The Seattle Kraken regular season is down to 11 games, leading serious fans to contemplate their place in this June’s NHL Draft. As of this writing, they’re slotted to pick 6th in each round, but that position is poised to change.
Draft order in the 1st round among non-playoff teams will be determined by a pre-draft “lottery,” a process instituted to discourage “tanking,” franchises manipulating their rosters to lose on purpose. The chart below shows how likely it is for each team to win the 1st or 2nd overall pick in the lottery.
Seattle has a significantly harder strength of schedule than Philadelphia, and two less games remaining to earn points than Buffalo. So it’s entirely possible that the Kraken could draft as high as 4th, and slightly increase their chances of moving up in the 1st round.
Forslund Believes Kraken Aren’t Defensively ‘Connected’
Nick Wosika-Imagn Images
Kraken TV voice John Forslund was spared from calling their Mar. 19 shutout loss in Minnesota, in which Seattle surrendered three goals in the first five minutes. But he didn’t spare the team afterward, calling the effort “Embarrassing. I don’t understand the start, when you’re trying to gain some traction (post-trade deadline), being a force in the offensive zone.”
(Reason #425 to appreciate Forslund, by the way. He has the rare broadcast job security earned through decades of stellar work to reasonably criticize the franchise that pays his salary.)
During a KIRO-AM interview, Forslund pointed to the weakness that has plagued the Kraken all season. “It’s in the defensive zone. It’s sorting out through the middle of the ice on the way back defensively. These are things they haven’t been able to fix for whatever reason. It needs to be addressed, and they need to be better.”
To Forslund, the issue boils down to one word: connection. “You have a team that gives up a lot of chances off the rush. They seem to be caught on one side of the ice a lot. They vacate the slot (in the defensive zone). In my opinion, they’re not connected defensively in front of the goalies.”
The Signpost Up Ahead: You’re Entering Campbell-Ville
Kevin Weedmark Facebook Image
The March 21, 2025 Times of India English-language website listed more than a dozen cricket stories on its sports page.
And one on Kraken assistant coach Jessica Campbell.
Such is the impact of Campbell’s gender-shattering role as the NHL’s first behind-the-bench female coach, that a site which much more often runs field hockey stories decided to include one on the rink variety. It didn’t break any news. But most of the site’s 350 million monthly visitors probably aren’t aware that TOI can refer to “Time On Ice” as well as “Times of India.” So the recognition of Campbell, and the Kraken, itself is impressive.
The story concludes, “As Campbell continues to redefine the coaching landscape, her story is a source of inspiration for future coaches and athletes everywhere, proving that with determination and hard work, anything is achievable.”
Campbell’s hometown of Rocanville, Saskatchewan, population 900, gathered at the town community center to watch the Kraken’s Mar. 22 game in Edmonton. At the event, town leaders also unveiled a highway sign (above), which will inspire motorists with one of Campbell’s signature messages.
The coach herself helped make the evening special. As provincial legislator Kevin Weedmark wrote on his Facebook page, “Jessica arranged with Bauer to provide free hockey sticks for every player in Rocanville minor hockey!”
Houston, We Have A… Hockey Team?
The NHL isn’t the winter league that has Seattle sports fans holding their breath about expansion. In fact, the NHL isn’t formally considering adding to the group of 32, of which the Kraken were the newest member back in 2021.
Commissioner Gary Bettman addressed this to the Canadian Press last Autumn. “If somebody checks all the boxes and wants to move forward, then I’ll take it first to the executive committee and see if there’s an interest. What we’re not going to do is what we did in prior times and say, ‘(There is) a lot of interest, if you want to file an application, do it by this date and we’ll consider all the applications together.’ This is going to be a one-off, if we do it at all.”
Which is not to say the league is refusing suitors. CP reports the NHL met this month with a Houston group fronted by billionaire Dan Friedkin. A different group from New Orleans earlier this year did the same.
At Least These Mavericks Didn’t Trade Luka
The Kraken have added another player with Massachusetts ties to their organization. Owen Cole doesn’t have the profile of a Joey Daccord or Matty Beniers, but the 5-10, 183 pound forward was captain and top scorer on his college team at UMass-Lowell. Cole’s been signed by the Kansas City Mavericks, ECHL affiliate of the Kraken.
It’s a longshot he’ll have a chance to show his hockey IQ in Seattle, but his IQ itself isn’t in question. Cole is a three-time Hockey East All-Academic honoree, touting a 3.76 GPA.
Speaking of the Mavs, they’re atop the ECHL Mountain Division. Five straight wins have raised their record to a gaudy 42-16-5. 89 points ties KC for 4th in the 29-team league. Last season, the Mavericks racked up 114 points and made it all the way to the league championship round. The 2025 Kelly Cup playoffs begin April 16.