2024-25 Fantasy Hockey Team Preview: Seattle Kraken

Can Matty Beniers become their go-to offensive play driver this season? If so, expect a huge bounce back for the Kraken's future No. 1 center.

34-35-13, 81 Pts. 6th Pacific, 25th Overall. 

2.61 GF/GP (29th), 2.83 GA/GP (9th), 20.7 PP% (17th), 78.8 PK% (20th)

Top scorer: Jared McCann. 80 GP. 29-33-62, 23 PPP, 216 Shots, 16:46 TOI/GP

2024-25 BetMGM Stanley Cup Odds:

Opening: +8000
Current: +6600 (as of August 22, 2024)
Ticket: 1.1%. Handle: 0.5% (as of August 22, 2024)

The high-water mark for the Kraken is still 70 points, set by Jared McCann in 2022-23, and for the third straight season he led them in scoring. When you've only ever had one player score more than 25 goals in a season, naturally, the fantasy options are very limited. 

This is for two major reasons since the franchise's inception: first, the lack of a game-breaking offensive talent and, two, their offense-by-committee approach due to their lack of a game-breaking offensive talent. It's a chicken-and-egg kinda thing. As a result, the Kraken had only a few notable players in fantasy. 

After McCann, the player at the top of the list is Vince Dunn. The 27-year-old had a breakout season in 2022-23 and proved it was no fluke in 2023-24, scoring at a near-identical pace. He's now proven that he can be a consistent 60-point producer at both even strength and special teams; over the past two seasons, he ranks 26th among defensemen in power-play points.

In banger leagues, Adam Larsson and Jamie Oleksiak are staples with their 100-hit, 100-block potential, with Will Borgen now joining that list. He led all Kraken defensemen with 195 hits last season, and over the past two seasons ranks 13th in the league with 398 hits. 

Then there's Joey Daccord, who was one of the biggest surprises last season. Well, perhaps we shouldn't be surprised considering how mediocre Philipp Grubauer had been as their starter, and Daccord had been highly-touted even prior to getting picked before the expansion draft. He finished just one game over .500 but it was also the best season ever by a Kraken goalie. Though the bar was very low — no Kraken goalie had ever finished with a save percentage higher than .899 (min. 20 GP) — Daccord's .916 SP was very respectable and finished eighth in the league last season (min. 20 GP). 

The Kraken's offense should take a leap forward because Matty Beniers should be able to get on track and continue his ascension as a No. 1 center. The offense will hinge on him and McCann to provide the bulk of the offense. The Kraken splurged in free agency for Chandler Stephenson, but he's a matchup player who will be used all over the lineup. He's not being paid to score while Beniers is asked to do a lot of it. 

Behind Beniers and McCann, the Kraken will count on a smattering of 20-goal scorers to provide the bulk of their offense. They will be streaming options at certain points of the season (such as Eeli Tolvanen) but unlikely to be worth rostering for the entire season. 

The wild card is Shane Wright, who will presumably make the team as a bottom-six center (to begin with, at least) and play his first full NHL season. Considering the limited offensive upside of both Stephenson and Yanni Gourde, I would not be surprised if we see Wright being used in offensive situations and on the power play. Remember, too, that Dan Bylsma is now behind the bench, and he's very familiar with what Wright (and Daccord) can do, and he's a little more free-wheeling than the more structured and measured Dave Hakstol. 

The Kraken also made a second splash bringing in Brandon Montour, but I don't think they'll be getting the 70-point version of him, nor should they expect it. Dunn will still be the primary driver on offense for them while Montour will be asked to help out with the transition game and adding some offensive and physical pop to their lineup. The Kraken competed hard on most nights, but they need a player at the top of the lineup that can provide a spark. 

I think we will see a shift in the Kraken's offensive deployment where they will lean more on Beniers and McCann, which should be good for both of their fantasy value.

(updated Oct. 6, 2024)

Even Strength

Jared McCann - Matty Beniers - Jordan Eberle
Jaden Schwartz - Chandler Stephenson - Andre Burakovsky
Tye Kartye - Shane Wright - Oliver Bjorkstrand
Eeli Tolvanen - Yannie Gourde - Brandon Tanev

Vince Dunn - Adam Larsson
Jamie Oleksiak - Brandon Montour
Ryker Evans - Will Borgen

Joey Daccord - Philipp Grubauer

ex: Josh Mahura

Power Play

McCann - Beniers - Eberle - Tolvanen - Dunn

Schwartz - Stephenson - Bjorkstrand - Burakovsky - Montour 

I think Tolvanen is fantastic in banger leagues with 20-goal upside and 200-plus hits. Think Tanner Jeannot, but better and more consistent on offense with time on special teams. He spent the majority of the time in a matchup role with Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand, but he also skated some shifts with Beniers. 

Tolvanen's point totals and ice time has also been creeping up over the past three seasons, and he should set career highs yet again if that continues. Tolvanen ranks third in points per 60 minutes at 5-on-5, trailing only McCann and Bjorkstrand, among Kraken forwards who played at least 20 games last season and remains with the team.

Wright is unlikely to get top-six minutes right away, but his performances last season were incredibly encouraging. He scored four goals and five points in eight games, with really strong possession metrics; his 58.47 5v5 CF% was the best on the team among players who played at least five games. 

His internship in the AHL, where he was one of their top players last season under Bylsma, is all but over. He's ready to play in the NHL and the familiarity with Bylsma should also provide a huge benefit.

We should never forget that the path to the top is never a straight line. Beniers went from 57 points in 80 games and winning the Calder in his rookie season to a paltry 37 points in 77 games last season despite getting more ice time. Well, it's now time for Beniers to bounce back. With Stephenson in the fold, it'll allow the Kraken to use Beniers in offensive situations and he's clearly being groomed to be the No. 1 center. 

We might have to exercise some patience with Beniers, and he's unlikely to make a significant impact in redraft leagues this season, but I feel pretty strongly that he will finish in the 50-60 point range. The one thing to look for Beniers early is on shot volume; if that's increased significantly right off the bat, it's a very, very good sign.

I think Stephenson will be a bust from a fantasy point of view and not his overall impact on the Kraken. Stephenson scored the most points when he was playing in the top six either as an injury fill-in or a complementary player, but he's never been particularly good at generating offense on his own. He barely shoots the puck; among forwards who scored at least 15 goals last season, Stephenson had the fifth-fewest shots with 97 in 75 games. 

His role on the Kraken will not be scoring points, and that's good enough reason to avoid him in fantasy. Unless he's getting tons of offensive-zone deployment or playing PP1, I'd take the under on 50 points, and there's just not enough peripherals other than face-off wins to justify rostering Stephenson this season. 

This is Daccord's net and I firmly believe it. While Grubauer may have the more hefty contract, there's a lot of pressure for the Kraken to win more games. They couldn't capitalize after knocking the defending champion Avalanche in the playoffs, and their momentum forward seems to have stalled. It would be unfair to compare them to the Knights' unprecedented success, but they will always be there as expansion franchises, not to mention the Kraken's big free-agent spending spree certainly is a reflection of the pressure they face. 

All that said, it means Daccord should play a lot because he gives them their best chance to win. Defense was actually one of the Kraken's strong suits last season and I don't expect much change. If anything, their defense should remain pretty stout, and it's their offense that should make a significant jump. That's good because it means Daccord will get more goal support and make it easier to win games. 

At worst, we're looking at a 1A-1B situation with Daccord getting around 50 appearances yet again. Daccord can be a great option for zero-G strategists due to his volume and the Kraken's potential for improvement (ie. more wins). 

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06ANTMfmULk[/embed]

(based on 82 games)

Jared McCann, LW - 29-33-62
Matty Beniers, C - 21-41-62
Eeli Tolvanen, LW - 25-26-51
Jordan Eberle, RW - 18-32-50
Vince Dunn, D - 10-39-49

109. Brandon Montour, D
122. Vince Dunn, D
150. Jared McCann, C/LW
176. Joey Daccord, G
178. Oliver Bjorkstrand, RW
181. Eeli Tolvanen, LW/RW
206. Matty Beniers, C
221. Chandler Stephenson, C
232. Jordan Eberle, RW
243. Yanni Gourde, C
272. Andre Burakovsky, LW
293. Jaden Schwartz, C
327. Philipp Grubauer, G
350. Adam Larsson, D
821. Shane Wright, C/RW

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