Seattle, which was approved to become the NHL's 32nd team on Dec. 4, 2018, this August was targeting its nickname announcement for late January. The Seattle Times reported that the target is now likely late February or early March.
Seattle is expected to select players in the NHL Expansion Draft and NHL Draft in June 2021 and is scheduled to begin play in the 2021-22 season.
"I had names a year ago that if pressed into launching in 2020, we would have been ready," CEO Tod Leiweke said in August. "But we're so much better positioned because we're now learning not just what we are, but what we're not, and that's really going to inform the name."
Last January, The Seattle Times polled its readers on what the nickname should be, with Sockeyes defeating Totems in the final with more than 140,000 votes cast overall. Kraken was fifth behind Metropolitans and Steelheads.
"It's inspiration from fans, it's lawyers making sure that we're trademarking properly, but it's also us having in our gut a feeling about what we want to be when we grow up," Leiweke said.
