1. Defense! Defense!
There is a saying in sports: defense wins championships. Seattle loaded up taking 12 blueliners for their initial roster of players. There are some significant pieces there, too.
From veteran leader Mark Giordano to 22-year-old Vince Dunn, the Kraken have rounded out their defensive skill set to include players who can both help keep the puck out of the net, but contribute to getting the team's offense going, as well.
It's also fair to say defense extends all the way to the net, and the signing of Chris Driedger reinforces that ability for Seattle. The 27-year-old, fresh from an impressive campaign in Florida last season, is now looking to prove he's worthy of a starter's workload.
With the additions of Vitek Vanecek and Joey Daccord, the Kraken has solid options for their opening night tandem.
2. Flexibility
The Expansion Draft is complete, but that doesn't mean the Kraken are done building. The NHL Entry Draft is Friday and Saturday with a No. 2 overall pick for Seattle.
Teams, including the Kraken, can execute trades as soon as the roster freeze lifts Thursday. Another wrinkle: According to CapFriendly, Seattle still has $29M available in cap space.
That means that as fun as Wednesday was, the fun may not be over yet. Just like every other NHL team, Seattle can also sign free agents should they so choose.
The front office built a roster, but they also maintained flexibility for additional decisions. It's possible (emphasis on possible) the look of this team continues to evolve and grow between now and the start of the season.