Kraken: Too Small to Stand Tall

The Seattle Kraken have endured the rough and tough Western Conference over the past three seasons, and are getting ready to lace up their skates once again this month. We have already went over that this team is tough enough to compete, but are they too small to stand tall in this conference, and more importantly, the NHL as a whole.

Let's break it down.

Too Small and too Light?

So, how can we say that the Kraken are tough enough to handle some of the biggest and baddest teams the NHL has to offer, but be considered undersized and out-strengthed. If you have played the game or been following it for a long time, you can understand the importance of big baddies running around trying to take out anyone and everything in their way that isn't the same color as themselves.

Historically, you can probably identify every team's "big guy" that helped an organization lift the Stanley Cup. An example would be the Boston Bruins success with Zdeno Chara, who was listed at 6'9". They were considered a dynasty in the early 2010s, and it was in large part due to his ability to be a captain, and his overwhelming size on the ice.

Looking at the current Seattle Kraken roster, they don't really have that much of a "big guy". Out of all 32 teams, they are the fifth-smallest roster in terms of average height, at 72.8 inches, which is just over six foot. The tallest member of this team is Andre Burakovsky, at 6'3". To me, that would be considered an average height of an NHLer.

If height is a plus to have, having some heavyweights on your roster is a godsend when it comes to playoff time. Your roster should be rounded out by big burly skaters that are not afraid to launch their 230+ pound bodies into opposing teams. Again, the Kraken do not really have that luxury, as they have the fourth-lightest team in the NHL at 195.1 pounds as the average weight. The Heaviest member of this team is John Hayden, at 223.

Do you think the Kraken are too small to stand tall in the Western Conference?