2022-23 NHL Team Preview: Seattle Kraken
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LAST SEASON
Let’s get Kraken.
I’m sorry. I’ll see myself out.
After a disappointing inaugural season, the Seattle Kraken had an highly productive offseason helping bolster their lineup. They filled holes at forward to bolster an offense that tied for the fourth-fewest goals and helped add depth to a still-building club. Defensively, they were far from where they needed to be but they showed good signs under the hood by posting the fifth-best expected goals against per 60 at 5-on-5 in the entire league.
Plagued by a 98.1 PDO – a statistic that combines on-ice shooting percentage and on-ice save percentage to equate to an average of 100 and approximate luck – Seattle struggled to not only find the back of the net but have goaltenders keep it out of their own. Seattle’s .899 5-on-5 team save percentage ranked 31st in the league last year, and the two-headed monster of Philipp Grubauer and Chris Driedger struggled to keep the Kraken afloat.
KEY ADDITIONS & DEPARTURES
Additions
Andre Burakovsky, LW
Oliver Bjorkstrand, RW
Justin Schultz, D
Michal Kempny, D
Martin Jones, G
John Hayden, C
Brogan Rafferty, D
Departures
Riley Sheahan, C (Buf)
Victor Rask, F (UFA)
Connor Carrick, D (Bos)
Dennis Cholowski, D (NYI)
Derrick Pouliot, D (SJ)
Haydn Fleury, D (TB)
Antoine Bibeau, G (Ott)
OFFENSE
The Kraken’s offense can only go up. After a year in which it struggled to score much, it was one of Seattle’s main focal points this offseason, bringing in Andre Burakovsky on a five-year, $5.5-million AAV deal while trading for Oliver Bjorkstrand. Neither are offensive stars, but they did score 61 and 57 points last year, respectively. That should help provide a boost that might be able to take the Kraken closer to league-average scoring rates.
Could rookie Shane Wright or Matty Beniers make the team this year? Beniers is a near lock, but Wright will be a big question mark. Both are highly talented two-way players. Beniers looked NHL ready in his 10-game sample late last season.
DEFENSE
On the back end, the Kraken showed some good signs. Their expected goals against number at 5-on-5 was among the best in the league and they have a nice blend of players. Adam Larsson and Vince Dunn are projected to form a solid thunder-and-lightning punch on the top pairing, while the physical Jamie Oleksiak and puck-mover Justin Schultz fit each other’s skill sets quite well. A steady Carson Soucy on the third pair will help solidify their back end.
GOALTENDING
Philipp Grubauer will be given the reins in net this year as Chris Dreidger recovers from offseason ACL surgery. The Kraken brought in Martin Jones to back up, but they need a big rebound year from Grubauer should they have any hopes of improving over last season.
COACHING
Despite being just in his second year, one has to wonder how long the leash will be for Dave Hakstol behind the Kraken bench. He struggled during his four-year stint with the Philadelphia Flyers between 2015 and 2019 getting them to the playoffs twice and never out of the first round.
The Kraken should give him more leeway given they’re just in their second year in the league, but Hakstol will have to take this team in a positive direction.
ROOKIES
Daily Faceoff currently projects Matty Beniers as the lone rookie for the Kraken at least on opening night. He’s a dynamic offensive talent with a brainy 200-foot game. The Kraken took him with their first ever draft pick, second overall, in 2021. He has game-breaking skill that was on display at the University of Michigan last year when he scored 20 goals and 43 points. He showed well with three goals and nine points in 10 NHL games late last season.
BURNING QUESTIONS
1. Can the Kraken score? In order for them to be competitive in the Pacific Division, they need to start finding the net more regularly. Burakovsky and Bjorkstrand should help, but there needs to be internal growth from depth players, too.
2. Can the goaltending hold? The world, so to speak, is on Grubauer’s shoulders. The Kraken need him closer to the .922 save percentage and 1.95 GAA he posted in Colorado in 2020-21 than the .899 and 3.16 he posted last year in Seattle. The Kraken could be in the market for goaltending in short order if he doesn’t improve.
3. Can Dave Hakstol push this team? One of Dave Hakstol’s knocks against him in Philadelphia was he never seemed to be able to get the most out of the Flyers. This isn’t something that can fly in Seattle. While they won’t be a playoff team, the Kraken need to show they can be a competitive team in a wilting Pacific Division.
PREDICTION
The Kraken will be on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoffs this year, but that doesn’t mean they can’t cause some havoc. They finished last year with a 27-49-6 record for 60 points. Would it be out of the realm of possibilities for them to be, say, a 35-win team next year? That would mark a nice step forward for a team on the up-and-up.
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