You’re watching the Seahawks’ stock drop at terminal velocity and are scrambling to latch onto another local team.
You’re intrigued by the second-year stick-and-puck squad, but can’t help but note that the Kraken finished with the NHL’s third-worst record in their inaugural season.
Sure, they are currently 16-10-3 and in third place in the Western Division (they’ve played four fewer games than the second-place Kings) but have lost five of their past six — none of which went to overtime.
So what does one make of this? Remember, the Mariners started off 13-2 three years ago before finishing 68-94. Would you be a fool not to invest emotionally in these Kraken? Or was their scorching start merely fool’s gold?
I posed a variant of this question to some players Saturday, which, admittedly, is a bit like asking a defendant whether they’re guilty or innocent. Still, it’s worth hearing what they would say to skeptics who worry they are regressing to last year’s form.
“I mean, look at the standings — if you were to look back in the summer and say we were going to be six games above .500 with three games left before Christmas, we’d be pretty excited,” said right winger and alternate Kraken captain Jordan Eberle. “I hear you say ‘regression’ — it’s the exact opposite. We’ve progressed tremendously. You’re gonna have highs and lows in the season … but by any stretch, we’re not the team we were last year. We’re much better.”
Better how, though? Well, starts with the offense, which went from scoring 2.6 goals per game last season (27th in the league) to 3.4 this season (16th.)
Acquiring a player such as Andre Burakovsky tends to assist in such endeavors. The left winger helped the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup last year and has tallied a team-high 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists) for the Kraken on the season.
It isn’t a towering total. In fact, his 27 points aren’t even among the Top 50 in the NHL this year. But that speaks to the scoring balance of Seattle, which has 13 players with at least 10 points this season.
Eberle has 24, while last year’s leader, Jared McCann, has 19 with a team-high 13 goals. But if you’re looking to mark the spot on the X Factor, it’s 20-year-old Calder Trophy (rookie of the year) favorite, Matty Beniers.
The second overall pick of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft has notched 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) thus far while flashing red-carpet star power. Granted, Beniers has been quiet over this recent skid, nabbing just one point in the past six games. But as Kraken defenseman Adam Larsson said Saturday: “I’ve seen a lot of good players throughout my years, and he is for sure a special one. … Seattle has a stud for many years to come.”
But will that translate to success for the Kraken this year? Because the defensive side hasn’t been so special.
The Kraken were 22nd in goals against last season, allowing 3.14 per game. This season they have given up … 3.14 per game. Yes, Seattle has been without starting goalie Philipp Grubauer for much of the year, but considering he has allowed 3.44 goals per game when healthy, that might not explain the shortcomings.
The truth is, this is still a fledgling franchise with roster gaps you’d expect for a second-year team fresh off a 60-point season. But the Kraken are also well on pace to make the playoffs and enter a tournament where — under the old format from 1994-2015 — an eight seed won the Stanley Cup and four seven seeds reached the Finals. Anything can happen in the postseason.
Just like anything can happen during a stretch in the regular season. It’s fair to worry that the Kraken’s recent woes foreshadow a longer slump that shoots them toward the bottom of the standings. For now, the burden of proof is on the team that hasn’t proven a whole lot in its 1 1/3 seasons of existence. But it’s worth noting that none of Seattle’s past five losses have come against a team with a losing record. If there an “acceptable” slump, this was it.
Not that that would put fans’ minds at ease.
So what does Kraken coach Dave Hakstol think makes this team better than last year’s?
“There’s so many pieces. The quality of people in that room, the trust and belief that our group inside the dressing room are building together, and the connection of that with our fans, for me is one of the greatest reasons.”
OK, not the most specific answer, but talk is cheap anyway. On the ice, the Kraken have given this city hope that a deep playoff run is possible.
Lots to fix? Sure. But lots to enjoy as well.