Have you noticed how many pounds of flesh have been stripped off elite teams by sellers since this year’s trade deadline? That includes the Seattle Kraken, with upsets of the Oilers and Kings, two of the top three teams in the Pacific Division. Thursday, Seattle gave the division-leading Golden Knights all they could handle. Remember, these results came without Yanni Gourde, Oliver Bjorkstrand, and Brandon Tanev, all dealt prior to the Mar. 7 deadline.
This isn’t to say Seattle hasn’t had hiccups in the last month, *cough* Utah *cough.* But maybe, just maybe, GM Ron Francis is right when he says the Kraken aren’t as far away from future contention as the current standings would suggest.
Other non-playoff teams have also surprised those with tickets to the postseason. Among the teams Buffalo stampeded in an out-of-nowhere 8-2-0 run were the Jets, Capitals, and Golden Knights, three of the NHL’s top four teams. (Probably not enough to ease the pain of a now 14-year playoff drought.)
Boston gutted its roster at the deadline, dealing Trent Frederic, Justin Brazeau, Charlie Coyle, Brad Marchand, Brandon Carlo, and Marc McLaughlin. Yet the Bruins have since collected wins against the Lightning, Panthers, Hurricanes and Devils.
Ex-Kraken Geekie Is About To Get PAID
Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
Whatever success the B’s have enjoyed is due in large part to a former Kraken, Morgan Geekie. Seattle didn’t offer a contract to the free agent in 2023, so he signed in Boston – where he’s blossomed into a 31-goal scorer.
About to be a restricted free agent, Geekie told MassLive.com, “The way that things ended (in Seattle) caught me by surprise, and to be in the position I’m in now, maybe it was meant to be. It definitely gets you prepared for those kinds of situations, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s a long summer and lots can happen in a few weeks.”
Lottery & Entry Draft Standings Tracker
Back to our main topic, even Nashville, 3rd from the bottom in the composite league standings, has recent wins over Carolina and Toronto. Although the Islanders aren’t playoff-bound, we’re going to list the Predators recent 7-6 overtime win as notable; Nashville scored twice in the final 3:41 to tie, then won in OT – not the sign of a team mailing it in.
With that said, here’s the latest snapshot of standings for the May Draft Lottery and June Entry Draft.
For 20 Minutes, Ostman Was The Man
@Jennthulhu_Photos
“It was a lot of fun.” Not a quote you’d expect to hear from a Kraken player after getting throttled 7-1 by Utah HC Tuesday. Goalie Victor Ostman can be forgiven for repeating the phrase three times – his 20 3rd period minutes in relief of Joey Daccord marked his NHL debut.
Ostman had been called up from the minors when the flu bug bit regular backup Philipp Grubauer.
“I definitely had to pinch my arm, skating around between whistles and looking at the crowd,” Ostman said postgame. “A pretty surreal feeling, ‘I’m really doing this right now!'” One of the officials made sure to recognize the moment. “He came up and congratulated me on my first NHL game. ‘If you need anything, let me know.'” (I would have asked for a sack full of goalie interference calls.) “He was just trying to welcome me, and I appreciate that.”
The 6-foot-4 goalie from Danderyd, Sweden said of his family, “They knew I was dressed. They probably didn’t expect me to play.” Neither did Kraken coach Dan Bylsma, who changed his mind after a porous Daccord and a penalty-prone defense in front of him allowed seven Utah goals in the first two periods.
Ostman’s clean sheet – 12 shots against, 12 saves – gave Bylsma a chance to say something positive. “It’s not the script we wanted to play out, but it’s a big moment for Victor, his first National Hockey League game. I’m really happy for him. He got challenged, three or four really good saves. He played really well.”
That opinion was echoed by Ostman’s former goalie coach at the University of Maine, where the netminder backstopped the Black Bears for four seasons. Alfie Michaud, who saw the game on TV, told the Bangor Daily News, “He looked like he had been playing pro hockey for a while. He controlled pucks.” Michaud singled out one early stop. “He made a cross-crease save on a bang-bang play. (Utah) drove the middle, kicked the puck out wide and then (the pass) goes dot-to-dot. He was right on it.”
Ostman can check a third pro league off his bingo card, as he started the season at ECHL Kansas City. But fame is fleeting. By Wednesday, Ostman was on his way back to rejoin the Kraken’s AHL farm team in Coachella Valley, CA. Whether or not he has a future in Seattle, he had a present, 20 minutes he’ll always remember in a game his teammates will try to forget.