3 Things That Could Make Seattle Kraken a Playoff Team

Entering the NHL as an expansion team was not exactly a flawless process for the Seattle Kraken.

Fans had high hopes after watching the Vegas Golden Knights surprise everyone with a run to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season. Unfortunately, things did not go as well for the Kraken.

Seattle finished its first season with a 27-49-6 record, 16 points behind the other seven teams in the Pacific Division. Only the Arizona Coyotes (31st) and Montreal Canadiens (32nd) finished lower than the Kraken in the league standings.

Only one player, forward Jared McCann, was able to reach the 50-point mark, while veteran defenseman Mark Giordano, Seattle’s first captain, was dealt at the trade deadline. It wasn’t an abysmal season, but there were more than a few bumps in the road

These three things could make the Kraken a playoff team.

With all of that said, it sometimes only takes one offseason to change the course of a franchise, and for Seattle, this offseason has been a busy one.

Playing in the Pacific Division, playoff spots are wide open for a team like the Kraken. Their division, which appears as though it will again be the weakest division in the NHL this year, has plenty of good teams, but not a lot of great teams.

For that reason, the Kraken could reasonably enter the 2022-2023 campaign with postseason aspirations. By no means am I suggesting that Seattle is a favorite to reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but when most of the teams in the Pacific feel catchable, I wouldn’t totally rule it out.

Of course, for the second-year franchise to make its playoff debut, it will need more than just uninspiring play from its division rivals. The Kraken must be prepared to take steps forward themselves.

Here are three things that could make Seattle a playoff team in 2023.

The Goaltending

Seattle’s goaltending was subpar at best in its inaugural season. Philipp Grubauer, who was a Vezina Trophy finalist in 2021 with the Colorado Avalanche, was brought in to backstop the Kraken, but he did not live up to expectations.

He started 54 games last season, a single-season career-high, but went 18-31-5 with a 3.16 goals against average (GAA) and an .889 save percentage. Both marks were a far cry from 2021 (1.95 GAA, .922 save percentage) and from his career numbers (2.51 GAA, .914 save percentage).

The man who was selected in the Expansion Draft to be the starting netminder, Chris Driedger, was not much better than Grubauer. In 27 games, he won only nine, posting a 2.96 GAA and an .899 save percentage in the process.

Like Grubauer, his career totals are significantly more impressive. Driedger has a 2.45 GAA and a .917 save percentage in 65 career games.

Both netminders will return for the upcoming season, and they are now joined by veteran goaltender Martin Jones. The 32-year-old posted a 3.42 GAA and a .900 save percentage in 35 games with the Philadelphia Flyers last year.

The Kraken did not go out and make a move to address the goalie position, which is not a surprise given the lack of available starters in free agency this summer. Instead, Seattle will hope that at least one of these players bounces back from a forgettable 2021-2022 campaign.

If they are unable to do so, then this team will once again be near the bottom of the league in terms of goals allowed (25th last year while allowing 3.5 goals per game) and penalty killing (31st, 74.9%).

However, if Seattle does see improvement between the pipes, things will open up for this largely inexperienced roster, and the Kraken could take major strides toward the playoffs.

Added Experience

The Kraken made it a point to improve through free agency this year, and they did so by adding a significant amount of experience to the roster.

First, Seattle signed Andre Burakovsky fresh off of his Stanley Cup victory with the Avalanche. The 27-year-old forward is now a two-time champion, having won with the Washington Capitals in 2018.

The fact that he has won a title with two different franchises tells me that this guy is a winner, and that can be a great asset to the Kraken.

In addition to his championship pedigree, Burakovsky set a new career-high in points last year with 61 (22 goals and 39 assists). In 519 career games, he has tallied 295 points, including five campaigns with 30 points or more.

Burakovsky wasn’t the only two-time champion that the Kraken signed, as defenseman Justin Schultz, who won with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017, is set to join Seattle after spending two seasons with the Capitals.

Schultz is several seasons removed from setting career-highs in goals (12), assists (39), points (51), and power play points (20) with the Penguins during the 2016-2017 season, but he still managed to contribute 23 points last season for the Caps.

At 32 years old, Schultz is not expected to play top pair minutes, but his experience will be a welcomed addition to a relatively young locker room.

Finally, the Kraken acquired forward Oliver Bjorkstrand from the Columbus Blue Jackets to play a top-six role for the team this season. A veteran of 382 NHL games, Bjorkstrand was second in points for the Jackets last season, setting a career-high with 57.

Players like these three will make the team better, not only through their production on the ice but also through their leadership off the ice.

It is far from a guarantee that the Kraken will be a playoff team in 2023, but a strong center group, a bounce-back in goal, and the addition of experienced players will all help the league’s youngest franchise climb the ladder this season.