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The Seattle Kraken are not having the best start to the 2023-24 NHL season. In fact, their most impressive achievement so far this season has come off the ice. Seattle won their first game of the season on Thursday, scoring seven goals against the Carolina Hurricanes. Prior to that game, though, the Kraken had managed just three goals in their first four games.
Seattle is looking to improve upon their sophomore season in 2022-23. They found themselves just one game away from the 2023 Western Conference Final this past spring. Without a doubt, the Kraken have their eye on returning to the Stanley Cup Playoffs and going on another deep run.
Much like last season, though, Seattle is going to face an uphill battle. The Kraken will need to rely on their depth to take them far once again. No team in the NHL can roll four lines quite like this club. But whether they can replicate last season's success remains to be seen.
Despite Seattle's slow start to the season, fans should keep their eyes on a few players that could make a major impact this season. Let's go over which players are breakout candidates for the Seattle Kraken.
Hometown kid Kailer Yamamoto
On the second and final day of the 2023 NHL Draft, Kailer Yamamoto saw himself on the move. The Edmonton Oilers traded the former first-round pick to the Detroit Red Wings, along with Klim Kostin, for essentially nothing. In the days following the trade, the Red Wings bought Yamamoto out of his contract, making him a free agent.
Yamamoto hit the open market as a reclamation project more than anything. The 25-year-old showed what he can do when healthy, as he scored 20 goals and 41 points in 81 games during the 2021-22 season. The problem is that Yamamoto hasn't had the greatest luck when it comes to injuries.
Signing with the Kraken made sense from the get-go. Seattle is no stranger to reclamation projects, as we'll get to a bit later. But the 25-year-old forward is from Spokane, Washington. Furthermore, he spent his junior hockey days with the Western Hockey League's Spokane Chiefs. Playing for a NHL team in your neck of the woods is a no-brainer.
So far, Yamamoto has a goal and two points in five games. However, if he can remain healthy, it isn't entirely out of the realm of possibility that the 25-year-old will find his 2021-22 form once again.
A renewed Eeli Tolvanen
Eeli Tolvanen has had a somewhat similar journey to Yamamoto. The Finnish forward is a former first-round pick, going 30th overall in 2017. He played 135 games for the Nashville Predators, but things just never seemed to work out. He went on waivers last December, which led to Seattle putting in a claim.
Prior to joining Seattle, Tolvanen's career high for goals was 11. In 18 games with the Kraken, the Finnish forward found his scoring touch. He found the back of the net 16 times, helping his new team into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. His old team, meanwhile, missed the playoffs altogether.
The 24-year-old Kraken forward has yet to score a goal in five games this season. However, he should receive every opportunity to succeed this year. Tolvanen is a prime candidate to breakout for Seattle, and him doing so would significantly boost their odds of making the Stanley Cup Playoffs again in 2024.
Kraken cornerstone Matty Beniers
In the summer of 2021, the Kraken participated in the NHL Draft for the first time. After defenseman Owen Power went first overall, Seattle was on the clock. With that second overall pick, the Kraken made Matty Beniers first entry draft pick in franchise history.
The University of Michigan product flashed a ton of potential for the Wolverines. He was one of a few players, Power included, to come from the Michigan program with a bright future in the league. Beniers returned to college for 20221-22, but did get a 10-game cup of coffee at the end of the season.
In 2022-23, he showed why the Kraken and their fans should be excited about his potential. The 20-year-old Beniers scored 20 goals and 57 points in his rookie campaign. His performance was enough for him to win the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's best rookie. He even beat out Power for the honor.
Sophomore slumps are certainly a thing. We saw something like that last season with Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond. In the same vein, major breakout performances in a player's second season aren't uncommon. Beniers is the Kraken's biggest breakout candidate for the 2023-24 NHL season. If he can avoid the sophomore slump, Seattle will be an even tougher team to beat night in and night out.
