When the NHL puts the Pacific Division back in place for the 2021-2022 season, the Seattle Kraken will see a lot of the once mighty Los Angeles Kings. It seems like just yesterday they won two Stanley Cups in three years – the last win was 2014 – but since then the Kings have missed the playoffs in five of seven seasons.
Their two playoff appearances – in 2016 and 2018 – both ended in first-round knockouts.
The key players, like Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, and Jonathan Quick, from those Cup teams are still on the roster. So, what gives? Why are they bad? Time has played a role as those players are not as effective as they once were, but also, the supporting cast is gone, replaced by younger players.
Seattle should beware, however, because the Kings have cap space and some promising young prospects on the rise. Could an improving Kings team turn a division rivalry into a full-on hate fest? It’s easy not to like Doughty so the chance is definitely there for Seattle to lean into some Kings abhorrence.
Let’s get to know the Kraken division rival Los Angeles Kings
Established: 1967
Nickname history: The name ‘Kings’ came from a fan contest and was liked by original owner Jack Kent Cooke. The team’s original colors were ‘Forum Blue’ and yellow. The colors were changed to black, silver, and white for the 1997 season.
First season in NHL: 1967-1968 (31-33-10 record)
AHL affiliate: Ontario Reign
ECHL affiliate: None
Stanley Cup Final appearances: 1993 (lost to Montreal), 2012 (beat New Jersey), and 2014 (beat New York Rangers)
Presidents’ Trophies: none
Division titles: One (1990-1991)
All-time leading scorer: Marcel Dionne (1,307)
All-time leading goals: Luc Robitaille (557)
All-time leader in assists: Marcel Dionne (757)
2020-2021 record: 21-28-7 (sixth in West Division)
2020-2021 leading scorer: Anze Kopitar (13 goals, 37 assists, 50 points in 56 games)
If you were responsible for the Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft selections, what would your strategy be for selecting the team? Would you draft young to build for the future or grab a bunch of veterans to compete in year one? Would you draft lower-paid players to use your cap space as a weapon or players on higher salaries to put the best team on the ice? Would you be able to do it all without a preexistent bias you have for some players?
To help answer those questions I thought we would play a simple game of “would you rather?”
The game is simple. I am going to lay out three teams and a few of the players that are expected to be exposed in the Expansion Draft. You will select the players in a short survey at the bottom of the post. The catch here is that the teams and player names are hidden to erase any bias you might have of certain individuals.
Team A
Player 1
Position: Right Wing/Center (can play either)
Age on 10-1-2021: 27.8 years old
Annual Salary Cap Hit: $2.8M through the 2025-26 season.
High-Level Scouting Report: Solid two-way center that is projected as a third-liner. Can put the puck in the net but does not score often. He had eight goals and eight assists over 54 games this year. Averages ~.3 points per game over the last three seasons.
Player 2
Position: Center
Age on 10-1-2021: 30.6
Annual Salary Cap Hit: $8M/year through the 2025-26 season.
High-Level Scouting Report: Big playmaking center that averages 12 to 15 goals a season. He is a first-line center but lacks consistency on a night in, night out basis. Productivity has declined over the last few seasons and still has five years remaining on his contract.
Player 3
Position: Wing
Age on 10-1-2021: 24.3
Annual Salary Cap Hit: Becomes RFA after this season with a qualifying offer ~$700k.
High-Level Scouting Report: Physical forward with some goal scoring capabilities. Started this season in the AHL where he had 21 points with 10 goals and three assists in 13 games. Made his NHL debut during the 2020-21 season when he played 15 games and had five goals and two assists. NHL potential is still unknown but has shown promise in development.
Team B
Player 1
Position: Wing
Age on 10-1-2021: 26.2
Annual Salary Cap Hit: Becomes RFA after receiving $2.8M/year on previous contract.
High-Level Scouting Report: Good skater with good hands. Had seven goals and seven assists over 43 games during the 2020-21 season. Lack of scoring could be misleading since he played on one of the lowest-scoring teams in the NHL. Could be a 20+ goal scorer if given the opportunity.
Player 2
Position: Defense
Age on 10-1-2021: 23.4
Annual Salary Cap Hit: Becomes RFA after receiving $745K/year. Qualifying offer will be under $1M.
High-Level Scouting Report: Offensive-minded defenseman that is not afraid to jump up in the play. Has played fewer than 20 games in the NHL in each of the last three seasons. Only played 13 games in 2020-21 and only had four points. He put up 20 points in the AHL over 28 games. Still young, turned 23 in May.
Player 3
Position: Defense
Age on 10-1-2021: 32.7
Annual Salary Cap Hit: $3.9M through the 2022-23 season.
High-Level Scouting Report: Excellent offensive capabilities with great transitional speed and patience with the puck. Had 15 points over 55 games on a low scoring team during the 2020-21 season. Had 34 points over 70 games during the 2019-20 season. Can be a significant power play contributor as well.
Team C
Player 1
Position: Defense
Age on 10-1-2021: 28.5
Annual Salary Cap Hit: $4.5M/year through 2022-23 season.
High-Level Scouting Report: Excellent skating abilities with a strong offensive game. Can quarterback the power play and scores some clutch goals. Had nine goals and 11 assists in 41 games during the 2020-21 season. Lacks some consistency and can have defense lapses that costs the team some goals.
Player 2
Position: Forward
Age on 10-1-2021: 23.0
Annual Salary Cap Hit: Becomes RFA after receiving $874K/year. Qualifying offer will be ~$1M but he might require close to $2M.
High-Level Scouting Report: Projected as an excellent two-way center that has progressed slower than expected. Injuries have been a significant contributor to this player’s development and missed the entire 2019-20 season. Had nine points in 52 games in 2020-21. In his second year of pro hockey, he had 13 goals and 18 assists over 72 games during the 2018-19 NHL season.
Player 3
Position: Wing
Age on 10-1-2021: 32.41
Annual Salary Cap Hit: $7M through the 2022-23 season.
High-Level Scouting Report: Big forward that is not afraid to drive the net. Excellent goal scoring capabilities with great hockey sense. Had 17 goals and 26 assists in 56 games. Has been a goal scorer his entire career and at 32-years-old, does not appear to be slowing down.
Submit your Expansion Draft selections
If you want to play GM, fill out the questions below and we will share the results in the Weekly One-Timers at the end of the week.
Earlier this week I did a deep dive on the Expansion Draft protections for four of the remaining eight teams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Today, I am going to look at how the other four teams might approach the NHL Expansion Draft next month. If you did not read the previous post, I recommend you look back and check out the projection framework.
Montreal Canadiens
Montreal does not provide the Kraken with many options at the forward position. The three forwards available to the Seattle Kraken are all pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs). Joel Armia or Phillip Danault would be a great middle-six forward for the Kraken if they can draft and sign either to a contract extension, but the ‘draft and sign’ scenario will be rare in the Expansion Draft.
Shea Weber is still playing quality hockey at 35 and has at least a year or two more in the tank. With $8 million annual salary cap hit and five years left on his contract, I doubt the Kraken would consider selecting Weber in the Expansion Draft. On the other side of the age spectrum is Cale Fleury who will only be 22 when the Kraken take the ice in the fall. He had limited action and production this year, so it is hard to get a read on his long-term potential. At that salary and that age, there is little risk in selecting him.
Most people have been penciling in Jake Allen as the pick from Montreal, but goalie selections are a little more nuanced and require looking at the entire goalie landscape across the league and Expansion Draft. If the Kraken can ‘sign and draft’ the likes of a Linus Ullmark (BUF) or Chris Driedger (FLA), Allen would be unnecessary. I feel the Kraken will look elsewhere for their starting goalie.
Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg does not have a lot of household names available, but they provide some quality options at every position.
Mason Appleton and Jansen Harkins are younger forwards with upside. Appleton has looked very good on the third line during the playoffs and could probably shine a bit brighter if given the opportunity to move up the lineup as his career evolves.
On defense, Logan Stanley is turning into a solid NHL player before our eyes. He just turned 23 and could be a stable second-pairing defenseman for the Kraken. Seattle could also select Sami Niku in the hopes that he finally develops into the puck-moving defenseman that the Jets have been anticipating for a while. With other options on the Jets roster for the Kraken, selecting Niku would be a risky proposition.
There is also pending UFA goalie, Laurent Brossoit, who has lived in the shadow of Connor Hellebuyck for the last three years. It is debatable if Brossoit can be a regular everyday starter, but if the Kraken are looking at a possible platooning goalie, Brossoit might be a good candidate. The 23-year-old Mikhail Berdin could possibly be selected and targeted as the Kraken’s minor league goalie for a year or two as he continues to develop.
Colorado Avalanche
Colorado is another interesting team with some business to settle before we will have a confident read on who they will protect and expose in the Expansion Draft. For starters, Gabriel Landeskog and Philipp Grubauer are pending unrestricted free agents. Hard to think the current captain of the Colorado Avalanche will play somewhere else next year, which makes me feel that Landeskog will stay with Colorado who will sign him after the Expansion Draft. Colorado has the cap space and there seems to be a desire on both sides to work out a deal.
Grubauer is a bit of a wild card. Right now, he’s having the best season of his career. He turns 30 next season and his next contract is probably his last opportunity to really cash in. Colorado has the cap space, but I do not think they will pay what Grubauer can get on the free-agent market. Therefore, I expect him to be exposed in the Expansion Draft and feel there is an outside shot of Seattle making a run at him if Devon Toews is unavailable.
The last item of open business is what the Avs have planned for Erik Johnson. Johnson has a no-move clause (NMC) that requires the Avalanche to protect him unless he waives his NMC for the Expansion Draft. Johnson waiving his NMC for the Expansion Draft would be huge for the Avalanche. If Johnson does not waive, this opens the door for Toews to be exposed, and he would be a fairly obvious choice for the Kraken.
If Toews is not available in the Expansion Draft, Seattle will probably lean toward selecting Grubauer, Ryan Graves on defense or J.T. Compher at forward.
Vegas Golden Knights Expansion Draft impact
The Vegas Golden Knights are exempt from the NHL Expansion Draft, but they could still play a role in how it all shakes out. Vegas was up against the Salary Cap all season which led to some interesting roster maneuvers to be cap compliant.
Vegas has about $7 million in cap space rolling off their payroll at the end of the year due to expiring contracts. They will look to use this cap space during free agency, but they might want a little more flexibility and trade some players before the Expansion Draft to create even more cap space. Trading 36-year-old Marc-Andre Fleury and his $7 million salary cap hit before the Expansion Draft to a team that needs to get out of exposing and losing a quality player to Seattle is possible. An example would be the Golden Knights trading Fleury to Colorado for Toews. Colorado would have lost Toews anyway and now they have a goalie for next year. Vegas creates cap space and more importantly, Devon Toews replaces Alec Martinez who hits free agency.
There is also a scenario where Vegas identifies a player exposed in the Expansion Draft and negotiates a preemptive trade with the Kraken. An example would be where Vegas wants Allen and his ~$3 million cap hit as its back-up goalie. Vegas could then negotiate with Seattle to select and trade Allen to Vegas for Fleury and perhaps a second-round draft pick. Vegas would have created $4 million in cap space in that transaction.
So, there are a lot of different scenarios that could play out involving the Golden Knights, even though they aren’t involved in the Expansion Draft.
Expansion Draft Projections wrap-up
As close as we are to the Expansion Draft, there are a lot of open items that can still play out before July 17 when the 30 participating teams are required to submit their picks to the NHL. Buckle up.
On Wednesday, during the NHL Draft Lottery, the Seattle Kraken learned that they will have the No. 2 overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft on July 23. The fledgling franchise was the only team to move up at least one spot compared to where it stood in the odds entering the lottery, as it had the third-best chances to win at 10.3 percent. The Anaheim Ducks, who entered the lottery at 12.1 percent, were the only team to move down, flipping with Seattle to come away with the third overall pick.
Selecting No. 2 overall is a huge deal. While this draft is expected to be different in that the top-three picks are not as cut and dried as in years past, there is close-to-NHL-ready talent that will be available.
The options
Owen Power, a 6-foot-5, puck-moving defenseman from the University of Michigan is widely expected to go No. 1 to Buffalo, but even he isn’t a shoo-in. The Sabres took Rasmus Dahlin No. 1 overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, and he also just happens to be a left-shot defenseman.
Could this push that struggling organization to take two-way center Matty Beniers instead? If so, the Kraken would gladly take Power as a foundation for its blue line for the next decade and beyond.
Our guess at Sound Of Hockey is that Power still goes to Buffalo and Beniers is the pick by Seattle. But again, this isn’t a no-brainer like last year’s one-two punch of Alexis Lefreniere and Quinton Byfield or 2019’s Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko.
William Eklund, a smallish left winger out of Djurgarden in Sweden, is the top-ranked international skater according to NHL Central Scouting, while fellow Swede Simon Edvinsson is a big, mobile defenseman who is expected to develop into a cornerstone blueliner for a lucky franchise.
Beniers reportedly dodged a bullet Thursday morning at the IIHF World Championship, when he injured his leg and was unable to put weight on it. Fortunately, he is now listed by Team USA as day-to-day.
Choice of position for the No. 2 pick?
Kraken general manager and head amateur scout Robert Kron seemed to have a penchant for selecting defensemen with their top picks while the two were teamed up in Carolina, but position is not expected to be a factor this time around.
“I think right now, the only guy we have in the organization is Luke Henman, so it’s not like we have a strength in one area or the other,” Ron Francis told media on Wednesday. “So, we’ll go through this draft and look at it and make sure we take the best player available with that No. 2 pick.”
Past No. 2 selections
To give you an idea of the level of talent that the Kraken might find with the No. 2 pick in the draft, here are the last 10 players selected in that slot and how they have performed statistically.
Other notable players to be selected in the No. 2 slot include Chris Pronger, Eric Staal, Tyler Seguin, Drew Doughty, Daniel Sedin, and countless others that turned into NHL stars.
Being drafted to an expansion team
Another angle to consider here is that getting drafted to an expansion franchise as its first-ever selection is a bit different than getting drafted to a team that’s more established in the league.
Past expansion teams— with Vegas being the obvious outlier thanks to more advantageous Expansion Draft rules— have certainly felt a level of pressure to get their prized top pick right onto the NHL roster.
At this stage, it’s hard to determine if any player in this draft is truly NHL ready, though, regardless of if that player is joining an expansion team. Can a player selected by the Kraken at No. 2 in the draft jump right into the lineup?
“I think you always have that possibility,” Francis said. “I think we’ll look at the big picture and see how the Expansion Draft goes and how the amateur draft goes. We can get them into training camp and see how they play and how they perform and make sure that they’re ready, not only from the hockey game standpoint, but also physically and mentally. It’s not an easy league, and less and less players are stepping out of the draft and stepping into the NHL.”
Variables caused by the pandemic
We’re expecting a lot of high-end players to slip through to later rounds than they probably deserve due to the limited live viewings that scouts were able to muster this season. There just isn’t the same level of familiarity at this stage between NHL teams and prospective players as there normally would be.
“It’s been a crazy year to say the least,” Francis said. “We had leagues that didn’t play, leagues that started late, leagues that tried to play all season long–started, shut down, started again. But our guys have done a great job of doing whatever it took to watch players play, whether that was on video, whether that was trying to get to see games live. You know, we’re looking at players all around the world, it’s not just North America.”
The Kraken have always been able to focus on the top few players on their list, though. Added Francis, “You kind of formulate your list, and quite honestly, we knew we’d be in the top five, so we’re zeroing in on the players that we thought would be in the top five. Now that we know we’re in [the top] two, we’ll even tighten that up a little more to make sure that we’ve got it right.”
What we know
The Seattle Kraken are going to get a good player at No. 2 overall in the NHL Entry Draft. With limited viewings from scouts due to the ongoing pandemic and a lack of a consensus top pick this season, it’s hard to say if that player will bring an immediate impact.
But where past expansion teams have had to force their top pick into NHL action, the Kraken will probably have enough talent to allow their No. 2 overall selection more time to develop if needed.
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.
Can an NHL franchise named after a Disney movie pose as a rival for the Seattle Kraken? Yes, the Anaheim Ducks were originally tied to the movie, but they dropped the ‘Mighty,’ won a Stanley Cup, and in October will become a Pacific Division rival of the Seattle Kraken.
How big of a rival can they become?
As we discussed when we got to know the Sharks last week, the heat index of a rivalry usually rises after an intense playoff series, but the Ducks and Kraken will get to know each other well playing in the same division.
While there has been some Seattle-Los Angeles heat in sports before, Anaheim has not been much of a thought to Seattle other than a spring break vacation locale for families with kids. The Ducks have some youth in their system and will be up-and-comers in the Pacific sooner rather than later.
That alone will be annoying, which could a rivalry make.
Let’s get to know the Anaheim Ducks
Established: 1993
Nickname history: Original team name was The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, based on the 1992 film The Mighty Ducks. The team’s original owners were the Walt Disney Company, who were also the producers of the film. In 2006, and with new ownership, the nickname was shortened to ‘Ducks.’
First season in NHL: 1993-1994 (33-46-5 record)
AHL affiliate: San Diego Gulls
ECHL affiliate: Tulsa Oilers
Stanley Cup Final appearances: 2003 (Lost to New Jersey Devils 4 games to 3), 2007 (Beat the Ottawa Senators 4 games to 1)
Presidents’ Trophies: none
Division titles: Six
All-time leading scorer: Teemu Selanne (988 points)
Yes, the Sound Of Hockey Podcast guys know you already are aware that the Maple Leafs lost in Game 7 of the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, but they still need to give you their takes on the situation. Spoiler: they collectively have a general feeling of disbeLEAF.
Plenty of Seattle Kraken discussion on this episode as well, as the team prepares for its first NHL Draft Lottery.
John, Andy, and Darren then give their general thoughts from the first round of the playoffs, and also share their expectations for round two, which is already underway with some early fireworks.
Bits include Sound Of Hockey’s Three Stars.
Segments include Bad Boys, Weekly One-Timers, and Tweets of the Week.
Yes, the Sound Of Hockey Podcast guys know you already are aware that the Maple Leafs lost in Game 7 of the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, but they still need to give you their takes on the situation. Spoiler: they collectively have a general feeling of disbeLEAF.
Plenty of Seattle Kraken discussion on this episode as well, as the team prepares for its first NHL Draft Lottery.
John, Andy, and Darren then give their general thoughts from the first round of the playoffs, and also share their expectations for round two, which is already underway with some early fireworks.
Bits include Sound Of Hockey’s Three Stars.
Segments include Bad Boys, Weekly One-Timers, and Tweets of the Week.
As the Stanley Cup Playoffs field narrows down to eight, I thought it would be a good time to check in on our Seattle Expansion Draft projections for the teams that are still alive. Projecting who will be exposed and taken in the July draft can be a fool’s errand at times, but this should give Kraken fans another element of enjoyment for these Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Expansion Draft projection framework
To help manage expectations and add context to the projections, I put together a framework to help guide the conversation.
Projection category:
Protected: Players being projected as being protected by their current team.
Watchlist: Players that are shortlisted for the Seattle Kraken, should they be made available.
Unprotected: Players that are eligible for the Expansion Draft but are unlikely to be protected or picked by Seattle. I have filtered these players out of any projection tables.
Projection Confidence Level:
The Projection Confidence Level is subjective and is an illustration of how confident I am in the Projection Category. For example, Matt Barzal is a lock to be protected and has a projection category of “Protected” and a Projection Confidence Level of 100%. For another example, I am confident that Morgan Geekie will be high on the Seattle Kraken’s watchlist so I gave him a 75% confidence level as a “watchlist” player.
There is also a scenario where some very good players are pending Unrestricted Free Agents (UFA). The Kraken have an exclusive 48-hour window where they can negotiate with these pending UFAs to agree to terms on a possible contract extension. If they can agree to a deal, the Kraken will draft these players off their respective teams. This will be extremely rare in the Expansion Draft, and as such, I am only giving a 10% confidence level for any pending UFAs of note.
All year long it seemed as if Ron Francis and crew would have the pick of two former Tri-City Americans with Jake Bean and Morgan Geekie as likely exposure candidates. It recently became clear, though, that Dougie Hamilton is unlikely to sign an extension with the Hurricanes before the Expansion Draft. This will open a protection spot for Jake Bean. Geekie should still be exposed and looks like the target here.
There is also a chance the Kraken want a bit more experience with their roster and target Brady Skjei on defense or Jesper Fast as a wing. Geekie has yet to play in a playoff game this season but is a likely candidate to step in if there are any injuries to the forwards.
Tampa Bay Lightning Expansion Draft Projections
One way or another, the Tampa Bay Lightning will have plenty of options for the Kraken to choose from. The Lightning are also one of the more complex teams to project for the Expansion Draft. On Saturday, I was forecasting they would want to protect former first-round draft pick, Cal Foote, and go with the 4-4-1 format vs the 7-3-1 format. On Monday, I changed my mind and now feel they will put a higher value on Ondrej Palat, thus forcing them back to the 7-3-1 format. The final two forward slots are interchangeable with most of the forwards on the watchlist. Even Ross Colton seems to be having a breakout year and could end up protected.
To add to the complexity of predicting the Lightning’s approach to the Expansion Draft, Tampa needs to move money off its roster to be salary cap compliant for next season and is primed for a side deal. When the Expansion Draft is complete, I expect Seattle to grab at least three assets from Tampa. I predict at least one of Killorn, Gourde, or Palat to be part of the Expansion Draft. Additionally, the Bolts will want to move Tyler Johnson’s salary and what better place than Seattle to make that happen? They will need to move a prospect or some future draft picks for the Seattle Kraken to consider taking on Johnson’s $5 million salary.
Boston Bruins Expansion Draft Projections
The Bruins are another complex team to evaluate for the Expansion Draft. Of the forwards, Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson has been playing in Sweden all season, and Ondrej Kase was forecasted as protected at the beginning of the season but has not played since January due to injury. Meanwhile, Trent Frederic and Zach Senyshyn are just breaking into the NHL which makes their evaluation challenging. On defense, Jakub Zboril and Jeremy Lauzon do not have the offensive upside of a Cale Makar or Quinn Hughes, but they could be stable defenders in the NHL for many years. These are good options from Boston, but they all have some level of risk.
It is worth calling out that Taylor Hall is a pending UFA and most people predict him to re-sign with the Bruins. If this happens, it will more than likely occur after the Expansion Draft and will not be a contributing factor in Boston’s protection list.
New York Islanders Expansion Draft Projections
The New York Islanders will probably approach the Expansion Draft as an opportunity to shed some salary by exposing and then encouraging Seattle to select a high salary player. On the surface, it looks like the last forward protected spot will come down to Kieffer Bellows or Josh Bailey. But would anyone be surprised if general manager Lou Lamoriello exposes Jordan Eberle or Brock Nelson to bait Seattle into taking one of those players and their cap hit? I do not expect it, but I also know that Lamoriello can be unpredictable.
Perhaps more likely, Lamoriello could expose Semyon Varlamov to move his $5 million cap hit since it appears that Ilya Sorokin is the goalie of the future for the Islanders. Sorokin is exempt from the Expansion Draft and does not require protection.
Tomorrow I will cover the other three teams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs that are participating in the Expansion Draft next month (remember, Vegas is exempt). I hope this gives you another reason to enjoy these games as we get closer and closer to the Expansion Draft.
The first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is all but wrapped up, with just one series still underway. It has been a doozy of an opening foray into the postseason, with everything you could possibly want from goalie duels (what most fans are obviously seeking) to high-scoring affairs. And for those of us in Seattle, it is impossible not to daydream about the fact that the Kraken could very well be participating in this tournament just one year from now.
Seattle Kraken news
While you’re attending said playoffs next season, it’s totally within the realm of possibility that you’ll work up an appetite while screaming your face off, drinking your $12 Coors Lights (we don’t actually know the prices of beers, but we assume they will be high), and relentlessly swinging your Tentacle Towel (patent pending) around your head. Well, fear not for hunger, because the Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena announced a few of their food vendors this week, and the options are going to be pretty legit.
Introducing The Climate Collective, where we believe food should be genuine, delicious, innovative, and invite all #SeaKraken fans and guests to take a seat #UnderOurRoof.
Who doesn’t want some Din Tai Fung soup dumplings at intermission?
AHL arena groundbreaking set for June 2
It feels like it has been a long time since we’ve had any update on arena construction for the Kraken’s top minor-league affiliate in Palm Springs. There has finally been some publicly visible progress this week, as Oak View Group has planned a groundbreaking ceremony for Wednesday, June 2.
The Coachella Valley Arena is expected to cost $277 million and will have a capacity of up to 11,700, depending on the event.
Fitzhugh brings the… “heat”
Friend of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast and broadcaster for the Seattle Kraken, Everett Fitzhugh, threw out the first pitch at the Mariners game on Friday. Word around the campfire is he bounced it in low, but we won’t hold it against him.
Being a Wild fan is a sad and lonely place. Minnesota was ousted in classic first-round fashion Friday after an exciting series with the Vegas Golden Knights that went to a Game 7. Even I can see, though, that the hockey world has been clamoring for a Vegas-versus-Colorado matchup, and even I can admit that it has the makings for an all-time series. T-Mobile Arena in Vegas will also be back to 100% capacity, so prepare to have your face rocked off.
The other series matchups that have been set also have potential to provide incessant thrills. Top divisional seed Carolina takes on the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning, while the Bruins will take on the Islanders, who have surprised once again. In the North, Winnipeg will face the winner of Toronto and Montreal, set to play Game 6 at 4:30 P.M. Pacific on Saturday and Game 7 (if necessary) on Monday.
All three U.S.-based series will get underway this weekend, with Boston and New York kicking things off at 5 P.M. Pacific on Saturday.
Gretzky signs on with Turner
It had been rumored for a while that Wayne Gretzky was considering joining one of the two new national rightsholders’ broadcast teams. The Great One did officially sign on this week as a studio analyst for a reported $3 million per season with Turner Sports after ESPN had also courted him. Gretzky had apparently been serving as vice chairman of the Edmonton Oilers (which few in the hockey world knew) and has stepped down from that role to accept the deal.
We at SOH are excited to see such an important voice in the hockey world coming back to the forefront, but we also wonder how engaging Gretzky will be. At the end of the day, we want the national coverage to bring enthusiasm, energy, and fun to the intermission shows, and those aren’t personality traits that immediately jump out when you listen to Gretzky speak. Still, he’s the best player of all time, and he’s done everything one can possibly do in the sport, so he should at least have some great insight.
Craig Morgan also reported that Darren Pang and Keith Jones have signed on with Turner. Holy jumpin’!
Also hearing that Turner has signed Darren Pang & Keith Jones. Heck of a team assembled at Turner. https://t.co/MRbEyYSo7E
There’s something exhilarating about donning the sweater of a visiting team and loudly cheering for them while in hostile territory. I’m not the “get drunk and fight people because their fandom doesn’t perfectly align with mine” type, but I am the “get drunk and talk a little smack to those around me without pushing too hard because I don’t want to get beaten up” type.
But how can you be that person if the visiting building has an asinine policy in place that doesn’t allow you to wear your team’s gear to the game?
Yes, Tampa Bay still had its controversial rule in place, introduced in 2015, that forbade opposing fans from wearing team gear in premium seating areas.
A Florida Panthers fan posted a video of himself and his 11-year-old son being approached by team security during the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and in the conversation one of the security officers goes so far as to threaten to bring in the Tampa Police Department.
Having visiting fans in your building is part of sports, and it adds to the intensity of an important game. What a ridiculous idea this was in the first place. Good riddance.
Robert Morris removing Men’s and Women’s Division I hockey programs
“Robert Morris University announced today it will no longer field NCAA Division I men’s and women’s ice hockey teams as part of a series of strategic initiatives intended to position the university to be amongst the most agile and professionally focused schools in the nation as it prepares for its upcoming 100th anniversary.”
Man, what an opening to a statement about eliminating a sports program that has helped hundreds of young men and women achieve their dreams.
We always root for hockey to succeed at every level and in every market. We also fully understand that universities have budgets, and hockey isn’t always the highest priority within those budgets (especially after a year like the one we’ve just experienced). But delivering such devastating news under the guise of a centennial celebration feature is quite the groin kick for current and former players, coaches, and staff of the program.
A petition to save Colonials Hockey gathered more than 16,000 signatures, but this sounds like a done deal, at least for now.
Around the boards
After a very scary incident last week involving the face of John Tavares and the knee of Corey Perry, the Toronto captain was back on the ice Thursday.
No matter who you are rooting for tonight, we can all agree that it’s AWESOME to see @91Tavares back on the ice today! ❤️pic.twitter.com/rbv491GzCH
There’s another Kraken in the neighborhood, as the Lake Cowichan Kraken are set to join the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League as its tenth franchise. Nobody tell the Kraken Bar & Lounge.
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.
With the playoffs in full swing, the guys are in a good mood this week, and they are willing to make completely speculative guesses at a few items. Will they be right? Tune in every week for the next few months to find out! Oh, and on this Sound Of Hockey Podcast the guys welcome an awesome guest this week in Ben Guerrero, Director, Media Relations for the Seattle Kraken!
Ben previously worked for the San Jose Sharks and Washington Capitals and has some great stories to share from those days. It’s a fun and informative chat with Ben that gives a peek behind the curtain for hockey fans.
This week, you’ll also get a fair amount of Kraken potential head coach discussion, as well as general NHL Playoff banter and – as always – plenty of chuckles along the way.
Segments include Bad Boys, Weekly One-Timers, and Tweets of the Week.
