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In just three seasons since entering the league, the Seattle Kraken have already seen their share of ups and downs.
After an expectedly tough inaugural season, the Kraken managed to reach the playoffs in just their second season. However, eliminating the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche and reaching the second round may have resulted in expectations for last year being unrealistically high. The Kraken then struggled in 2023-24, finishing below .500 and missing the postseason by a wide margin.
So below, we take a look at Seattle's projected roster and their likelihood of getting back to the playoffs.
Projected defense group and goaltending
The notable addition to the team's blue line came in Stanley Cup champion Brandon Montour. The defenseman signed a massive seven-year contract with the team, and he immediately adds more legitimacy to their blue line. Meanwhile, Brian Dumoulin and Justin Schultz were the two departures from last year's group.
The other pillar of the defense group remains Vince Dunn. Managing 46 points last season, Dunn ranked third on the team in points, even despite missing 23 games. We can expect him to play with Adam Larsson once again, while Jamie Oleskiak rounds out the top four. William Borgen is expected to take on a bottom-pairing role as well, likely paired with Ryker Evans, leaving Josh Mahura as the spare.
It's not a top-tier defense group, but the addition of Montour makes it a lot more well-rounded.
In goal, we'll once again see a tandem of Joey Daccord and Philipp Grubauer. While Grubauer was expected to be the No. 1 guy when he signed a six-year deal for Seattle's inaugural season, that hasn't quite materialized. He has yet to even reach a .900 save percentage in a single season with the Kraken and hasn't lived up to his salary.
Last season, however, the Kraken found a reliable solution in Daccord. Despite the fact the netminder in his late 20s had never even played 10 NHL games in a single season prior to last year, he was able to finally stabilize Seattle's crease. Across 50 games in 2023-24, Daccord posted an excellent .916 save percentage.
Of course, it's still not an excellent situation. Daccord has just a single season of NHL experience, while Grubauer is in the midst of a clear decline. It all comes down to whether Daccord can repeat his success.
Projected forward group
The Kraken did improve up front as well this offseason. They really didn't suffer any key departures from the group they ended last year with, then added Chandler Stephenson. Like Montour, Stephenson's also a fairly recent Cup champion, winning with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023. He's been a consistent 50-60-point scorer over the last few seasons and does add depth up the middle.
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Where the Kraken could really benefit though is from some of their current roster having a better year. Andre Burakovsky missed a good chunk of the season, and when he was in the lineup, he really wasn't overly impactful. At his best, Burakovsky can produce around a 60-point pace, but he's really struggled to stay healthy lately.
The bigger piece of the puzzle comes in Matty Beniers. The forward had an outstanding rookie season but struggled in his sophomore season. Still, the Kraken have huge faith in Beniers being a star, signing him to a huge seven-year deal this summer.
Then behind Stephenson and Beniers at center, Shane Wright has the potential to suit up for his first full NHL season. While expectations should be realistic, this could be the first season in Wright establishing himself as a long-term part of the team's core.
Meanwhile, there's a solidified group of veterans surrounding them in the top nine. All of Jared McCann, Jordan Eberle, Jaden Schwartz, and Oliver Bjorkstrand can be expected to provide a chunk of the team's scoring. Then Eeli Tolvanen and Yanni Gourde can provide secondary offense, and Brandon Tanev and Tye Kartye act as solid depth.
Ultimately, the Kraken have the veterans in place for a fairly well-rounded group. But their ability to score is going to be at least partially dependent on Matty Beniers and Shane Wright taking a step, and Burakovsky bouncing back.
A return to the playoffs is up in the air for Kraken
Even with their additions, the Kraken seem positioned to be a team right on the playoff bubble. They should be better than their 12th-place finish in the Western Conference last season but are by no means a lock for the postseason.
They'll benefit from the West having a few teams who are rebuilding right now. The Chicago Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks, Calgary Flames, and Anaheim Ducks aren't likely to be wildly competitive.
At the same time, they're probably not among the top teams in the Pacific Division. The Kraken's path back to the playoffs is likely based on squeaking in via a wildcard spot. They have enough pieces in place, but it'll be a matter of whether they're able to get the offense from their forward group that they'll expect, and if their goaltending can hold up.
