Recapping the 1st Half of the Seattle Kraken's Inaugural Season

There was a lot of buzz and hype around the National Hockey League's 32nd franchise, even before the team found their new home. The buzz increased when it was officially announced that team #32 would play in Seattle, and the progression of the countdown to Seattle's debut included a new arena, jerseys, and the official name: Kraken. The Seattle Kraken made their anticipated debut this season, and they have played 41 games--putting them halfway into their inaugural season.

The Kraken's placement into the Pacific Division forced the Arizona Coyotes to move to the Central Division (though that placement is based on a rumor that the Coyotes could be moving to Houston, but that's another story). We all remember the last time the NHL added a franchise; the successful inaugural season of the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017-18 led some fans to actually suggest that the Kraken would (at least) be a playoff team in their debut. In actuality, Vegas' success was due to a very successful expansion draft, as well as good coaching from Gerard Gallant, who is now the head coach of the New York Rangers. Plus, the Knights went to the Stanley Cup Final. Certainly the Kraken wouldn't do that, right? Considering that some of the players the Kraken received were Philipp Grubauer (via free agency), Jordan Eberle, and Yanni Gourde, fans believed that this could be a playoff team.

So how have the Seattle Kraken fared so far? In their first 41 games, the Kraken are 13-24-4, totalling 30 points in the standings. So basically, a typical expansion season. The team went 3-5-1 in October (with their first-ever win coming in their second game played), 5-8-0 in November, 2-5-3 in December, and (so far) 3-6-0 in January. Seattle does have some quality wins, including sweeping the season series from the Florida Panthers. They are 14 points below the playoff line in the Western Conference, but their record is not the league's worst--only the Ottawa Senators, Arizona Coyotes, and Montréal Canadiens have worse records.

The team is scoring 2.66 goals per game, which is 26th in the league, and surrendering 3.51 goals per game, which is 29th in the league. Regarding special teams, the Kraken's power play percentage is 16.8%, which is 23rd in the league, though their penalty kill percentage is 77.9%--20th in the league. The Kraken have scored two shorthanded goals, which is more than two teams who are above the playoff line: the Minnesota Wild (1), and the only team yet to score a shorthanded goal, the Nashville Predators.

Regarding individual stats, Jared McCann and Jordan Eberle are tied for the team lead in points with 24. Out of McCann's 24 points, 15 of them are goals, giving him the team lead in that category. Yanni Gourde, taken in the expansion draft from the back-to-back defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning, is close behind the pair with 21 points (9G/12A), while Jaden Schwartz (another Cup winner with the Blues) and Alex Wennberg have 20 points each. Ryan Donato, who scored the team's first goal in franchise history, has 16 points (9G/7A). 16 is also the high number for points by Seattle defensemen, as Vince Dunn has that tally--one point higher than team captain Mark Giordano.

As for goaltending, Philipp Grubauer has declined vastly from the previous season, which saw him as a finalist for the Vezina Trophy for his stellar season with the Colorado Avalanche. So far, Grubauer's numbers haven't been Vezina-like: 10-15-4 with a GAA (Goals Against Average) of 3.25 and a SV% (Save Percentage) of .884. From what we've seen, it's not completely his fault; the defense, overall, has been shaky, but it has had fans wondering if Grubauer was merely benefitting from being on a loaded Avalanche team for all this time. Elsewhere, Chris Driedger is 3-6-0 with a 3.18 GAA and a SV% of .894, and Joey Daccord lost all three of his starts, and has a GAA of 4.12, as well as a SV% of .858.

Again, it's a typical expansion season for the Seattle Kraken so far; I know that sounds disappointing for those who remember the Golden Knights' first year. The remaining 41 games of their first season will tell the tale. No, not regarding playoffs, that ship has sailed. I'm referring to what can be done to ensure that Year Two results in something better for the franchise, which could be playoffs.

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