Defeat defined the Kraken locker room last it gathered 151 days ago at the team’s practice facility. Ten exit interviews could not satisfyingly solve the mystery of Seattle’s missing scoring, ultimately amounting to an early April elimination.
Clues to how the Kraken will resolve this issue and more will underlie the buzz of training camp, set to kick off September 19th. Sixty attendees– the entire Kraken roster, a handful of Firebirds, and all rookie camp participants– will shrink to 23 over the course of the next three weeks. Cuts could come around the 21st and the 28th.
To better anticipate what puck drop on the regular season will have in store for the Kraken, here are three questions to keep in mind during training camp and the preseason– and some thoughts on how they could be answered.
How could Bylsma orchestrate necessary offensive improvements?
For better or for words, roster turnover this season is minimal.
Brandon Montour is the only new face among the ranks of the defensive corps, and Joey Daccord and Philipp Grubauer remain the tandem in goal. Matty Beniers, Oliver Bjorkstrand, André Burakovsky, Jordan Eberle, Yanni Gourde, Tye Kartye, Jared McCann, Jaden Schwartz, Chandler Stephenson, Brandon Tanev, and Eeli Tolvanen stand as 11 of 12 possible ‘locks’ at forward.
Competition during training camp will likely be limited to the final center spot– of which Shane Wright is just short of guaranteed– and three remaining depth roles. Seattle prefers those spots filled by a defenseman and two forwards, and any of Ryan Winterton, Logan Morrison, John Hayden, Josh Mahura, and Cale Fleury may be considered to do so.
All this means the Kraken will be sourcing offense from a forward group almost identical to last year’s. That puts the pressure on Bylsma to ensure the return to form expected of top contributors actually happens, and to pull additional production from wherever he can. Instead of overhauling systems to accomplish that, the team will “tweak” offensive strategy.
Inheriting old line combinations with track records of success wouldn’t be illogical. Although it wouldn’t be a shock for Bylsma to throw lines in the blender, either, especially if Stephenson’s anticipated assignment to the first line demands wingers other than Eberle and McCann.
Tweaks could also manifest as a greater emphasis on shooting from the hard-to-reach areas of the ice, the ‘home plate,’ a weakness of Seattle’s going on three seasons. Keep an eye on offensive training camp drills as well as the location of preseason goals. Additionally, it may be worthwhile to monitor where on goaltenders Kraken shooters are scoring: high or low?
Given his work in player development and his familiarity with up-and-coming prospects, Bylsma may dole out heftier responsibility to younger forwards. Wright, for example, may not necessarily be condemned to the fourth line if he makes the roster. And regardless of whether he is, his position in the lineup could provide valuable insight as to the standards Bylsma’s setting for his forwards.
Remember that Daniel Sprong sat most nights because he failed to prove his trustworthiness in his own zone– strong defense became the ‘standard’ in the Dave Hakstol era. What, if anything, ends up setting Wright apart will make Bylsma’s biggest priorities as head coach clearer.
How will Seattle navigate their tight cap situation?
Including Wright and Mahura’s contracts in their total cap hit leaves the Kraken entering the season with about $4 thousand left in cap space– not nearly enough to fill the two spots that would remain on their 23-man roster.
Seattle normally prefers salary cap wiggle room, but general manager Ron Francis is adamant he won’t sacrifice skill simply for the sake of financial flexibility. For now, management is comfortable with the roster as is.
“We’ll constantly look at that and monitor [the cap],” Francis said last week. “There’s a couple situations that we’re a little concerned about as we get into the season, but we’ll have those discussions with Dan and make sure he’s aware of what may or may not transpire and go from there.”
Poor health ravaged the forward group last season, and it’s likely a similarly devastating slew of injuries comprise the hypotheticals worrying Francis. Without the cap space needed to tack reinforcements onto the roster, the Kraken could be left high and dry when– not if– the injury bug bites again.
Trades are an easy way for a team in Seattle’s situation to free up cap space. But what do the Kraken have to barter with?
Gourde and Tanev are entering the last year of their contracts, worth $5.16 million and $3.5 million respectively. Each are ‘locks’ because of their experience, their contracts, and the lack of serious competition for their spots at this point in time– not because they couldn’t become expendable under the right circumstances. Even one of those contracts off the books could free up the cap space bring two depth skaters to the roster.
Cap dumps often require sweeteners. Seattle lacks excess draft capital, but if the prospect pool is big enough for rookie tournaments, it’s big enough to move some of its talent while maintaining value.
What’s up with the goaltending depth chart?
After playing 50 games last season– and starting 46 of them– the starter’s job is unquestionably Daccord’s.
Past behavior is the best indicator of future behavior, and Bylsma will likely lean on a designated starter going forward the same way he did in Coachella Valley. Chris Driedger played 39 games last season, Ales Stezka played 27. Before that, Daccord played 38 games for the Firebirds while Driedger and Christopher Gibson played a combined 34.
That Grubauer is frequently hit with injury during the first half of the season only strengthens Daccord’s bid to dominate the workload. But it also increases the likelihood of a Stezka call-up, the official third-string and likely Coachella Valley starter.
Jack LaFontaine is the starter for the ECHL’s Kansas City Mavericks. Beyond that? Niklas Kokko and Victor Östman will fill each of the backup roles for both of Seattle’s affiliates, although who goes where has yet to be determined.
Kokko may be the favorite to back up Stezka with the Firebirds– the higher priority job– seeing as he’s coming off a stellar rookie camp and a 29-save rookie tournament win. But nothing’s set in stone, and Östman stands as a competitive option in his own right.