In the spirit of The Hockey Writers contributors sharing their thoughts on how their teams are performing so far in 2024-25, we shall do the same for the Seattle Kraken. However, rather than share, for example, “17 Thoughts After 17 Games,” this article will cut right to the chase. Is this version of the team superior, inferior, or about the same as last season? Let’s discuss.
The Kraken’s Room for Improvement
Suffice it to say, there was a lot of room for improvement in Seattle after last season. Hopes were high heading into 2023-24. In hindsight, at least judging from how the campaign unfolded, maybe they were too high. The club missed the playoffs by a wide margin – a whopping 17 points behind the second Wild Card spot – and gave former head coach Dave Hakstol his marching orders before April was over.
Enter new coach Dan Bylsma, assistant Jessica Campbell, and some high-profile summer signings: Brandon Montour and Chandler Stephenson. It can take time for new personnel to gel with their surroundings, both behind the bench and on the ice. Even so, some statistical categories last season required improvement as soon as possible. The moribund offense comes to mind – 2.61 goals per game, which saw Seattle sit tight in 29th place league-wide. Registering the 26th-most shots on goal (2,347) didn’t help.
Seattle’s Mid-November Team Efforts
Last season, after playing 17 matches (Seattle’s present tally as of Nov. 15, 2024), the Kraken were a worrisome 5-8-4. That last figure — the quartet of extra-time and shootout defeats — would haunt the team all season. They finished with 13 losses suffered after regulation time, which was the fourth-most in the league.
The campaign got off to a bad start, with a three-game road trip to hell that put them behind the eight ball at 0-2-1 and only a trio of goals to their name. The home opener against the Colorado Avalanche was a 4-1 disaster. A 7-4 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in the fifth contest would be one of the few bright spots during the first month and a half of action.
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This season, the Kraken are better, if not great, at 8-8-1. One obvious bright spot is that the side has turned its fortunes around when it plays overtime. Whereas they had failed four times already at this stage, the current iteration has a 3-1 record when more than 60 minutes are required to determine a game’s outcome.
The Kraken were a dubious proposition at home in 2023-24, and the issues started early. At this point in the season, they were 2-5-0 when playing at Climate Pledge Arena and ultimately finished 17-18-6. Through nine matches in front of their supporters in 2024-25, the Kraken are a much better 5-3-1. At the time of writing, Seattle is enjoying a three-game winning streak at home. Their issues have been during their travels. A 3-5-0 tally is nothing to shout about. A northeastern road trip with several Canadian pit stops from Oct. 29 through Nov. 5 did them no favours. They finished it with a 1-4-0 record. The lone win, ironically, was their first game in Montreal against the Canadiens, an eye-opening 8-2 triumph.
Worse, that was a stretch of games during which – opening road contest in Montreal aside – the club only scored four goals in four games and were shut out by the Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins. Does that mean the attack has not improved since last season? No. Seattle has lit the lamp 52 times through 17 contests, whereas they had done so only 42 times in 2023-24.
Conversely, the goals-against numbers are superior as well. By the middle of November in 2023, the Kraken had conceded an incredible 59 tallies for a minus-17 goal differential. This season, Joey Daccord and, to a lesser extent, Philipp Grubauer have only given up 51 goals. A plus-1 goal differential is not enough to organize a parade, but it beats minus-17 by leaps and bounds.
Kraken Player Improvements
As for the players themselves, things are also better, if not exponentially. Montour and Stephenson won’t be included in this discussion since they operated for different clubs a year ago. Their presence helps their teammates, but we’ll leave it at that. It’s great that Shane Wright is finally a permanent fixture in the lineup, but he hardly played at the NHL level in 2023-24. The jury is still out on him, so to speak.
But what of the obvious candidates, like Jared McCann, Matty Berniers, Oliver Bjorkstrand, and Jordan Eberle?
McCann showed up this season ready to ball. He already has 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) and has a sensational plus-9 rating. At this time last season, he had a trio of goals and 10 helpers. He finished with a team-best 62 points, which is about as low as one can get and still be the most prolific player on a roster. Should his current pace hold, which is debatable, he’d tally 96 points. No Kraken has ever had more than 70 points (McCann in 2022-23).
Many eyes are on Beniers, the 2023 Calder Trophy winner whose productivity fell like a rock in 2023-24. He only had one goal at this point, although his numbers were bolstered by five assists. He, too, has improved, having already netted four goals and adding six helpers. The plus-5 rating is also a nice sight.
Bjorkstrand has generally held serve. Frankly, he outdid himself through 17 matches last season, as he had already put the biscuit in the basket six times and assisted on six other goals. He was an NHL All-Star nominee, helped in no small part by his stellar start to the campaign. That he’s scored four times and added four helpers shouldn’t be viewed as a disappointment, per se.
Even Eberle, the newly minted team captain, is putting in superior work. He has 11 points via six goals and five apples. Through the middle of November 2023, he had scored only once. Unfortunately, he slid awkwardly into the boards during the Nov. 14 match against the Chicago Blackhawks and had to leave. It remains to be seen if his injury is serious enough to keep him out of the lineup long-term and if that will negatively affect his pace.
And the Verdict on the Kraken Is...
Overall, Seattle is a better team than last season. Are they much better? That’s a trickier question. When they look good, they’re awesome (8-2 over the Canadiens, 7-3 over the Nashville Predators, 5-4 over the Minnesota Wild). When they look bad, it’s a pretty tough watch (shut out twice over 24 hours by the Senators and Bruins). In other words, the highs are brilliant and encouraging, and the lows remind observers that this team isn’t out of the woods yet.
Equally impressive is that, unlike last season, the club has been able to navigate rocky waters without the services of defenseman Vince Dunn. His extended absence in March played a large role in the team’s season going aflame. Unfortunately, he is injured again (presently on long-term injured reserve). By the same token, that’s why someone like Montour was brought in. Seattle has options on the blue line for these very situations. And yes, Stephenson has looked solid with six goals, five assists, and a plus-3 rating.
Other than the Winnipeg Jets and Wild, the Kraken are within striking distance of everybody. Even the Vegas Golden Knights, current leaders of the Pacific Division, have 22 points to Seattle’s 17. That’s nothing to stress over, not at this early stage of the season.
The silver lining is that the disappointing 2023-24 keeps expectations in check. The team looks decent and has played solid hockey many times already – and rather poor hockey a few times. Seattle is firmly in the thick of the Western Conference action and the season can tilt either way. That alone is a reason to be excited about this season’s Kraken.
