Through their first four seasons things have been up and down for the mercurial Seattle Kraken. While the Kraken have had some success—including a playoff series win—the Vegas Golden Knights set an incredibly high bar for any expansion team to live up to.

The Kraken have their own strengths, challenges, and opportunities, their own path to ultimate glory. Oftentimes, the best and worst things about a person are one and the same. The human heart is at odds with itself, the fault lines that define and divide it. 

This can be true of collective entities and teams as well, with General Manager Ron Francis and the Kraken being no different. The team was able to acquire a bunch of pretty good players through the expansion draft, electing for depth and cap flexibility. This is what powered the success, as a deep 2022–23 team outdueled the Colorado Avalanche in the playoffs. For the time being, it is also the best description of the team’s struggles, not to mention a common critique of Francis’ track record in general. 

There is an inherent lack of leading talent on the Kraken. At any point, it is difficult to distinguish the structure of the roster. Especially at forward this problem is evident, a lack of star power and definition. Luckily for the Kraken, it appears that brighter days might be on the horizon. A wave of young forwards are coming into their own, the fruits of the team’s draft and development labours ripening.

Let’s take a deeper look at the organization as a whole to see how and when a competitive window might open for the team. 

The Kraken have big holes to fill

One of the biggest issues for the Kraken over their brief existence has been the goaltending. It appears that Joey Daccord has finally risen to the top job, but it cannot be ignored that Philipp Grubauer has struggled since joining the team and still has years left on an expensive deal. Unfortunately, Francis has authored some questionable goaltending decisions over his career, a trend that he will be looking to reverse in short order. 

As far as regular season success goes, having a solid tandem is crucial to maintaining the stability to cruise to a playoff spot. Even if a team has a top-end goalie, keeping that goalie fresh is only part of the equation. A solid tandem can help teams pick up points more often. There is no stat that makes the Kraken goaltending deficiencies more clear than their zero wins and eleven losses in back-to-back games this season. 

Related is their subpar penalty killing unit. The Kraken do have a solid blue line filled with quality puck movers. It might be worth considering a defensive upgrade of some sorts, where the best versions of Carson Soucy and Will Borgen might still be missed.

The personnel could use upgrading, but the Kraken should be able to manage better results in the years ahead. Philosophically, a team lacking in star scoring—let alone one with a middling goaltending situation—cannot afford to fare so poorly in this key area. 

Even before addressing the forward group, the Kraken need to find a way to add a proficient penalty killing defenceman, or even two, as well as a backup goalie to have a chance at making the playoffs next season. There will be players of this ilk available to acquire this summer—perhaps even at a small price—but scouting and coaching well is still crucial. 

Looking at the Kraken’s core

One thing that has gone well for the Kraken is that they have drafted two potential pillars for their forward group near the top of their classes. Matty Beniers and Shane Wright are not yet top flight centres in the league, but their development and growth continues. Perhaps it has been a bit slower than some might have envisioned, but there remains the promise for more.

Beniers is the more established, though having a tough season after signing a big contract extension. By all accounts, Beniers is keeping the right attitude, a dedication that should see his talent prevail in the end. He is still the team’s best centre, but those shoes are still too large to fill. Beniers might never become a top scoring, puck dominant, superstar player, but he can be very effective in other areas. 

There are certainly areas where Beniers can improve. For one, he will need to be able to excel in defensive situations. This means improving details, like face-off win percentage. Beniers certainly has the skills to control play at higher rates in the future, but another cause is linemate quality. His smarts and support passing should help bring the best out of more dynamic linemates. 

What might be more encouraging is the play of Wright. Averaging under 14 minutes per game, Wright is still a major offensive contributor on an offensively challenged team. While sharing many traits with Beniers, Wright is far more of a scoring threat. Wright has delivered some really encouraging results in flow-of-play metrics, though clearly in a more sheltered role. 

Wright and Beniers will have to be solid on both sides of the puck, but together, their breadth of talents provide the Kraken with a lot to work with down the middle. For this team to turn the corner next season, both will have to take a step forward, and Wright will have to challenge Beniers as the team’s best centre. 

A good group of young forwards

The Kraken will need other young players to emerge to help their centres, and they have built up some potential options in this area. GM Francis’ notoriously patient style has seen most success from internal development. The answer must come from younger players coming into their own. 

Kaapo Kakko was an interesting addition and has shown off some of his high-end traits alongside Beniers already. Taking a shot on a young NHLer looking for a change of scenery is a valuable opportunity, and Kakko is already a solid fit as a top-nine forward. His size and playmaking talents make him effective in the cycle, and would be appreciated by both Beniers and Wright. Any steps forward for Kakko will ensure a place in the proverbial core of the team and, frankly, are well within the realm of possibility. 

Jani Nyman is a surprise star-in-making, getting a late season call up after an incredible start as an AHL rookie. It is still early—and like Wright, his minutes have been monitored—but Nyman could easily be the most dangerous shooter for the Kraken next season, if not their leading goal-scorer altogether. The Kraken have slow-played their prospects in the recent past, but Nyman seems to do nothing but impress along the way. 

A look at the future Kraken

Top prospect Berkly Catton has the traits of a puck-dominant forward, which could be a great fit in a season or two. Another high end forward is likely on the horizon, where a draft lottery win could be massive. It is presumptuous that either will be an instant impact next season, but the hope is certainly that they can push this group further. 

Catton seems a great stylistic fit to the current group, providing elements the team is lighter on. Whether or not he plays centre or wing in the NHL, the Kraken will need him to be a primary offensive threat. Luckily, Catton has continued to impress, but he is far from a lock to help the team next season.

The mystery of the draft selection will have to wait—as well as their impact in the NHL—but this group could grow into one of the better forward groups league-wide, even without a true Art Ross Trophy favourite. 

The big picture for the Seattle Kraken

The Kraken will need better luck, better health, and lots of growth to be better next season. Regardless of how daunting this might be, the team does have some avenues to hope on. As long as Francis is calling the shots, the additional first-round picks in 2026 and 2027 will likely be used to select players, all but ensuring a strong prospect pipeline for years to come. 

Love it or hate it, this is where the team will find its success. In large part the efforts in this area are starting to come to fruition. Several young players have been impressing in the AHL, even beyond the headlining names. It has taken time to build up, but the time to harvest now looms. 

The young Kraken forwards are starting to take hold, giving roster definition and cap value to a team with a few bloated mid-level deals. Even with the cap going up, and with Kakko and talented defenceman Ryker Evans due for raises, this is enough to keep the team from being as indulgent in unrestricted free agency, where Francis has often whiffed. 

Instead of focusing on cap dumps for frustrating contracts, more effective solutions might be to ride out the deals hoping for a bounce back. A buyout is a riskier option, but might make sense. Naturally, the main takeaway should be better scouting or spending to avoid overpaying in the first place. 

What would be nice is to find a gem or two on the blue line, particularly penalty killers. The team has a lot of skill on the back end, and even more moving up the ranks. A goalie could be listed here as well, as the team cannot afford to rely on Grubauer for such a large and important role. The third option should not be youngster Niklas Kokko, either, who should be left to come into his own at his own pace.

The good news is that the forwards are coming of age, and the best and most dangerous iterations of the Kraken lie ahead.