A trio of The Athletic writers use charts and graphs and more than 3,000 words to analyze the 2024-25 Seattle Kraken. For the time-challenged among you, allow me to provide a one-word executive summary:
Ouch.
To be sure, Shayna Goldman, Sean Gentille and Dom Luszczyszyn provide nuance to their observations. But cherry-picking their conclusions doesn’t leave a lot for Kraken fans to smile about.
- “Firmly on the outside looking in.”
- “A middling team.”
- “Short on star power.”
- “A lack of high-end playmakers.”
- “Clear lack of offensive game-breakers.”
- “10 other teams in the West look superior.”
Like I said, Ouch.
“Littered With Inconsistency”
The individual reviews of many roster mainstays isn’t any better.
- Jaden Schwartz and Eeli Tolvanen: “Can make up a solid supporting cast, but neither one can drive their own line.”
- Chandler Stephenson: “Major red flags beyond his decreased scoring. Not only did Vegas generate less with Stephenson on the ice, but they gave up even more back.”
- Vince Dunn: “Many within the league remain unconvinced that he’s a true No. 1 on a playoff team. His work with the puck in all three zones doesn’t sizzle.”
- Jamie Oleksiak and Adam Larsson: “Weak offensively.”
- Philipp Grubauer: “Resume is littered with inconsistency.”
A Kraken Strong Suit: Centers Of Attention
The authors do find sunshine peeking through the dreary Seattle hockey clouds in three areas. One is strength at the center position.
“(Matty) Beniers has the chops to be the franchise cornerstone and star talent this roster craves.” About another young center, Shane Wright, “There is still reason for optimism, even if Wright didn’t hit the ground running in the NHL. Last year’s progress in the AHL is a big reason why.” Yanni Gourde “can be relied on to thrive in a high-pressure environment, in any situation on either end of the ice. He’s an aggressive forechecker who can come up with timely scoring.”
The second positive is depth among the third and fourth lines, a characteristic which carried Seattle to the playoffs two seasons ago. “That shows here with five of six bottom-six slots grading out well above average. The more the team can lean into their four-line approach, the better this team’s chance of success is, since the roster just isn’t constructed to be top-heavy.”
A change in coaching staff could also provide a boost. “The question is whether the systems or the talent level is primarily to blame. (New head coach Dan) Bylsma retains the core values that helped him win the Stanley Cup and Jack Adams Award in Pittsburgh – an ability to set culture and connect to players, a general commitment to fast-paced hockey.”
Free-agent defensive addition Brandon Montour also rates a (qualified) thumbs-up. “While Montour may not be a true No. 1, he’s a solid enough No. 2 — someone who can thrive on a top pair playing with a lead dog, or lead his own second pair, as he did in Florida.”
Hold Off On Planning The Stanley Cup Parade
Computer simulations of the ’24-’25 season show the Kraken finishing with 87 points, a 27% chance of making the playoffs, and a zero percent chance of winning the Stanley Cup. “It’s not quite time to bail on the plan in Seattle – building an organization from the ground up takes time – but the ship has sprung some leaks.”