Kraken's 2023-24 Team Awards & An Obituary for the Season
Also, why a certain young blueliner should be a part of the future defense in Seattle & more
Welcome to the THW Seattle Kraken Substack newsletter, with all the latest from our team of Kraken writers.
Seattle Kraken’s 2023-24 Team Awards
April 18, 2024 by Edgar Chaput
The 2023-24 regular season trickles to an end for the Seattle Kraken. It began as a campaign filled with hope after making the playoffs last season and even winning a round but ended in disappointment. The club could never get out of its way, lacking a finishing touch and unable to create many scoring chances to begin with. It wasn’t all bad this season. As the team preps for curtain call on Thursday night versus the Wild in Minnesota, we recall the highs and lows in our 2023-24 Team Awards. Let’s get Krak-…uh, let’s get on with it!
Ryker Evans Should Be a Part of Kraken’s Future Defense
April 11, 2024 by Edgar Chaput
Head coach Dave Hakstol bumped 22-year-old defenseman Ryker Evans up to the top pairing alongside Adam Larsson. Evans could be a big part of Seattle’s future and merits some ice time on the top pairing, especially since the Kraken are officially in the season of test driving new strategies and building for next year.
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Seattle Kraken 2023-24 Obituary: Sunken Playoff Hopes
April 6, 2024 by Andrew Forbes
Well, their run of playoff seasons came to an official end on Wednesday when the Seattle Kraken lost 5-2 to the Los Angeles Kings in Los Angeles. It was a short-lived streak, lasting just one season in 2022-23, but regardless it has to come across as a step back for the most recent expansion franchise, following a strong showing last season.
I think Ron Francis' philosophy of using small fast fowards is wrong. They are too small to go to the net. Even though Shane Wright is not the biggest forward, he proved that going to the net works. Playing offense in the other teams' zone by staying on the perimeter should only be used when you can get to the net, not taking outside shots. Hasktol did an excellent job with the product he was given to the coach. Most all successful teams have some size in the forwards that can use that size to move small forwards off the puck and get open in front of the net. Too many times, Kraken players are out muscled on the boards as well. Hasktol is not to blame. The future is changing before our eyes and Francis must change with it or this team will be mediocre for many years to come or until he is removed from the helm. Next year is a revival of the youth that all those draft picks gathered but for the next few rounds, I think the drafting of skilled bigger players is an adjustment that need to be made.