Cleared for Face-Off

On the Monday morning after the Kraken's season-ending road game in Winnipeg, defenseman and alternate captain Adam Larsson was still mulling an invitation from Team Sweden to represent his country at the 2022 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships that begin Friday in Finland.
"I told them I needed a couple days to see where my head is at," said Larsson during an exclusive interview.
The next day, as other teammates were conducting exit interviews with the media, Larsson suited up in his gear and Seattle practice jersey. He then walked by reporters with a slight smile of recognition as he stepped toward the Starbucks Rink at Kraken Community Iceplex. Minutes later, he was wheeling and circling on his skates forward and backward, basic moves required of every defenseman from the NHL through juniors hockey.

Head cleared, decision made. The only Kraken player to appear in all 82 games of the inaugural season will be on the ice Saturday when Sweden opens its Group B round-robin play against Latvia. Larsson no doubt will play big minutes for his nation, probably the same for Buffalo Sabres defender and countryman Rasmus Dahlin.
Larsson led all Kraken players in time on ice this season, more than 22 minutes per game, even more than the since-traded Mark Giordano. The 29-year-old veteran of 11 NHL seasons was a force during 5-on-5 play and would certainly make the NHL's all-penalty kill if there was such an annual designation.

The just-completed Kraken season left Larsson feeling both disappointed and optimistic.
"We didn't get the result we wanted," said Larsson. "That was tough. Really enjoyed the time here, seeing everything, all the fans. I wanted to start better [with his own game] ... we had those tough losing stretches. I never saw any quit in this group."
A no-quit attitude is one reason Larsson is feeling upbeat about 2022-23. The Kraken fanbase is another prominent motivator.
"A high point for me were all the home games, the support we had from fans," said Larsson. "The support has been more than I expected, to be honest… We could see every single game how the fans pushed us forward. We feel bad when we let them down. They have been there for us since Day 1."
Climate Pledge Arena wowed Larsson and his teammates too.

"We saw everybody who worked around this arena to get it up and going," said Larsson, who set a career-high by scoring eight goals. There were a lot of positives even in a negative season. The arena exceeded all expectations.
"Next year, we know what we have, how we feel about each other. We will be a lot more prepared next year. We've got to get some wins earlier to stay in the hunt. Next year is going to be better. I know it will be better."
Larsson paired frequently with young D-man Vince Dunn, who himself averaged a career-high 20-plus minutes of time on ice per game. When playing for St. Louis, Dunn averaged 17 minutes per game one season and 14 to 15 minutes per in his other Blues seasons.
"He is such as great skater and great defender," said Dunn about his mentor and teammate. "He prides himself on defense. For every defenseman that's what you want on the other side of you.
"[Larsson] is very easy to talk to. All the guys love him on the team. Being a great person definitely translates on the ice. He's someone I have talked to the whole season, he's been there for me all year."