Pacific Northwest Sports: Everything, Everywhere, All at Once
Ed Stein
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Seattle Kraken
Truthfully, how many people had the Seattle Kraken breaking 90 points this season, let alone the 100 they put up? Not many.
What a difference a year makes. Last season’s mediocrity turned to success in 2022-23. The Kraken are in the playoffs.
Chalk up the turnaround to improved offense and steadier goaltending. While still not stellar, the Kraken went from a 3.17 GAA to 2.94. The 0.23 fewer goals per game against, combined with a 0.92 goals per game uptick in offense, added up to a 40-point improvement.
2021 first-round pick Matty Beniers will garner Calder Trophy consideration with his 57 points, including 24 goals. He set a high bar for 2022 top pick Shane Wright.
Jared McCann broke the 40-goal barrier, and defenseman Vince Dunn had 50 assists and was +28. Maybe the biggest surprise was Daniel Sprong‘s 21 goals and 46 points.
Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Seattle Kraken are coming.
Portland Trail Blazers
On the bright side, Portland improved by six wins over last year. Unfortunately, they still lost 49 games, missed the playoffs, and finished with the NBA’s fifth-worst record.
Time is running out on Damian Lillard‘s glory days. The Portland Trail Blazers face some big decisions this offseason.
Do they try again to build a championship team around their best player? Or is a full rebuild in the cards?
Hopefully, they pick up a little magic in the Lottery and draft one of the highly talented players available with an early pick to pair with up-and-comer Shaedon Sharpe.
Seattle Sea Dragons
Nine games into the 10-game XFL 3.0 season, the Seattle Sea Dragons postseason dreams are still alive.
After watching a season’s worth of games, I’m still undecided about quarterback Ben DiNucci.
Is he a good quarterback that makes bad decisions? Is he a bad quarterback that gets lucky?
I think the answer lies somewhere in the middle. DiNucci can make plays when things break down, but physically, his arm can’t do what his mind wants it to.
One thing is for sure; he needs to become a better team leader.
Coach Jim Haslett has done a great job with his team. Even in the three games they lost (by a combined 7 points), it came down to the end.
Their season may turn out the same way. Beating Vegas, combined with St. Louis losing to Orlando in the finale, puts the Sea Dragons into the playoffs.