The NHL’s newest team has players as the Seattle Kraken unveiled their roster Wednesday night. The roster as it stands is the first iteration of what it will ultimately look like on opening night. The draft, trades, and free-agent signings will help shape this team into a final version that will take the ice next season.
What is clear is the Kraken placed a great deal of value on flexibility. Seattle left itself plenty of salary cap space to go after pending free agents like Gabriel Landeskog, Phillip Danault, and Dougie Hamilton. While the Kraken lack star power today, it may not be the case when the puck drops in October.
According to our point projection model, the current Kraken roster projects to be an 86-point team next season, which isn’t a bad start — assuming Wednesday’s selections were just that, a start. The Kraken drafted goalies who have shown various degrees of promise, but none with an established track record of success in the NHL. Seattle accumulated an impressive group of defencemen, some of whom will likely be used as trade chips to acquire other assets. And at forward, the Kraken took a conservative approach, avoiding several high-profile players with big contracts.
With all of this in mind, let’s evaluate the Kraken expansion draft by taking a closer look at who they picked, who they didn’t and what areas they need to address.
The Kraken currently have a cap hit of just over $52.5 million, via CapFriendly, which gives them nearly $30 million of projected cap space to work with. Seattle has seven restricted and two unrestricted free agents to either sign, trade their rights or let walk when free agency opens July 28. The biggest cap hit on the Kraken roster is Mark Giordano who has one year left on his contract at $6.75 million. Giordano headlines a defence corps that is easily the strength of the team.
At 37 years old, Giordano showed he still has plenty left to give after scoring 26 points in 56 games last season. The former Flames captain can still eat big minutes in all situations and should be a calming influence on the Kraken blue line. Last season, Giordano ranked ninth among qualified defencemen in turnover rate, which measures how often a player turns the puck over relative to his total puck possessions. In the defensive zone, Giordano had the third-lowest turnover rate. New teammate Vince Dunn ranked second.
Giordano can be counted on to make the right play at the right time. In addition to being responsible with the puck, Giordano also makes an excellent first pass out of the defensive zone. He ranked sixth in outlet pass completions per game (11.5) and outlet pass completion success rate (78.1 per cent). Giordano also completed an average of 2.4 stretch passes per game, connecting on 80 per cent of his attempts which was second only to Neal Pionk.
Defensively, Giordano will help the Kraken in several areas, specifically slowing opposing teams down off the rush. At even strength, Giordano denied 52 per cent of all zone entries he faced, which ranked 16th among defencemen.
The Kraken’s defence-first approach was evident in signing pending unrestricted free agents Adam Larsson and Jamie Oleksiak. Larsson is a physical defender, ranking fifth in hits and second in blocked shots among defencemen last season. The 6-foot-7, 255-pound Oleksiak ranked seventh in hits and uses his large frame to push opponents off the puck, ranking fifth in puck battle wins per game.
In addition to being a physical force, Oleksiak skates well for a player his size and won’t be shy to join the rush with his new team. Add Carson Soucy, Kurtis MacDermid, and Jeremey Lauzon to the mix and it’s clear the Kraken wanted to form a defence corps that is physically imposing and will be tough to play against. Mission accomplished.
In goal, Seattle is betting Chris Driedger is the real deal. The 27-year-old has just 38 games of NHL experience, but 23 of those games came this past season with the Florida Panthers and he was easily Florida’s best goalie. Driedger finished the regular season fifth in save percentage at .927 and ranked 11th in goals saved above expected per 60 minutes at 0.19. Both were best among goalies made available to the Kraken.
Seattle also selected Vitek Vanecek from the Washington Capitals. The 25-year-old finished last season with a .908 save percentage in 37 games, which ranked 28th overall. Vanecek finished the season with a 2.69 goals-against average while the Capitals allowed an average of 2.37 expected goals against in the games he played. What that means is Vanecek allowed more goals than expected based on the quality and quantity of shots he faced. The Kraken will hope he can take the next step and challenge Driedger for the starting role. Seattle also drafted Joey Daccord from the Ottawa Senators, likely the team’s third goalie.
The forward position is likely where Seattle will look to make some big moves before opening night. As mentioned, the Kraken passed on some big-name, top-six forwards in favour of a group mainly comprised of depth forwards and prospects. That’s not to say there isn’t talent capable of taking on more responsibility with the Kraken.
Yanni Gourde, a third-line centre in Tampa Bay, will step into a top-six role and he is the most likely candidate to excel in a larger role. Gourde is a tenacious player who gets to loose pucks and pushes opponents off the puck at a high rate. He can generate shots and get pucks to teammates in the slot, where 75 per cent of all goals are scored. If Kraken fans are wondering who their most likely candidate is to breakout like William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault did in Vegas — Gourde is the guy.
Jordan Eberle is currently the Kraken’s highest-paid forward, with a cap hit of $5.5 million per season. In four years with the New York Islanders, Eberle averaged 0.62 points per game, which ranks 113th among all forwards with at least 200 games played in that time. It also happens to be the same points per game total as his new teammate in Gourde. Barring any major additions at right wing, Eberle will slot in as the Kraken’s top line right winger and will be counted on to provide offence on the power play. With nearly 800 games under his belt, Eberle is still a productive offensive player and solid puck-moving forward, raking in the 87th percentile last season in controlled zone entries and exits. The only forward on the Kraken roster who ranked higher was Joonas Donskoi, who ranked in the 93rd percentile.
Donskoi scored a career-high 17 goals in 51 games with the Colorado Avalanche while finishing the season with a well above average shooting percentage of 19.8. While repeating a shooting percentage of nearly 20 per cent may be unrealistic, there is evidence to suggest Donskoi can sustain an above-average shooting percentage. Just over 71 per cent of Donskoi’s shot attempts last season came from the slot. Only 13 players had a higher percentage of their shots from this scoring area. The better the shot quality, the more likely a player will be to post an above average shooting percentage (see Mark Scheifele). If Donskoi can continue to generate a majority of his shots from prime scoring areas, he should be able to build on his career-high goal total from last season.
Jared McCann, Morgan Geekie, Calle Jarnkrok, and Brandon Tanev are also dependable forwards who performed well in depth roles with their former teams. As mentioned, the Kraken have cap space to work with and should they choose to add some more offensive firepower by signing unrestricted free agents, they should have a competitive team next season.
General Manager Ron Francis made a point to keep costs down in the expansion draft and build from the net out. Driedger and Vanecek have shown, albeit in small samples, potential to be an effective platoon in net for Seattle. The Kraken boast an impressive group of defencemen which will be a pain in the butt to play against. Seattle drafted forwards who will also make it difficult to generate offence against. There is a need for proven goal scoring but, again there is plenty of time to address it in the coming weeks.
What is certain is there will be plenty of movement to come, starting at 1 pm ET today as the roster freeze lifts across the NHL and any side deals Seattle made are expected to be announced. Regardless, in a weak Pacific Division, there is reason to believe the Kraken will compete for a playoff spot in their inaugural season.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic fell 6-4, 6-3 to Poland’s Magdalena Frech in the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open tennis tournament on Friday.
The 19-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., won 61 per cent of her first-serve points and broke on just one of her six opportunities.
Stakusic had upset top-seeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) on Thursday night to advance.
In the opening round, Stakusic defeated Slovakia’s Anna Karolína Schmiedlová 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday.
The fifth-seeded Frech won 62 per cent of her first-serve points and converted on three of her nine break point opportunities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
TORONTO – Alejandro Kirk’s long single with the bases loaded provided the Toronto Blue Jays with a walk-off 4-3 win in the 11th inning of their series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.
With the Cardinals outfield in, Kirk drove a shot off the base of the left-field wall to give the Blue Jays (70-78) their fourth win in 11 outings and halt the Cardinals’ (74-73) two-game win streak before 30,380 at Rogers Centre.
Kirk enjoyed a two-hit, two-RBI outing.
Erik Swanson (2-2) pitched a perfect 11th inning for the win, while Cardinals reliever Ryan Fernandez (1-5) took the loss.
Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman enjoyed a seven-inning, 104-pitch outing. He surrendered his two runs on nine hits and two walks and fanned only two Cardinals.
He gave way to reliever Genesis Cabrera, who gave up a one-out homer to Thomas Saggese, his first in 2024, that tied the game in the eighth.
The Cardinals started swiftly with four straight singles to open the game. But they exited the first inning with only two runs on an RBI single to centre from Nolan Arendao and a fielder’s choice from Saggese.
Gausman required 28 pitches to escape the first inning but settled down to allow his teammates to snatch the lead in the fourth.
He also deftly pitched out of threats from the visitors in the fifth, sixth and seventh thanks to some solid defence, including Will Wagner’s diving stop, which led to a double play to end the fifth inning.
George Springer led off with a walk and stole second base. He advanced to third on Nathan Lukes’s single and scored when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. knocked in his 95th run with a double off the left-field wall.
Lukes scored on a sacrifice fly to left field from Spencer Horwitz. Guerrero touched home on Kirk’s two-out single to right.
In the ninth, Guerrero made a critical diving catch on an Arenado grounder to throw out the Cardinals’ infielder, with reliever Tommy Nance covering first. The defensive gem ended the inning with a runner on second base.
St. Louis starter Erick Fedde faced the minimum night batters in the first three innings thanks to a pair of double plays. He lasted five innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts.
ON DECK
Toronto ace Jose Berrios (15-9) will start the second of the three-game series on Saturday. He has a six-game win streak.
The Cardinals will counter with righty Kyle Gibson (8-6).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
CALGARY – Mired in their first four-game losing skid in 20 years, the Calgary Stampeders are going back to Jake Maier at quarterback on Saturday after he was benched for a game.
It won’t be an easy assignment.
Visiting McMahon Stadium are the Eastern Conference-leading Montreal Alouettes (10-2) who own the CFL’s best record. The Stampeders (4-8) have fallen to last in the Western Conference.
“Six games is plenty of time, but also it is just six games,” said Maier. “We’ve got to be able to get on the right track.”
Calgary is in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
“I do still believe in this team,” said Stampeders’ head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson. “I want to see improvement, though. I want to see guys on a weekly basis elevating their game, and we haven’t been doing that.”
Maier is one of the guys under the microscope. Two weeks ago, the second-year starter threw four interceptions in a 35-20 home loss to the Edmonton Elks.
After his replacement, rookie Logan Bonner, threw five picks in last week’s 37-16 loss to the Elks in Edmonton, the football is back in Maier’s hands.
“Any time you fail or something doesn’t go your way in life, does it stink in the moment? Yeah. But then the days go on and you learn things about yourself and you learn how to prepare a little bit better,” said Maier. “It makes you mentally tougher.”
Dickenson wants to see his quarterback making better decisions with the football.
“Things are going to happen, interceptions will happen, but try to take calculated risks, rather than just putting the ball up there and hoping that we catch it,” said Dickenson.
A former quarterback himself, he knows the importance of that vital position.
“You cannot win without good quarterback play,” Dickenson said. “You’ve got to be able to make some plays — off-schedule plays, move-around plays, plays that break down, plays that aren’t designed perfectly, but somehow you found the right guy, and then those big throws where you’re taking that hit.”
But it’s going to take a team effort, and that includes the club’s receiving corp.
“We always have to band together because we need everything to go right for our receivers to get the ball,” said Nik Lewis, the Stampeders’ receivers coach. “The running back has to pick up the blitz, the o-line has to block, the quarterback has to make the right reads, and then give us a catchable ball.”
Lewis brings a unique perspective to this season’s frustrations as he was a 22-year-old rookie in Calgary in 2004 when the Stamps went 4-14 under coach Matt Dunigan. They turned it around the next season and haven’t missed the playoffs since.”
“Thinking back and just looking at it, there’s just got to be an ultimate belief that you can get it done. Look at Montreal, they were 6-7 last year and they’ve gone 18-2 since then,” said Lewis.
Montreal is also looking to rebound from a 37-23 loss to the B.C. Lions last week. But for head coach Jason Maas, he says his team’s mindset doesn’t change, regardless of what happened the previous week.
“Last year when we went through a four-game losing streak, you couldn’t tell if we were on a four-game winning streak or a four-game losing streak by the way the guys were in the building, the way we prepared, the type of work ethic we have,” said Maas. “All our standards are set, so that’s all we focus on.”
While they may have already clinched a playoff spot, Alouettes’ quarterback Cody Fajardo says this closing stretch remains critical because they want to finish the season strong, just like last year when they won their final five regular-season games before ultimately winning the Grey Cup.
“It doesn’t matter about what you do at the beginning of the year,” said Fajardo. “All that matters is how you end the year and how well you’re playing going into the playoffs so that’s what these games are about.”
The Alouettes’ are kicking off a three-game road stretch, one Fajardo looks forward to.
“You understand what kind of team you have when you play on the road because it’s us versus the world mentality and you can feel everybody against you,” said Fajardo. “Plus, I always tend to find more joy in silencing thousands of people than bringing thousands of people to their feet.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
