NHL teams revealed their regular season calendars in July. Every one of a club’s 82 dates is important. But beyond such platitudes, it is fair to highlight certain nights and special sequences. It might be because one’s preferred franchise plays a historical or regional rival, because it’s a playoff rematch from the previous season, or because a new signing will face their former teammates. There are no bad choices. Today we look at key sequences in the Seattle Kraken’s 2024-25 schedule. These moments in the season may reveal a lot about where the club stands in relation to last season’s disappointment and their 31 rivals around the league. Let’s discuss.
October: Puck Drop Versus Close Competition
The Kraken open the season at home on Tuesday, Oct. 8. Notwithstanding the Global Series involving the New Jersey and Buffalo Sabres (Oct. 4 and 5), the Kraken host the very first match with an unusual 4:30 p.m. Pacific start time before other games later that evening.
Underlying this game as a point of interest goes beyond the fact it is a season and home opener. The visitors that afternoon will be the St. Louis Blues. Before the wheels began to really fall off for the Kraken last season, St. Louis was one of the teams they were battling for a playoff spot. Seattle eventually finished a considerable 11 points behind, but that was mostly due to a pitiful final week of play, including a loss in St. Louis. Opening night (opening day?) will make for an interesting measuring stick as to which, if either, of these playoff hopefuls made strides in the offseason.
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It’s likewise for the group’s very next contest. After a few days off they travel to Minnesota to play the Wild on Saturday, Oct. 12. The latter also missed the postseason, completing the regular season with 87 points to the Kraken’s 81. They are, in essence, another club Seattle fought with for much of the second half of last season to punch their ticket to the playoffs.
We will find out early how this team plays under new head coach Dan Bylsma.
In a bit of selfishness, the author would like to point out Seattle’s Oct. 29 contest versus the Montreal Canadiens in La Belle Province. It is the only time all season when the author has easy access to watch the club in person.
November: Water Wars
There was a bitterly ironic contest very late last season when the Kraken hosted the toothless San Jose Sharks. In a rare display of determined offense, the hosts fired 50 times at San Jose’s net, but could only score once in a frustrating 3-1 defeat. Granted, the Kraken’s postseason aspirations had been extinguished by then, but the loss was about as annoying as possible. Two things can be true at the same time; the Kraken were far from great but losing to the Sharks, at home no less, was unforgivable. Such errors cannot repeat themselves in 2024-25. Matches against Pacific Division rivals, especially ones with such steep hills to climb, must be seen as opportunities to nab a couple of points.
How about eight points?
From Nov. 25 through 30, Seattle plays the Anaheim Ducks twice (the 25th away, the 27th at home) and the Sharks twice (the 29th away, the 30th at home). Yes, San Jose drafted Macklin Celibrini but that alone does not make them world-beaters. The Chicago Blackhawks had Connor Bedard last season and were mostly awful. If Kraken fans are being honest with themselves, anything less than seven points – via an overtime or shootout loss – would be a missed opportunity. This is a “take care of business” quartet of matches.
December: Beasts of the East
Surely some Seattle supporters are looking at Dec 17 against the Ottawa Senators and the 19th against the Blackhawks as juicy opportunities for easy points. Before getting there, the Kraken must go through a murderer’s row of Eastern Conference powerhouses. Just as playing against division bottom dwellers can say a lot, so too can contending against clubs that might be Stanley Cup finalists in June 2025.
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On Sunday the 8th Seattle spends the afternoon in bustling Manhattan to play the New York Rangers, who captured the Presidents’ Trophy last season and made it to the Eastern Conference Final. That concludes a road trip in the New York region.
They head back home to play none other than the champion Florida Panthers on Tuesday the 10th as Brandon Montour gets to face his former side. Two days later they host the big, bad Boston Bruins. To cap it off, Saturday the 14th sees the Tampa Bay Lightning strike in the Pacific Northwest. Talk about being battle-tested.
January: The Road Trip
The Kraken will go on many road trips this season. However, the one in mid-January feels like it will be of particular importance. For the record, Seattle has three five-game road swings, but this is the dreaded East Coast trip. From Jan. 9 through 16, Seattle will play five times, four in the Eastern Time Zone .
What’s more, a couple of games are against Eastern Conference versions of the Blues and Wild; teams that played decent hockey last season but just missed out on the playoffs. On the 9th the Kraken visit the Columbus Blue Jackets, on the 11th they meet the Buffalo Sabres, the Detroit Red Wings on the 12th, the Pittsburgh Penguins on the 14th, and finally the Winnipeg Jets on the 16th.
Some fans may recall that the Kraken had a brilliantly successful road trip in 2022-23 which played a massive role in helping the side eventually make the playoffs. That same mojo will be required once again in January 2025.
February: Few Games As 4 Nations Face-off Takes Place
As has been the case the past few seasons, the league lightens the load on teams during February. The NHL 4 Nations Face-Off
festivities, which is replacing the All-Star Game, will occur during an extended break during which players and coaches can take some time to reset. Seattle only plays seven games all month.
That said, the weekend in Florida (the 22nd and 23rd) against the Panthers and Lightning will be one to keep an eye on.
March: Western Contenders
Think of this sequence as the Western Conference version of what was discussed about the December calendar.
The Kraken play five matches from the 22nd through the 31st, with four against sides that battled in the Western Conference Final last season. How can it be four since only two clubs can make it that far? Well, because they visit the Edmonton Oilers on the 22nd, host them on the 27th (after playing the Calgary Flames on the 25th), then welcome the Dallas Stars for a duo of duels on the 29th and 31st.
Just like with the stretch of contests against the Rangers, Panthers, and Bruins, these are incredibly important home games for the Kraken. Last season the club only mustered a 17-18-6 home record. That’s not good enough for a playoff push. Some will bemoan the NHL’s awkward scheduling, but when one is in the trenches, one has to make the most of it.
April: Final Home Stretch
There is a certain poetic beauty to the end of the regular season. Assuming Seattle is a superior outfit in 2024-25, by April they will, at best, be solidifying their playoff position or, at worst, still in the fight for one. After another five-game road trip, they host the Blues on Saturday the 12th and finally the Los Angeles Kings on the 15th.
In a perfect world, the Blues would be in Seattle on the 15th (bookending their season-opening visit), but it’s close enough. The Kings are a Divisional rival that makes for a compelling measuring stick, especially if both are playoff-bound.
As mentioned in the introduction, every match carries importance. The point being made is that whoever the 2024-25 Kraken are, these are the games and moments in the season that will go a long way to define them. With barely two months to go, the countdown is underway.
