One: And Then There were 27...
The Kraken’s third training camp started with 59 players skating at first practices on Sept. 21. After Thursday’s roster cuts, the squad is down to 15 forwards, nine defensemen and three goalies for 27 total. The NHL requires a 23-man roster be decided and submitted to league offices Sunday for opening night games Tuesday for the 107th National Hockey League season.
Coach Dave Hakstol said earlier in camp that Friday’s game will be an opportunity to get his usual lineup to round out the pace and competitiveness required for the arduous NHL regular season. There will be some players still auditioning for roles, especially on the fourth line and reserve defensemen.
Seattle is unlikely to keep three goaltenders, so Joey Daccord and Chris Driedger figure to be in final days of vying for the backup job alongside Philipp Grubauer. Both have looked strong in camp, said coach Dave Hakstol. Fans watching Wednesday’s 2-1 road win over Vancouver know Daccord was spectacular in the clutch, especially when under siege later second period. Driedger posted a clean sheet, making all third-period saves while the Kraken grabbed the lead and victory on Eeli Tolvanen’s game-winning goal.
Two: Going Forwards
The forward group includes three lines of players who project to be forming lines when facing defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas on Tuesday (McCann-Beniers-Eberle, Tolvanen-Gourde-Bjorkstrand and Burakovsky-Wennberg-Schwartz). These are educated guesses based on practices, scrimmages and preseason games. Of course, check back on game days for updated lineups.
That leaves six forwards to fill either four or five sports, depending on how Dave Hakstol decides to fill out the three reserves. Only 20 players dress for games, 18 skaters and two goalies. Carrying four forwards allows two D-men to be kept while opting to keep five forwards means a lone defenseman in reserve. A third goalie sometimes remains on the active roster; any combination of players and positions is acceptable.
The six remaining forwards in final camp days include veterans Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Kailer Yamamoto, Brandon Tanev and John Hayden, plus 2023 playoff phenom Tye Kartye and 2022 first-round draft choice Shane Wright. Free agent signee Devin Shore, another veteran, cleared waivers Friday and will be reassigned to AHL affiliate Coachella Valley.
Third: On the Defensive
Kraken standout Vince Dunn paired with Adam Larsson on the first pair all last season. He missed a sizable segment of camp but was skating on the second rink Wednesday ahead of the team’s travel day Thursday. Those two Kraken stalwarts are two of nine D-men remaining in camp. Six will dress for Game 1 Tuesday (presuming four lines of forwards). Other blue liners on the roster: Jamie Oleksiak, Will Borgen, Justin Schultz, Brian Dumoulin, Jaycob Megna, Cale Fleury and AHL all-star and preseason positive-impression maker Ryker Evans. As for the battle for roster spots, the Kraken have carried eight defensemen, 13 forwards and two goalies on the active roster the overwhelming majority of the first two seasons of play. The competition across all positions has never been greater than this fall.
