The Seattle Kraken find themselves in a conference that is tough, gritty, and downright nasty to play in. But, is this team tough enough to compete with the top-tier Western Conference teams?
Tough Enough?
The Kraken have a much better team going into the 2024-25 season then they were in their disappointing run last season They have some great new additions and a new head coach that has Stanley Cup-winning experience. Since the inaugural 2021-22 season, this team has tried to find their identity in a tough division, and conference.
Over the last three seasons, they have been among the top of the NHL in terms of fights per team. But, that number seems to be dwindling downward, especially last season. In 2021-22, the Kraken had 26 fights in the regular season, in 2022-23 it fell to 23. This past year was even softer, in terms of dropping the gloves, with only 15 fights.
To measure a team's toughness, outside of throwing fists, is throwing bodies. The Kraken were the 19th-best team in terms of hits on the ice, which is not ideal. With 1,831 hits, they were very far behind the team with the most hits in the NHL last season, which also happens to be the team left standing at the end of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, in Florida with 2,344 hits.
Forwards Ty Kartye and Elli Tolvanen were the best hitters on the Kraken last season. That sentence should speak volumes as a member of the defense was not the best, or second-best hitter on this roster. Adding Brandon Montour from Florida, as he had 104 hits on the blueline last season, is crucial for the Kraken.
Do you think the Kraken are tough enough to compete with the more physical teams in the NHL?