News Kraken Team Notes

[Seattle Kraken]

Explaining how offer sheets work in the NHL

With the NHL Trade Deadline behind us and a zero percent chance of the Seattle Kraken making the postseason, the question is: How do the Kraken get better for next year? After the trade deadline, general manager Ron Francis appeared on the Kraken Hockey Network pregame show on March 9 and outlined how NHL teams can acquire players, saying, “One is draft and develop. One is to trade for them. One is the free agent market and one is offer sheets.”

Watch the full interview here:

My ears perked up when I heard Francis mention offer sheets. With the NHL salary cap rising over the next three years—$95.5 million in 2025-26, $104 million in 2026-27, and $113.5 million in 2027-28—teams will have extra money to make bold moves. Historically, offer sheets are rare, but the cap increase could lead to them becoming a more frequently used strategy.

It has long felt like there was an unwritten rule among GMs to avoid offer sheets, but the tides may be shifting. With the additional cap space, this could be a viable way for the Kraken to introduce new talent to the team.

Since their introduction in 1986, only 44 offer sheets have been accepted by RFAs. Under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), only six offer sheets have been signed in its 12-year span. Could a few more be signed this offseason?

What is an offer sheet in the NHL?​

An offer sheet is a contract offered to a restricted free agent (RFA) by a team other than his current club. It is essentially a competitive offer made directly to a player whose rights are still held by another team. If the player signs the offer, his original team has seven days to match the terms and retain him or let him go and receive draft picks as compensation.

Below is an overview of the specifics that make offer sheets interesting, followed by some thoughts on how they could play a role for the Kraken and across the NHL this offseason.

Offer sheet details​

Requirements​

• Offer sheets can only be presented to Group 2 RFAs who have received a qualifying offer. A Group 2 RFA is a player who has previously signed an NHL contract, is under 27 years old, and has fewer than seven accrued NHL seasons.
• Group 4 RFAs—players drafted but never signed by their original team—are not eligible to receive offer sheets.
• If an RFA files for arbitration, they can sign an offer sheet before the arbitrator’s decision but not afterward. Once an RFA signs a new contract or accepts a qualifying offer, they are no longer eligible for an offer sheet.

Timing​

• Offer sheets can only be extended between July 1 and December 1.
• Once an RFA signs an offer sheet, his original team has seven days to match or decline the offer.

Compensation picks​

If a team successfully signs an RFA to an offer sheet, and the original team does not match, the signing team must provide draft pick compensation based on the player’s average annual value (AAV). Below is the 2024 compensation structure:

The AAV thresholds will increase for the upcoming offseason, typically announced in early June. The compensatory draft picks must be a team’s own picks, meaning draft picks acquired via trade that aren’t originally theirs cannot be used for compensation.

AAV calculations​

For offer sheets, AAV is calculated slightly differently than for salary cap purposes. While a player can sign a deal for up to seven years, for compensation purposes, the AAV is capped at a five-year maximum. For example, a seven-year, $35 million deal would have a $5 million cap hit, but for compensation, the AAV would be calculated as $7 million ($35M/5), requiring a first-, second-, and third-round pick based on the 2024 compensation table.

Kraken potential involvement​

The Kraken have around $20 million in cap space for next season and hold 12 draft picks in the first three rounds over the next three years. Francis has hinted at using these assets to improve the roster, potentially through trades—or maybe even an offer sheet.

The future of goaltender Philipp Grubauer remains uncertain, with a buyout becoming increasingly likely. If the Kraken are in search of a backup goalie, RFAs who could be acquired via offer sheet include:

Stats current as of March 17

On the forward front, intriguing RFAs with offensive potential include:

Stats current as of March 17

Offensive defensemen like Evan Bouchard and Bowen Byram could also be stolen away via offer sheets, but given the Kraken’s solid defensive core, a major move in this area seems unlikely.

On the other side of the coin, other teams could sign Kraken RFAs to offer sheets to force their hand. Last week we set expectations for RFAs and while most offer sheets presented to Kaapo Kakko or Ryker Evans would likely be matched, they could create significant headaches for Seattle’s front office. If the Kraken prefer a specific term length, an offer sheet could disrupt those plans, forcing them into either overcommitting or losing the player. Kakko, in particular, is one year away from unrestricted free agency and could leverage an offer sheet to push for a one-year deal.

Offer sheets around the NHL​

Only 13 teams currently hold all their own draft picks in 2026, making them eligible to tender an offer sheet at any tier. Of these, 11 are outside the playoff picture as of March 18. The two playoff teams, Los Angeles and New Jersey, are not considered Stanley Cup favorites, but if they have a deep playoff run, could decide the later-round picks would be better spent via an offer sheet.

One of the biggest potential targets is Bouchard of the Edmonton Oilers. A team offering Bouchard an AAV of $10-11 million would put Edmonton in a tough spot, potentially forcing them to choose between matching or losing their top defenseman.

Matthew Knies of the Toronto Maple Leafs is another interesting case. At 6-foot-3 and 227 pounds, he’s a big-bodied winger who can score. With John Tavares and Mitch Marner entering free agency, Toronto has some holes to fill and could have a tough decision become even tougher if Knies signs an offer sheet. Knies does come with a bit of risk because his shooting percentage is unsustainably high at 21.2 percent, and he also benefits from playing with two superstars in Marner and Auston Matthews on his line.

Examples of offer sheets​

Let’s review two recent examples of offer sheets: Philip Broberg in 2024 and Sebastian Aho in 2019. These two cases illustrate the different strategies behind offer sheets. St. Louis used a well-calculated gamble to acquire an unproven but promising defenseman, while Montreal aimed high but ultimately failed to pry away a franchise player. Offer sheets remain a rare but fascinating tool for teams looking to add talent.

St. Louis and Edmonton​

Philip Broberg was a first-round pick in 2019 (eighth overall) by the Edmonton Oilers. Since being drafted, he split time between the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL and the Oilers, never quite securing a full-time NHL role. However, in 2023-24, Broberg took a significant step forward, posting 38 points (five goals, 33 assists) in 49 AHL games. He also appeared in 10 playoff games for Edmonton, positioning himself to make the Oilers’ roster for the 2024-25 season.

Then came the St. Louis Blues, who signed Broberg to a two-year offer sheet worth $4.58 million per year—well above his expected market value. As an unproven NHL defenseman, Broberg was likely looking at an offer in the $1-2 million range from Edmonton. St. Louis structured the deal strategically, staying just below the threshold that would have required a first- and third-round pick as compensation. Instead, by keeping the contract within the second-round pick range, the Blues forced the Oilers into a tough spot. Already in a tight cap situation, Edmonton chose not to match, reluctantly accepting the second-round pick. While St. Louis initially overpaid, Broberg has rewarded them with a strong first season, logging 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) while averaging 20:16 of ice time per game.

Montreal and Carolina​

Sebastian Aho’s offer sheet in 2019 was a different case entirely. Unlike Broberg, Aho was an established NHL star, coming off an 83-point (30 goals, 53 assists) season. The Montreal Canadiens saw an opportunity and extended a five-year, $8.46 million AAV offer sheet to the young center. At the time, the NHL salary cap was $80 million, meaning Aho’s contract accounted for 10.5 percent of the cap—a substantial deal in 2019. The offer was enough to tempt Aho into signing, but Montreal’s plan ultimately failed. Carolina didn’t even wait a full day before matching the offer sheet, ensuring they kept their star player.

The deal Aho signed in 2019 expired after the 2023-24 season, and he has since earned a well-deserved pay raise, signing an eight-year extension worth $9.75 million per year. Adding to the intrigue, Carolina seemed miffed that Montreal had offer-sheeted one of their players. Two years later, the Hurricanes retaliated by signing Jesperi Kotkaniemi from the Canadiens to an offer sheet—one that included a signing bonus of exactly $20, a nod to Aho’s jersey number.

Final thoughts​

Will offer sheets rise from the deep to become a legitimate strategy, or will GMs continue to avoid them? If the trend picks up, the 2026 offseason could be fascinating with players like Connor Bedard and Jason Robertson set to become RFAs.

Teams worried about losing RFAs to offer sheets can avoid the risk by signing their players to extensions before July 1. Ultimately, it’s always up to the original team whether to match the offer and retain the player or take the compensation and move on, but an offer sheet from another team can put a team into a pickle by forcing it to pay a player more than it was anticipating.

What do you think? Will offer sheets increase as the cap rises? Are there any RFAs you hope the Kraken target? And at what compensation level would you let Kaapo Kakko, Ryan Evans, or Tye Kartye walk? Let us know in the comments!

Blaiz Grubic​

Blaiz Grubic is a contributor at Sound Of Hockey. A passionate hockey fan and player for over 30 years, Blaiz grew up in the Pacific Northwest and is an alumni of Washington State University (Go Cougs!). When he’s not playing, watching, or writing about hockey, he enjoys quality time with his wife and daughter or getting out on a golf course for a quick round. Follow @blaizg on BlueSky or X.

Read more from Blaiz

The post Explaining how offer sheets work in the NHL appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/03/20/explaining-how-offer-sheets-work-in-the-nhl/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Down on the Farm – NCAA, SHL, and Liiga prospects season review

“Down on the Farm” is your weekly Seattle Kraken prospects update. It’s hard to believe, but we’ve already reached the end of the regular season for Kraken prospects playing in a few leagues. We’ll put a bow on those seasons and take a look at what’s next for them, including an injury update on Zeb Forsfjäll. Then we’ll have notes on a few standout performances and data from the last seven days, plus a preview of the week ahead. (Note: This post contains data gathered on Friday, Mar. 22.)

As always, if you have a prospect-related question you’d like to see featured in a future column, drop a note below or on X or BlueSky @deepseahockey. Let’s dive in.

NCAA season recap​

As the calendar flips to March, college sports take center stage, with both basketball and ice hockey hosting conference tournaments as a lead-in to a national championship bracket tournament. On the hockey side, a few conference championship games remain before the 16-team national championship field is set.

Though there is plenty of drama left in college hockey this year, the Kraken NCAA prospects will all be just watching like the rest of us. Justin Janicke and the Notre Dame Fighting defeated Minnesota in the first round of the Big-Ten Tournament but lost to Michigan State in the semi-finals on March 15. The Irish, ranked 41st in the “Pairwise” ranking, are unlikely to make the NCAA Tournament field.

Janicke ended the season with 15 goals (more than his previous three NCAA seasons combined) and 34 points (more than double his previous NCAA career high). He was the second-leading scorer for Notre Dame. Since Janicke is a graduating senior, the Seattle Kraken face a deadline of August 15, 2025, to sign him to an entry-level contract before losing his exclusive negotiating rights. Theoretically, Janicke could sign a tryout agreement to join the Firebirds this season.

Ben MacDonald and the Harvard Crimson bowed out of the ECAC tournament after dropping Game 3 of a three-game series to Clarkson on Sunday, March 16. Harvard is not going to make the NCAA field (38th in Pairwise). After posting five goals and 10 assists in 32 games as a freshman last season, MacDonald posted a nearly identical five goals and 11 assists in 27 games this year. He was Harvard’s fourth-leading scorer. MacDonald is likely to return to Cambridge for his junior year.

Barrett Hall and the St. Cloud State Huskies dropped a three-game series to Western Michigan last weekend, which eliminated them from the NCHC Tournament. Hall didn’t play in St. Cloud’s last game on Saturday. St. Cloud will not be in the NCAA field either (36th in Pairwise). Hall was producing points early, but his play levelled off over the second half of the season. Overall he had seven goals and 22 points in this, his sophomore season, which improved on his eight goals and 16 points from his freshman season. Hall is likely to return to St. Cloud for his junior season.

Similar to Hall and the Huskies, Zaccharya Wisdom and the Colorado College Tigers lost in the first round of the NCHC playoffs last weekend to the reigning National Champion Denver Pioneers. The Tigers’ season is now done. (They are 33rd in Pairwise.) Wisdom had a solid sophomore season, posting eight goals and 21 points, ranking him fifth on the team in scoring. He had 10 goals and 20 points as a freshman last year. He too should return to college for another season.

European leagues season recap​

Most European pro leagues, including the top pro league in Sweden (SHL) and Finland (Liiga), have also wrapped the regular season in the last week or so.

Oscar Fisker Mølgaard and his SHL team HV71 ended the regular season at the bottom of the SHL standings, which put them (for the second straight year) into a seven-game relegation series against the other lowest-ranked team. This year, either HV71 or MoDo Hockey will fall down to the HockeyAllsvenskan level. The series is currently tied 2-2 after HV71 won the Mar. 21 contest in overtime. Regardless of the outcome of the series, this will likely be Mølgaard’s last run of games with HV71, as the Kraken anticipate bringing him to Coachella Valley to continue his career as soon as this Spring. Mølgaard had 19 points in the regular season but has not scored in the regelation series so far.

Zeb Forsfjäll‘s SHL club, Skellefteå AIK, begin this year’s playoffs as a five seed. Regrettably, it appears that Forsfjäll won’t be able to assist in the pursuit of a repeat championship for Skellefteå because he is out for the remainder of the season with an undisclosed injury. His season ends with eight points in 39 SHL games. The Kraken don’t have to make a decision on signing Forsfjäll until June 1, 2027, so it’s possible he remains in the SHL next season. Check out Forsfjäll’s shifts from his Dec. 31, 2024, World Juniors game against Czechia below.

Kim Saarinen and his Liiga club HPK were in the playoffs, briefly, but were eliminated Friday in a best-of-5 series sweep against Assat. Saarinen drew all three starts and performed well in the first two—and adequately overall—giving up nine goals in total. His team couldn’t support him with enough offense. Saarinen ended his Liiga regular season with a .911 save percentage in 30 starts, which was good for third-best in the league. He will likely return to Liiga for at least one more season.

Notes on three Kraken prospects​

Semyon Vyazovoy | G | Salavat Yulaev Ufa (KHL)​

In what was a relatively quiet week in Seattle’s prospect pool (excluding players at the NHL level), Semyon Vyazovoy’s continued strong play in net in the KHL was the standout. By stopping 29 of 30 shots to win in his only start in the last seven days, Vyazovoy is your Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week. With the KHL playoffs close at hand, I’m curious if Vyzaovoy will get at least one start. He’s earned it.

Tyson Jugnauth | D | Portland Winterhawks (WHL)​

Tyson Jugnauth piled up five more assists since our last update, bringing his season total to 75. This leads all CHL defensemen, and by a wide margin. Zayne Parekh, of the OHL Saginaw Spirit, is the next closest with 69. Brayden Crampton of Spokane is the closest in the WHL with 59. Jugnauth has put together a special year for the Winterhawks.

WHAT A MOVE, WHAT A GOAL! pic.twitter.com/VhPcZFXViZ

— x – Portland Winterhawks (@pdxwinterhawks) March 10, 2025

Caden Price | D | Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL)​

Caden Price was close behind Jugnauth in the WHL points standings for defensemen before he left for the World Juniors. After that tournament, the Kelowna Rockets dealt Price to the Lethbridge Hurricanes, and he has been a shell of former self offensively ever since. At the time of the trade, he was averaging 1.2 points per game in 27 contests. Since the trade, he has accumulated only .4 points per game in 28 dates.

While this production downturn is unlikely to change Seattle’s development plans for Price—which include bringing him to Coachella Valley next season—it is a situation that bears watching.

Kraken prospects data update​

With Jani Nyman’s promotion to the NHL, the Firebirds are struggling to score right now, posting just one goal in each of their last five games—all losses. For his part, David Goyette has been a bit more involved for Coachella Valley over the last few games. He almost had the game-tying goal in the dying seconds of the Firebirds’ Wednesday game. While that moment was a frustrating one, it’s good to see him in the mix more, and hopefully he can continue to build confidence down the stretch.

Juganuth, Berkly Catton, and Clarke Caswell are all in the top-10 in assists in the WHL.

Niklas Kokko had a solid week, giving up only four goals across two games, but the Firebirds were only able to score twice in those contests, which left Kokko without a win for his efforts.

At this point, it appears Visa Vedenpaa will not return this season, leaving him with only three early fall starts in an otherwise lost year.

2024-25 Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week tracker​

Previewing the week ahead​

The CHL wraps up its regular season this weekend, with playoffs set to begin next Friday. The Seattle Thunderbirds and Everett Silvertips are already locked in as one of the WHL matchups. The rivals start their series in Everett on March 28 at 7:05 pm PDT.

Recent prospect updates​

March 14, 2025: Ty Nelson’s looking to prove there are no limits on his game

February 28, 2025: Talking Firebirds with Shad Powers

February 21, 2025: Lukas Dragicevic making strides, still striving for consistency

February 14, 2025: Mid-season Seattle Kraken prospect ranking

February 8, 2025: Oscar Fisker Mølgaard quietly ascends the ranks

January 31, 2025: Measuring the performance of the Seattle Kraken prospect pool

January 24, 2025: Tyson Jugnauth is putting on a show in Portland

January 17, 2025: Jani Nyman’s scoring, 2025 NHL Draft coverage

January 10, 2025: Interview with Kraken director of player development Jeff Tambellini

January 3, 2025: Stock Up, Stock Down for Kraken prospects at the World Junior Championship

Curtis Isacke

Curtis is a Sound Of Hockey contributor and member of the Kraken press corps. Curtis is an attorney by day, and he has read the NHL collective bargaining agreement and bylaws so you don’t have to. He can be found analyzing the Kraken, NHL Draft, and other hockey topics on Twitter and Bluesky @deepseahockey.

Read more from Curtis

The post Down on the Farm – NCAA, SHL, and Liiga prospects season review appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/03/22/down-on-the-farm-ncaa-shl-and-liiga-prospects-season-review/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Monday Musings: The final stretch for the Kraken

The Kraken wrapped up the last week of games with a 1-2-0 record. The win came against a very bad-looking Chicago Blackhawks team, where the Kraken spotted the Blackhawks an early two-goal lead and then promptly rattled off six unanswered goals in the 6-2 win. The Kraken looked to implement a similar strategy in their next game against the Minnesota Wild, spotting the Wild three goals in the first five minutes. Unfortunately, that was where the game would stay until the Wild added an empty-net goal with less than two minutes left.

The final game of the week was against the Edmonton Oilers, who were missing the services of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The Kraken were missing Chandler Stephenson, which forced a big shake-up of the lines.

John Hayden moved over from wing to play fourth-line center, while Shane Wright then moved up to center Jordan Eberle and Jaden Schwartz. With the Schwartz move, Jani Nyman slotted into Schwartz’s previous spot alongside Kaapo Kakko and Matty Beniers. Finally, Eeli Tolvanen moved to a line with Jared McCann and Andre Burakovsky. The final score was 5-4 Edmonton, which included an empty-net goal by the Oilers and then a 6-on-5 goal for the Kraken.

I am not going to overanalyze the games, given the context of this team’s position at this point in the season, but it seems like there have been quite a few defensive breakdowns over the last few contests. I don’t know if it’s the fact that the team is missing two true centers in the lineup or just flukey plays that lead to the breakdowns. Either way, this team is still competing, and that is all I am asking for at this point in the season. Even in the Minnesota game, the Kraken were still generating chances when they could have collapsed after going down 3-0 five minutes into the game.

Other musings​

• According to Natural Stat Trick, the Kraken had more expected goals than their opponents in the games they lost last week and fewer expected goals in the game they won.
• Shane Wright’s 19:54 of time on ice during the Minnesota game last Wednesday was a career high.
• In the Kraken-Blackhawks game last Tuesday, it was the fifth time that both Matty Beniers and Shane Wright scored in the same game. They are 4-0-1 in those games.
• This is the Andre Burakovsky I remember before he got hurt in February of 2023.

André Burakovsky goes short side to make it a one-goal game pic.twitter.com/h3FGmW9v4P

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 23, 2025

• Congrats to the Wisconsin Badgers women’s team, who won an epic championship game to defeat the Ohio State Buckeyes. Ohio State and Wisconsin have traded national titles for the last five years. Check out this rundown of this incredible game.

That feeling when you become Champions #WFrozenFour x @BadgerWHockey pic.twitter.com/YRkqZ5EcbW

— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) March 23, 2025

• Last week, I applauded the Kraken penalty kill since the trade deadline after losing two of their top penalty killers in Brandon Tanev and Yanni Gourde. Since then, they have allowed three power-play goals over eight shorthanded opportunities for a penalty kill of 63 percent. I will take the blame for jinxing them.
• The Kraken are six standings points behind where last year’s team was at this point in the season. The Kraken will need to earn 73 percent of the remaining points over the next 11 games to tie last season’s point total.
• Something to keep an eye on in the Kraken prospect world: The Seattle Kraken have two players with expiring rights on June 1. Both Kaden Hammell and Andrei Loshko will need to be signed by that date; otherwise, they will become free agents and eligible to sign with any NHL team.
• Shame! Shame! Shame! Last week, I mentioned that HV71 and Modo of the Swedish Hockey League were playing a best-of-5 series in the relegation series. Turns out it’s a best-of-7. After dropping the first two of the series, HV71 won the next three. Oscar Fisker Mølgaard and HV71 will now have two cracks at avoiding relegation.
• On Monday, the WHL announced that the Penticton Vees will be the newest WHL team and that they will be accepting applications for an expansion franchise in Chilliwack, British Columbia. The Vees were a BCHL team this most recent season and will immediately join the WHL for 2025-26. The Chilliwack franchise is expected to join the league for the 2026-27 season.
• The WHL also announced a new streaming partnership with Victory+. Games will be available for free through the platform, kicking off with the 2025 WHL playoffs this Friday.
• The 2025 NCAA men’s hockey tournament bracket is set and begins Thursday. There are no Kraken prospects playing in this year’s tournament, but there are several high-end NHL prospects which will be fun to watch. All games are available across the ESPN family. Check start times and channels here.
• The University of North Dakota fired their head coach, Brad Berry, on Sunday after 10 years with the program. I can’t help but wonder if former Seattle Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol could be a candidate to return to his alma mater and the school where he coached for 11 seasons.
• Finally, I’ve had a lot of people ask me about Seattle Kraken season ticket renewals. Usually, season ticket holders would be a couple of months into their monthly installments for next season’s tickets by now. We haven’t heard much publicly from the team since Samantha Holloway sent an email to fans in January that implied changes were coming. I don’t know much more than what has already been circulating for months—that April is when season ticket holders should expect more information.

Goal of the week​

There were a couple of Kraken prospect goals I liked this week, but when I saw this goal, I knew it was the one.

OH MY GOODNESS

Bryan Rust’s second of the period is a thing of beauty!

: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.twitter.com/Eqq9xxaz3q

— NHL (@NHL) March 23, 2025

Player performance​

Tyson Jugnauth (POR/SEA) – The Kraken’s fourth-round pick from the 2022 NHL Draft finished his WHL regular season with 24 points over his last 20 games. Portland’s opening-round playoff series against Prince George kicks off Friday in a four-versus-five matchup. Don’t forget you can check out WHL playoff games on Victory+.

Semyon Vyazovoy (UFA/SEA) – The Kraken selected Vyazovoy in the sixth round of their first draft back in 2021. The backup goaltender for Salavat Yulaev Ufa in the KHL stopped 34 of 35 shots across two games this week to wind down the KHL regular season. Vyazovoy finished the season with a .938 save percentage over 28 games, which was second in the league. Goalies and Russian players often take a longer path to the NHL, but Vyazovoy seems to be tracking well at this point in his career.

Joel Hofer (STL) – The backup goalie in St. Louis and former Portland Winterhawk made 50 saves on 52 shots in his two starts and wins this week for the Blues. Those wins were big for St. Louis, as they are currently in the second wild-card spot.

The week ahead​

The Kraken will finish off their string of road games (they’re practicing at home on Monday before flying out again) with a game in Calgary, where they can play spoiler to a desperate Flames team fighting for its playoff life. The Kraken are 2-1-0 against the Flames this season, with all games decided by one goal. All three games were played before the trade deadline, so this should be a challenging task—but who am I kidding, all games have been a challenge this season.

On Thursday, the Kraken will return home for three of their final five home games of the season. The first game of the homestand is against the Edmonton Oilers, against which the Kraken are just 2-11-1 in franchise history. It doesn’t get any easier on Saturday, when the Dallas Stars come to Seattle for a two-game series against the Kraken, with the second game on Monday, the 31st. The Kraken are 16-15-5 at home this season, and I find myself rooting for a .500-plus points percentage at home, but that might be a tough ask given the games remaining.

What say you? Are you still watching? What are you looking for down the final stretch?

The post Monday Musings: The final stretch for the Kraken appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/03/24/monday-musings-final-stretch/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Battle of the Sound takes playoff form as Thunderbirds and Silvertips face off in Round 1

This is sure to be a dandy! It’s no secret that the Everett Silvertips have been the WHL’s best team all season. With the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy locked up, they’ll get to enjoy home-ice advantage throughout the WHL Playoffs.

But it’s been their cross-town rivals, the Seattle Thunderbirds, who have been turning up the heat in the second half of the season, and they feel ready to show the Silvertips their mettle in Round 1.

T-Birds’ second-half claw back​

Yep, that’s right. The Seattle Thunderbirds are back in the playoff picture after missing out last season.

As the No. 8 seed, they will take on the No. 1-seeded Silvertips in Round 1, with Games 1 and 2 set for Friday and Saturday nights at Angel of the Winds Arena.

The series will shift to accesso ShoWare Center in Kent on Tuesday and the following Friday for Games 3 and 4.

This marks the fifth time the two storied franchises have faced each other in the playoffs, with Seattle owning a 4-1 all-time record.

At points this season, it looked like the T-Birds weren’t even going to sniff the playoffs. Sitting in last place on Jan. 10 at 12-24-2-1 and having just traded Sawyer Mynio to Calgary—seven points behind the final playoff spot in the Western Conference and with three teams to jump—there just wasn’t a lot to look forward to.

But the T-Birds turned things around. Since that day in January, they’ve picked up 38 points, finishing 30-33-4-1 and ending up 10 points clear of the team behind them for their playoff spot.

32 points earned since the January 9th trade deadline moves the @SeattleTbirds from 11th to 8th place in the Western Conference, jumping over three teams and into the playoffs.

— Thom Beuning (@ThomBeuning) March 19, 2025

Everett and Spokane have been the class of the division for practically the entire season, finishing in first and third place in the conference, respectively. But Seattle has held its ground against those top teams recently, going 2-1-0-0 against both since the calendar flipped to 2025.

Overager Brayden Schuurman, acquired at the WHL trade deadline from the Moose Jaw Warriors, was a key part of the Thunderbirds’ retooling efforts to get more dynamic.

“We know we can skate and compete with any team here,” Schuurman said. “At the end of the day, it’s about who wants it more.”

Players like Braeden Cootes (63 points), Nathan Pilling (60), and Coster Dunn (56) have been crucial to Seattle’s success in recent months, alongside the addition of Schuurman. But it’s been goaltender Scott Ratzlaff in vintage form who’s been the big difference-maker. Over his last 10 games, Ratzlaff has posted a .932 save percentage after struggling at times in the earlier stages of the season.

Taking on Everett in the playoffs is going to be a tall task, as any No. 1 seed would be for a No. 8 seed. But there’s a fight in this Seattle group that has bled into its results down the stretch, including winning its last two games of the season against higher-seeded teams in the conference.

The Thunderbirds have really seemed to adopt a “playing with nothing to lose” mentality down the stretch. Head coach Matt O’Dette is proud of his group’s tenacity and fight over the last few months.

“It gives our team confidence knowing that we can beat these top teams,” O’Dette said. “We’ve got a young team, and we’ve been really building something here over the second half of the season.”

There’s a lot of mental fortitude in this T-Birds group. Friday’s game in Spokane was evidence of that, as Seattle came from two goals down in the final five minutes to win 7-6 in a shootout. They finished the season on a four-game winning streak.

#WHL This @SeattleTbirds team man. Y’all better watch out now.

After trailing 6-4 with less than five minutes to go, they claw their way back to win it 7-6 in a shootout.

What a game this was! pic.twitter.com/O2uMs6yXOC

— Cameron Riggers (@CameronRiggers) March 22, 2025

Since the second half of the season began on Dec. 27, the T-Birds have been stellar at home, going 10-6-1 at accesso ShoWare Center, which will be key in this series.

If the T-Birds can steal at least one of the first two games in Everett, they will put themselves in a strong position to steal the series heading back home to the Sho. But as previously mentioned, it will be a tall task.

Everett’s playoff push​

As for the Silvertips, making the playoffs yet again adds to the history of a franchise that has never failed to qualify. Maybe—just maybe—this could finally be the year they break through and win the franchise’s first-ever Ed Chynoweth Cup.

If there were ever a year to do it, it’d be this one, as they boast arguably the best roster they’ve ever had. The Silvertips finished the regular season with a 48-12-4-4 record and 104 points—clearing the next closest team by six.

The Tips have consistently gotten contributions from all around, and there wasn’t really a major flaw in their game. They finished the season ranked in the top three for both goals for and goals against and in the top eight in both power-play and penalty-killing percentage.

Their one area of weakness—and the main concern of late—has been goaltending. Before Jan. 29, starter Jesse Sanche had allowed more than four goals in a game just twice all season. Since then, he’s done so six times.

It’s been more of a tandem approach lately, as Raiden LeGall finished the season with the highest save percentage (.921) and goals-against average (2.16) among qualified starters. It wouldn’t be surprising to see both goaltenders play at some point during this series.

Missing Carter Bear will be a tough blow, too. The 2025 draft-eligible prospect was on pace for a monumental season before it was cut short by an Achilles injury in late February.

Despite the injury, the Silvertips still rightfully honored Bear with the team MVP award, after he finished as the team’s leader in total points with 82.

View this post on Instagram​

A post shared by Everett Silvertips (@everett_silvertips)​

There will be key players expected to step up in Bear’s absence during this series and beyond. One player to watch will be veteran forward Tyler MacKenzie, who was an all-around “lead-by-example” guy this season with 78 points in 67 games, finishing the year with a plus-49 plus/minus rating.

After their 2-1 win over the T-Birds on Feb. 28, MacKenzie spoke about the types of battles they have had against Seattle lately and what it takes to triumph.

“It took every guy in the room,” MacKenzie said. “They’re a hell of a team, and they play us hard every time… that was a team win all-around. It took every guy on the ice.”

The Tips had a 6-1-0-1 record against the T-Birds in the regular-season series but lost two of their final three meetings.

With players like Austin Roest and Kraken prospect Julius Miettinen returning to the fold from injuries, Everett will be tough to handle on any given night.

With a stacked defensive corps led by Kraken prospect Kaden Hammell and WHL rookie points leader Landon DuPont, it’s hard to imagine Everett having too much trouble keeping opponents at bay.

The big key for the Silvertips, though, will be playing with consistency—not just in this series but throughout the playoffs. Playing with confidence and keeping the puck out of their own zone as much as possible will ultimately make or break their championship aspirations.

The other series in the west, Round 1:​

#2 Victoria vs. #7 Tri-City

• Two top 2025 draft-eligible prospects — VIC forward Cole Reschny and TC defenseman Jackson Smith—will duke it out. Victoria won the season series at 3-0-1-0.

#3 Spokane vs. #6 Vancouver

• Expect quite a few goals this series, as Spokane finished second in goals for this season, while Vancouver boasts six 20-goal scorers. Spokane won the regular season series at 4-0-0-0.

#4 Prince George vs. #5 Portland

• The two most geographically distant teams in the conference are ironically set to face off, featuring Kraken prospect and POR defenseman Tyson Jugnauth, who led all WHL defensemen in points with 79. Portland owned P.G. during the regular season at 4-0-0-0.

The WHL also announced expansion efforts to Penticton and Chilliwack. The Penticton Vees will begin play next season as members of the B.C. Division, while the league is hopeful Chilliwack will join the fold in 2026-27.

Header photo courtesy of Brian Liesse and the Seattle Thunderbirds

The post Battle of the Sound takes playoff form as Thunderbirds and Silvertips face off in Round 1 appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/03/2...nderbirds-and-silvertips-face-off-in-round-1/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Three Takeaways – Kraken rally again but lose to Flames in overtime

If Matt Coronato’s upper lip had been just a little stiffer, the Seattle Kraken might have won their game against the Calgary Flames in regulation on Tuesday. When Brandon Montour’s errant stick caught the Calgary forward in the mouth with 9:35 left in the game—while the Kraken held a tenuous 2-1 lead—that top lip (or perhaps gum area?) did, indeed, shed enough blood to earn Montour a second penalty on the play.

On the ensuing double-minor penalty, the Kraken had a fantastic kill going for nearly three and a half minutes. But Nazem Kadri finally broke through to tie the game, giving the Flames a massive momentum boost. Had Coronato’s lip stayed in tact, Montour would have only gotten two minutes, and Seattle would have killed it off and perhaps gotten a boost of its own.

Although the Kraken again rallied to get the game to overtime, Kadri scored again in the OT period, sealing a signature win for Calgary.

Here are Three Takeaways from a 4-3 overtime Kraken loss to the Flames.

Takeaway #1: Another great rally​

One characteristic of Seattle Kraken hockey that has mostly survived through the ups and downs of the franchise’s first four seasons is the team’s refusal to quit in games. After Rasmus Andersson gave the Flames a 3-2 lead with just 4:11 left—using Jaden Schwartz as a screen and ripping a slap shot past Joey Daccord’s blocker—Seattle, very much out of playoff contention, absolutely could have packed it in. In fact, most teams in Seattle’s position probably would have.

But the Kraken fought back for the umpteenth time, pounding away with Daccord pulled for an extra attacker until Matty Beniers jammed a rebound and created another chance for Jordan Eberle to whack it through a sprawled Dustin Wolf.

We’ve argued several times that loser points are the worst outcome for the Kraken at this point because they: A) don’t get the mental boost of winning the game, and B) only hurt their draft position by stealing single points in the standings. Still, this was a highly entertaining game to watch, so I was oddly accepting of the loser point on this particular night.

Good on the Kraken for not giving up.

Takeaway #2: Dustin Wolf wins the goalie duel​

Joey Daccord gave up four goals on 37 shots in this game, finishing with an .892 save percentage. Believe it or not, in his last 10 starts, he’s been below .900 eight times and is now flirting with dropping below that mark for the season. It’s totally arbitrary, but I’ve always viewed .900 as an important number for a netminder to stay above (worth noting: Philipp Grubauer was well above it every season of his career until he got to Seattle, but he has never been above it for a season as a Kraken).

That trend is concerning for Daccord, but I thought he deserved better in this game. The ice tilted dramatically in Calgary’s favor in the third period, especially after the Montour double minor. Daccord faced 14 shots in the final frame, and with the way momentum shifted, you could really feel both the tying and go-ahead goals coming.

Where things got really interesting in the goaltending department was during the overtime period. Both goalies came up with monster saves, with Daccord’s best coming on a bang-bang pass play through the crease that he slid across to stop. That save left Morgan Frost shaking his head in disbelief.

The most important save of the night, though, belonged to Wolf. More on that in Takeaway #3.

That extra frame was a fun display of goaltending at both ends, but it concluded with Kadri netting his second goal of the game on a breakaway.

Takeaway #3: An overtime gamble goes bad​

Kadri’s overtime game-winner came after an interesting decision by the Kraken duo of Eberle and Vince Dunn (Jared McCann was also out there, but he wasn’t as much of a linchpin in the pivotal play).

With a little more than a minute left in the extra frame, Eberle forechecked and stole the puck from Coronato at the offensive goal line. From down low, he spotted Dunn streaking down the slot completely unmarked. He delayed long enough until Dunn was in point-blank shooting range, then laid a perfect pass out for the defenseman to lean on his stick and unleash a one-time missile.

Of course, it was the right pass to set Dunn up for a potential game-winning shot toward Wolf. The only problem? Dunn was the last guy back for the Kraken.

As the pass slid toward the slot, Wolf launched off the goal line and stonewalled Dunn, who got good wood on the one-timer. But Coronato picked up the rebound and headed north, with Kadri—not even attempting to play defense on the play—well ahead of all three Kraken players.

In a way, the Kraken skaters on the ice accepted that they were about to either win or lose the game and pushed all their chips into the middle. Either Dunn rips it home and Seattle celebrates a big-time spoiler win over a divisional rival fighting for a playoff spot, or a breakaway comes back the other direction.

In this case, the latter happened, and the Kraken went bust.

Darren Brown​

Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at soundofhockey.com and the host of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is a member of the PHWA and is also usually SOH’s Twitter intern (but please pretend you don’t know that). Follow him @DarrenFunBrown and @sound_hockey or email [email protected].

Read more from Darren

The post Three Takeaways – Kraken rally again but lose to Flames in overtime appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/03/25/kraken-flames-kadri-scores-twic/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

A plan to prevent tanking in the NHL – Burn Point Threshold

We’re at that point in the season when the Seattle Kraken are playing games that no longer have playoff implications. I still enjoy tuning in, but it’s undeniably more fun when they win or battle hard in close contests.

The decreasing importance of the games got us at Sound Of Hockey thinking about how to prevent tanking in the NHL—the act of deliberately icing a subpar roster in hopes of losing and landing a higher draft pick.

Let’s walk through the pros and cons of tanking, and explore some ideas to prevent it.

NHL Entry Draft​

Prior to the 1995-96 season, draft position was solely based on the previous season’s standings. The last-place team automatically got the first pick, effectively rewarding teams for tanking. So in 1995, the NHL introduced the draft lottery to curb that trend.

Today, all 16 non-playoff teams are entered into the draft lottery. The last-place team has a 25.5 percent chance at the first overall pick, with the odds decreasing incrementally up to the 17th-place team, which has a 0.5 percent chance. However, teams can only move up a maximum of 10 spots. So, for example, if the 14th-place team is drawn first, they only jump to the fourth overall pick, and the last-place team retains the first overall selection.

Two lottery draws are made: one for the first overall pick and one for the second. The remaining picks are slotted in based on the final standings.

This system is designed to help teams at the bottom rebuild by drafting the top players. A key benefit is that it adds unpredictability to the draft order, keeping hope alive for teams just outside the playoffs. But the downside is clear: bottom teams still have the best odds, and teams that barely miss the playoffs often end up stuck in the murky middle.

Rewarded for losing​

Under the current system, the last-place team is guaranteed a top-three pick and holds the best odds to land the first overall selection. It’s an improvement over the pre-lottery format, but the core issue remains: the worst teams are still rewarded more than those who narrowly miss the playoffs.

The Kraken have yet to pick first overall in their young history, but they’ve benefited from the system. In their inaugural season, a postponed game, originally scheduled for April 13, against the Winnipeg Jets was rescheduled to May 1—after the NHL playoffs had already begun. The Kraken held a 3-1 lead after two periods, but Winnipeg stormed back with three goals in 4:16 to win 4-3. It looked like a meaningless game, but the outcome mattered. A Kraken win would have meant finishing 28th; a loss placed them 29th. That one loss kept them below the Philadelphia Flyers and ahead of them in the draft order. The New Jersey Devils eventually won the second lottery draw, bumping Seattle to the fourth overall pick.

With the fourth overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, the Kraken selected Shane Wright. Had they won that final game, they would have picked fifth, and Wright might be wearing orange as a Philadelphia Flyer. As of March 25, Wright leads all 2022 first-round picks in career points per 60 minutes at 2.481. Logan Cooley ranks second at 2.410.

I’m not saying Seattle tanked during its inaugural season—playoff expectations were high after Vegas’s expansion success—but it’s a good example of how losing can still be rewarded under the current system.

Burn Point Threshold​

I love the competitive nature of hockey and want teams to strive for wins without being penalized for it. While the current lottery discourages blatant tanking, it still rewards losing and punishes late-season wins, leaving teams stuck between integrity and draft position.

Enter the Burn Point Threshold, or BPT—a system I created to eliminate tanking incentives while still supporting struggling teams.

Under BPT, all 16 non-playoff teams enter the draft lottery with equal odds—one entry each, no weighted balls, no rewards for finishing lower. The draft order is then shaped by a point-based threshold.

Here’s how it works:

• Each non-playoff team is assigned “burn points” (BP) on a sliding scale based on standings: 32nd place gets one point, 31st gets two points, 30th gets three points, and so on up to 17th place, which gets 16 points.
• The lottery draws teams at random, one at a time.
• As teams are drawn, their burn points are subtracted from a 16-point threshold.
• Once the burn total reaches or exceeds 16, the lottery ends.

The drawn teams receive the top picks in the order selected. Remaining teams are slotted in by reverse standings starting after the last lottery pick. In this system, the number of lottery picks is dynamic. If a playoff bubble team draws the first overall pick, the draft ends sooner, allowing lower teams to still get decent selections. But if teams near the bottom of the standings are drawn, the lottery continues until the point threshold is met or exceeded. This levels the playing field by giving equal odds to all non-playoff teams, reducing the incentive to finish last.

Burn Point Threshold examples​

Here are a couple of examples of how a draft could play out:

Let’s say the 24th-place team (nine BP), the 27th-place team (six BP), and the 31st-place team (two BP) are drawn. That adds up to 17 burn points—lottery over. Those teams pick first, second, and third in the order they were drawn. The 32nd-place team would pick fourth overall.

In a separate scenario, the 17th-place team (16 BP) hits on the first draw. The lottery ends immediately. That team picks first overall, and the rest of the draft proceeds in reverse standings order, starting with the 32nd-place team picking second overall.

Data for Burn Point Threshold​

We simulated 10,000 draft lotteries to test fairness and function.

In BPT, every non-playoff team has an equal shot at the first overall pick. But since the lottery ends at 16 burn points, the two last-place teams never will get less than a sixth overall pick and 99.3 percent of the time will get a top-five pick. It’s not a flat-odds system—it’s a fair-odds system.

Here are the percentages for each pick in the 10,000 draft simulations.

Pros of Burn Point Threshold​

The BPT model brings a dynamic element to the draft process, introducing an increased level of unpredictability while ensuring teams aren’t penalized for competing and winning. All non-playoff teams start on equal footing while still guaranteeing the last-place team a top-six pick through the burn point structure.

It strikes a balance between fairness and function—every team gets a chance, but those who struggled still have an opportunity to land a high pick. The result is a draft system that rewards effort and maintains meaningful competition until the final horn of the season.

Tweaking the BPT model​

One of the strengths of the Burn Point Threshold (BPT) system is its flexibility. The core structure—equal odds, a point-based cutoff, and reverse-standings fallback—provides a solid foundation to build on. Here are two simple, impactful ways to tweak BPT without compromising its integrity:

• 16+1 Rule: Requires one additional team to be drawn after the 16-point threshold is reached, guaranteeing at least two lottery winners and adding a little extra suspense to the process.
• Adjustable Threshold: Raising the burn point threshold (to 20, 24, etc.) increases the number of lottery picks and spreads top selections more evenly. Lower thresholds keep the lottery shorter and offer greater protection for the league’s worst teams. I used 16 points in the initial model to emphasize support for struggling teams. But the threshold is fully adjustable. If tanking remains a concern, the league can raise the threshold. This extends the lottery, adds unpredictability, and makes it harder to game the system. At the same time, it gives the league control over how broadly top picks are distributed.

Here is how the draft pick odds change when using 24 BP, instead of 16 (10,000 simulations):

Other options to prevent tanking​

There are several other proposals aimed at discouraging tanking while still supporting struggling teams. While we won’t dive into all of them here, two of the more popular ideas are “The Gold Plan” and a single-elimination tournament.

The Gold Plan​

“The Gold Plan” was created by Adam Gold, hence the name. This idea awards draft order based on performance after a team is mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. The more points a team earns after elimination, the higher their draft position.

It adds competitive meaning to late-season games and may encourage teams to retain key players instead of offloading them at the trade deadline. However, one drawback is that it could incentivize teams to tank earlier in the season just to reach elimination sooner and start banking points.

You can read an expanded explanation of The Gold Plan on hockeyviz.com. The PWHL started using this model in 2024 and is the first professional league to adopt this model.

Single-elimination tournament​

Another idea is a March Madness-style bracket for all non-playoff teams to determine draft order. It’s exciting in theory but raises concerns. Would players risk injury in meaningless games? Would expiring-contract players want to jeopardize future deals? This concept is fun on paper, but it would be tough to implement in practice.

If it ain’t broke don’t fix it​

Some fans are fine with tanking and think the current system works. Tanking doesn’t guarantee the first overall pick—just better odds. And it helps bad teams rebuild through the draft. That said, rewarding losses feels flawed. Systems like BPT and The Gold Plan offer a way to level the field without incentivizing losing.

Is tanking a problem in the NHL?​

Tanking remains one of the most polarizing aspects of professional sports—especially in leagues like the NHL, where a single draft pick can reshape a franchise’s future when a generational talent enters the mix. While the current system tries to discourage tanking, it still leaves room for strategic underperformance. Fans want to see their teams compete every night—not quietly fold for the sake of odds.

That’s why proposals like the Burn Point Threshold or The Gold Plan deserve consideration. Both aim to reward effort, not apathy, while still helping weaker teams restock talent. Whether it’s a dynamic lottery cap or a post-elimination points race, these systems offer fresh ways to reshape the draft without penalizing teams for playing hard.

What are your thoughts? Should the NHL explore bold changes to prevent tanking? Would you prefer something like BPT or The Gold Plan, or does the current system work well enough?

Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Blaiz Grubic​

Blaiz Grubic is a contributor at Sound Of Hockey. A passionate hockey fan and player for over 30 years, Blaiz grew up in the Pacific Northwest and is an alumni of Washington State University (Go Cougs!). When he’s not playing, watching, or writing about hockey, he enjoys quality time with his wife and daughter or getting out on a golf course for a quick round. Follow @blaizg on BlueSky or X.

Read more from Blaiz

The post A plan to prevent tanking in the NHL – Burn Point Threshold appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/03/27/a-plan-to-prevent-tanking-in-the-nhl-burn-point-threshold/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Three Takeaways – Kraken use huge second period to drub injury-riddled Oilers 6-1

Look, we recognize these weren’t the Edmonton Oilers we’ve come to know and hate—the ones that feature two of the world’s best players in currently injured Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. We also recognize that this version of the Oilers was without other players like Mattias Ekholm and Stuart Skinner (who wouldn’t have played this game anyway), and Edmonton was on the second of back-to-back games with travel.

BUT…

It surely felt good from the Kraken perspective to give that team a good spanking for a change. The Oilers have absolutely owned the Kraken over the history of Seattle’s franchise, and the Kraken were just 2-11-1 all-time in the series coming into this game. They also had nine straight losses against Edmonton, with the last win coming way back on Jan. 3, 2023.

So, a lopsided win Thursday is both notable and well received by Seattle and its fans.

Here are Three Takeaways from a 6-1 Kraken win over the Oilers.

Takeaway #1: Coach’s challenge was a turning point​

After 20 minutes, this game felt like it could go either way. The Oilers were on tired legs, but they had some dangerous chances in the first period that were thwarted by Joey Daccord, who had an impressive night, stopping 36 of 37 shots (I’m not focusing on him in this article, but I was very encouraged to see him play the way he did after a slight drop in his play lately). Daccord’s shutout bid was spoiled by Zach Hyman five minutes into the third.

HOWEVER…

The Oilers did appear to take a 1-0 lead with 52 seconds left in the first after a puck popped way up in the air, dropped perfectly for Jeff Skinner, and he lifted it over Daccord’s shoulder.

NO GOAL!

Looked like Jeff Skinner had scored, but the #SeaKraken successfully challenged for a missed high stick on Connor Brown.

0-0 through 20 minutes. Some nice saves at both ends by Daccord and Pickard. Shots 12-12. pic.twitter.com/nQolDbiXUA

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) March 28, 2025

Seattle coach Dan Bylsma challenged the play for a missed stoppage due to a high stick by Connor Brown while the puck was floating through the air. Super slow motion showed that Brown’s stick barely made contact with the puck, but what I personally think got missed on the review is that after it touched Brown’s stick at an illegally high point, it then grazed the glove of Vince Dunn. If it did touch Dunn’s glove, then I think that should be a good goal, since Seattle would have been the most recent team to touch the puck before it landed for Skinner.

Bylsma gave all the credit for the successful challenge to video coaches Tim Ohashi and Brady Morgan but conceded that he was “deeply worried” Seattle would not win it.

“The first period was a little bit too much 50/50 for me,” Bylsma said. “They had two power plays, the penalty kill did a great job of killing them off, but the game was certainly still 50/50 at that point in time. And the high stick was a huge, huge call. All props to Brady and Tim in the video room, because it felt like a high stick, but it was not super— I didn’t see all the replays, but I wasn’t like ‘100 percent, oh yeah, that’s a high stick.’ It just changed the puck a little bit, and Brady and Tim were on it. And no, I wasn’t 100% confident we were going to get it.”

That ended up being a pivotal moment in the game because, instead of taking a 1-0 deficit into the second with the bad feelings of a late-period goal against, Seattle entered the middle frame on level footing and quickly took advantage.

Takeaway #2: What a second period​

In that middle frame, the Kraken dominated every inch of the ice and were rewarded with five goals in one period for the third time in franchise history. It started with a tap-in power-play goal by Jaden Schwartz off a beautiful pass from Andre Burakovsky.

THE POWER OF THE SCHWARTZ!

Perfect setup by Burakovsky, and an easy tap-in for Jaden Schwartz on the power play. Three straight games with a goal for Schwartz.

1-0 #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/xj4lAs5gIW

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) March 28, 2025

“We’re not rushing it [on the power play],” Burakovsky said. “I think, before, we were making a little dumb decisions sometimes, trying to force it and trying to maybe make the harder play. I think right now, we’re moving it a little bit quicker, we recognize when they’re putting pressure, and then we bypass that guy.”

I asked Bylsma what got the period rolling the way it did, and interestingly, he credited the hard forechecking of Mikey Eyssimont (who coincidentally only played two shifts in the period). I went back and watched Eyssimont’s first shift of the frame, and lo and behold, it was his pressure on Jake Walman that led to the Edmonton defenseman throwing a hot pizza pie to Schwartz, who was fresh off the bench.

“It happened fast,” Schwartz said. “[Tye Kartye] made a good change, and I just kind of hopped on. I think a couple of guys might have been forechecking the D-man and put pressure on him, and I just don’t think he saw me coming off the bench.”

After that, the ball just started rolling downhill for the Kraken. They got three more goals in very quick succession, with Jani Nyman tipping one through Calvin Pickard, Matty Beniers whacking one into an open net after a nice setup by Kaapo Kakko, and Burakovsky going skate to stick to make it 5-0.

The three goals came in a span of just 1:51, and there was even a fourth one in there by Jordan Eberle that got negated by an offside challenge.

As Ron Burgundy said, “That escalated quickly.”

Takeaway #3: Jaden Schwartz is rolling​

Schwartz scored for the third game in a row and had two in this game, bringing him to 23 on the season. For a guy that has had a lot of health issues during his time in Seattle, it has been fun to watch this resurgence from the 32-year-old winger.

His 45 points (23-22—45 in 73 games played) are already his best offensive output as a Kraken (previous best was 21-19—40 in 71 GP in 2022-23), and his 23 goals are his highest total since 2017-18, when he scored 24 with the St. Louis Blues.

“Every year is a little different,” Schwartz said. “It’s hard to point to one thing, but I had a good offseason, was able to get my body where it needed to be, and definitely being healthy [helps]. Some seasons, you kind of have dings here and there, and most of it’s unlucky. But, [in an] 82-game season, most guys are battling through stuff. So I’m just taking it day by day, enjoying it, and just trying to bring my best and improve on a daily basis.”

Darren Brown​

Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at soundofhockey.com and the host of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is a member of the PHWA and is also usually SOH’s Twitter intern (but please pretend you don’t know that). Follow him @DarrenFunBrown and @sound_hockey or email [email protected].

Read more from Darren

The post Three Takeaways – Kraken use huge second period to drub injury-riddled Oilers 6-1 appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/03/2...ond-period-to-drub-injury-riddled-oilers-6-1/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Three Takeaways – Kraken officially eliminated from playoffs while Stars clinch with 5-1 win

And with a whimper, the Seattle Kraken were officially eliminated from playoff contention.

We knew this day was coming for a loooooong time, and the conversations around the Kraken shifted to a “we know we’re out of it” sentiment well before the NHL Trade Deadline. But on Saturday, the final stake was driven into what has been a highly disappointing season for Seattle fans, who continue to show up despite their team’s poor performance this year.

Coincidentally, the Dallas Stars—a true Stanley Cup contender—clinched their fourth consecutive playoff berth with the win.

Here are Three Takeaways from a 5-1 Kraken loss to the Stars.

Takeaway #1: Two franchises in very different places​

I opted to go to the visitor dressing room after the game Saturday, where the Stars were quietly celebrating their playoff qualification. “We work all year for [making the playoffs], so now we’re focused on winning the division,” said Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger, who made 35 saves.

Then, Pete DeBoer addressed the media outside the Dallas dressing room and reminded folks that Mikko Rantanen—who was acquired and signed to an eight-year contract worth $12 million per season at the deadline—was the team’s best player on this night, finishing with an empty-net goal and two assists.

When DeBoer finished speaking, it so happened that Kraken coach Dan Bylsma was just beginning his post-game presser, so I popped in and listened. Bylsma broke down what went wrong in the game, citing the penalties Seattle took and the team’s lack of success on the power play as key issues.

He also noted that the team has shifted its mindset since the deadline while recognizing the significance of being officially eliminated. “We’ve been focused on playing our best hockey, proving to each other, proving to the fans what kind of team we are. And today, we’re mathematically eliminated, but the rest of the way doesn’t change for us. That’s our goal.”

What struck me is that we are still less than two years removed from Seattle coming up one goal short of knocking off the Stars in Game 7 of the second round of the 2022-23 Stanley Cup Playoffs. And yet here we sit, with the Kraken selling at the deadline and a wide swath of the fanbase rooting for more losses to improve the team’s draft lottery odds, while Dallas is adding even more top-end talent to an already deep roster and loading up for a Cup run.

I relish the day when the Kraken, too, are loading up for a Cup run instead of coming up with ways to be relatively competitive in meaningless games while they play out the string.

One day, the Kraken will be perennial contenders—I truly believe that. But right now, they don’t feel particularly close to achieving that status. And to add insult to injury, they got an up-close look Saturday at a club that has reached that level.

Takeaway #2: Fast start, then a slow unraveling​

The Kraken looked sharp in the early minutes of this game, even getting a goal from Eeli Tolvanen just 1:27 in after Jared McCann made an outstanding play to burn around Thomas Harley and create a rebound opportunity. They continued to have the better of the play for the first 10 minutes, but little by little, things unraveled, and Dallas began to show its class.

EELI GOAL-VANEN!

Jared McCann torches Thomas Harley, and Tolvanen bats in the bouncing rebound.

1-0 #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/SpEwKvd4cA

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) March 30, 2025

For a staunch defensive team, the Stars have a wealth of offensive weapons, and several of them found the back of the net on Saturday. Jason Robertson got his 33rd goal of the season on an easy tap-in to make it 1-1 at 11:50 of the first, then Roope Hintz notched his 27th of the season on the power play at 18:24.

Things remained fairly stagnant in the second, but once Mason Marchment added another power-play goal 28 seconds into the third period, it was all downhill for Seattle.

Takeaway #3: A poor special teams night​

Those two Dallas power-play goals were killers for Seattle in this game, but what made them sting even more was the Kraken’s abysmal performance with the man advantage.

“It’s uncharacteristic of our group to take a lot of penalties,” Bylsma said. “[Special teams are] a huge part of the game. Against good power plays, the best way to keep them off the scoresheet is by not giving them an opportunity.”

In the first period, Seattle had two power-play opportunities but struggled to even get set up in the offensive zone. Dallas—which currently ranks second in the NHL in penalty kill percentage, just a hair behind Carolina at 84.5 percent—used an aggressive PK style that forced Seattle’s players to make quick decisions. Every time the Kraken gained the offensive blue line, they quickly coughed up the puck and watched it get cleared the length of the ice.

After those two poor showings from the Kraken power play in the first, the Stars got their first opportunity of the night and wasted no time converting, with Hintz one-timing a cheeky little saucer pass from Jason Robertson over Joey Daccord’s shoulder.

Roope Hintz makes it 2-1 with a power-play goal.

Stars are 1-for-1 on the PP, #SeaKraken are 0-for-2. pic.twitter.com/fAADIdwbr3

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) March 30, 2025

On a night when we were reminded of how far apart these two teams are right now, the special teams battle—in which Dallas went 2-for-5 on the power play while Seattle went 0-for-4—was a microcosm of the disparity between the franchises.

Darren Brown​

Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at soundofhockey.com and the host of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is a member of the PHWA and is also usually SOH’s Twitter intern (but please pretend you don’t know that). Follow him @DarrenFunBrown and @sound_hockey or email [email protected].

Read more from Darren

The post Three Takeaways – Kraken officially eliminated from playoffs while Stars clinch with 5-1 win appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/03/30/kraken-mathematically-eliminated-stars-clinch/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

‘Hard-fought’ Silvertips and Thunderbirds series all tied up as series shifts to Kent

Get the popcorn ready, because we might be in this thing for the long haul.

What a series we have on our hands in the WHL Playoffs first round, as after the No. 8-seeded Seattle Thunderbirds took an emotional Game 1, the No. 1-seeded Everett Silvertips countered in Game 2 with a 3-2 win of their own on Saturday night at Angel of the Winds Arena, with Eric Jamieson providing the heroics with the overtime winner.

The series will now shift down the I-5 corridor, with Game 3 coming on Tuesday night at the accesso ShoWare Center in Kent.

We knew coming in this would be an emotional and meaningful series for both teams, with the two having very different expectations coming in. But all that got wiped clean once they dropped the puck for Game 1.

---

Game 1

The opening game of the series saw the T-birds come out with the pedal to the metal, focused on finishing their checks and getting quality offensive looks. It looked like they were dictating the pace early on, and they were able to cash in with a pair of first-period goals from Hayden Pakkala and Brayden Holberton.

A Shea Busch goal sandwiched in between made it 2-1 after the first period. The T-birds hadn’t scored more than a goal in a game at Angel of the Winds in four games played there this season, but they had already surpassed that in a period of playoff hockey. Some big steps were being made.

An early second-period goal off a rebound from Simon Lovsin extended the lead to 3-1, which would wind up being the game-winner.

The Tips would add a goal from Tarin Smith in the third, but it proved to be too little, too late, as the T-birds held on for the win. This marked the fourth season in a row the Tips would drop the opening game of the playoffs. Scott Ratzlaff stopped 45 of 47 shots in the win.

---

Game 2

Game 2 the following night looked destined to be the same story, with the T-birds again starting out playing physical and finishing checks from the jump.

However, the Tips found their groove offensively in the back half of the frame, and Lukas Kaplan opened the scoring with a wrister from the right dot.

The T-birds tied it in the second off a Braeden Cootes power-play goal. The Tips began to surge more offensively in the second and third periods, but the T-birds held strong.

After Austin Roest scored to give Everett a 2-1 lead late in the third period, the Tips thought they had it all won until a Nathan Pilling tip of a Braeden Cootes shot made it a 2-2 game with less than 30 seconds to go.

There were plenty of opportunities at both ends in OT before Eric Jamieson won it for the Silvertips, stepping up in the play at the top of the left circle and zipping it past Ratzlaff.

#WHL This series is tied! #Flames prospect Eric Jamieson wins it for @WHLSilvertips in overtime!

The series now shifts down south to Kent. Game 3 on Tuesday night.@sound_hockey pic.twitter.com/GHERVCqNXc

— Cameron Riggers (@CameronRiggers) March 30, 2025

Coach Steve Hamilton thought his group’s ability to respond to the adversity of going down a game in the series was a good learning opportunity.

“We stuck to it, and I thought we played really well,” Hamilton said. “I liked our physicality tonight and a lot of the things we did. Just had to stay with it going to overtime.”

Meanwhile, the other side was not pleased with the result but still find themselves in an optimal position as the 8 seed, tied 1-1 going back home.

Seattle head coach Matt O’Dette also liked his group’s willingness to throw the body around in these crucial games.

“It was a hard-fought playoff game with lots of intensity and with both teams playing physically,” O’Dette said. “It’s what you would expect with a rivalry playoff series like this. I thought our group showed a lot of resiliency to battle back in a game like that. It’s unfortunate how it ended and we’re disappointed, but we’ve got to shake it off quick and get ready for the next one.”

---

Digesting the first two games

With so much to go over from this whole weekend, where do we even begin?

How about we give some love to the men in the masks, particularly the aforementioned one in blue and white.

Ratzlaff was downright unbelievable this weekend, stopping a total of 89 of 94 shots seen, with a .946 save percentage. Some of the saves he made were quite literally jaw-dropping, and he just kept upping the ante.

“It was a lot of fun, honestly,” Ratzlaff said after Game 1. “We all knew coming into this series that Everett’s a tough team and we’re gonna need our absolute best. For us to show up like that is great, but for me it’s just about taking one shot at a time.”

Some of his saves harkened back to ‘The Dominator’ himself, Dominik Hasek, which is ironic given he is currently a prospect of the Buffalo Sabres organization.

I’m not saying he’s going to be the next Dominik Hasek by any means, but with the way he’s been playing lately, he appears well on his way to a successful pro career.

SAVE OF THE NIGHT

Hey Mr. Scott, what chu gonna do, what chu gonna do? Make our dreams come true!@RealCdnSS | @SeattleTbirds | @BuffaloSabres #WHLPlayoffs | #SaveoftheNight pic.twitter.com/QJX6CrctUf

— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) March 30, 2025

Ratzlaff was a tough cookie to crack all weekend, gobbling up most of what he saw from distance and from in tight. The Tips had a lot of shots this weekend from the point that he would see all the way.

Everett forward Austin Roest was one of the few who cashed in on Ratzlaff, and he mentioned some of the keys to beating a stalwart like him.

“Getting in front of Ratzlaff’s eyes is going to be big,” Roest said following Game 2. “All our goals this series have been when he can’t see the puck. If we play the right way and do the little things, then I think we’ll be in good shape.”

As for the Silvertips, the tandem approach commenced, as both Raiden LeGall and Jesse Sanche made starts this weekend.

Despite stopping 31 of 34 shots Friday, LeGall had some troubles with coughing up juicy, costly rebounds in Game 1, which led Coach Hamilton to giving Sanche the nod for Game 2, where he performed well, stopping 33 of 35 en route to the much-needed win for both him and his team.

---

Added physicality

The big thing that’s made this series what it’s been is the physicality and animosity between these two fierce rivals. Almost every whistle, it felt like there was at least one or two scrums.

Hamilton said the chippiness was to be expected in a rivalry series like this, but that it’s important to stay disciplined and not get carried away or ultimately end up hurting your team.

“A huge piece of it is not letting the emotions get out of hand or taking extra penalties,” Hamilton said. Each team was even in PPs with three and PIMs with 10 in Game 2. “You want to be in that emotional state where you’re up to the line but not crossing over it. I think both teams feel that way.”

#WHLSilvertips Clarke Schaefer hits Brayden Schuurman from behind into the boards, which ensues quite the chaos pic.twitter.com/qtUKT956o6

— Cameron Riggers (@CameronRiggers) March 29, 2025

Another unconventional aspect of this series that not many WHL teams have the luxury of experiencing is that both teams get to sleep in their own beds the whole series, as well as not having to deal with strenuous travel schedules.

“It is certainly a bonus,” Hamilton said. “It’s a cumulative thing, and every night you get in your bed is a plus-one advantage; as opposed to long travel with entire nights on a bus.”

---

Resetting for Tuesday

As the series heads down I-5 to Kent, both teams will be feeling pretty good about their situation.

We talked about this before the series, but the fact that the T-birds were able to steal even just one game in Everett is so beneficial, given how lofty the Silvertips’ entire playoff expectations are as the No. 1 seed.

Now that the home-ice advantage is handed over to the T-birds going forward with Games 3, 4, and 6 being in Kent, it bodes well for the underdogs and momentum shifting back their way.

So there it is. It’s knotted up. Six goals for and against aside, one game aside. Expect to see a lot more of that tight checking and chippiness as the animosity in this series continues to build.

Anything else? Oh yeah, Landon DuPont had three points in his first two career WHL playoff games. He’s 15 years old, by the way.

Header photo courtesy of Brian Liesse and the Seattle Thunderbirds

The post ‘Hard-fought’ Silvertips and Thunderbirds series all tied up as series shifts to Kent appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/03/3...-series-all-tied-up-as-series-shifts-to-kent/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Monday Musings: The Kraken plus the PWHL

All I’ve asked for down the stretch is for the Seattle Kraken to play competitive games that are enjoyable to watch. Over the past week, that’s exactly what they delivered during a tough three-game stretch. The Kraken lost in overtime to the Calgary Flames, blew the doors off an injury-riddled Edmonton Oilers team, and then got handled by a Stanley Cup-contending Dallas Stars team.

Even in the Stars game, it was a one-goal game heading into the third period. But when Mason Marchment scored just 28 seconds into the period, it felt like that was all the Stars would need to put the Kraken away. If you had told me the Kraken would go 1-1-1 for the week, I would have taken it.

I try to be objective when analyzing this team, and it feels like they’ve been more competitive than their record suggests. One stat people often look to beyond the standings to evaluate a team is goal differential. I take a slightly different approach by excluding empty-net goals for and against, which I call ‘adjusted goal differential.’ Historically, teams with a positive adjusted goal differential are more likely to make the playoffs, while those with a negative one tend to miss out. Teams hovering around zero are usually the bubble wild-card contenders.

Here’s a look at the adjusted goals for/against across the league, with the net result of the two metrics shown in the right-side graph.

The diagonal line represents where ‘adjusted goals for’ equal ‘adjusted goals against.’ The idea is that teams above the line—those with a positive ‘adjusted goal differential’—are more likely to be playoff teams. As of Monday, every team above the line is currently in a playoff spot, with the only exceptions being the Montreal Canadiens and Minnesota Wild, who are in playoff positions despite being below the line.

The key takeaway from the graphic is that teams close to the diagonal line have been in the playoff hunt over the past month, except for one outlier: the Seattle Kraken.

I’m not saying the Kraken should be a playoff team, but they probably should have been in the mix down the stretch of the season.

PWHL to Seattle​

On last week’s Sound Of Hockey Podcast, I shared my belief that Seattle will be named as one of the expansion cities for a new PWHL team for the 2025-26 season. I haven’t received official confirmation, but I’ve reached out to several sources both locally and nationally. What I’ve heard has given me enough confidence to say that this is going to happen. I’d put the likelihood at 75 percent, and we could hear an announcement as early as Tuesday of this week.

A few months ago, I published an article arguing that Seattle would be a great location for a PWHL team, but the timing didn’t seem right. The more I’ve thought about it, the more I believe Seattle is an ideal market. The PWHL has always aimed bigger than any of its predecessors in professional women’s hockey, and expanding aggressively aligns with that vision. Seattle and Vancouver are strong markets for pro women’s hockey, and I assume the Kraken organization is leading this effort. If they are, they’ll do it right. They certainly make mistakes, but they operate at a first-class level. That kind of launch in a key market would likely appeal to the PWHL.

Seattle PWHL arena thoughts​

One challenge I speculated about in January was the arena situation. The turnout for both the USA-Canada game in 2022 and the PWHL Takeover Tour earlier this year proves there’s real demand for elite women’s hockey. Those two games drew 14,500 and 12,608 fans, respectively, undeniably impressive numbers. However, those were marquee events, which are traditionally easier to rally fans around when they’re one-offs rather than part of a full season.

The PWHL’s average attendance over the past two seasons was 5,485, less than a third of Climate Pledge Arena’s hockey capacity. That said, the 5,485 figure lacks context. New York’s attendance has dragged the league average down, and Toronto played its first season in the limited-capacity Mattamy Athletic Centre.

I don’t know what the forecast would be for attendance over 15 regular-season games in Seattle, but I’ve speculated that a hybrid approach could work—splitting games between Climate Pledge Arena and Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett. Both venues are managed by Oak View Group and could help tap into different geographical markets. I haven’t heard anything to suggest this is the plan, but it could be a good solution if arena availability becomes an issue and/or they want to expand their reach. In the PWHL’s first season, three of the six teams played in multiple home arenas. This season, only the Boston Fleet continue to do so. You also have to consider whether the Kraken Hockey Network, along with their local TV and streaming relationships, is part of the appeal of Seattle for the PWHL.

The thought of having a PWHL team to call our own really excites me. I already watch plenty of women’s hockey, but it’s more scattered: split between the PWHL, college hockey, and national team games. Having a dedicated team to follow, with appointment-based viewing both on TV and in person, would take engagement to another level. Instead of catching random games when schedules align, I could follow a team consistently, learn the players’ stories, and invest in their journey throughout the season.

A Seattle-based PWHL team would provide a rallying point for local fans, building a community around women’s hockey much like the Kraken have done. It’s one thing to appreciate the game from afar, but having a hometown team would make the experience more personal, immersive, and meaningful.

Other musings​

• The Kraken’s 6-1 win over Edmonton on Thursday night was their largest margin of victory this season since they beat Montreal back in October.
• It was also just the third time in 15 games that the Kraken have beaten the Oilers in franchise history.
• As shared by the Kraken Hockey Network, the Kraken’s three goals in 111 seconds against the Oilers on Thursday were the second-fastest trio of goals in franchise history.
• No matter how much Alison Lukan disagrees with me, I don’t think a goal scored by the same team should be counted as a “response goal.” In my opinion, a response goal should only be when a team answers a goal against with one of their own. A goal for that comes within a set interval of another goal for should be considered a “pile-on goal.” Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
• The Kraken rank third in the league in pile-on goals (12) and first in response goals (12) using a 60-second interval. (I also don’t think we have consensus on the interval length either.)
• Earlier this season, I mentioned that Seattle was one of the most disciplined teams in the league and didn’t put themselves shorthanded often. Before the trade deadline, the Kraken averaged 2.2 shorthanded situations per game, the third-fewest in the league at the time. Since the deadline, they are averaging 2.9 per game. This really bit them in the butt on Saturday when the Stars had five power plays and executed on two of them.
• I think we can safely assume Jani Nyman will make the Kraken roster next fall.
• The WHL playoffs kicked off over the weekend, and here’s your friendly reminder that you can watch all games for free on Victory+. The Everett Silvertips versus Seattle Thunderbirds series is shaping up to be a doozie.
• The first game of the Portland–Prince George WHL playoff series was wild. Portland entered the third period with a three-goal lead, only for Prince George to score four straight to take the lead. Portland then tied the game with about three minutes left, forcing overtime where Prince George won it on this play:

Terik Parascak scores his second of the night for the W!

The @PGCougars storm back from a 5-2 deficit to take Game 1 in overtime

And they’ll do it all over again tomorrow. #WHLPlayoffs | #FeedingTheFuture | #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/ZEkHijVo8C

— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) March 29, 2025

• The Coachella Valley Firebirds announced they have signed Justin Janicke to an AHL contract for the 2025-26 season. Janicke, a Kraken seventh-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, was not signed by Seattle but remains in the system. Now that he’s in the organization, it should be a smoother path for him to eventually sign with the Kraken. He had a terrific season for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, leading the team with 15 goals and finishing second with 34 points.

Goal of the week​

This was incredible.

6-1 #SeaKraken

Jared McCann celebrates opening day for baseball with a backhander into the net after Eyssimont bats the puck up pic.twitter.com/xfgP9dKLMZ

— Alison (@AlisonL) March 28, 2025

Player Performances​

Ryan Donato (CHI) – The former Seattle Kraken forward had four goals and two assists over his last three games. He has 29 goals this season, and assuming Chicago doesn’t sign him to an extension before July 1, he will be hitting the free agent market this summer.

Scott Ratzlaff (SEA-WHL) – The Seattle Thunderbirds goaltender saved 89 shots on 94 attempts in his two games against Everett over the weekend in the opening round of the WHL playoffs. He won the first game and would lose in overtime in the second game. Go check out this series if you get a chance.

Victor Ostman (SEA-CVF) – Victor Ostman posted a shutout for the Coachella Valley Firebirds in just his third career AHL game. The Kraken-signed goaltender has spent most of the season with the Kansas City Mavericks of the ECHL.

The week ahead​

The Kraken will face the Dallas Stars again on Monday night to close out their second-to-last homestand of the season before hitting the road for five games. Their first stop will be Wednesday night in Vancouver, where they could deliver a serious blow to the Canucks’ playoff hopes with a regulation win. The Canucks are 5-3-2 over their last 10 games, but they’re chasing the Blues for the final wild-card spot. St. Louis has won nine straight and currently holds a six-point lead over Vancouver, which has just eight games remaining. The Kraken then head to San Jose for a Saturday night matchup—at least on paper, a lighter opponent than they’ve faced lately.

Beyond the three Kraken games, it’s shaping up to be a jam-packed week of hockey, featuring three I-5 rivalry games in the Everett–Seattle WHL series and a possible PWHL expansion announcement. Not to mention the ongoing playoff races, especially in the East.

I’d also be lying if I said I wasn’t keeping an eye on the Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, and Nashville Predators—and the potential impact their results could have on the current lottery odds.

The post Monday Musings: The Kraken plus the PWHL appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/03/31/pwhl-to-seattle-kraken-musings/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Strived for 95 points, but came up short; the Seattle Kraken are mathematically eliminated

The Seattle Kraken set out to reach the playoffs this season but have officially fallen short. With the St. Louis Blues’ win over the Colorado Avalanche on March 29, the Kraken were eliminated from playoff contention.

As the NHL inches toward the postseason, the playoff picture is becoming clearer. Still, a few spots remain up for grabs. Here are the final team tiers and matchups to watch.

Updated team tiers​

Bolded = Remaining teams the Kraken play, Starred* = moved tiers, x2 = play twice

The Eastern Conference has one, maybe two, wild card spots still contested. The Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens currently hold the last two spots, but the New York Rangers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings and New York Islanders are all in striking distance. According to Tankathon.com, Ottawa and Montreal have the easiest remaining schedule.

The Western Conference still has a race, but the gap has widened to six points. The St. Louis Blues made no moves at the trade deadline, opting to bet on their current roster. That decision has paid off, as they’re now riding a 10-game win streak that has vaulted them into the a wild card spot. The Calgary Flames remain in pursuit, led by standout rookie goaltender Dustin Wolf, and they have two games in hand. The Vancouver Canucks are fading but not yet out. They have one game in hand and the easiest schedule of the chasing group. The Minnesota Wild have slipped to the final wild card spot and sit one point behind the Blues with 88. They’ll need a strong finish but are getting Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek back from injury soon.

Although not mathematically eliminated, the Utah Hockey Club has 80 points. That would be enough to make the playoffs in the East, but in the West, they sit eight points out and appear ready to book some tee times.

At the top of the Atlantic Division, the Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Florida Panthers are in a tight race. Only two points separate the three teams. Despite Toronto’s recent postseason appearances, it may surprise fans to learn the Leafs haven’t won their division since the 1999-2000 season. Could this be their year?

Fresh off two wins over the Kraken, the Dallas Stars are now the third-best team in the league. They are just four points back of the Winnipeg Jets, hold a game in hand, and remain firmly in the hunt for the Presidents’ Trophy. The battle for the top spot in the West will be fierce, especially since the runner-up is likely to face the Colorado Avalanche in the first round. Winnipeg drew that assignment last season and lost the series 4-1.

Kraken play since the break​

The Kraken have remained competitive since the 4 Nations Face-Off break. In 18 games, they’ve gone 7-9-2. That record doesn’t look great, but they held a winning mark of 6-5-1 in their first 12 games. The final six were a gauntlet, with five games against the Playoff Bound tier. They went 1-4-1 in that stretch.

Excluding the shutout loss to the Wild on March 19 and the first defeat to the Stars on March 29, the Kraken were in nearly every game until the end. Since the trade deadline, when they dealt Oliver Bjorkstrand, Yanni Gourde, and Brandon Tanev, Seattle has kept games close. Other than the two blowout losses mentioned, every game was either a win or decided by one goal, not counting empty-netters. They’ve been competitive and fun to watch.

Goaltending​

Joey Daccord hit his first sustained rough patch of the season, going 4-7-2 with a .883 save percentage over 13 appearances. Seven of those came against Playoff Bound teams, where he posted a 2-4-1 record.

Joey Daccord

Philipp Grubauer

Philipp Grubauer, meanwhile, is playing his best hockey of the entire season, a stretch that began after returning from his AHL stint. Embracing the backup role, Grubauer appeared in four games and posted a .925 save percentage—his best four-game stretch of the season. “The German Gentleman” has looked mostly sharp, going 2-2.

Point percentages versus team tiers​

To reach 95 points, the Kraken needed to maintain a .579 point percentage over the full season. This was broken down by team tier, with target point percentages set for each. Here’s how their actual results stack up as of April 1:

Seattle struggled the most against the Playoff Bound tier, posting a .224 point percentage and going 5-21-3. They fared better against the Bubble and Tanker tiers, slightly exceeding the target against Bubble teams. They went 15-10-2 against the Bubble tier and 11-7-1 against Tankers.

Clearly, the Kraken must figure out how to secure more wins against top-tier teams to return to the playoffs.

Kraken the rest of the way​

Seattle has seven games remaining: three against Playoff Bound teams, three against Bubble teams, and one against a Tanker.

• Playoff Bound: Los Angeles Kings (twice), Vegas Golden Knights
• Bubble: Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues, Utah Hockey Club
• Tanker: San Jose Sharks

The Bubble games will be interesting as the Kraken can play the role of spoiler. Those teams need every point. Based on Kraken point percentages by tier, the bar should be set at six points over the final stretch. Anything over six points and they will exceed their season average. Seattle begins its final road trip—five games—tonight against the Canucks.

Things to watch as the season winds down​

Even with the Kraken out of the playoffs, there are still stories worth watching:

• Jani Nyman—affectionately nicknamed Li’l Jani—has six points (three goals, three assists) in 10 games and looks primed to earn a roster spot next season. He’ll eventually return to Coachella Valley to help with their playoff run.
• Shane Wright is having a strong first full season in the NHL, with 17 goals and 40 points while averaging 14 minutes of ice time. A 20-goal season would be the icing on the cake.
• Home-ice advantage: Despite their struggles against top teams, the Kraken hold a .500 points percentage at home (17-17-5). With two home games left, I’m rooting for them to finish with a winning record.
• Draft Position: I’m not one to root for tanking, but with the Kraken sitting 29th, draft lottery odds are at play. Finishing 27th gets them a 7.5 percent chance at the top pick. At 29th, it’s 9.5 percent.

This season didn’t go as hoped, but the Kraken showed resilience and have remained competitive in games. With a full offseason ahead, they have a chance to regroup and come back stronger.

Blaiz Grubic​

Blaiz Grubic is a contributor at Sound Of Hockey. A passionate hockey fan and player for over 30 years, Blaiz grew up in the Pacific Northwest and is an alumni of Washington State University (Go Cougs!). When he’s not playing, watching, or writing about hockey, he enjoys quality time with his wife and daughter or getting out on a golf course for a quick round. Follow @blaizg on BlueSky or X.

Read more from Blaiz

The post Strived for 95 points, but came up short; the Seattle Kraken are mathematically eliminated appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/04/0...seattle-kraken-are-mathematically-eliminated/