scoreless tie at 7:01 of the second period. Seattle defenseman Jamie Oleksiak tried to reverse the puck behind the net, but it was intercepted by Nikolaj Ehlers who got it to Wheeler, and he walked the puck in front and scored to make it 1-0.
Despite being on their heels for parts of the second, the Kraken struck back.
First, it was fourth-line magic at 13:20 when John Hayden scored his second of the season after attacking the net and deflecting in a Geekie pass to tie the game at 1-1.
THE FOURTH LINE STRIKES! 🚨
On his birthday, John Hayden finishes off a beautiful pass from Morgan Geekie. #SeaKraken
“Would have been nicer to get the win, but my linemates have made it a pretty easy transition so far so we’ll look to keep it going,” Hayden said.
Seattle would break through on a late power play at 19:33 from McCann. It was a lucky bounce, and McCann’s shot rebounded off a defenseman before hitting former Kraken Mason Appleton and deflecting in to give Seattle a 2-1 lead after two periods.
Call it karma or whatever you’d like, but the Jets evened the game in a similar way. Josh Morrissey took a shot at 9:39 of the third period that Grubauer got a glove on but couldn’t hold for a whistle. Dubois shot the rebound wide, but it hit Vince Dunn in the shin and caromed past Grubauer to make it 2-2.
“They’re a good team over there, similar styles, they’re heavy, they’re fast, and play well at both ends of the ice,” Geekie said. “I think that’s something we do well too and two evenly matched teams tonight. Unfortunately, we came out on the wrong end but we got a point out of that.”
Scoreboard watch
The point that the Kraken earned Tuesday night put them a point clear of the Edmonton Oilers for third place in the Pacific Division. The Oilers were idle, but Seattle has 66 points, one behind the Los Angeles Kings for second place and two behind the Vegas Golden Knights for first. The Kraken have a game in hand on the Kings.
Looking at other Western Conference races, Colorado has 61 points and is in third place in the Central Division and also lost Tuesday, 4-3, in a shootout to Tampa Bay. Dallas leads the Central and lost to Toronto in overtime Tuesday, so the Stars also picked up a point.
None of the other teams in the hunt for a Western Conference playoff spot were in action Tuesday night.
Tentacles Tales
Tuesday was Hayden’s 28th birthday.
He has two goals this season in the NHL with Seattle in four games played.
Seattle returns home for a rematch with the Philadelphia Flyers Thursday at Climate Pledge Arena.
On Dec. 15, Philipp Grubauer faced 39 shots against the Carolina Hurricanes and put the Kraken in a position to steal a game they had had no interest being in. It was an ugly game with the Kraken having just 33 percent of the shot attempts, and despite the Kraken being down 3-0 halfway though the game, they were very close to tying it in the third before eventually losing 3-2.
That was the moment I felt Grubauer turned the corner and started to be the goalie we expected he could be when the Kraken signed him in the summer of 2021, before the Kraken’s inaugural season. Ever since that game, I have felt that Grubauer should have earned more starts. Without further ado, I present my case for handing the net over to Philipp Grubauer.
Goal support
If you just look at the win-loss results for the two goaltenders this season, Martin Jones appears to be the better goalie, posting a record of 23-9-3 versus Grubauer’s 6-9-2. However, we know that wins and losses have a lot to do with how the team plays in front of the goaltender. For that, let us look at goal scoring by the Kraken for each starting goaltender.
In addition to the roughly 1.7 goals the Kraken average for Jones over Grubauer, 20 times or 59 percent of Jones’s starts, the Kraken score four goals or more. Sunday’s game against the Flyers was only the fourth time the Kraken have scored four or more goals for Grubauer. In fact, the Kraken have not scored more than four goals for any Grubauer start all season.
Save percentage
In a somewhat dated way of evaluating goalies, we can simply look at save percentage to evaluate the two goaltenders this year.
When we look at the chart, we can see that Grubauer has been steadily outperforming Jones in the save percentage category, but as I mentioned before, this is a slightly antiquated approach. Save percentage treats all shots as equal and does not consider the quality of the shots the goaltenders face when evaluating their performance.
Shot quality
I will not spend a lot of time talking about shot quality metrics, but the premise is that shots closer to the net and with a good angle are considered high-danger shots. Conversely, shots farther away and/or at a harsh angle to the net, are considered medium- or low-danger quality. For more information on shot quality, here is a nice breakdown from Alison Lukan.
Here is how save percentage breaks down at even strength by quality of shot. It is split into high-danger save percentage, medium-danger save percentage, and low-danger save percentage.
As the chart shows, Grubauer has a higher save percentage in all three categories over the season. The numbers are even more slanted in Grubi’s favor if you look at the numbers since Dec. 1.
Expected goals against versus actual goals against
The analytics community also has a statistic for evaluating a goalie’s performance called expected goals against. Keeping it simple, imagine expected goals against is what the most average goalie in the league would expect to give up if they were in net for the same exact shots that a goalie took in that game. You then take the difference of the expected goals against versus the actual goals against, and that will determine how well or poorly the goalie played compared to an average goalie in the same scenario.
For example, based on the location and scenarios around all the shots against in a game, if the expected goals against was 3.54 and the actual goals against was 3.00, then the difference would be -.54. Meaning, the goaltender saved .54 goals more than we would have expected from the average goaltender. For more on the expected goals statistic, checkout another great article by Alison.
This visual is a little more challenging to interpret, but you are looking for more dots below the zero line.
I added a reference line to show the direction each goaltender has trended lately, and it clearly shows Grubauer headed the right way and Jones heading the opposite way. One other insight I see on the chart is that Grubi’s last five starts have been better than average, and he has had only four starts that were below average this entire season.
It’s Grubauer’s time
I know that there are several flaws with strictly evaluating data to determine who should start in net for the Kraken, but all signs are pointing to Grubauer playing the best he has played in a Kraken uniform. He deserves a shot at getting a more regular cadence of games.
The Seattle Kraken relied on some of their veteran leaders in a 4-3 win against the Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center on Sunday morning, a win that ended a three-game slide and dampened the Super Bowl Sunday euphoria in Philadelphia.
Jaden Schwartz scored his second of the game, 1:03 into the third period to make it 4-2 and give the Kraken much-needed cushion when he snapped a shot from the right face-off dot.
“I’d say tonight my jump felt better,” Schwartz said. “With how tight the standings are right now, every game’s important. The two points feel bigger sometimes. You win a couple you’re in a great spot, you lose a couple you might be on the outside looking in, and we’re no different.”
The goal turned out to be the game-winner after Patrick Brown scored a short-handed marker to cut the Kraken lead to 4-3 at 16:40 in the third. Philadelphia then made a late push with the extra skater on but the Kraken stood tough, highlighted by a shot block from Matty Beniers just before the horn.
“We stopped playing after Schwartzies goal,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. “I really liked the way we played for 41 minutes and we’re a team that skates and checks, we possess the puck, we transition quick, and we forecheck. We stopped doing those things, and they took advantage… we stopped doing the things that make us successful. We got safe and it almost killed us.”
Beniers was hobbled by the shot and needed help off the ice.
“He blocked a shot but nothing that I know of,” Hakstol said afterward when asked if there was an injury.
Jordan Eberle had a goal and assist, Eeli Tolvanen scored a goal, and Alex Wennberg had two assists for the Kraken (30-18-5), who won for the first time on their five-game road trip. Philipp Grubauer got the start and continued his strong play of late by making 16 saves.
Owen Tippett had a goal and assist and James van Riemsdyk scored for the Flyers (22-23-10), who lost a night after dropping a 2-1 game against the Nashville Predators. Felix Sandstrom made 17 saves.
The finish was nice but with a 10 am Pacific start, it looked glum for the Kraken early on.
It took 31 seconds for the Kraken to get into penalty trouble as Vince Dunn was called for a trip. Sporting the NHL’s 31st-ranked power play Philadelphia cashed in at 2:11 when Tippett was left alone to fling a Grubauer rebound into the net and give the Flyers a 1-0 lead.
Just a minute later, Will Borgen took an elbowing penalty. But the Kraken killed off that penalty and then everything clicked at even strength.
They tied the game 1-1 at 12:53 after Jared McCann stole the puck in the neutral zone, creating a 2-on-1 counterattack with Eberle. McCann floated a perfect pass across and Eberle scored top shelf. It was Eberle’s first goal in 13 games.
At 17:01 it would be Oliver Bjorkstand who lifted a stick, swiped the puck, and got it to Eeli Tolvanen, who scored to give the Kraken their first lead on the road trip at 2-1.
“At the start, we take a couple of penalties and we’re on our heels a bit,” Eberle said. “But after that, I thought we settled in real well. We created some opportunities and obviously had a lead.”
Van Riemsdyk tied the game 2-2 at 3:33 of the second period with a great hands play. He deflected a shot up in the air while in front of the net and then whacked the puck out of midair.
Eberle then set up the first goal by Jaden Schwartz to make it 3-2 at 18:59 in the second. Ebele carried the puck from in deep, he waited out the defense, and then sent a perfect pass to Schwartz in the slot for his 11th goal of the year.
“For us, it’s a good win,” Hakstol said. “There are some things that we have to take and fix in that third period.”
Defense rules
Once again, the Kraken used a strong defensive effort to snap out of a downtick in the season.
Eberle’s goal came directly after McCann stripped a puck and Tolvanen’s goal came after Bjorkstrand did the same. On top of that, Seattle only allowed 19 shots.
They bent some in the third period when they carried a two goal advantage, but overall Seattle had a 62.9 percent shot attempt advantage at 5-on-5 and 57 percent of the total shot quality.
Tentacle Tales
Seattle’s Ryan Donato played in his 300th NHL game.
Eberle’s first-period goal was the 55th time this season Seattle has scored in the opening frame which is the fourth most in the NHL.
Sunday was the first time that the Flyers hosted a game on the same day that the Philadelphia Eagles played in the Super Bowl.
Sunday’s win was the first victory over the Flyers in Kraken franchise history.
