The first spring training game for the Mariners isn’t for another month. NFL free agency for the Seahawks doesn’t come until March, and Huskies spring practice won’t start for another few weeks after that.
Normally this would be considered a lull in the Seattle pro sports landscape, something residents of the area have become all too familiar with each winter. Except right now there’s an NHL team from these parts playing about as well as any other team in the league. It is a group that just shot toward the top of the Pacific Division standings after becoming the first franchise in league history to sweep a road trip of at least seven games.
So here’s the question: Is now the time for the Kraken to capture Seattle’s sports fandom?
It’s quite the juxtaposition comparing this season’s Kraken vs. that of the 2021-22 version. The latter finished last in the Pacific and ended up with the third-worst record in the NHL. Perhaps more significant, the almost instant disappearance from relevance muted the resounding buzz that once surrounded the club in its inaugural season.
The novelty of the Kraken wore off in a hurry, but the turnaround seems to have come just as rapidly. The playoffs are all but a given at this point — but is it fair to start wondering about the Stanley Cup?
As much as the Kraken’s first-year struggles might have blunted the Emerald City’s zeal for the team, it wasn’t because general manager Ron Francis lacked a plan. The casual fan might have seen an abysmal record, but the more astute observer saw salary-cap space that had the potential to lure (Space) needle-moving assets.
And lure the Kraken did. They brought on left winger Andre Burakovsky from the Cup-winning Avalanche and have since watched him tally a team-high 37 points (12 goals, 25 assists). They added veteran defenseman Justin Schultz and, perhaps most notably, goalkeeper Martin Jones — who has started 29 games and racked up 21 wins despite being brought on as a backup.
Perhaps Jones best represents the storybook nature of this Kraken surge — but there have been other contributors. Left winger Jared McCann, for instance, had 27 goals in 74 games last season for Seattle but already has 22 through 41 games this season. Right wing Jordan Eberle, meanwhile, had 44 points in 79 games for the Kraken last season but has 35 through 44 games this go-round. Those individual upticks are reflective of the team’s increased goal-scoring, where Seattle went from fourth-to-last in the league last season (2.6 goals per game) to fourth overall this season (3.66).
Of course, the team’s shiniest new toy is center Matty Beniers, who is the current sportsbook favorite to win the Calder Trophy for the NHL’s top rookie. The 20-year-old has dazzled in his first full season by notching 36 points (17 goals, 19 assists) while drawing praise from every corner of the dressing room. If Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III ends up winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, Beniers could be the third Seattle-based ROY in the span of a year given that the Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez already captured the award in the American League last fall.
In terms of being the franchise frontman, Beniers seems to have that Julio quality. And though he didn’t want to make a direct comparison between Rodriguez and Matty, Kraken coach Dave Hakstol did point out how his rookie can energize his teammates the same way the center fielder does.
“Guys that love the game, work at the game, who up and work hard every day — have the ability to do it with a smile on their face … those are the kind of teammates that guys know they can rely on,” Hakstol said. “When you’re a good guy and a fun guy to be around, that brings a ton of energy to the group.”
So going back to the original question: Is this the Kraken’s time to seize Seattle?
Well, I don’t know if that’s exactly how fandom works. It’s still the regular season, and to enrapture a city you generally have to make a playoff run. The good news is that the Kraken are in position to do that, and play in a league that many think delivers the most exciting postseason experience in sports.
In the meantime, the winter hiatus in Seattle has been replaced by winter hockey. It’s not a Kraken town yet, but at the moment, the team has the stage all to itself.