Getting out to a fast start is clearly an ideal outcome for the Kraken as their season opens this week, beginning with Tuesday’s matinee home opener between the visiting St. Louis and Seattle at Climate Pledge Arena. Easier said than done.
When asked this weekend what elements comprise a fast start, Kraken head coach Dan Bylmsa began with the obvious (“getting wins”), then moved to explain that his squad is likely to get stronger as the regular season unfolds. Good news for Seattle fans.
“There's going to be a continued growth and development of our team and how we want to play and what we expect out of each other each and every night,” said Bylsma, after first recalling how much he enjoyed being part of the first-ever Kraken 5K Saturday.” “That's going to continue to happen as the season starts. Hopefully, it's sprinkled with enough wins to keep momentum going with our team and our mentality going forward.”
Bylsma won a Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009 and then won the 2011 Jack Adams Trophy for NHL Coach of the Year as part of six straight winning seasons with the Penguins. He likes the Kraken’s chances of getting off to a solid start, clear from his answer about what he likes about the opening day roster.
“We’re stacked full of really good players,” said Bylsma. “We may not have the high-end star player. But we have a ton of good players throughout the lineup. The group of six, seven defensemen back there, arguably, is a top defensive group.”
Breaking Down Kraken’s First Three Season Starts
As fans await Tuesday afternoon’s home opener (1:30 p.m., ESPN), it’s instructive to review the starts of the Kraken’s first three seasons over the first six games, first ten games and first 20 games (the latter represents the first quarter of the NHL regular season).
In the 2021-22 inaugural season, the Kraken were 1-4-1 in their first six games. Fast forward to last season: Seattle posted the exact same 1-4-1 record in the first half dozen games last season. In the 2022-23 season, in which the Kraken nearly advanced to the Western Conference final, Seattle squared up with a 2-2-2 mark in the first six games. As the rest of the 2022-23 season unfolded, it is important to note that the squad never lost more than three games in a row all season.
“We need to get off to a good start,” said defenseman stalwart Adam Larson, who signed a four-year contract extension this summer. “Last year, the start itself kind of ruined the whole season. After that, we weren't that bad. We were just too much behind.”
When an Early .500 Mark Can Be Positive
While the 2022-23 Kraken second season started at 2-2-2 in the opening six games and 4-4-2 after 10 games, it provided a solid foundation. Seattle proceeded to fashion a five-game winning streak that put the Kraken in a strong position with an 8-4-2 record just 14 games into the season. A fast start is ideal, but a solid start allows NHL teams to contend for a playoff spot all season (eight teams of 16 squads in each conference advance to the postseason). That’s provided there are no long-losing streaks to follow.
Last year, the Kraken finished the first ten games at 3-5-2, then compiled a 7-8-5 mark after 20 games. But after evening the team’s record at 8-8-5 in Game 21, Seattle endured an eight-game losing streak that produced just two of 16 possible standings points. In the franchise’s second season leading to the playoffs, Seattle was 8-4-2 after a five-game winning streak, then went 4-1-1 in the next six games to finish with a 12-5-3 record at the 20-game mark.
“At the start of the season, we all want to get off to a good start,” said Bylsma. “Getting off to a good start for this team, in particular, can build the belief in each other and how we play and how we compete every night.”
What’s Different About This Kraken Team
Kraken veteran forward Jordan Eberle has appreciated the local fan base since Day 1 when Eberle was Seattle’s expansion draft choice from the New York Islanders. He acknowledges that getting off to a fast and/or solid start (.500 will do) is “a huge key to the season.”
“You try to break up the season into increments,” said Eberle. “You don’t try to look at the big picture. You’re trying to look at smaller segments of the season to make it simpler. “
Eberle came into camp pretty much in the best shape of his life with team fitness testing to show he is elite among Kraken players, even as a 34-year-old. He is enthusiastic about the free agent signees (notably Chandler Stephenson and Brandon Montour), returning veterans, and the progress of younger players, including both Matty Beniers and Shane Wright adding muscle in the offseason.
“In my opinion, we got better on our roster coming into this year,” said Eberle as training camp started. “There's no reason why we can't finish in the top six in the Western Conference. So I think from day one, that should be our goal. Our mindset is to win. I think our time is right now. We need to take a huge step forward and get ourselves into the playoffs when anything can happen.”
The veteran leader Eberle echoed his new coach Dan Bylsma’s view of the roster makeup: “Our depth is going to be leaned on quite a bit this year to carry us throughout the season. You're going to have nights where guys are a little off, but nights where other guys are on ... if you get those actions in our lineup [some hot nights mixed with players cooling off], you're going to have a strong team and a strong chance of winning most nights.”
Fast Start Factors: Goaltending Duo Poised
As any NHL fan is aware, formidable goaltending early in the season can jump-start any team. Philipp Grubauer looked superb in the final preseason tuneup against a star-studded Edmonton lineup. His goalie partner, Joey Daccord, said he is equally ready to deliver. Both goaltenders are grateful Bylsma afforded them both full games played in the preseason.
“You focus on the process of how you get the result, as opposed to just “we need to win,” said Daccord at his locker over the weekend, noting that getting to play a full preseason game has never been an opportunity he was afforded in past preseason play. “If we execute our game plan how we want to, that's going to give us the best chance to get points early and just win games ... we can’t just get too caught up in the wins and losses right at the start, instead focusing on putting our best game out there, putting together solid periods at a time, and solid games at a time.”
For his part, Grubauer is similarly grateful for full-game appearances in the preseason, especially facing the Oilers squad in a 6-2 win last Wednesday at Climate Pledge Arena.
“That was one of the more intense preseason games I've played,” said the Kraken fan favorite, with his own “Gruuuuuuu” cheer always voiced on his start nights. “I think the last three years. I got 15 shots combined in three games. [Last Wednesday] felt like a really high-pace, high-intensity game. That sort of game is great for us as goaltenders to prepare for the season.”
