Relatedly, the second factor which depressed his production was the Kraken’s crippling lack of potent offensive weapons, with Jared McCann leading the club with only 50 points last season. Related: 4 Lessons For The Seattle Kraken From The 2022 Conference Finalists With the veteran’s exit, Dunn’s usage skyrocketed, positioning him as the team’s lead blueliner on the power play and getting first dibs on more favorable deployment. After all, nearly all of the obstacles in his way have been negated or eliminated entirely by the Kraken’s work over the past several months, dating all the way back to the 2022 trade deadline.įirst was the departure of the franchise’s first captain in Mark Giordano, who was traded to his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs for several draft picks. In fact, Dunn’s 35 points in 73 games last season led all Kraken defenders and lent credence to the idea that he is on the precipice of a true breakout season. Given how much faith I have placed in Vince Dunn, his inclusion on this list is more of a reflection of the high expectations placed on him rather than the result of poor play. If Grubauer returns to a level of play that simply approaches league average, the Kraken will be much better off in their second NHL campaign. There is no sugarcoating it last season represents an overwhelmingly underwhelming return for what amounts to a sizeable financial commitment. They finished third in shots against per-60 (SA/60) and eighth in chance quality allowed per-60 (xGA/60), both of which were overshadowed by the team’s historically poor goaltending.Īs of this season, Grubauer’s contract carries an average annual value (AAV) of $5.9 million per year, which ranks ninth among all active goaltenders. Unsurprisingly, the Kraken finished last in team SV% and vastly underperformed their otherwise stellar defensive numbers at 5v5. Related: 4 Bold Seattle Kraken Predictions For The 2022-2023 Season 889 SV% and allowed a league-worst 32.6 goals more than expected, the fourth most of the analytics era (since 2007-08) according to Evolving Hockey’s database. 923 save percentage (SV%) and plus-5.1 goals saved above expected (GSAx), the veteran goaltender imploded in his first season in the Pacific North West. The 30-year-old German netminder inked a massive six-year, $35.4 million contract with the expansion franchise after earning a Vezina Trophy nomination as the starter for the Colorado Avalanche. There is perhaps no one more on the Kraken – or the league – sorely in need of a complete reset than Philipp Grubauer. In particular, the following three players have the most to prove in 2022-23 for one reason or another – let’s dive in. Regardless, the upcoming NHL season represents a chance to cast aside the Kraken’s woeful performance last year. Although not necessarily out of line with the first seasons of many of the NHL’s previous expansion outfits, their 30 th-overall finish served as a stark reminder that competitiveness is (usually) not forged overnight. While playing in arguably the league’s weakest division in the Pacific, the Kraken stumbled to last place with a meager 60 points. Despite entering the franchise’s inaugural season with fanciful daydreams of playoff aspirations, the NHL’s long-awaited return to a historically rich market did not match the homecoming’s level of romanticism. To say that the 2021-22 campaign was disappointing for the entirety of the Seattle Kraken organization is a mild understatement.
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