Seattle Kraken: A Beginner’s Guide to the Pacific Division
The Seattle Kraken are joining an interesting mix of teams in the Pacific Division. There’s going to be plenty of speculation about which teams can contend for the playoffs, so it’ll be important to know your enemy.
As opening day for the Seattle Kraken‘s inaugural season draws nearer, many new hockey fans in the pacific northwest are scrambling to learn valuable information they’ll need to support the area’s latest franchise. The first step to that process, which most fans have completed, would be learning the players who will take the ice for the Kraken in the upcoming season.
After that, it’s important to know your divisional rivals as they’ll be the ones who the Kraken will be competing with most directly both on and off the ice. Here’s some key information you’ll need to know about Seattle’s biggest opponents this upcoming season.
Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks are one of the many teams in the Pacific Division in the middle of a rebuild. They’re getting close to the end of it, however, and should be fairly competitive within a couple of years.
Passing the Torch
Many of their key players are either at a point where they’re either past their prime or cannot afford to spend much more of their prime on a team with little chance of contending. Players like Adam Henrique and Jakob Silfverberg have been essential parts of the team for many years at this point.
Unfortunately, they’ve dropped off quite a bit since reaching their thirties. If the Ducks are attempting to break out of a rebuild this season, they’ll need those two to bounce back to their previous level of play. It’s possible but unlikely. The biggest name in Anaheim is undoubtedly Ryan Getzlaf. He’s been the Ducks captain for over a decade now, and despite being closer to forty than thirty, he’s been a top performer for them over the last few years.
Defense
Anaheim’s strongest position for years, at least on paper, is their defense. Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, and Josh Manson have been the base of the blue line for half a decade. Despite that, two of the three are unrestricted free agents following this season, so their time with the Ducks may not last much longer. Fowler is locked up through 2025–26, while Lindholm and Manson could move as early as the trade deadline to help finalize the rebuild.
John Gibson has been Anaheim’s number one goaltender for years. However, the last two seasons saw a major drop in form for the 28-year-old. He’s arguably the most crucial player for the Ducks to succeed in the near future.
Growing from Within
Prospect-wise, Anaheim is in a great position. Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale are two of the organization’s top prospects and are close to being key members of the roster. Both played over twenty games with the Ducks; however, they rode the Anaheim (NHL) – San Diego (AHL) shuttle quite a bit during the 2020–21 season. There’s a high chance that one or both will stick in the NHL for the 2021–22 season in an attempt to mimic last season’s team-leading scoring Maxime Comtois.