Speculation about coaches or team executives in danger of losing their jobs – a morbid media pastime – won’t appear under my byline. Allowed through the gates are opinions about those with perceived security, like Kraken GM Ron Francis.
THN’s Adam Proteau writes, “His cold seat could warm up if the Kraken take a step backward and miss the playoffs for the second straight season. Even if that happened, Seattle would still be able to point to adding another elite youngster through the draft and solidify the organization’s foundation for the long term.
“Like every NHL GM, Francis isn’t bulletproof, but he’s had enough positives in his five years running the franchise to keep him shielded from major-league pressure to deliver playoff wins. If the Kraken do perform well, Francis is guaranteed to stay in power in Seattle, but no matter what happens, he’s in no real danger to lose his job at this stage.”
Way Too Early Kraken Cup Odds
On the topic of pastimes I don’t endorse, here’s another: sports gambling. So take these lines from Bet365.com for entertainment value only. The site’s way-too-early odds make the Kraken 50-1 longshots to win the Stanley Cup. That places Seattle in 20th place, tied with the Capitals, Flyers, and Penguins.
The Kraken are predicted to finish 5th in the Pacific Division with 88 points. The Pacific also produces the site’s Cup favorite, last year’s runner-up Edmonton Oilers at 8-1. The New Jersey Devils are the betting favorite in the East at 9-1.
‘Bounce’ Likely For 5 Kraken Forwards, 3 Defensemen
Chris Kane of DobberHockey.com has developed a formula to determine which players will have “bounce-back” offensive seasons in 2024-25. His findings will put smiles on the faces of Seattle fans. “Half of the list of 16 were Kraken players,” Kane writes.
“The Kraken went on a shooting tear in ’22-’23 with one of the highest team shooting percentages, and then in ’23-’24 had one of the worst. That swing in data is going to flag a lot of players in this kind of analysis. The players who made the list are Andre Burakovsky, Yanni Gourde, Brandon Tanev, Matty Beniers, Jamie Oleksiak, Adam Larsson, Jordan Eberle, and new Kraken Brandon Montour. Burakovsky and Beniers were particular stand outs.”
Oilers Hire AHL Coachella Valley Data Cruncher
Like Dan Bylsma and Jessica Campbell, Coachella Valley Firebirds video coach Erik Elenz is moving up to the NHL.
Unlike Bylsma and Campbell, it won’t be with the Kraken.
Elenz, who’s 24, has been hired to provide video and analytics for the Edmonton Oilers.
During Firebirds games for the past two seasons, he worked from an office under the stands. “I’m on the headset with Jess from the bench,” Elenz elaborated in an AHL.com feature. “I have the video game feed and I’m telling the computer what’s happening. I’m constantly tagging things, and then I’ve created a spreadsheet that auto-populates data. If they want, say, live faceoff data, as quickly as I can, during radio or TV timeouts, I’ll have ready for them about 20 different numbers that they care about.
“Let’s say there’s a forecheck or a faceoff. I tell that to the computer, and then Dan will ask Jess and she’ll ask me on the radio, ‘What happened on that forecheck?’ or, ‘What happened on that last faceoff?’ I’ll say something like, ‘This guy went to the right position, but the opponent made a good wall play, so maybe we can adjust something there.’”
Except this season, when the Kraken play the Oilers, Bylsma and Campbell will have to adjust to Elenz.