The Seattle Kraken had a tough time on the ice during their first season in existence. Many hoped the team would take a step in the 2022-23 season, and they did just that. Seattle made their first appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and even took out the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche.

That playoff run certainly raises the team's expectations for what they can do in 2023-24. The Kraken are expected to make the playoffs once again in 2024. And the team operated in NHL Free Agency like a team wanting to make the playoffs this upcoming season.

Now that the NHL offseason is starting to simmer down, let's take a look at what the Kraken did. And more specifically, let's figure out what the biggest roster concern for the Seattle Kraken is ahead of the 2023-24 season.

Kraken departures

Seattle lost a few pieces from their roster this summer. Winger Daniel Sprong parlayed a career season into a one-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings. Morgan Geekie decided on a two-year contract with the Boston Bruins. The Kraken also lost Ryan Donato, who joined Connor Bedard on the Chicago Blackhawks. On the backend, Seattle watched as defenseman Carson Soucy joined a Pacific Divison rival. He signed a three-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks.

Though not an official departure, it's worth mentioning Martin Jones. The veteran goaltender is currently a free agent after spending this past season as a backup puck-stopper for Seattle.

Kraken additions

The Kraken made a fair few interesting additions to their roster in NHL Free Agency. Perhaps the biggest addition is veteran defenseman Brian Dumoulin on a two-year contract. Dumoulin joins the Kraken after spending the last 10 seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins. With Pittsburgh, the 31-year-old blueliner won two Stanley Cups.

Seattle made another addition to their blueline, bringing in Connor Carrick. The 29-year-old defenseman has bounced around the league a bit since debuting in 2013-14. Most recently, he suited up in one game for the Bruins this past season.

The Kraken also signed forward and Seattle native Kailer Yamamoto. Yamamoto, 24, has only played for the Edmonton Oilers in his career. However, the Oilers traded him to the Detroit Red Wings during the 2023 NHL Draft. Detroit bought Yamamoto out, allowing the former first-round pick to hit the open market.

Finally, veteran forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare joined on a one-year contract. The French forward spent the last two seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He made the Stanley Cup Final in 2022 with Tampa, losing to the Avalanche.

Biggest roster concern

The biggest concern with the Kraken heading into next season is their lack of elite talent. No one can question this team's depth. Seattle is a shining example that you can make the Stanley Cup Playoffs without elite talent so long as you have incredible depth.

However, the end goal isn't to merely make the playoffs. Every team with playoff aspirations is aiming to win the Stanley Cup. And while incredible depth is great, it's hard to win a Stanley Cup if you lack elite players.

The Vegas Golden Knights have Jack Eichel. Tampa Bay iced teams featuring Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, and Andrei VasilevskIy among others. Colorado had Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon, as well.

It's understandable why Seattle didn't add any elite talent this summer. Free agency didn't necessarily offer any elite players, and the trade cost for elite talent was likely to high for the Kraken. Furthermore, they could have elite talent emerge from within. Especially if Matty Beniers and Shane Wright take a step this fall.

However, as things stand right now, not much has changed for this team. The Kraken are one of the deepest teams in the league. They just don't have a game-changer at the top of their lineup. That could be a problem this season and in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.