Seattle Kraken: A half-dozen games down – there is plenty of work to be done
Six games into their maiden season, the Seattle Kraken have a 1-4-1 record. For those expecting a repeat of Vegas’ miracle first year, disappointment is settling in rapidly.
Is it unfair that the Seattle Kraken have to measure up to a near-impossible bar? Absolutely. What the Golden Knights accomplished in 2017-18, by reaching the Stanley Cup Finals in their first season, was never seen before and likely will never be seen again in professional sports. Yet that’s the rink Seattle has to play on.
Speaking of the rink, now that the season is underway, it’s time to turn attention to the product on it. Forget about expecting another Vegas; the overall product hasn’t been good by any standard. The Kraken ended their first six games with a 1-4-1 record. There are several reasons why they have struggled.
Primary Scoring
Before the season, a big focus was on where the Seattle Kraken secondary scoring would come from. Well, after the first six games, that problem expanded to finding any scoring at all. So far, Seattle has scored 13 goals. That’s bad, as in 25th in the NHL bad for goals scored per game (2.17).
Players expected to carry the offensive load, such as Jordan Eberle, Yanni Gourde, and Jaden Schwartz, have struggled. The trio has combined for no goals and four assists. Joonas Donskoi has the same scoring numbers by himself. Aside from him and Jared McCann (three goals and three helpers), no one else can be relied upon to score points.
Goaltending
The Kraken’s lack of scoring wouldn’t be such a problem if the team got some decent play from their goalies. What was supposed to be one of this team’s strengths is anything but that. Number one netminder Philipp Grubauer started five of Seattle’s first six games and allowed fewer than three goals only once (in a 3-2 overtime loss).
This season he has a 1-3-1 record, 3.80 Goals Against Average, and 0.869 Save Percentage. All horrible numbers. Grubauer looks nothing like the nearly impenetrable wall that defended Colorado’s crease the past three seasons. His goaltending partner, Chris Driedger, only played 31 minutes to this point and is currently on the injured list.
Speed/Transition
In the Expansion Draft, Seattle Kraken GM Ron Francis went for size over speed. They have ten players 6-2 or taller and ten at 200 pounds or more. Aside from being big as a team, the Kraken is slow, and it’s killing them.
Vegas exposed this weakness on opening night. They flew through the neutral zone, and Seattle was almost powerless to stop them. The Kraken couldn’t keep up then, and they still can’t stay with good skating teams.
Head coach Dave Hakstol has to find a way to slow the game down. Easier said than done.
Deploying size
All isn’t lost yet, but the time for change is at hand. That brings the conversation back to size. Seattle may be big, but they are also slow. So far, the Kraken hasn’t used its most significant asset, size, in a way that gives them an advantage. That has to change.
In the first 82 games, play is much more open. Come the postseason time, the style of play becomes a grind-it-out battle. Head The Kraken have to play more like the latter. Trap more, bang the boards, crash the net, clear the crease, and most of all, they have to hit. All the things they aren’t doing enough of now.
What do you think the Seattle Kraken’s biggest issues are? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media,