Seattle Kraken 24-25 Season Preview

Seattle Kraken
Pacific Division

2023-24 Recap
Record (W-L-OTL): 34-35-13
Over/Under: 36-45-1
Home Favorite: 12-9
Home Dog: 5-15
Road Favorite: 5-4
Road Dog: 11-16
Win Score 4 or more: 26 of 34
Lose Give Up 4 or more: 25 of 48
Puck Line Wins: 21 of 34
Puck Line Losses: 28 of 48
Front End Back-to-Back: 1-6
Back End Back-to-Back: 3-4
Goals For Per Game: 2.61 (29 th )
Goals Against Per Game: 2.83 (9 th )

Additions: Dan Bylsma (Head Coach), Chandler Stephenson, Brandon Montour, Josh Mahura
Subtractions: Dave Hakstol (Head Coach), Brian Dumoulin, Kailer Yamamoto, Justin Schultz, Tomas Tatar

The Kraken were the only team ranked top 10 in goals against per game to missthe playoffs last season. Seattle will have a new look behind the bench with Dan Bylsma taking over from Dave Hakstol, after previously coaching the Penguins to a Stanley Cup in 2008-09 and most recently guiding Seattle’s AHL affiliate to back-to-back Calder Cup Finals. Joining him on the bench will be the NHL's first female assistant coach in Jessica Campbell, who was an assistant under Bylsma for the past two seasons.

Offense
One season after leading the league in 5-on-5 goals and fourth overall in total goals scored, the Kraken fell to 29th in both categories in 2023-24. A leading reason for the drop in scoring could have been the fact that 13 players put up career best numbers in either goals, assists and/or points in 2022-23. You can also point to the fact that the trio which made up the team’s fourth line thast season, and accounted for close to 100 points put together, were not re-signed. Add it all up and Seattle scored 75 fewer goals in 2023-24 than the year prior, a shade under one less goal per game. We just don’t see drop-offs like that from one year to the next. The Kraken went from six twenty goal scorers to just a pair last season.

All of this led to the team making a big splash in the free agent market. Seattle may have overspent to sign two-time Stanley Cup champion Chandler Stephenson (7 years, just under $44 million), but the hope is he can take on more of the tougher matchups against the opposition’s top centers and free up Matty Beniers plus Shane Wright, who should slot in as the third line center. The 2023-24 season was a tough one for Beniers, who saw his goal production take a dip from 24 to 15 and failed to register a point in 51 of the 77 games he played. GM Ron Francis isn’t concerned, locking up the 21-year-old to a 7-year extension this summer at just over $7 million per season. A bounce back season from Jared McCann wouldn’t hurt either. He has led the team in goals each of the last two seasons but scored just 29 goals in 2023-24 after putting up 40 the season before.

Defense
The Kraken did a better job of keeping the puck out of their own net last season, improving their goals against from 14th to 9th while just facing the 8th fewest shots on goal. The addition of Brandon Montour to the blueline, an upgrade over the departed Justin Schultz, gives Seattle another puck-mover to go along with number one defenseman Vince Dunn. I would expect Montour to take over from Dunn on the top power play unit. Dunn and Adam Larsson form a solid top pair, while 2021 2nd round draft pick Ryker Evans, who made his Kraken debut last season, slots full-time into the top six. That should give the Kraken one of their best blueline corps yet in the team’s short history.

Goaltending
Injuries to number one goalie Phillip Grubauer opened the door for Joey Daccord to assume the bulk of the starting duties, allowing him to become the first ever player from Arizona State University to play in the NHL. He put up solid numbers in his first full season, highlighted by 3 shutouts. I would expect both goalies to split the starts close to 50/50 and coach Dan Bylsma riding the hot goaltender down the stretch if the Kraken are able to contend for a playoff spot.

Player to Watch – Matty Beniers
The 2023 Rookie of the Year finished with 20 fewer points in his sophomore season, the biggest drop-off of any Seattle player. Still, Kraken management are fully confident that Beniers is a cornerstone player for the franchise. Look for him to eclipse the production of his rookie campaign this season, when he scored 24 goals and 57 points. With that in mind, I like his point total over 51.5 (-115) at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Outlook
Seattle can’t afford to mirror last season’s start, winning just 8 of their first 29 games, if they want to be playing meaningful games in March and April. I am one who believes the Kraken will be in the mix for a playoff spot at the end of the year. DraftKings has the Kraken at +170 to make the playoffs. It’s worth a pizza bet.

Regular Season Point Total: 87.5 (Over/Under -115)
To Make the Playoffs: +170
To Miss the Playoffs: -210
To Win the Pacific Division: +1800
To Win the Western Conference: +2800
To Win the Stanley Cup: +5500