The Seattle Kraken will make the playoffs in year one because the Pacific Division is weak. That’s the prevailing thought about the Kraken’s chances of doing something special during their inaugural season.
Is the Pacific Division weak?
Despite the one-year realignment last season only the Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers made the playoffs, and things aren’t looking that much better for the division this season.
We know what the Kraken have to offer. Up front they are armed with solid, two-way forwards. They don’t have a true elite center, but there is depth down the lineup which makes them competitive in the Pacific. Seattle’s top line with Jared McCann, Jaden Schwartz, and Jordan Eberle has looked great during the preseason and will lead the way.
Down the lineup there are players who have 20-goal potential along with young players like Morgan Geekie who could be on the doorstep. All that and we have yet to see how the Kraken lineup looks with Yanni Gourde and Colin Blackwell in it.
On the back end, Seattle’s defense is solid, led by veteran Mark Giordano who will help with secondary scoring and man the top power-player unit. The defense is playing in front of a goalie tandem that may be the best in not only the Pacific Division but the NHL. Philipp Grubauer is coming off a season in Colorado that earned him a Vezina nomination and he’s been lights out during camp and the preseason.
How do the Kraken match up with their Pacific Division mates? Here’s a look:
Vegas Golden Knights versus Seattle Kraken
Forwards: Vegas has two of the more dynamic forwards in the league with Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone. Last year the two combined to score 45 goals on the Golden Knights’ top line. Pacioretty has topped the 30-goal mark six times over his career while Stone is the ultimate two-way forward, adept at disrupting via the forecheck and stripping pucks almost at will.
The literal hole in the Vegas forward group last year was down the middle, and they still do not have a clear top-line center. Chandler Stephenson centered the top line and filled in adequately while William Karlsson played on the second line. In the playoffs the Golden Knights offense disappeared in part due to play down the middle.
They looked to add depth to their forwards in the offseason with trades for former Philadelphia Flyers high pick Nolan Patrick and also Evgenii Dadonov. Patrick will start at center and the bulked up third line gives Vegas a deeper and perhaps more consistent forward group. Advantage Golden Knights
Defense and goaltending: After a Vezina Trophy win the Golden Knights parted ways with Marc-Andre Fleury and traded him to Chicago this summer. He’ll go down as a Vegas legend after leading the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final in year one, but they’ll now hand the net over to Robin Lehner full time. Lehner and Fleury took turns over the past two years and Lehner is a top goalie in his own right. There should not be a huge drop off, if any, for Vegas here.
Defensively, the Golden Knights are as strong as any team in the league. Shea Theodore and Alex Pietrangelo are two offensively gifted defensemen and power-play quarterbacks. Theodore averaged .79 points per game last season which was only behind Stone and Pacioretty for Vegas. Those two are the flashy pieces on the Golden Knights back end, but Alec Martinez and Brayden McNabb round out the group well. Advantage Golden Knights
Edmonton Oilers versus Seattle Kraken
Forwards: All conversations about the Edmonton forwards begin and end with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The Oilers two top centers are also two of the world’s top centers. McDavid is coming off a spectacular MVP season just a year after Draisaitl won the Hart Trophy. The trouble in Edmonton is that the Oilers don’t get much from anyone else up front.
Last season when the two were on the ice together at 5-on-5, the Oilers dominated in every possession number you look at and scored 33 goals for and allowed 17 against. When neither were on the ice, the Oilers were outscored 52-29. Edmonton is hoping to find more scoring depth from guys like Kailer Yamamoto, who has been inconsistent, and Zach Hyman who they brought in as a free agent from Toronto. While the Kraken may have slightly more depth, with the stars at the top of the lineup, it’s hard to bet against the Oilers here. Advantage Oilers
Defense and goaltending: As elite as the Oilers are at the front of the lineup, the back end has been a struggle over the past few years. The defense has been troublesome for Edmonton and it doesn’t help that perennial top-six blueliner Adam Larsson is now in Seattle. Darnell Nurse is at the top of their pairings and is a top-end guy in the NHL, but the roster gets slim after that. Edmonton brought in a well-past-his-prime Duncan Keith to help. Will it?
In net it’s the return of 39-year-old Mike Smith, who rebounded for a nice season last year, and Mikko Koskinen. The best way to describe both goalies is… inconsistent. Advantage Kraken
Vancouver Canucks versus the Seattle Kraken
Forwards: The Canucks are looking for a bounce back year, and if enough goes right for them, they just might do so. They are strongest up front, powered by the recently re-signed Elias Pettersson who is one of the brightest young stars in the NHL. They’ll need a better year out of J.T. Miller this season, but they also have Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser returning. To bolster their forward group they added Connor Garland and Jason Dickinson via trade and a promising rookie in Vasily Podkolzin.
They can throw three solid lines at you which should lead to a consistent offensive attack. Advantage Canucks
How do the Seattle Kraken match up with their would-be rivals the Vancouver Canucks? (Brian Liesse photo)
Defense and goaltending: In net the Canucks feature the talented and young Thatcher Demko. In his first season as the number one starter Demko was a solid .915 goalie but is a step behind Grubauer at this point in their careers.
It’s in front of the goalie where there are issues, though not with Quinn Hughes. Hughes, who also just re-signed with the Canucks, is already a star and the 21-year-old speedster is only going to get better and more dangerous. After that, the Canucks defense is sketchy. They brought in Oliver Ekman-Larsson in hopes he can bolster a top six that struggles in its own end. That’s a risk. Advantage Kraken
Los Angeles Kings versus the Seattle Kraken
Forwards: The Kings have been threatening with a rebuild for a couple years now, and they’ve collected young, impressive talent but still may be a season away from truly cashing in. The ageless wonder Anze Kopitar still leads the way as their top center along with winger Dustin Brown. They’ve added Viktor Arvidsson and Phillip Danault which gives them a bit more veteran experience and production to their top six.
Los Angeles’ exciting forwards include Alex Turcotte (drafted fifth overall in 2019) and Quinton Byfield (drafted second overall in 2020) who have yet to impact at the NHL level but are certainly on the come. If those guys are ready, the Los Angeles rebuild is in full swing. Seattle has more depth in their forwards for the time being. Advantage Kraken
Defense and goaltending: Drew Doughty leads the Kings defensively again this year and at 31 years old is still productive. His best seasons are in the past, however, and Los Angeles has surrounded him with younger guys who will need to step up if the Kings want to make the playoffs this season.
Cal Petersen and Jonathan Quick are the goalie duo again this year and that is less than exciting. Petersen took the bulk of the starts last year as the 35-year-old Quick failed to get his save percentage above .900. The Kraken are much better equipped in net. Advantage Kraken
Calgary Flames versus the Seattle Kraken
Forwards: When you look at the Flames up front it’s a head scratcher as to why they weren’t better last season. Johnny Gaudreau can score and Matthew Tkachuk – who is still just 23 years old – make up a talented top line. Elias Lindholm centers a second line with Dillon Dube and Andrew Mangiapane which has the potential to make up a tough top six.
After those guys it falls off a bit for the Flames. Will that younger second line step up enough to provide the Flames with one of the best groups in the Pacific? They’re going to have to. Advantage Kraken
Forwards and goaltending: Seattle stripped the Flames of their best defenseman when they selected Giordano at the Expansion Draft and Calgary has yet to replace him. Their top pairing could be made up of Chris Tanev and Nikita Zadorov who are two serviceable blueliners. Former Tri-City Americans star Juuso Valimaki has the potential to be great but at 23-years-old hasn’t shown it quite yet.
A season ago the Flames landed former Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom with a $6 million free agent contract. That got them 31 starts with an average .904 save percentage. Behind him the Flames have an inexperienced Daniel Vladar. Advantage Kraken
San Jose Sharks versus the Seattle Kraken
Forwards: The rebuilding Sharks aren’t devoid of talent up front. Their top six still contains players like Logan Couture, Timo Meier, and Tomas Hertl. Those three guys can score and will win the Sharks a few games. After those three however, the pickings are of the slim variety. They’ve added veteran Nick Bonino, who will help them down the middle, and still have the troubled Evander Kane, but it’s not enough to make this a playoff contending team.
San Jose drafted William Eklund seventh overall in July and the Swede is loaded with potential. He’s got a shot of sticking with the Sharks, but at 18, he’s not going to make a difference just yet. Advantage Kraken
Defense and goaltending: Brent Burns, Erik Karlsson, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic are as good a defensive group you could have asked for… five years ago. Now, they are declining in production, aging, and weighing down the Sharks with high-end contracts totaling just over $26 million for the three. That’s not a good situation and there’s no clear way out for San Jose.
In goal the Sharks picked up Adin Hill from the Coyotes, and he looks ready to get a shot at taking over an NHL net. The former Portland Winterhawk has yet to play more than 19 games in one NHL season but showed promise during his tenure with the Arizona Coyotes organization. He’s 25-years-old and will probably suffer some growing pains, but his future looks good. Advantage Kraken
Anaheim Ducks versus the Seattle Kraken
Forwards: The Ducks are in a serious rebuild and their best forwards are their youngest. Trevor Zegras is coming off a good AHL season in San Diego and a monster World Junior Championship performance where he scored nine goals. He played 24 games in the NHL last year and averaged .54 points per game which was second only to Maxime Comtois in Anaheim. The talent is there but at 20 years old he’s probably not ready to be an elite center just yet.
Ryan Getzlaf is back for another year with the Ducks, but he’s coming off a five-goal season and offers little more than leadership and nostalgia. Advantage Kraken
Defense and goaltending: Chosen sixth overall by the Ducks in the 2020 NHL Draft, Jamie Drysdale turned in an impressive season in the AHL last year. He’s 19 years old now but is the future for Anaheim’s top pairing. Cam Fowler and Kevin Shattenkirk are nice veteran pieces, but overall, the Ducks will struggle here.
In net John Gibson appeared to be the league’s next young goalie when he posted a .926 save percentage in 2017-2018. In the four seasons since he’s seen that number drop each year down to last season’s .903. Is it him or the team in front of him? Advantage Kraken
The inaugural slate of preseason games for the Seattle Kraken has been completed. Coming in, there were plenty of questions around how the team would shake out, at least for opening night, and on that front, there are still a few questions lingering.
But the discourse surrounding the franchise was never just about how the roster would look coming out of training camp.
Who will score? How are the goalies? Where does Yanni Gourde slot in? Let’s consider what questions the Kraken actually have answered and what still needs to be worked out.
Who will score for the Kraken?
This has been the biggest question asked by hockey pundits everywhere when they talk about the Kraken. Seattle will almost certainly take a score-by-committee approach, as they don’t have any obvious superstars that we expect to fill the net nightly.
One thing that became abundantly clear in the preseason, though, is that Seattle does have a solid top line featuring Jaden Schwartz, Jared McCann, and Jordan Eberle. That trio has been excellent whenever it has been in the lineup, driving play and constantly creating scoring chances.
Those three players partially answer our “Who will score?” question, but scoring depth wasn’t terribly obvious in preseason. The top line had five goals, while all other forwards combined for just six.
To be fair to the rest of the lineup, we didn’t see the full complement of lines until Tuesday, and with them all there, the Kraken won 4-0 with Vince Dunn scoring twice and Nathan Bastian and Ryan Donato each scoring once. It was a promising development, because that’s secondary scoring on a night when none of the top-three forwards converted.
And while it’s possible Seattle won’t get enough production from the second line and below, the defense corps do look poised to pick up some of the slack, having notched four goals of their own during exhibition play.
Once we get into the regular season and coach Dave Hakstol starts rolling four NHL lines, perhaps we will start to see a little more secondary and tertiary scoring, as we saw on Tuesday. Still, this question has only been partially answered.
Is the defensive depth as good as people thought?
Yes, the defensive depth really is awesome. Saturday’s game against the Calgary Flames showed just how solid this team can be in its own end, despite the four goals that were allowed. As Hakstol pointed out after the game, there was almost nothing coming from inside, and even the short-handed goal that Seattle yielded came from an outside shot.
Allowing 13 shots in an entire game is almost unheard of in the NHL, and doing so without dressing Mark Giordano is all the more impressive, even if Calgary didn’t have its best lineup that night.
How good can the goaltending be?
We still think the answer to this question is, “Really friggin’ good.” Philipp Grubauer has looked as solid as ever, especially on Tuesday when he stopped all 38 of Vancouver’s shots. Even in practice, he has been making dazzling saves, so as of now, there’s absolutely nothing to worry about from Seattle’s No. 1A.
It’s been a bit of an odd camp for the No. 1B, Chris Driedger, and he probably gave up more goals than he would have liked in the games. In fact, after the 4-1 loss on Saturday, he called two of the goals he allowed “soft.” And four goals on 13 shots is nothing to write home about, but man, what an awkward game to be in from a goalie’s point of view. He only faced two shots on goal in the first period, and one of those came through traffic, deflected, and somehow found its way into the back of the net. For a netminder, you need to be in the flow of the game, feeling the puck regularly, and that just never happened on Saturday. It’s almost as if the defense was too good.
And in the team’s first road preseason game, Driedger allowed five goals in two periods, but was completely hung out to dry with the Kraken trotting out a shell of its best lineup against the likes of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Take his preseason results with a grain of salt, because Driedger is an excellent goalie who we don’t expect to have many games like what we’ve seen from him so far.
As for the Kraken’s third netminder, Joey Daccord? Well, we have a relatively small sample size to review, but he was outstanding in all his appearances. It’s comforting to know that if Seattle should lose one or both of its goalies to injury, there is another capable option waiting in the wings in Charlotte.
What happens when Yanni Gourde and Colin Blackwell return?
This one is difficult to answer, especially when considering how Hakstol will deploy Gourde. He can slot him in to center the second line and bump Wennberg down or put Gourde on the third line, but either move potentially pushes Geekie down to the fourth. We already know from past experience in Carolina that the fourth line is not the right fit for Geekie, and he’s shown that he has a skill set for a bigger role.
Blackwell’s presence creates a little less of a conundrum, because he can slot into the bottom six, where there’s less of a ripple effect. His inclusion does mean the exclusion of somebody like Riley Sheahan or maybe Nathan Bastian, though.
Getting a full roster with too much NHL talent is always a good problem to have. We will leave this question “outstanding,” but this will work itself out in due time.
Are the Kraken good?
Multiple advanced analytics models have the Kraken finishing in the 90’s for points, with Dom Luszczyszyn predicting 97.1 points. That should get the Kraken into the postseason.
We’ve seen flashes of brilliance in the preseason and enough skill and resilience to believe that Seattle won’t stink. But until it gets a few regular-season games under its belt with its full NHL lineup, we simply do not have enough data to say how this team will be with any level of certainty.
We’re optimistic, but we will leave this question in the “outstanding” category.
Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at Sound Of Hockey and the host, producer, and editor of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is an inconsistent beer league goalie who believes that five players have to make a mistake before the puck gets to him. Follow him on Twitter @DarrenFunBrown or email darren@soundofhockey.com.
Heavy Kraken talk is becoming the norm on the Sound Of Hockey Podcast, and this episode is no different because the guys have plenty to discuss. After the last two “home” preseason games, played in Everett and Kent, John, Andy, and Darren share their thoughts on what they’re seeing from the team.
Next, Andy gives a WHL update. Then the guys dig into the Robin Lehner situation that arose this week, as he has gotten himself involved in the Jack Eichel saga in an interesting way.
Finally, the guys roll into segments, which feature You Don’t See That Every Day, Serious Business, Weekly One-Timers, and an underwhelming Tweets of the Week.
Heavy Kraken talk is becoming the norm on the Sound Of Hockey Podcast, and this episode is no different because the guys have plenty to discuss. After the last two “home” preseason games, played in Everett and Kent, John, Andy, and Darren share their thoughts on what they’re seeing from the team.
Next, Andy gives a WHL update. Then the guys dig into the Robin Lehner situation that arose this week, as he has gotten himself involved in the Jack Eichel saga in an interesting way.
Finally, the guys roll into segments, which feature You Don’t See That Every Day, Serious Business, Weekly One-Timers, and an underwhelming Tweets of the Week.
There’s an old theory in hockey that a team’s best penalty killer needs to be its goaltender. Seattle Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer proved that true and then some Tuesday in Vancouver.
Grubauer made 38 saves during a 4-0 shutout against the Canucks, but it was on the penalty kill where he was at his best. Vancouver outshot the Kraken 29-17 through the first two periods but would end the night 0-for-4 on the power play, thanks to Grubauer.
He was especially brilliant during a second period Canucks power play where Vancouver blistered the Seattle net with 7 shots. These weren’t chances from the outside or bad angles. They were in close, and they were of the ‘Grade A’ variety. Grubauer stopped them all and didn’t appear to break a sweat in doing so.
It was like that all night for Grubauer who would end with 12 saves while his team was shorthanded.
The exceptional goaltending allowed the Kraken to score three goals in the second period, two coming on their own power play, in a game that was filled with special teams as the two teams combined for 11 power play chances. Grubauer’s play was a continuation of his performance all through camp and the fact he looked dialed in Tuesday suggests that the Kraken goal crease is in good hands.
Vince Dunn paces the Kraken offense
With Grubauer keeping the puck out of his net, defenseman Vince Dunn was filling the Canucks cage.
He got the scoring going with a power-play goal in the second period on a big slap shot from the point. Dunn put Seattle up 2-0 later in the period when he jumped into the rush and found space in the high slot. Jared McCann got him the puck and he scored with a snap shot.
Having Dunn scoring is big news for the Kraken, who need to find secondary scoring. In the six preseason games they have leaned on the McCann, Jaden Schwartz, and Jordan Eberle line and have yet to get consistent scoring from anyone else. Getting Dunn or Mark Giordano chipping in from the blue line will be a big boost.
Dunn, 24, has always been an offensive threat and with three goals in six preseason games, he appears ready for another strong season.
Special teams clicking for Kraken
Seattle scored on two of its seven opportunities Tuesday and looked dangerous all night. The team didn’t spend too much time in camp working on special teams, but they played well during the six exhibition games.
Along with Grubauer, special teams were key to the win against the Canucks because at five-on-five, which accounted for 36 minutes of game play, Vancouver held a 42-26 advantage in shot attempts.
Mark Giordano continues to be a beast for Kraken
The 37-year-old defenseman led all Kraken with 22:39 of ice time and did it at high energy. He’s on the top defensive pairing, top power play, and is one of Seattle’s top penalty killers. Giordano shows no signs of slowing down.
With seven power-play chances, the Kraken’s top unit got a workout in. Schwartz logged 7:50 of time on the power play while Eberle, McCann and Alex Wennberg each joined Schwartz for over seven minutes.
Other notes
The NHL is emphasizing calling cross-checking penalties to the letter of the law. As a result, it’s become the trendy preseason penalty. Tuesday, Seattle and Vancouver combined for five cross-checking penalties.
Seattle ends its preseason schedule with a 4-2 record.
While the Kraken preseason is over, they will continue to put the work in. The team has practice scheduled every day but this coming Sunday in preparation for the Oct. 12 season start in Las Vegas.
Ryan Donato scored the Kraken’s third goal, on a second-period power play, and led the team in shots with five. Vancouver’s Bo Horvat put eight shots on Grubauer.
Sick of preseason? Of course you are. BUT! BUT! It’s the Kraken’s LAST preseason game tonight in Vancouver, which means you’re getting something that will look very close to Seattle’s initial roster.
Recently, coach Dave Hakstol implied that the last preseason game could be a dress rehearsal for opening night, but in the same breath cautioned us, saying that may not be the case for this particular group. And he’s probably being truthful in that statement because a guy like Marcus Johansson, for example, is going to end up on the team but is not dressing tonight.
There’s also the Yanni Gourde factor to consider. He’s been downplaying his readiness and the fact that he switched out of a red non-contact jersey the last two days, but one can’t help but wonder how far off he truly might be.
If Gourde’s return is imminent, and he’s ready to go within the first few weeks of the regular season starting, then that changes the entire makeup of Seattle’s lineup for the better. In that case, Hakstol’s cautioning on line combinations and the initial roster will be validated.
What we have tonight probably is not the exact lineup that we’re going to see for the season opener in Vegas next week, but it is darn close. Worth noting, the all-Swede line has been broken up with Johansson out of the lineup, so Hakstol has really put Ryan Donato in a position to succeed here.
Philipp Grubauer will go the distance this evening, which we have not seen him do before. He has looked dialed in at practice of late and was solid in his most recent preseason appearance, so keep an eye on the Kraken’s No. 1-A goalie tonight.
Canucks still dressing a sub-par lineup
After Seattle mostly dominated and won 5-3 in Spokane two Sundays ago against a largely AHL roster, we were expecting to see a slightly more seasoned group this time around. That still doesn’t appear to be the case, though, as the Canucks are not yet in dress rehearsal mode. They still have two preseason games to play after tonight, so they are saving a lot of their veteran players.
We will see a better top line in Tanner Pearson, Bo Horvat, and Nils Hoglander, plus an NHL goalie in Thacher Demko. But Brock Boeser, Elias Pettersson, and Quinn Hughes will not participate tonight, among others.
We still will not be comparing apples to apples as we dissect tonight’s game, but this is what the Kraken have to work with. On paper, Seattle really should be the better team tonight.
Projected lineup
Here’s our projected lineup, based on what Hakstol said after morning skate.
SEATTLE – Yanni Gourde caused a bit of a stir at the Kraken Community Iceplex Monday. It wasn’t for his all-out relentless skating but rather for the color jersey he was wearing during practice as the Seattle Kraken prepared for their final preseason game Tuesday in Vancouver.
Gourde was wearing a light blue jersey.
It was the first time all training camp that the center was not wearing a no-contact red jersey. Did this mean that he was ready to play? That he had completely recovered from off-season shoulder surgery that was supposed to keep him out of the lineup until December?
No.
“When I wear red, guys are super careful out there and you don’t do much, so I need to get a little bit more bumps in,” Gourde said. “It just doesn’t mean much. I mean it’s just a different color. We’re still working. It’s a work in process to get back in shape and get back, ready to play, but we’re not there yet.”
So, we still don’t know when Gourde will take the ice in a game. He later mentioned that he is not approved for full contact yet but quipped that maybe it was ‘half contact.’
On the ice, he was a ball of energy, flying around the zone during special teams drills. Worth noting, Gourde was killing penalties.
Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said that they are following the process laid out by the team’s medical staff and refused to speculate about a specific return date for Gourde. But he did like what he has seen on the ice out of him.
“We know what he is as a player and what he brings skill wise and ability wise,” Hakstol said. “You see it every day what he brings energy wise, and those are all great things that right now he’s able to apply to get himself ready, he’s just one of those guys. Everything he does is at 110%.”
Early in practice we got a glimpse perhaps of where Gourde will play when he does come back.
Hakstol had Gourde centering a line with Joonas Donskoi and Ryan Donato Monday. Those wingers had previously played with Morgan Geekie and have had some success during the preseason. Monday, Geekie was with Mason Appleton and Calle Jarnkrok.
Kraken get some special teams work in
Seattle spent the bulk of practice Monday working on special teams. It was the first time during camp that they’ve done so.
Previously, the only power play and penalty kill work had been brief and in morning skates on game days. The two units on Monday looked familiar.
The first power-play unit started with Mark Giordano on the point, where he has played in the preseason. Along with him was Alex Wennberg on the half wall and Jared McCann, Jordan Eberle, and Jaden Schwartz up front. Vince Dunn handled the point for the second unit with Geekie on the wall while Donskoi, Jarnkrok and Marcus Johansson manned the forward positions.
With the roster trimmed down and one last preseason game left on the schedule, the lines and combinations feel close to being finalized.
But Hakstol, as most coaches will do, wouldn’t commit to that being true.
“I think it would be a mistake to say this is a projection of what we’re gonna see seven days down the road,” he said. “There’re more pieces and combinations that fit together that are likely. We have a limited amount of time to try things. There’re still one or two more things that we want to take a look at, there’s still competition at different positions. So, all of those three factors are going to be at play tomorrow night.”
Kraken waive two
During practice the team announced that Carsen Twarynsky and Alex True had been placed on waivers, with the team intending to assign them to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. Twarynsky was picked up at the NHL Expansion Draft from the Philadelphia Flyers while True, a former Seattle Thunderbird, was selected from the San Jose Sharks.
Practice play of the day
During the power play drills, Geekie found the puck along the wall. He looked up and flung a seeing-eye pass, through a maze of skates and sticks, that found Jarnkrok who scored with a one-time slap shot.
Perhaps that wasn’t the outcome that fans in attendance at accesso ShoWare Center in Kent, Wash., might have wanted, but there were a lot of positives that came out of Saturday’s 4-1 Kraken preseason loss to the Calgary Flames.
Playing its last “home” game of the exhibition season, Seattle really put forth a solid all-around effort, but couldn’t finish offensively and had some bad bounces that found the back of the net behind Chris Driedger. In all, the Kraken allowed just 13 shots on goal and really didn’t give up much from the slot area.
Now there’s just one meaningless game left on the schedule, but before we get there, here are our takeaways from Saturday night’s loss.
Takeaway #1: A blueprint for Seattle’s game defensively
A lot has been made of the defensive depth that the Kraken are expected to possess on their inaugural roster. Although the team conceded four goals on Saturday, there were long stretches where nothing was getting through to Driedger, and when shots did make it on goal, they were typically from the outside. Two of the goals were deflected shots from the point, and two were of the “soft” variety, as Driedger indicated in his post-game presser.
“I thought we played an incredible game, kind of start to finish,” Driedger said. “They just kind of got a couple of nice bounces… I really like how we looked on the back end. We’ve got some big ‘D’ that can move the puck, and that’s kind of what you like to see as a goaltender.”
Driedger added that if the Kraken play like that more often than not, they will win a lot more than they lose. Pepper in a few Seattle goals each night, and that will absolutely be the case.
Takeaway #2: Who can score beyond the top line?
Seattle did get some chances to score. Kole Lind made a dazzling play early in the game to break a defender’s ankles at the blue line and rushed in uncontested against Dan Vladar. He put the puck right into the flaming ‘C’ on Vladar’s chest, though, as did Nathan Bastian on an open look in the second period. Meanwhile, Morgan Geekie had a few big blasts that he launched over the bar, and Alex Wennberg had a wide open net on a two-on-one, only to see the puck hop over his stick.
Moments like those leave you wanting and wondering who beyond the top line of Jaden Schwartz, Jared McCann, and Jordan Eberle can score for Seattle. If it does evolve into a team that only has one line capable of putting the puck in the net, it will become very easy to check and neutralize that group, and the naysayers who have been asking, “Who can score for Seattle?” will quickly become justified in their pooh-poohing.
In the two preseason games the Kraken have played without that top trio, the team as a whole has scored one goal combined.
Still, we have yet to see what happens when the full roster is in on a given night. Hakstol implied in a recent press conference that Tuesday’s game in Vancouver could be a dress rehearsal for the full roster, so perhaps this issue will be put to rest then.
Takeaway #3: Playing games in WHL rinks was the perfect way to launch this franchise
Of course it would have been nice to play these three preseason “home” games in the new Climate Pledge Arena. But in a way, doesn’t it make opening night that much more exciting? This way, there’s still plenty of intrigue and interest going into that first home game on Oct. 23 against the Vancouver Canucks, as fans will show up without having ever been in the nearly billion-dollar facility.
We certainly saw glimpses into what the Kraken have up their many sleeves (one assumes a Kraken would have to wear a shirt with eight sleeves) from a Game Operations standpoint, and it does appear that “Lithium” by Nirvana is the goal song.
But we definitely have not gotten the full presentation at this point, and we have not experienced all the bells and whistles that a brand new, state-of-the-art arena will bring.
To the credit of Spokane, Everett, and Kent, the fans showed up in a big way for all three preseason games. All three had regular-season atmospheres, and all three were great representations of the rabid hockey fanbase that exists in the Pacific Northwest.
Hello from the home of the Seattle Thunderbirds, accesso ShoWare Center, in Kent, Wash., where the Kraken are set to take on Dustin Wolf and the Calgary Flames. Yes, we do expect Wolf to make an appearance tonight, which should be fun for the home T-Birds fans who surely heckled him the last four seasons while he was dominating the WHL in Everett.
We also expect to see former Thunderbird Alex True centering a line with Nathan Bastian and Kole Lind tonight. True, of course, scored the overtime series-winning goal in Game 6 of the 2017 WHL Championship. He will likely get a warmer reception than Wolf.
The Jordan Eberle/Jaden Schwartz/Jared McCann line, which has been so successful in its past couple appearances, is out tonight, so the all-Swede line of Marcus Johansson, Alexander Wennberg, and Calle Jarnkrok will have to shoulder more of the load on offense.
These two teams played a good, even game the last time they faced one another in this preseason, although the lineups looked a bit different that night. Seattle did come out of that one with a 4-3 shootout victory.
The Kraken got an exhilarating overtime win in Everett last night. What do they have in store for the city of Kent tonight?
Who knew preseason hockey could be so thrilling? In front of a jam-packed Angel of the Winds Arena (one Angel, two Winds) in Everett, the Kraken pulled goalie Joey Daccord for an extra skater late in the third, still trailing the Edmonton Oilers 1-0. Jaden Schwartz got his stick on a Mark Giordano shot and deflected it past Stuart Skinner, and the building erupted.
Then in overtime, Haydn Fleury drove hard to the net to draw a four-on-three power play, and Jared McCann one-timed a Jordan Eberle pass against the grain on Skinner to send the newly minted Kraken faithful home happy.
KRAKEN GOAL! KRAKEN WIN! 🙂
JARED MCCANN WITH THE ONE-TIME BLAST FROM THE RIGHT DOT!
2-1, and the Everett faithful can head home happy (after the exhibition shootout)!
Now, there’s no reason to get overly excited about a preseason victory, but also, there’s no reason not to get excited. After all, this is still just the fourth “game” in the history of this franchise, and getting some exhilarating moments this early in the process is a great way to energize a fledgling fanbase.
Here are our takeaways from a riveting 2-1 Seattle Kraken overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers.
Takeaway #1: The Kraken have a power play
We talked after last game about how good the trio of Jaden Schwartz, Jared McCann, and Jordan Eberle has looked in the preseason and how they seem to be solidifying themselves as the team’s top scoring line.
On Saturday, with Alexander Wennberg in the lineup for the first time, we consistently saw a group on the man advantage that consisted of Schwartz, McCann, and Eberle with Wennberg and Giordano up top. That group looked excellent, and head coach Dave Hakstol agreed.
“That group was good tonight,” he said. “I don’t really judge it by zone time, but we did a good job in terms of creating possession, getting in the zone. I thought we did a good job getting pucks back and we created good scoring opportunities, so that unit tonight was pretty effective.”
Hakstol also implied that it will not be the last time we see that unit together.
“Does it have a chance to start together? Absolutely. But, I mean it’s Game 4 of the exhibition season, so we’ve got a long ways to go, but that unit did a good job and created opportunities.”
By the way, Hakstol said on Friday morning he doesn’t want to anoint the Schwartz/McCann/Eberle line as “the number one line,” but let’s be honest here; if they stick together, they are the top group, plain and simple.
Takeaway #2: Alex Wennberg does it all
In his first exhibition game in a Kraken sweater, Wennberg looked like he was ready to play regular-season hockey. Slotted between fellow Swedes Marcus Johansson and Calle Jarnkrok, he did create several offensive opportunities and was credited with four shots, while his linemates had five and six respectively. He also had the secondary assist on the last-minute tying goal by Schwartz.
But it was on special teams where Wennberg really showed his value. With the Kraken marching to the penalty box in the first period, Hakstol repeatedly turned to Wennberg and paired him with Jarnkrok to help kill. And later in the game, when the tides turned, there was Wennberg once again, making tic-tac-toe passing plays on the top power play unit alongside Giordano.
“My type of game is I like to play in both ends, so I take a lot of responsibility on the [penalty kill]” Wennberg said after the game. “So obviously there’s a lot new with the system and all, so I think it’s great to get a chance to practice it and try it, and same with the power play. I like when they put me out there and challenge me to play those spots, and then you just sort of make the best out of it.”
With this being Wennberg’s first appearance, there may have been some level of evaluation being done by Hakstol to see how effective the center could be in certain situations, but if so, he had to have passed most of those tests.
Takeaway #3: Seattle still has plenty of room for improvement
Hakstol noted in his post-game press scrum that Seattle spent some long stretches in the defensive zone, and it sapped a lot of their energy. If we were in the business of reading too deeply into what that means, being that the Kraken dressed a lot of their best players and the Oilers held out the likes of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, we would be concerned. But we aren’t in that business, so we will show no concern here.
Hakstol himself wasn’t terribly concerned either, though he indicated that the roster didn’t bring the same pressure from top to bottom as he may have hoped.
“I take everything into account, I look at matchups, I look at the result of those shifts, and the bottom line tonight is that they were more ready coming out of the gates than we were,” he said. “And then there were several shifts in each period where they did a good job with possession. They didn’t get inside on us very much, but they won a lot of puck battles.”
And he’s right. If you look back at the opportunities, there are very few that jump to mind for the Oilers that one would consider “Grade A” chances.
Still, Hakstol was not shy in indicating that not all of the lines brought the same momentum generation as, say, the McCann line.
“If I take anything away from it, you know, I look at those things, and I’m going to look at the individuals that are involved in those battles and what the results are. That’s part of training camp. That’s what we’re trying to figure out here. We’re trying to figure out guys that can help us build shifts and build momentum.”
Five players dismissed from camp
On Saturday morning, the Kraken made five cuts from their NHL camp, placing Connor Carrick, Antoine Bibeau, Cale Fleury, and Gustav Olofsson on waivers and assigning Luke Henman to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers.
The team still has some decisions to make as it trims down to a 23-man roster before the opening of the regular season.
Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at Sound Of Hockey and the host, producer, and editor of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is an inconsistent beer league goalie who believes that five players have to make a mistake before the puck gets to him. Follow him on Twitter @DarrenFunBrown or email darren@soundofhockey.com.
