Subscribe
Follow Us
After finishing just below .500 last season and failing to advance to the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Seattle Kraken are on a similar trajectory in 2024-25. After a 3-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Friday night, the Kraken have fallen to 13-14-1 — good enough for sixth place in the Pacific Division.
This franchise has been trying to recapture the magic that saw the squad win 46 games in 2022-23 before beating the defending champion Colorado Avalanche in Game 7 and taking the Dallas Stars to seven games in Round 2. The hope was that Brandon Montour and Chandler Stephenson would help the Kraken get back to the playoffs, but although both have been servieceable, they haven't been enough to get the club into a postseason slot through over a quarter of the season.
Overall, it's been a disappointing start to the campaign, and there's not a ton to get excited about in the Emerald City this December.
Kraken are under .500 and missing Jordan Eberle
The Kraken have been one of the streakiest teams in the National Hockey League, losing seven of eight games between October 22- November 5 before winning six of eight directly afterwards. But the team is mired in a skid in December, having dropped four of six — all in regulation.
Probably the most disappointing thing for the Kraken early on is the long-term injury to captain Jordan Eberle. The veteran forward has been a key piece of the offensive unit over the last couple of seasons, and he's been solid over 17 games this time around, recording six goals and 11 points. The 34-year-old was injured in a 3-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on November 14, and given a three-month recovery timeline after undergoing pelvic surgery at the end of November.
The Kraken don't really have any star forwards outside of Jared McCann, and the offense comes from all four lines and by committee. Losing Eberle is a brutal blow, and he is certainly being missed right now. Injuries are a part of the game, and other guys are expected to step up in situations such as these.
And although it's been a poor overall team effort, Ryker Evans has been a pleasant surprise on the blue.
Ryker Evans is breaking out on blue line
Drafted No. 35 overall by the Kraken in the 2021 NHL Draft, Evans debuted in the league in 2023-24, suiting up for 36 regular-season games for Seattle. He chipped in a goal and nine points over that span, with a high likelihood that he would be given an even larger role this season.
And although Montour and Vince Dunn have been occupying the two powerplay quarterback positions, Evans has been excellent offensively at 5-on-5. The 22-year-old is up to fifth on the team in scoring, with an impressive 16 points in 26 games. He's averaging over 20 minutes of ice time per game, and clearly has the confidence of head coach Dan Bylsma.
Evans is still playing on the third pairing with Will Borgen, as the top-four is pretty set in stone with Dunn and Montour each paired with a more defensively minded player in Adam Larsson and Jamie Oleksiak, respectively. Still, there's a case to be made that the Calgary, Alberta native deserves a look on one of the powerplay units.
Although that likely won't happen anytime soon, Evans has continued to be an effective player in his role. His defensive game still needs rounding out — he's a minus-one on the campaign — but he's undoubtedly been the team's best surprise in 2024-25.
On the opposite end, top prospect Shane Wright continues to disappoint at the big league level.
Shane Wright continues to disappoint despite hype
Wright was widely expected to go No. 1 overall in the 2022 NHL Draft, but after an up-and-down junior season, he ended up going fourth to the Kraken. And he's struggled mightily to create any type of meaningful momentum at the sport's highest level.
The 20-year-old played eight games in 2022-23, chipping in a goal and an assist in the process. He spent most of the last two seasons split between the Ontario Hockey League's Windsor Spitfires and American Hockey League's Coachella Valley Firebirds — the latter is Seattle's AHL affiliate.
Wright found his footing with the Firebirds, amassing 22 goals and 47 points in 59 games in 2023-24. He was excellent in the playoffs as well, scoring 13 points in 12 games as the squad lost to the Hershey Bears in the Calder Cup Final. The hope was that the Burlington, Ontario native would be able to translate that into success in the NHL in 2024-25.
But that's not been the case. Wright has managed just nine points in 25 games, and is on a pace that would see him record right around 30 points in his first full NHL season. It's not terrible, but not at all what the Kraken expected when they drafted this player fourth overall. Wright continues to disappoint, but at age 20, he likely still has a long career ahead of him.
Overall, the Kraken have disappointed as a unit this season. Not a single player is at a point-per-game pace — McCann has 23 points in 28 games — and Seattle is 19th in the league in goals per game. Although Joey Daccord has emerged into an above-average starter, which is even more important considering Philipp Grubauer's struggles, this is not looking like a playoff team as currently constructed.
The Pacific Division is a tough one, with all of the Vancouver Canucks, Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings having playoff aspirations. It's going to be tough sledding to secure one of the two wildcard berths in the Western Conference this season, and at this pace, Seattle won't be anywhere close.
It's a long season, and still a ton of hockey to play — but the odds are that it will be three missed playoffs in four seasons for the Kraken.
