For most people living in the Pacific Northwest, it’s been known for the last year and a half that the city of Seattle is finally getting an NHL team after decades of failed attempts. The Seattle Kraken are finally set to hit the ice during the 2021-22 season.
From this writer’s experience, a lot of people are excited for it. It is not uncommon at all to go out to the bars in Moscow or to the streets of the Palouse and seeing someone wearing Seattle Kraken apparel.
Even though they may be prominent in numbers, the passion of the Kraken faithful around the Palouse and in the general Pacific Northwest might be tested this season. Expansion teams throughout the history of sports do not have the greatest track record. Just look at another Seattle team – the Seahawks. The Seahawks came into the league in 1976 with the defending Super Bowl Champions Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Hawks, finishing with only two wins that season.
With hockey, the most recent history of expansion teams has been the exception to the rule. The Vegas Golden Knights, the latest expansion team in the NHL, has seen more than its fair share of success since coming into the league. They made the Stanley Cup Finals in their inaugural season and have won two division titles since coming into existence in 2017.
With that being said – The Golden Knights’ success was an exception, not a guarantee. It’s still to be seen whether the Kraken can achieve in their inaugural season.
The Kraken have elected to take a defense-first mentality with such picks including defenseman Mark Giordano, a multiyear captain for the Calgary Flames and a recipient of the Norris Trophy for best defense, as well as defensemen Adam Larsson and Jamie Oleksiak.
They have also addressed the nets in free agency by signing Stanley Cup Champion and goaltender Philipp Grubauer.
Although the scoring side of things can still be improved, they did have foresight in adding left wing Jaden Schwartz and center Alexander Wennberg.
Now expecting a conference championship, i.e. the 2017 Golden Knights, is probably jumping the gun just a bit – there are good reasons to hope and expect this team to at the very least be competitive with other Pacific Division teams like the aforementioned Golden Knights and Los Angeles Kings. Best case scenario – if the defense looks as good as it does on paper, this is definitely a team that contend for a playoff spot.
For those in the Palouse who are looking forward to the inaugural season of the Seattle Kraken but cannot afford the trip to Seattle, there are other options to watch in person. The Seattle Kraken are playing their “home” preseason games across Washington as they play their home preseason opener in Spokane on Sept. 26, Everett on Oct. 1 and Kent on Oct. 2 while their Seattle home of Climate Pledge Arena (formerly Key Arena) is undergoing renovations.
So, for those of you looking to catch the Kraken without clearing a weekend and taking a six-hour trip, you can catch the Kraken in Spokane. It’s a great time to be a Seattle sports fan and hopefully people in the Palouse can experience it on Sept. 26 in Spokane.
Teren Kowatsch can be reached at [email protected]