With a long summer ahead, it is a pivotal time for the Seattle Kraken. Over the next few months, this team will slowly start to take shape with training camp and preseason getting underway in September.
After the NHL draft and the free agent frenzy have come to a bit of a halt, did the Kraken make the right moves to make themselves a better team? Are they a stronger team than a year ago?
Have the Kraken become a stronger team?
Looking at the additions and subtractions of this squad will show that the Kraken undoubtedly made themselves a better team for 2024-25. So to answer the questions above, with a few months to go before any meaningful hockey happens, Yes.
Two names jump off the page when you think about what moves the Kraken made this offseason. Brandon Montour and Chandler Stephenson, who each have outstanding resumes, come to the Kraken via free agency. They both even signed similar deals, with Montour signing a 7-year, $7.162 million contract and Stephenson also signing a 7-year contract worth $6.25 million.
The main takeaway from both 30-year-old veterans signing with the Kraken is their pedigree for winning it all. Montour was a crucial part of the Florida Panthers Stanley Cup run last season, and Stephenson is a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Washington Capitals in 2017-18 and the Vegas Golden Knights in 2022-23. If the Kraken want to make it to the Playoffs each year in the future and make a run, having a group of skaters that are used to that type of pressure is the most important thing you can have for a hockey team.
Let's also not forget about the re-signing of Eeli Tolvanen, who was a stud last season and is poised to have a breakout season in 2024-25. He signed a two-year deal with an average annual value of $3.475 million.
The Kraken did lose some important pieces, with Brian Dumoulin being traded away to the Anaheim Ducks and Tomas Tatar signing with the New Jersey Devils. Both were solid members of the Kraken last season and will be sorely missed. But, the acquisitions certainly cancel out and improve the overall standing of the team for next season.
Do you think the Seattle Kraken did enough this offseason to be a stronger team next season?