Kraken Enter Pivotal Stretch Ahead of NHL Trade Deadline

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Matty Beniers and the Seattle Kraken face an uphill climb to get back into the playoff hunt as the trade deadline looms. Credit: Jennthulhu Photos [/caption]

Kicking off the second half on the opposite side of the country, the Seattle Kraken split their two games touring the state of Florida.

First, they beat the defending Stanley Cup Champion Panthers in Sunrise 2-1 on Saturday, providing an early jolt out of the all-star break. But then they traveled north to Tampa and dropped the game 4-1 to the Lightning after going back-to-back days and looked outgunned and tired. 

Now, they enter a crucial stretch of games with their playoff hopes dangling on a thread. On their way back home to Seattle from Florida, they first stop in St. Louis to take on the Blues on Tuesday. The Blues stand at 58 points in the standings in the Western Conference (26-26-6), four points ahead of Seattle in a race for the Wild Card, so it’s an understatement to say that the game carries major weight if they want to crawl back into the hunt.

Then, on Saturday, Seattle hosts its rivals from up north, the Canucks. Vancouver currently occupies that second Wild Card slot in the Western Conference, at 63 points, presenting another opportunity to make up ground in the postseason race.

If the Kraken want to re-establish themselves as contenders this year, they will need to come away with at least three points in these two games. That would mean a win in one matchup and, at worst, an overtime loss in the other. They can’t afford a slip up and adding a loss to the column.

Great to see @YanniGourde out with the boys in a red no contact jersey here in Florida.
Separation from your ‘family’ due to an injury is often worse than the injury itself. It’s revitalizing for both he & his @SeattleKraken team to be reunited. Next stage: regular practices. pic.twitter.com/W6oHtrT6QB— Al Kinisky (@AlKinisky) February 22, 2025

Closing in on the home stretch, the Kraken have serious ground to make up. Jordan Eberle’s return from injury could be a galvanizing force. They are one Yanni Gourde - who has not played since January 2 - away from being back at full strength. It appears as if Gourde could return to the team soon. How soon might determine how serious the Kraken’s chances are at fighting back up the standings. 

The NHL Trade Deadline is March 7. Seattle has four games before that benchmark in the season. All of those games are against Western Conference teams, three of them being above Seattle in the standings.

If the Kraken want to play their way into buying at the deadline instead of selling off pieces, the time to make a statement is now.

An encouraging development is the recent play of 2022 fourth overall pick Shane Wright. He has five points - three assists, two goals - in his last three games. His eight points over the month of February are tied for the second most in the NHL and he’s quietly emerging as a young star for the Kraken.

Goaltender Joey Daccord continues to play well as well, ranking second in the NHL with 148 saves in the month of February.

Behind Wright and Daccord, Seattle has some encouraging pieces that suggest a post-All-Star-break run is not impossible. However, that needs to start with haste, as they have ran out of time to play mediocre hockey if they want to be relevant in the playoff race for the rest of the season. 

Getting two points out of their two-game stretch in Florida was a good start. But it’s just that - a start - and they need to build on that this week against two teams standing in their way in the Western Conference if they are to be taken seriously as a contender at this stage of the season.