They rated all the teams; we came in #28 out of 32.
28. [Seattle Kraken](https://theathletic.com/nhl/team/kraken/)
*Goal Difference added: -11.3*
*Salary added: -$4.6 million*
*In: Kailer Yamamoto, Brian Dumoulin, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare*
*Out: Daniel Sprong, Carson Soucy,* [*Morgan Geekie*](https://theathletic.com/nhl/player/morgan-geekie-Nuxd5MpJAf1OR3lW/)*, Ryan Donato*
The Kraken were last season’s biggest surprise and a major reason for that was the team’s explosive depth, headlined by a fourth line that could dominate other teams’ fourth lines.
Daniel Sprong was a key catalyst for that and had a similar points-per-game rate to [Matty Beniers](https://theathletic.com/nhl/player/matty-beniers-Uf0tsJDhTRF55vhl/). That was despite earning five fewer minutes per game and less power-play time. At five-on-five, he led the team with 3.1 points per 60 while Morgan Geekie finished third at 2.47. Ryan Donato was fifth in goals per 60.
There’s a reason all three were on the fourth line of a deep team and no one is mistaking them for All-Star talents. But it does feel like Seattle lost a big part of its identity with their exodus. Kailer Yamamoto is an intriguing replacement who fits the team’s mold, but he’s a downgrade from Sprong. More worrying is the addition of Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, who has the potential to be a safety blanket for Dave Hakstol in the worst way. He was once a very capable fourth-line center, but the 38-year-old saw his value significantly fall off last season.
Last but not least was the puzzling switch from Carson Soucy to Brian Dumoulin. Same price, worse player. Soucy looked like a defensive stalwart in the making capable of moving up to top-four minutes last season while Dumoulin was starting to look washed. We’ll see how it all plays out, but it doesn’t feel like the Kraken are a better team than they were at the end of the season.
by B9RV2WUN
7 Comments
Sounds about right I don’t know why espn gave us an a- off-season
Getting back Burakovsky helps. I also think Francis is counting on some of the younger guys playing a larger role this season which I certainly have mixed feelings about.
Hey remember when the entire hockey media thought we were going to roll over and die to the Avalanche in Game 5? Remember that? Certainly some food for thought, but let’s remember that nobody actually knows what the hell is going on around here.
I wouldn’t call Yamamoto a “downgrade” from Sprong.
Our 4th line basically went from
Tanev-Geekie-Sprong/Donato
To
Tanev-Wright/Bellemare-Kartye/Yamamoto
I don’t really see that as a downgrade.
I hated seeing the guys go but I’m good with these moves.
About what I would expect from an media outlet that doesn’t actually cover the team.
IMO, these ratings aren’t a good indication of how a team’s performance will change from season to season because they solely focus on trades/signings without any consideration for prospect pipelines.
For perspective, the Blackhawks are #23 (an auspicious number for Chicago) on this list despite having Bedard as a probable impact player next season.
Ryan Donato – 4 million for a 2 year deal to the Chicago Blackhawks. Previous was 1.4m a year with the Kraken.
Morgan Geekie – 4 million for a 2 year deal to the Boston Bruins. Previous was 1.4m a year with the Kraken.
Carson Soucy – 9.75 million for a 3 year deal to the Vancouver Canucks. Previous ~3.5m with the Kraken.
Daniel Sprong – 2 million for a one year deal with the Detroit Red Wings. Previous was 750k a year with the Kraken.
Everyone, except Soucy, got some nice bumps in pay for the upcoming season.