Kraken facing a different kind of construction as another NHL season begins

Precisely one year ago, Tod Leiweke was racing against time as the finishing touches were being put on Climate Pledge Arena. Its carefully formulated construction schedule torn asunder by COVID-19 disruptions, the goal was to have the $1.2 billion building ready for the Kraken’s home opener Oct. 23, 2021 — after five strategically scheduled games on the road to kick off the fledgling franchise.

Leiweke — the Kraken’s chief executive officer and with brother Tim the driving force behind bringing an NHL franchise to Seattle — remembers giving a friend a tour of the place in those frantic final days.

“Man, I don’t know how you’re going to get all this done,” the friend told Leiweke.

But they pulled it off, for which Leiweke gives a nod of thanks to the “courage, determination and ultimately the quality of craftsmanship of the men and women of the trades.”

For the Kraken, a different sort of building project remains very much a work in progress. This one has every bit as much at stake, but it is far less frenetic, far more deliberate. In fact, some would say the construction of the Kraken’s on-ice product could use a little more urgency, following a season in which they debuted with a 27-49-6 record, 30^th out of 32 teams in the NHL.

Appearing relaxed and confident last week during an interview at the group’s other sparkling new Seattle hockey edifice, the Kraken Community Iceplex, Leiweke defended the pace at which the club is being constructed. Rather than dive full-bore into free agency from the outset and use all their payroll space, the Kraken, under the guidance of general manager Ron Francis, are attempting to build a strong and lasting foundation through the draft and other less flashy — but they believe more substantial — means.

Leiweke says he and the ownership group have full confidence in Francis’ vision. And that the eventual payoff will be worth it, and much more sustainable.

“It depends how you look at the journey,” he said. “If we put this here and it was just for a year or two, it’s hard to ask for people’s patience. But we’re planning to be here forever.”

Leiweke left his job as the No. 2 man in the NFL to come to Seattle and spearhead the Kraken’s launch, which he calls “the hardest thing I’ve ever done.” More than once, he said starting a franchise in the midst of COVID “is not for the faint of heart.”

But he also said it was a labor of love, the natural career coup de grace for a lifetime hockey zealot.

“I love this game,” he said. “I think it’s as beautiful a game as there is in the world. The players play it with great dignity and hard work. It’s a combination of ballet and some of the toughest physical action there is. It’s got all these amazing things for people who love it like me. I’ve loved it my whole life. I know for a fact that it will work. And it’s going to work here long term.”

Asked if he’s concerned by lagging television ratings and the sluggish ticket resale market, and whether that’s a byproduct of the Kraken’s on-ice struggles, Leiweke replied: “Well, it’s the byproduct of being not even a year old. I would say on those sorts of things, judge us in five years. I think when people are quick to judge on near-term issues, it doesn’t do justice to the long-term vision.”

That mindset will perhaps be tested after 2023-24, when the initial three-year season-ticket packages come up for renewal.

For now, Leiweke points proudly to ancillary items such as the announcing crew he calls “as good a broadcast as there is, including the network broadcasts,” the game presentation he vows will be upgraded in 2022-23 and the spanking new facility for their Coachella Valley AHL affiliate in California. He joked that his only concern is that when a player is called up from Coachella Valley and sees it’s raining in Seattle, he’ll say, “Hey, can I come on Saturday instead of tomorrow?”

Players who were held back by COVID restrictions are now able to engage in the community and better bond among each other. And Leiweke believes a culture is developing where team members are taking pride and ownership in being a Kraken.

“We’ve had two wonderful draft years,” he said. “The players are proud now to pull our jersey on. And that is a sea change, if you will. Because these are players who want to be here. They came to us either through the draft or free agency or re-signed with us.”

The million-dollar (or perhaps billion-dollar) question: Can the Kraken, in Year 2, attain the playoffs?

“I do believe in analytics, and the analytics folks can tell us with some sort of expertise as to where we’ll be,” he said. “But the bottom line is I think we’re going to be definitely improved. And I think we’re headed toward a goal, and that when we do make the playoffs we will be a sustained playoff team.”

Of Francis, he said: “If you’re knee-jerk in this business, and any team sports, it’s not a good sign. And so I’d say that Ron is a very deliberate, incredibly thoughtful guy. And we’re fortunate to have him in the leadership role.

“We could have spent closer to the cap [at the outset]. But when he came he spoke the truth, which is we don’t want to just win. We want to win on a sustained basis. And the way you do that is really by drafting smart.”

As the 2022-23 season nears for the Kraken, they are no longer stressing about the completion of their arena and all the other trappings of their franchise unveiling. But they are still under construction, and the clock is ticking.