Seattle Kraken: Four Bold Predictions for the 2022-23 Season
Prediction 2: The Seattle Kraken will make the NHL Playoffs
This prediction may be a little outlandish, but there is a first time for everything. Eventually, there will be a time when the Seattle Kraken will make the postseason. Is there a reason it couldn’t be this season?
The competition
The Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers will most likely be the top teams in the Pacific Division this year. Their pool of talent is too impressive not to dominate the Pacific Division. From there, however, it remains to be seen which other teams will qualify.
Anaheim and Los Angeles could both be competitive. However, both teams are still trying to figure things out themselves at the tail end of their rebuilds. There is a chance the Vegas Golden Knights will be dominant again this season. Nevertheless, they gave up a lot of talent to bring in Jack Eichel, who looked like a shell of himself last season.
Vancouver has struggled over the past few seasons, finishing fifth in the division last season. They have made a few roster changes this summer, but how well that works out for them remains to be seen. Don’t sleep on the Sharks, either. San Jose is hungry to win after facing difficulties the last few years.
Better than before
Seattle made a ton of improvements to its team over the offseason. Rookies Matthew Beniers and Shane Wright are sure to add a scoring touch. They also added Stanley Cup champion Andre Burakovsky to the mix, who was fifth in scoring for the Colorado Avalanche last season.
Oliver Bjorkstrand, a former Columbus Blue Jacket, has proven he can be a 50+ point player. Justin Schultz could be a great addition to the blue line. If their returning players can continue to piece it together, the defensive core could be a Kraken strength.
Martin Jones isn’t a huge upgrade in net, especially in the wake of losing Chris Driedger. However, I’d expect Philipp Grubauer to figure it out and take steps forward to play as he did prior to joining Seattle.
Our 2022-23 Opening Night Roster is here!
These are our guys. 🌊 pic.twitter.com/nBUYNnAQzS
— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) October 11, 2022