Kraken's Growing Pains Continue in Another Tough Season

The Seattle Kraken are still coming into their own as a franchise.

Mar 12, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Kraken forward Eeli Tolvanen (20) is congratulated by teammates on the bench after scoring a goal during the second period against the Montreal Canadiens at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images / Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

In 2017-18, the Vegas Golden Knights shocked the NHL world by making the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season. They've remained one of the league's best teams since then, even winning the Stanley Cup in 2023.

Years later, the Seattle Kraken have shown how difficult it truly is for an expansion team to succeed out of the gate.

With their elimination on Saturday, the Kraken have now missed the playoffs in three of their first four seasons in the league. They showed promise in their lone playoff appearance in 2023, upsetting the defending-champion Colorado Avalanche in the first round and taking the Dallas Stars to seven games in the second round. However, they haven't even been close to the playoffs in their other three seasons.

Seattle's biggest problem this season has been a familiar one: defense and goaltending. The Kraken are allowing 3.23 goals against per game, the ninth-most in the league and third-most in the Western Conference.

Phillip Grubauer, who's struggled since signing with the Kraken ahead of their inaugural season, has particularly struggled this year, posting a save percentage of .873, a goals against average of 3.59 and a record of 7-16-1 in 24 starts. He was even placed on waivers on Jan. 29.

The good news is that Seattle has seemingly found some stability in net. Joey Daccord, who the Kraken selected from the Ottawa Senators in their expansion draft, has been rock-solid since taking over the starting role, boasting a save percentage of .907, goals against average of 2.72 and a 24-20-5 record on the year. The Kraken signed Daccord to a five-year, $25 million extension in October, and it's looking like a good investment.

The other major issue that's plagued Seattle this season has been injuries. Captain Jordan Eberle missed more than three months and only returned after the 4 Nations break. Yanni Gourde missed more than two months before the Kraken sent him to the Tampa Bay Lightning at the trade deadline. Vince Dunn, the franchise's all-time leader in assists, missed around a month and a half early in the year.

So, it's not a surprise that this season went down the drain, but there's still reason for optimism going forward. Forwards Matty Beniers, Shane Wright, Kappo Kaako, Eeli Tolvanen and defenseman Ryker Evans are all 25 or younger, and should make up the future core. The Kraken also have a good deal of draft capital, including two first-round picks each in 2026 and 2027.

While the Kraken didn't have the unbelievable start that their older siblings enjoyed, this team could still be one to look out for in the future.

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