The Need to Knows
- Time: 7:00 pm PT / 10:00 pm ET
- Place: Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA
- Where to Watch: KHN, KONG, Sportsnet (Canada), ESPN+ (all other U.S. markets)
- Where to Listen: Kraken Audio Network on KJR 93.3
Know Your Enemy
Since the Kraken last played the Canucks on January 2, their Vancouver neighbors have seen the end to a season-long drama officially come to a close. Rumors had been abounding that Elias Pettersson, one of the team’s primary stars, and JT Miller were clashing. Vancouver’s President of Hockey Operations, Jim Rutherford, had come out and confirmed the rumors, and then days later, Miller was traded to the New York Rangers. Rutherford had stated that trading either of the two players wasn’t ideal, but the tensions were too much to overcome.
When talking about important players, Quinn Hughes is above and beyond the most valuable. While their captain habitually looks like he’s running on only two hours of sleep caused by, I don’t know, a fire alarm in his building going off at 11 pm every night, that sleep-deprived look is only an illusion as he’s got 60 points on the season. The next best player on the team, Conor Garland, has 37 points, just to give you all an idea of how far-and-away he is as the team’s best. Oh, and he’s doing this as a defenseman. Now, Hughes had been inured and missed the entirety of the 4 Nations Face-Off, but he returned back to game action on February 26.
As for the season series between the Kraken and the Canucks, it’s currently split between 1 win and 1 overtime/shootout loss each. We’ll see if tonight will be the first time this season that one of these teams wins against the other in regulation. If not, they’ll have one more chance to pull that off in Vancouver on April 2.
Game Preview
For those of you on Yanni Gourde watch, while he was no longer practicing in a non-contact jersey on Friday, Dan Bylsma clarified to the media that it wasn’t looking likely for Gourde to re-enter game action in time for tonight’s contest. It makes sense, because usually players need a practice or two without the non-contact jersey before they’re cleared for play, but the clarification puts any lingering hopes to rest.
Since the 4 Nations Face-Off break concluded, the Kraken have gone 1-0-2. They’ve seen the long-awaited return of their captain, Jordan Eberle, but while I posed in our roundtable discussion that his absence could have affected the Kraken more than we realize, his return was never going to propel this team to a playoff spot. This team still sits where we left off at, one that can occasionally bring along the kind of game that could define a winning iteration of the Kraken, but mostly one that has too many flaws to overcome. As Glenn has been breaking down in his playoff odds pieces, the Kraken have too much ground to cover.
As for now, the goal should be to appreciate your favorite players while you can, because the trade deadline is fast approaching. It’s approaching faster than I expected, because I’m confused that today is actually the first day of March, but it means 12:00 pm PT (3:00 pm ET) on March 7 is around the corner now. I’m no insider (and live on the wrong coast to even get close enough to Ron Francis and company to get a whiff of what they’re cooking), so I don’t know more than what’s already out there. There’s been news reported that teams are extremely interested in Brandon Tanev, and an interview that Mike Benton held with Jared McCann (that will officially air on 93.3 today) indicated that even McCann doesn’t feel like he’s safe from being dealt at the deadline. Gourde is also another name that has been on trade bait lists for months. At the end of the day, this is what happens to teams that underperform. At the deadline, they become sellers, giving away players for picks and prospects in hopes that the future will turn out better than the present. Sometimes the rumors turn out to be true, and sometimes they’re just smoke and mirrors to distract others from finding out the true plans, but combined with some of the other moves that Francis and company have made since the last offseason, I’d be shocked if the Kraken just sit on their hands and do nothing. There’s a growing sense of urgency for the team to quickly become a contender as opposed to the slow and steady approach that was presented during the Kraken’s inception.
For fans, there’s also the hope that the Kraken don’t just lose out for the rest of the season. There’s still 22 more games to go! Yet, for those with an eye on the future, the draft lottery odds will look a lot better the more the team loses. It’s the strange conundrum of being a fan of a bad team. Winning will always feel better than losing, especially when it’s against a geographical rival (just ask me how I feel about the two results of the Flyers vs Penguins home-and-home this past week), but sometimes losing is better in the long run for a team’s future.
As a final note, my title reference for this one comes from Vancouver-based band Hotel Mira’s song “This Could Be It For Me.” I was introduced to them via a good friend who’s also a Canucks, fan, so it felt fitting for the occasion.