Articles in Seattle Kraken

from Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post,

Where did the good times go? A scant 305 days after parading the Stanley Cup through the streets of Denver, the Avalanche dynasty crumbled.

With a 2-1 home loss on a sad Sunday night to an upstart Seattle team that had no business beating the defending NHL champs, the Avs unlaced their skates and headed home early from the playoffs, carrying with them hard questions that go far beyond woulda, shoulda, coulda.

Is this Colorado team, despite the star power of Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen, a one-hit wonder?

Can Valeri Nichushkin, who mysteriously disappeared from this first-round series, be trusted as a key member of this squad going forward?

And if injured captain Gabe Landeskog, whose troubling knee injury cost him the entire season, can’t return to full health, might the roster need a major renovation instead of minor retooling?

It wasn’t supposed to end this way.

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from Eric Duhatschek of The Athletic,

Seattle defeated the Colorado Avalanche 2-1 to win the series 4-3.

More later and game highlights are below.

from Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post,

It’s bad hockey, not wretched officiating, that will send the Avs home from the playoffs early, possibly as early as Friday, when Colorado plays Game 6 in Seattle.

For five straight games, the Avs have surrendered the first goal and committed the first penalty. That’s playing hockey like chumps, not champs.

“We seem to be getting frustrated,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said.

What has been Bednar’s only response from the bench? Ordering MacKinnon to jump off the bench and over the boards more often. The Avalanche’s superstar center logged 27 minutes and one second of ice time, more than any defenseman on either team in Game 5.

“We classified this as a must-win game at home,” said Bednar, explaining why he was committed to doing whatever it took, even if it meant working MacKinnon until his skates fell off.

“Is there a point where he runs out of gas? Maybe. But we’re facing elimination. So if we’ve got to play him 30 (minutes), we’ll do it.”

That’s not good coaching. It’s desperation.

more including the no-call on MacKinnon.

You ca also watch the no-call below along with the game highlights.

from Larry Stoe of the Seattle Times,

It was a party two years or a century-plus in the making, depending on how much of an homage one chooses to pay the Seattle Metropolitans. Suffice it to say the fans at Climate Pledge Arena arrived Saturday ready to bellow, and the Kraken provided them the requisite break-loose moment a mere six minutes into the game.

The roar was primal, the jubilation genuine, when Jaden Schwartz tipped home a shot from the point by Justin Schultz to become an instant trivia answer: First home playoff goal in Seattle Kraken history.

The night would end in ultimate disappointment for the Kraken — spiced by more short-lived euphoria — but at that moment, every manner of glory and triumph seemed possible.

“We were loose, we were prepared, we were ready for this one, no question,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. “I love their start tonight. Love the atmosphere. Love the feel of the building. That’s a playoff feel. That’s what it is. That part of it was awesome. We didn’t complete the first period. … Our start was tremendous. It has a real different look if we complete the first period in a different way.”

Before the game, Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke had taken the mike and exhorted the crowd to “blow the roof off this joint.” As the press-box shook in the euphoric aftermath of Schwartz’s goal, it seemed for a flash they might be taking him literally. Thinking back to the Mariners’ drought-breaking home playoff game in October, when fans came with the same thirst but waited in vain for 18 innings and nearly five hours for a cathartic yell that never came, it was a made-for-memories moment.

But then reality hit, and the memories of this game for posterity seemed headed for bittersweet, bordering on sour.

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Watch the highlights below.

from Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post,

One lousy game into the NHL playoffs, being the defending champion means zilch, and Avalanche coach Jared Bednar has a tough decision to make.

Does Bednar break up his top line, splitting Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen before frustration has a chance to set in against a Seattle team that didn’t give a Kraken about the Avs’ championship pedigree during a 3-1 victory in Game 1 of this best-of-seven-series?

Or would asking Rantanen to invigorate a No. 2 line that has been suspect since the Avs let Nazem Kadri walk as a free agent be pushing the panic button?

Your move, Mr. Bednar.

Proactive or patient? How should the leader of a champ that looks very vulnerable react?

Will Bednar consider breaking up the MacK and Mikko show?

“Yes, for sure,” Bednar said Tuesday, after the home-ice advantage his Avs worked diligently for all the way through the final minutes on the final night of the regular season was effectively erased by the Kraken.

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from Larry Stone of the Seattle Times,

The Stanley Cup playoffs are truly a singular event — some would say the most intense, exciting and agonizing postseason tournament in North American sports. In other words, an absolute blast, the sort of spectacle the Kraken’s Founding Fathers and Mothers no doubt envisioned to buoy them in their darkest days during the laborious fight to land a team and build an arena.

That it took just two seasons to arrive is remarkable, even with the recent example of their expansion predecessor, the Vegas Golden Knights, reaching the Stanley Cup Finals in their first season. That always seemed an unreasonable comparison, a point driven home when the Kraken posted a 27-49-6 record in their inaugural season, 30^th out of 32 teams in the NHL.

There was grumbling that general manager Ron Francis was too timid in his team-building, but this season has been a vindication of his methods. To reach the playoffs in their second season is a testament to his vision; when juxtaposed against the 21 years between playoff berths for the Mariners, a one-year drought is an acceptable amount of suffering for Kraken fans.

And now come the spoils — the potential for eight weeks of incredible tension and indelible memories. If you want to be a stickler for accuracy, it’s been a 103-year drought. But there aren’t any known surviving viewers of the playoff dynasty of the Seattle Metropolitans, who won the Stanley Cup in 1917, tied for the Cup in 1919 (when a pandemic forced its cancelation in midstream; good thing we never had to worry about that again); and lost in five games in 1920.

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from Larry Stone of the Seattle Times,

When the Seattle Kraken stood pat at the trade deadline earlier this month, it was portrayed as a vote of confidence in the players on hand by general manager Ron Francis. He stated that he didn’t want to disrupt the chemistry of a team that had surged into contention for the Western Conference’s top spot.

Francis’s judgment might indeed be proven right — and, indeed, the Kraken surged to three victories in a row in the immediate aftermath of the deadline. But two weeks later, the Kraken have hit a lull that, if not remedied, threatens to mute much of the good vibes they’ve built up all year.

It’s not crisis time, not even after Saturday’s 6-4 loss to the Edmonton Oilers at Climate Pledge Arena, in which they fell behind a mere 95 seconds into the game and played catch-up the rest of the way. But with four losses in their last five games, it’s not unreasonable to wonder if some new blood might have proved energizing right about now.

Kraken coach Dave Hakstol was effusive about the effort of his players, who had to overcome the loss of goaltender Philipp Grubauer to an undisclosed illness midway through the second period.

“Our team played a good hockey game today. It was an even hockey game,’’ Hakstol said, while noting how difficult it is to play constantly from behind. “We worked extremely hard. And especially on the offensive side of the puck, we ground for our offensive opportunities and generated real good opportunities. … That’s why it’s disappointing. It feels bad.”

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from Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times,

With apologies to those preferring slow, steady builds to an undefined future contention date, the Kraken’s road to a Cup Final may never be as wide open as now. If they played in the Eastern Conference they’d be 23 points out of the lead and trailing three other teams by six or more. But in the West, unlike the Colorado Avalanche compiling 119 points last season before winning the Cup, the Golden Knights entered Wednesday on pace for only 105, compared with 104 for Dallas and 103 for the Kraken and Kings.

The injury-slowed Avalanche, who the Kraken went 2-0-1 against this season, are on a 101-point pace. Colorado’s backslide has created opportunity: Namely, the home-ice advantage winning the conference would secure.

Now, studies suggest home ice matters less in the NHL than in other leagues — that there’s usually only a slight boost between a team’s regular-season home record vs. the playoffs. But there are rule advantages, such as gaining the final line change to match defensive stalwarts against top scoring lines.

Also, if the Kraken reach a Game 7, home teams win 58% of those, according to puckreport.com.

Plus, you’d think home-crowd energy in a debut playoff campaign would benefit the Kraken more than teams in markets that have seen it before. And a hyped-up crowd could fuel the Kraken’s physical play.

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from Tom Gulitti of the NHL website,

In a Q&A with NHL.com, Francis discussed the Kraken's turnaround in their second season, rookie forward Matty Beniers' impact, hosting the 2024 Discover NHL Winter Classic and more.

How do you feel about the season the Kraken has had so far and what are your thoughts looking forward to the rest of the season?

"It's been a good year to this point. I think we're [three points from] first (in the Pacific Division) and we're [four] points from being out of the playoffs, so it's a tight run and still a lot of hockey left to be played. I'm really proud of and happy with our guys. They've come and worked hard every night and it's good to see them having some success and enjoying themselves. A few more smiles around there this year, which is nice to see."

Can that atmosphere and chemistry you've developed go a long way in these cases and do you want to be careful not to disrupt that with a trade?

"The Cups that I won (with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991 and 1992), chemistry played a big part of it. So, yeah, I think that's always a big part of assessing your team and your locker room. You see if there are needs, and if there are, you address them and if you're happy with things, you let it kind of go. So, we'll what happens over the next three weeks here until the deadline."

Beniers leads NHL rookies with 17 goals and 36 points in 51 games. How has it helped for him to be able to contribute like that at 20 years old?

"He's just a terrific kid. He is a great hockey player. He's going to be great hockey player as he gets stronger, but just a terrific kid. He's one of our engines. He pushes the pace in practice. He pushes the pace in games. He's an easy-going guy who has fit in really well with our veterans. He's got a bright future ahead of him."

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from Dave Poulin at the Toronto Star,

The NHL press box is an information funnel. The flow is current, constant and often entertaining.

On any given night, at least a dozen teams are represented by management or scouts. The number rises as the March 3 trade deadline draws closer. Right now, the Seattle Kraken are the most popular topic of conversation, and the question being asked is: Are they for real?

My answer — which I’m getting more and more comfortable with — is yes, they’re for real. And if they continue at their current rate, they’re going to be a handful for whichever team they meet in the playoffs.

There, I’ve said it. Seattle will be a playoff team — not something that was stated often at the outset of their second season....

The problem was, they weren’t being compared to every other NHL expansion team. They were compared to one: the Vegas Golden Knights, who took the league by storm from day one in 2017-18. Everything Vegas did, Seattle seemed to do differently.

• The Knights play at spectacular T-Mobile Arena in the middle of the Vegas Strip. The Kraken play at eco-friendly Climate Pledge Arena, known for its net-zero certification and promotion of sustainability. I’m not certain that has anything to do with a strong goals-against average, but it’s clean and built to last. And there you have it, the Kraken game plan: sustainability and longevity. Play by the rules, go about your business and defer to the league’s upper class. Pay your dues. Good things will happen.

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from Kate Shefte of the Seattle Times,

he Kraken finished off the first half of the season with their most telling win to date. They handed the Bruins their first regulation home loss 3-0 on Thursday and hit seven straight victories for the second time in the 2022-23 season.

The Bruins have the best record in the NHL. They were in the Kraken’s way, on their heels, maybe even in their heads early. They gave Seattle one of the stiffest challenges it has seen this season.

Goaltender Martin Jones made 27 saves and shut out Boston for the first time in 41 games. He turned in his second consecutive shutout and third of the season.

The Bruins had only lost in regulation four times this season and were 19-0-3 at TD Garden. Seattle is two wins shy of matching its total for its inaugural season in mid-January.

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Catch the game highlights below.

from Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times,

On an October day the Mariners were to play one of their first divisional playoff games in two decades, their top ballpark officials met with NHL counterparts about a completely different sporting event featuring the crosstown Kraken.

The culmination of that meeting and others was announced Monday, with the Kraken being awarded their first-ever outdoor game to be played next Jan. 1 at T-Mobile Park against the Vegas Golden Knights. Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke said in a phone interview Monday the NHL’s decision to play the 2024 Discover Winter Classic in a city known for rain this time of year had plenty to do with the Mariners’ flexibility in making their retractable-roofed ballpark available for several weeks.

“They were just so impressed that they were even meeting with them the day of one of their playoff games,” Leiweke said of the meetup, which took place in the hours leading up to a Mariners road contest against the Astros in Houston. “And given the uncertainty of the weather and the risk involved, it helps to have that safeguard in there.”

Beyond the team’s flexibility in making T-Mobile Park available for the lengthy process of building the temporary hockey rink inside, the NHL liked that it would have the ability to only partially close the stadium’s roof directly over the rink if it rains. That would enable them to keep the remainder of the venue in an open-air environment the league believes is crucial to the appeal of its outdoor games.

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NEW YORK (Jan. 2, 2023) – The National Hockey League (NHL) today announced details for the 2024 Discover NHL Winter Classic®. The outdoor contest will feature the Seattle Kraken hosting the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday, January 1, 2024, at T-Mobile Park, home of the Seattle Mariners, and will be broadcast exclusively on TNT in the U.S. and on Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada. In addition, Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) and the NHL announced a multiyear extension of their U.S. partnership that includes Discover maintaining its status as the Official Credit Card and Official Bank of the NHL® in the U.S.

from Steven Ellis of The Daily Faceoff,

On October 26, I wrote about Shane Wright’s lack of playing time in Seattle.

That was 26 days ago. Since then, the Kraken have played 10 games. Wright has suited up in two of them with just 22 minutes of total ice time.

So, really, not much has changed, other than they’re finally able to send him to the AHL. After being a healthy scratch in five consecutive games, he became eligible to get sent down to Coachella Valley, something the team promptly elected to do late Sunday night ahead of the team’s trip to Calgary.

Perfect. The best solution. He isn’t eligible to play full-time in the AHL due to the NHL/CHL agreement preventing major junior players from playing in the AHL. But he doesn’t have a ton to gain from playing in the NHL, either. Something had to give.

But that’s for five games maximum. Then what?

Not much has changed since Oct. 26, and now Wright’s stuck in the shadow realm waiting for the best path forward. Unlike most prospects his age, he hasn’t had any consistency – other than a lack of consistency – from the get-go. For a kid his age, this is a terrible development path, but it’s hard to argue for anything better right now. He nearly had 100 points last year as a draft-eligible prospect – could he truly gain anything against junior players?

That’s why the AHL is a nice little stopgap. But like any stopgap, it’s temporary, allowing him to play up to five games during a maximum of 14 days. Fourteen days from Sunday is Dec. 5, two days after the fifth possible game he could play with the Firebirds. On Dec. 6, the Kraken play Montreal – the team most people expected to pick him – which wouldn’t be an awkward return or anything.

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from Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times,

There were moments before the surging Kraken opened the scoring floodgates here Thursday night when goaltender Martin Jones was the only thing standing between them and a second-period deficit.

And then, after second period goals by Morgan Geekie, Jamie Oleksiak and Alex Wennberg stunned the home crowd at Xcel Energy Center arena, it would be Jones coming through again with two huge stops late in the frame to keep his team’s sizable lead heading to intermission. That lead stood up from there and Wennberg added his second of the night in the third period of a 4-0 win over the Minnesota Wild for a Kraken team that’s now captured three straight and four of five.

“Momentum’s obviously a big part of games and to be able to go in with a three-goal lead and then come out and really shut them down for the first five or six minutes of the (third) period was really good,” Jones said afterward.

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Watch the game highlights below.

from Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times,

The trio of Climate Pledge Arena matchups presents an opportunity for the Kraken in their bigger, ongoing battle to define for local fans what type of team they’ll be. Establishing a stronger on-ice identity would be a step toward greater relevance in a market where their season debut was overshadowed by the playoff Mariners. They’ll also compete for attention in coming months with the surprising first-place Seahawks.

Through seven games entering Tuesday’s matchup against Buffalo, the Kraken showed signs of escaping their placement among the NHL’s bottom rungs. And that would be critical to making them a hotter ticket and filling some of the ample empty seats at an officially “sold out” home arena, where the Kraken failed to win their first three games.

But wanting it and actually going out and getting it done are different things.

This team is fast becoming a case study for glass-half-full, glass-half-empty factions. Optimists point to wins at Los Angeles and Colorado amid a .500 performance in five consecutive games against expected playoff squads as proof that the Kraken can contend all season.

And that ability to hang around, lending importance to games not just now but down the road in March and perhaps April, will be the true measuring stick for Kraken success. Expansion team or not, nobody running the Kraken expected them to perform as poorly as they did last season, and there is zero appetite within the fledgling organization for another campaign filled with struggles to build value in the product they’re trying to sell.

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“Sloppy. Poor execution. Really the whole night,” Bednar said. “So that’s why we didn’t get any shots. Tough to get shots when you can’t execute. Whether it’s decisions, execution: sloppy. Spent the whole night defending.”

-Jared Bednar, head coach of the Colorado Avalanche after a 3-2 home loss to the Seattle Kraken. Bennett Durando of the Denver Post has more.

Watch the game highlights below.

from Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times,

On the team-improvement front, general manager Ron Francis signed offensive-minded defenseman Justin Schultz and imported the new forwards partly to help Grubauer out. The thinking is that the longer the Kraken maintain offensive possession, the less time teams will have to test Grubauer.

Schultz also balances out a blue-line corps that skewed toward left-handed point shots and slower-moving, defense-first types.

The Kraken can roll out three balanced defensive pairings with nobody forced to play on their opposite-shooting side.

It looks great on paper. But paper isn’t where the Kraken play games. Though they could potentially compete with Vegas, Los Angeles and Vancouver for standings positioning beneath Pacific Division favorites Calgary and Edmonton, they can’t take several weeks to get going.

“The ‘compete level’ has been high,” Gourde said of training camp. “The intensity is high. It’s been super fun. And the new faces, the new additions have been working very hard.”

And that must continue beyond a winning preseason for the summertime fixes to flip results in the Kraken’s favor.

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