Kraken Cannot Afford to Squander City’s Momentum Out of Olympics Break
Seattle has some serious momentum right now. Not just the football team, that recently won its second ever Super Bowl title, but the entire city. It’s alive. It’s oozing with team spirit. Just flip on highlights of the parade. Or the Mariners’ playoff run last October. It’s hard to find a better time in history to be a Seattle sports fan. Heck, there is even more chatter about (gasp), the Sonics finally returning.
My question to the Kraken is: are you complacent in being spectators with this momentum? Or are you willing to do what it takes to take advantage of that momentum and turn it into tangible success for the city’s NHL team?
The timing couldn't be more perfect for the Kraken to seize this wave. Seattle is riding high after the Seahawks' triumphant Super Bowl parade flooded the streets with confetti and joy. The Mariners' deep playoff push last fall kept the energy rolling into the offseason, and now NBA expansion rumors are heating up. The city feels electric, united behind its teams in a way it hasn't in years.
Yet amid this buzz, the Kraken enter the Olympic break in a solid but precarious spot: 27-20-9 record, 63 points, sitting third in the Pacific Division. They're in playoff position in a competitive Western Conference, with strong underlying metrics, goals against are among the league's better marks (around 2.9 per game), and goaltending has stabilized thanks to Philipp Grubauer's resurgence (back to a .916 save percentage after a tough prior season). MoneyPuck.com puts the Kraken’s playoff chances currently at 68.2%. That seems fairly high given how competitive the Western Conference is. However, the Kraken have the roster to compete.
The Winter Olympics are in full swing as the NHL pauses action until later this month. The Kraken do not play again until February 25 in Dallas. However, for the team, the coming weeks is a golden opportunity to strike while the iron is hot.
There is work to be done. The NHL Trade Deadline is March 6, just over two weeks from now. The NHL’s Olympic break roster freeze ends at 11:59pm ET on February 22. This Kraken team cannot rest on its laurels. They need to upgrade the roster.
But where?
The Kraken still struggle to score goals consistently, ranking 23rd in goals scored per game. They rank 31st in scoring chances. This team is in desperate need of an offensive boost, or two.
Jordan Eberle and Jared McCann are leading the charge in Seattle with 20 and 16 goals respectively. They need more. It feels like they are one big move away, or a couple of mid-level moves upgrading the offense away, from being true threats in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Lane Lambert’s roster seems solid, with good depth on each line. What this team lacks is that true blue-chip scorer. According to Elliotte Friedman, the Kraken made sizable offer to four-time All-Star and perennial 30-plus goal scorer Artemi Panarin before a deal was struck to send him to the Kings.
That at least shows the Kraken are willing to play ball and make some fireworks with roster upgrades. There is still time.
The city is primed. The Seahawks proved Seattle can win big. The Seahawks and Mariners pushed the city’s excitement to a fever pitch. It’s time for the Kraken to step up, not step aside.
