We've Reached The Pacific (Division)!
The journey which began at the Atlantic, moved to the Metro, and headed west to the Central, has arrived at the Seattle Kraken's own Pacific Division.
Seattle Kraken: What You Don't Know About Logo "Leaks"
Since you have probably seen the "leaked" Winter Classic baseball cap for the Kraken (if you haven't, it's at right, posted by sinbin.vegas), I'll share a related insight.
We'd all like to believe there's a high-level source hiding in the shadows of a parking garage, a la All The President's Men. You know, Deep Throwback, sharing secret jersey designs - in this case, for the New Year's Day game between Seattle and Vegas.
Uh uh. Most often, an individual, company or organization is behind the "leak." Either they're taking advantage of a slow news cycle (NHL = August), or they're testing public reaction ("Candidate A is considering governor B for his running mate"). If that reaction is negative, there's plenty of time to make tweaks.
"The Seattle Kraken," reported sinbin.vegas, "are expected to wear dark-colored sweaters with a logo riffing off the 1917 Stanley Cup-winning Metropolitans logo." Chris Creamer of sportslogos.net, approves. "I just hope we see some tribute to the barber pole-striping the Metropolitans wore back then; imagine that in the Kraken colours."
Creamer points out the official logos will probably be unveiled next month, and the full uniforms in November.
Anaheim Ducks: No Pond For Old Men
Matt Levine discusses four veteran trade candidates: Adam Henrique, Cam Fowler, Jakob Silfverberg, and Frank Vatrano.
"No matter what Anaheim does the rest of the way, they should look to clear out some of the veterans on the team. They need to have room to allow their young guys the space to play and show what they can do."
Calgary Flames: Greater Expectations For A Pair Of Players
Randy Sportak details the heavy lifting necessary for Calgary to regain playoff form.
"While the club works towards a resolution with its cornerstone players on the final year of their contracts — notably centers Elias Lindholm and Mikael Backlund and defensemen Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev and Nikita Zadorov — more onus will fall on Andrew Mangiapane and Dillon Dube to become bigger pieces of the puzzle."
Edmonton Oilers: Battle Of Alberta Heads Outdoors
The Kraken don't make Caleb Kerney's list of "Home Games to Circle on Your Calendar," but this one does:
"The October 29th game between the Oilers and Calgary Flames will be a Heritage Classic. Despite the gross oversight from the league planners in failing to capitalize on a Battle of Alberta to open each teams' regular season, outdoor games are always memorable."
L.A. Kings: Counting On Quint
Lucas Gordon is looking for more from a youngster who's scored eight goals in 99 career games.
"Quinton Byfield has not lived up to the hype after being a second overall pick in the 2020 draft. Things might change for the 20-year-old as he enters his third full season.
"With the Kings' having three elite centers, including Anze Kopitar, Pierre-Luc Dubois, and Phillip Danault, Byfield will likely make a position change to the wing."
San Jose Sharks: Life After Erik Karlsson
Max Miller grades the trade of the Norris Trophy winner to Pittsburgh in a three-team deal also involving Montreal.
"(Sharks GM Mike) Grier did a great job getting $10 million of Erik Karlsson's cap hit off the Sharks' books, but the return of veterans and one first-round pick is okay at best. Based on the return, it seems like Grier opted to take a slightly lesser return for more cap flexibility in the next four seasons."
Vancouver Canucks: #1 Goalie Looks To Continue Bounce-Back
Jeff Paterson predicts more than last year's 14 wins from goalie Thatcher Demko.
"He got off to a miserable start and then missed nearly 12 weeks with a lower body injury. When Demko returned to the lineup in February, he looked like the netminder Vancouver knows he can be. A rested Demko started 17 of the team's final 23 games , posting an 11-4-2 record with a 2.52 goals against average and a 91.8% save percentage."
Vegas Golden Knights: Cup-Winning Goalie Staying Put
Speaking of 27-year-old netminders, Adin Hill re-upped for two years, $4.9 million AAV.
As Paul Delos Santos points out, "Hill's re-signing brings forth an interesting situation with follow goalie Robin Lehrer. The Golden Knights, with Lehner's contract, are over the salary cap by $1.4 million. Vegas will likely place Lehner on LTIR to make room for Hill's contract, which would open up roughly $5 million."