Kraken
Kraken
Seattle Kraken
NHL – PACIFIC
Arena: KeyArena
Coach: Dave Hakstol
2022-2023 TEAM LEADERS
Seattle Kraken
Team Summary
The Seattle Kraken are an NHL team playing in the Pacific Division of the NHL based out of Seattle, Washington. The Kraken are currently playing in their inaugural season, joining the league with an expansion draft in 2021 and joining the Pacific with a slight relocation of the Arizona Coyotes to the Central Division. Seattle’s entry in the league has been anticipated since 2018, with their official name reveal coming in 2020. The team officially came together with an expansion draft on July 21st, 2021- the second expansion draft in three years.
Seattle has a rich history of professional hockey despite not having an NHL team since 1917. Both the Seattle Metropolitans and Seattle Totems have played in the city, adding the Kraken to a long history of the sport in Washington. Seattle’s inaugural season has been a bit rougher than originally anticipated, currently sitting in last place in the division.
Seattle Kraken Standings
The Seattle Kraken are a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle, Washington. The team is the newest expansion team in the NHL, having joined the league in the 2021-22 season. The Kraken have a passionate fan base and are looking to build a competitive team in their early years.
Seattle Kraken Betting Trends
Team History
Seattle had been petitioning for an NHL expansion team for quite some time, finally getting the green light in 2018 after being approved by the NHL Board of Governors. The NHL had seen its first expansion team since 2003 in the Vegas Golden Knights that year, watching as the new team somehow won the Pacific and made it all the way to the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals. Expectations were hopeful for the Kraken to replicate the success of the Knights, but most people recognized that there was a high chance the team would need a few years before they were competitive.
The Kraken drafted their team in July of 2021, mostly picking up defensemen and defensive-minded forwards. The team signed goaltender Philip Grubauer to a six year deal coming off of his successful year in Colorado- it appeared that General Manager Ron Francis was looking for a strong defensive core to frustrate opponents for the first year of the club.
Unfortunately, the team has struggled to find success on either end of the ice this year, as Philip Grubauer has significantly underperformed in addition to the offense struggling to find any sort of footing. It’s an unfortunate reality coming off of the Knights’ incredible inaugural season, but the Kraken are, like most expansion teams, still looking at a long road ahead before reaching the postseason.
2022 Key Stats
Seattle’s original system of being a strong defensive core relying on goaltending and shot suppression to win games hasn’t quite worked out, currently sitting in last place in the Pacific Division with a record of 15-27-4. Seattle has been struggling with injuries to the top six throughout the season- considering that the top six was never really that good to begin with, each injury has resulted in notable changes to on-ice performance.
Jared McCann has been one of the bright spots for the team this season, leading the team with 19 goals and 11 assists in 41 games played. While this isn’t superstar levels of production, it’s clear that McCann is finding certain elements to his game that weren’t there in Pittsburgh before, and will play an important role in the future of the team. Jordan Eberle is next on the scoring list at 26 points in 44 games, followed by Yanni Gourde at 23 points in 38 games. If these numbers aren’t obvious enough, there hasn’t been much by way of offense for Seattle this year.
The biggest problem for Seattle by far has been goaltending. It’s hard to fault Seattle’s offensive production when it was never really projected to be that good, to begin with. The goaltending, however, is a different story. Grubauer is coming off of a season with Colorado with a 30-9-1 record and an SV% of .922- while the Kraken are by no means the Avalanche, their defensive system should allow for the goaltender to get the job done on most nights.
Unfortunately, Grubauer has had a total turnaround this year with a record of 12-17-4 and an SV% of .887, letting in a significant number of scoring chances that he should be saving according to advanced analytics. With Grubauer signed long-term, Seattle can only hope that this strange regression is only a phase and will improve in time with the team.
Overall, it’s definitely a growing season for the franchise as they still look to find their footing in the NHL and continue to build up their prospect pool and develop a long-term plan.
Championships Won by the Team
Considering that the Kraken hasn’t even been in the league for a full season yet, we can cut them some slack for never winning a Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Important Team Events
Seattle played its first game in franchise history against their expansion rivals, the Vegas Golden Knights. Ryan Donato, taken from the San Jose Sharks in the expansion draft, scored the first goal in the history of the team in what ended up being an exciting, close game. Unfortunately, their first game ended in a somewhat controversial fashion after Vegas forward Chandler Stephenson appeared to kick the game-winning goal into the net. The play stood after review, giving Vegas the win 4-3. Luckily, the team would find their first win two days later over the Nashville Predators 4-3.
The Kraken would play five straight road games before their first-ever home game at Climate Pledge Arena, ultimately losing to their cross-border rivals the Vancouver Canucks 4-2. Despite the difficult year, fans have crowded home ice with an average of over 17,000 each night.
Top Players
As it stands, the current rostered players are the sole holders of franchise records. These may seem a bit silly now, but it may be fun to review in the future- currently, Jared McCann holds the franchise records for goals at 19 and points at 30, while Alex Wennberg holds the record for assists at 17.
The Kraken don’t have much in terms of prospects yet, but the team drafted forward Matty Beniers third overall in the 2021 draft. Beniers looks to be a speedy, exciting forward making a name for himself with the University of Michigan hockey team, as well as representing the United States in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China.
Top Coaches
The Kraken are currently coached by Dave Hakstol, marking the second team he’s ever coached. Hakstol led the Philadelphia Flyers from 2015-2019 for 277 total games, going 134-101-42 in the process. Obviously, this season has been less than ideal for the head coach, and it’s hard to be able to critique his overall performance just halfway into the inaugural season of an expansion team.
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Injuries
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Seattle Kraken Frequently Asked Questions
What year did the Seattle Kraken enter the league?
Seattle joined the NHL in the 2021 offseason, marking the second NHL expansion in three years.
Who was the first player ever drafted by the Seattle Kraken?
Seattle drafted Matty Beniers third overall in the 2021 draft.
Why are they named the Kraken?
Seattle is home to various aquatic life including the giant octopus, and has widely been associated with being a coastal city in the Pacific Northwest. The team took on the name of the Kraken to combine their rich maritime history with the power and mystery of a mythical creature of the sea.
Anaheim was originally owned by the Walt Disney Company and named “The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim” after the Mighty Ducks film, but rebranded in 2006 after being sold to new ownership.
Who are the Kraken’s biggest rivals?
While it’s still early in the franchise’s history to come up with a clear rival, the Vancouver Canucks may become a major rival in the Battle of the Pacific Northwest. Additionally, the Vegas Golden Knights may be worth watching as a rival expansion team in the same division.
