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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