The Stanley Cup playoff hopes of the Seattle Kraken ended Saturday. There’s already been a management shake-up for the Kraken – and their roster’s high-end competitive issues suggest more long-term pain is ahead for Seattle.
In their short history, the Seattle Kraken have had an uneven existence.
Over the first four seasons of operation, the Kraken made the Stanley Cup playoffs only once.
In this current campaign, Seattle won’t make the post-season, falling woefully short in the second half of the year before they were officially eliminated from playoff competition on Saturday when the Los Angeles Kings beat the Edmonton Oilers.
What Went Wrong For The Kraken?
The Kraken flirted briefly with a playoff spot this season, to the point that GM Jason Botterill was an active buyer at the trade deadline, picking up winger Bobby McMann from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
However, the fact is, from the return of the Olympics through Saturday’s game against the Calgary Flames, the Kraken went an atrocious 7-14-2 to put their season in a death spiral. In other words, they absolutely earned the abysmal spot they’re in right now.
It’s no wonder that we’ve already seen a major management shakeup in Seattle. Kraken president of hockey operations Ron Francis is stepping down at the end of this season. Francis took on the Kraken’s GM role in the summer of 2019, so he’s had a longer kick at the can than many hockey management people get.
The truth is, there isn’t something in the Seattle system right now that makes you think things with the Kraken are going to change for the better anytime soon.
Seattle’s statistics highlight people’s skepticism of the Kraken’s overall competitiveness. This year, Seattle’s offense ranks tied for 26th in the league at an average of 2.78 goals-for per game, and their defense ranks 23rd at 3.11 goals-against per game. Their power play ranks 20th in the league at 19.6 percent, and their penalty kill ranks dead last at an abysmal 71.6 percent.
Are we starting to see a pattern here? The Kraken simply haven’t been good enough where it counts.
Here’s a stat that always catches our attention: the Kraken were 2-6 in shootouts this season. If they turned in at least a .500 mark in shootouts, they might still be in the playoff race.
What’s Next For The Kraken?
But here’s what’s worst of all: Try to think of a Kraken player, on the team or in the system, who you’d say was a cornerstone player.
Matty Beniers is not that player. Neither is Shane Wright. And neither is anyone in the pipeline. When you’re five years into your existence as an organization, and you don’t have any cornerstone players, people start to notice.
Thus, while Kraken GM Jason Botterill will have $28.3 million in salary cap space to spend this summer, you have to wonder how much longer he’s going to have to implement his blueprint for success. Indeed, this team has been marked by unrest, with the team changing out coach Dan Bylsma after just one year on the job at the end of last season.
As a matter of fact, there have been three Kraken coaches in only five years. So with Francis moving on, the person who replaces him could want to install their own pick as Kraken GM quickly. If Botterill is moved on from, could coach Lane Lambert be far behind?
Thus, there could be even more change on the horizon for the Kraken, on the ice and off of it.
Now, Seattle does have its first-round draft pick this summer – and given that they currently have the NHL’s sixth-worst record, the Kraken will have the opportunity to select a potentially elite player who can be a foundational player for them.
That said, it still very much feels like the Kraken are a couple years away from being a couple years away from being a serious Cup contender.
They weren’t able to hit a home run as an expansion team the way the Vegas Golden Knights did, and that has doomed the Kraken to a mediocre-at-best fate.
The Kraken’s current lineup is essentially a dog’s breakfast of mid-tier veterans and youngsters still trying to prove themselves to be everyday NHLers. With due respect to McMann, when McMann can come in and be one of your most important players, that says as much about the team as it does about McMann.
It’s been great having NHL hockey in Seattle for a half-decade. But there’s not enough ‘there’ in Seattle at the moment, and it’s going to take more patience and long-term suffering to get the Kraken to the place they eventually want to be.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.