It’s only late July but the 2023-24 season is shrinking in the rearview mirror. With the NHL Draft practically a month ago and the free agency frenzy cooling off, it’s that time of year when one starts to look forward to the campaign ahead. For the Seattle Kraken, they are in a precarious position. They were far from terrible but critical deficiencies made 2023-24 forgettable.
General manager Ron Francis took quick measures with lavish free agent signings – Chandler Stephenson and Brandon Montour – but those can only amount to so much. What would a successful 2024-25 season consist of? Let’s discuss four objectives.
Make the Stanley Cup Playoffs
This sounds so simple. Is that not every franchise’s objective? Technically speaking, every team aims to win the Stanley Cup, but they all know only one can accomplish that per season. Certain clubs like the Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, and Columbus Blue Jackets would be content with a return to a level of respectability as opposed to being the butt of jokes.
Seattle’s case is a bit more precarious than that. They are a relatively youthful organization, entering its fourth season of existence. Only hockey fans in Utah will get a newer and shinier product come autumn. An expectedly lacklustre maiden campaign in 2021-22 (27-49-6) was followed by an unexpectedly good one (46-28-8, made the second round of the playoffs). Whether that set future expectations too high or the team simply overperformed that sophomore campaign, last season was a bummer, as the Kraken finished 34-35-13. Their 81 points were a whopping 18 off-course for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference. Bluntly, the season was over by late March.
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Earning a postseason berth in 2024-25 is important because it would reaffirm the fanbase’s willingness to support the team as staunchly as it has for three years. As per Climate Pledge Arena’s website, the facility’s hockey capacity is 17,100. As per the Sports Business Journal, the Kraken averaged 17,150 fans per home match last season. In other words, they sold out on average. In fact, that same page compares the 2023-24 figures with those of the season before and the Kraken experienced a zero percent change.
That sounds amazing in theory. There are few things cooler than a sellout at an NHL game. That said, it is imperative to give fans a product they want to spend money on. The excitement towards hockey in the Pacific Northwest will wash away if the club experiences more playoff-less seasons in the next few years. This will be especially true as the novelty wears off. The Kraken have the supporters in the palm of their han- well, wrapped in their tentacles. They cannot let them slip away. They don’t have to win the Cup in 2024-25, but they should show that the team can have a solid go at it.
Improving the Offense
We have been banging this drum for months already, but it bears repeating since the article is about what a successful 2024-25 season would consist of. Let’s get it out of the way.
For those who don’t follow the Kraken closely, the offensive drop-off from 2022-23 to 2023-24 was appalling. Two seasons ago the club was the seventh most productive attacking force in the NHL, netting 3.52 goals per match. They didn’t necessarily shoot the puck that much (2,497 total shots on target, 21st), but they were ruthlessly efficient at 11.6 percent, second-best league-wide.
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Last season was moribund in comparison. They shot less (2,347, 26th) and their efficiency sunk to 9.1 percent (29th). That predictably led to fewer goals. A lot fewer: 2.61 per game, good for 29th. Curiously they sported a middle-of-the-pack power play, which clicked at 20.7 percent (16th). The best offensive weapon was Jared McCann, who put the biscuit in the basket 29 times and added 33 apples for 62 points. Two seasons ago, the top four players netted at least 50 points and three of them at least 60. Not world-beating figures, but a decently distributed attack. Last season only two players hit 50 points and only one, McCann, 60.
Watching the Kraken last season was oftentimes a flustering experience. Opportunities to shoot were passed up and shot attempts were frequently meek and from distance. One hopes that new head coach Dan Bylsma and his staff will re-invigorate what was a more than capable attack not so long ago.
Integrating the Youngsters
One of the criticisms of last season’s Kraken club was that they were relying on relatively old players. Not ancient players, but a lot of roster members had hit 30 or were older. Ironically, the team’s two biggest free agent newcomers are each 30 years old, which might destroy the entire point we are trying to make. That said, it is essential that the Kraken get a proper look at their future.
It starts with forward Shane Wright. The kid cannot be a mainstay of the Coachella Valley Firebirds for the third successive season. He was drafted in the first round in 2022, two years ago as of this writing, and he has played 16 games in the NHL. Either he is part of the plan or isn’t. As discussed in a recent article, Wright’s contract structure suggests that the Kraken plan to use him a lot more. In a nutshell, he is getting paid little by NHL standards but the more points he puts up, the richer he’ll become.
Defenseman Ryker Evans (a 2021 draftee) was finally a semi-regular in the lineup last season, suiting up for 36 matches, most of which were after the new year. Hopefully, that was enough to feature him regularly.
Logan Morrison and Ryan Winterton were teased as well in 2023-24. They should be given more opportunities if players like Yanni Gourde and Jaden Schwartz don’t produce as they did before. Both veterans are decent and have done well in the past, but if this season ends up being a second consecutive poor one, Morrison and Winterton deserve some ice time. Schwartz has also been banged up in two of the past three seasons and isn’t getting any younger. That’s not his fault, but it’s reality.
The question on many fans’ lips is whether 2024 first-round selection Berkly Catton gets to play. This might disappoint some but the blunt answer is “no.” The nuanced answer will depend on several factors: team results, if the roster is decimated by injuries, or in the off chance that the Kraken are cruising to a Pacific Division title and can afford to give Catton some NHL game time in late season contests. But is it essential that he be a presence this season? Not necessarily. That can be a 2025-26 project.
Make Those Stephenson and Montour Signings Look Smart
The one time in their short existence that the Kraken take a “go big or go home” approach to add names to the roster and they mostly receive backlash. Even The Hockey Writers staff have taken some jabs at the Stephenson and Montour acquisitions.
Both are getting paid a lot of money. Stephenson, who came over from the Vegas Golden Knights, will earn $6.25 million per season. Fresh off a championship win with the Florida Panthers, Montour will be $7.142 million richer per season. They are instantly the second and third highest-paid players on the team, with only Vince Dunn taking home more ($7.35 million).
No franchise or general manager should be exempt from criticism but given that some pundits who know their hockey are questioning the wisdom of these signings, the team must look good in 2024-25. Should either or both underperform this season – dare it be said irrespective of why – Seattle will never hear the end of it, in addition to being stuck with a couple of expensive contracts.
We could go on with other aspirations that would make the upcoming campaign one to be proud of, but those four represent the basics. That is not to say that if the team doesn’t accomplish all of them the season is a failure. Winning can mask a great many issues, after all. But if they can accomplish these four – especially these four – then the club will be on its way to major relevancy.
