The Utah Hockey Club has drawn comparisons to an expansion team that entered the NFL in 1996. That team is the Baltimore Ravens. When the Arizona Coyotes moved to Salt Lake City, they transformed into an organization with a wholly new identity and no history, despite retaining players, contracts, and personnel from Arizona.
As for the Kraken, they remind me of a team that entered the NFL back in 1995: the Carolina Panthers. Like Carolina, Seattle was so successful in Year 2 that they shocked the league and made the playoffs. Then, they didn’t have much.
In 2001, the Panthers bottomed out at 1-15 in case you don’t remember. And that would’ve put the franchise in Year 7. As for the Kraken, this is where the similarities will end, as they’ll likely enjoy playoff contention before they reach their seventh season.
Seattle Kraken have more going for them than their points total indicates
With 74 points going into Tuesday, we can call the Kraken a bad hockey team, but one that’s seeing some transition along with a mix of young players like Shayne Wright and Matty Beniers, and veterans like Jared McCann and Chandler Stephenson. Still, it’s a transitioning hockey team and one whose success fans need to measure by development instead of points.
That was the case this season, and it’ll be the case in 2025-26, with the target of returning to contention in 2026-27, or Year 6 of the Kraken’s existence. By then, you’ll see players like Wright and Beniers become household names, if they haven’t already done so.
As it stands, Wright has 18 goals and 42 points in 75 games, and Beniers has 42 points and 19 goals in 78 contests. Not bad numbers for a pair of young faces playing for this franchise. I’ll also be a strong proponent of Joey Daccord’s, and you could call him one of the best goaltenders in the game who nobody talks about.
Joey Daccord is the Kraken’s hidden gem who will keep bringing his A-Game
If the Kraken are going to overperform in 2025-26 should everything or almost everything remain equal, Joey Daccord will be a big part of it. He’s rocked a 0.911 save percentage so far in 2024-25, with two shutouts, a 2.60 GAA, and a 0.577 quality starts percentage. I would have him down as a Vezina Trophy contender if you want the honest truth, considering what he’s had to put up with in Seattle this season.
That won’t happen, but if the organization needs a savior to get the puck moving in the right direction again, Daccord’s the asset this team must lean on. Should the Kraken do that, they won’t find themselves booted so early from playoff contention in April 2026, and that’s where I’m raising the floor for this team.
Overall, it was tough to be impressed with the Kraken this year, but after seeing growth from some young players and Joey Daccord’s hot hand in the net, they took strides, even if it hasn’t shown in the points total.