Kraken have raised the bar for next season
Another 100-point campaign is realistic, but playoffs are an entirely different beast
Now comes the fun part for the Seattle Kraken after taking fans on a 14-game ride through a Stanley Cup Playoffs marathon of attrition that is second to none in sports.
That's because now, the Kraken need an encore.
The bar has been raised for a team many local sports fans seemed not to really know existed four weeks ago. And as we've seen before with just two men's major professional sports championships — as in the Big Four: NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL — in more than a half-century, Seattle hasn't always cleared that expectations bar. So, what would constitute an encore?
A Vancouver radio host doing a Tuesday segment with me suggested it would be the Kraken at least matching and likely surpassing this season's playoff feat. But that won't be as easy as it sounds.
For me, a more realistic Kraken goal would be to replicate and surpass their 100-point regular-season performance than to make a Western Conference final appearance.
Sure, they can aim for making that playoff final four and not be satisfied if they miss; the whole settling thing being something bad sports franchises get way too accustomed to.
But Kraken coach Dave Hakstol spelled out clearly just how daunting a challenge it will be to replicate this playoff run.
“Look at the pain of the veteran guys in that room,” Hakstol said.
“When you've got guys that have won Cups and you've got guys that have been on playoff runs before, they understand how difficult it is to not only get into the playoffs, but to get to the point where we're one win away from being one of the final four teams.”
Indeed. It's hardly a surprise Kraken veterans carried this playoff run, despite youngsters Tye Kartye, Matty Beniers and Eeli Tolvanen standing out at times. Those veterans realized the opportunity this represented. And how fleeting it can be.
Just look at the Boston Bruins, who did everything right in setting NHL regular-season records with 65 wins and 135 points. They were ousted in the first round.
A year ago, everybody felt Cup champion Colorado Avalanche had a sustainable championship dynasty. Nope. They were a firstround victim of the Kraken this season. The Vegas Golden Knights? They had fans everywhere dancing on their grave when they missed the playoffs a year ago only to now emerge as a Cup favourite.
The NHL playoffs are unpredictable. That very element is what got the Kraken within a victory of the conference final and the same thing that could lead to their firstround elimination next season.
That is why, of course, veterans gave so much this time and looked so devastated up close after Monday's result.
When I think Kraken playoff MVP, it's Philipp Grubauer, Jordan Eberle and Yanni Gourde who jump out. “Unsung” veterans Jamie Oleksiak and Adam Larsson were also tremendous.
Oleksiak played possibly the finest hockey of his career. It was heartbreaking to see him cough up the puck on the opening Game 7 goal. In the prior Game 7 against Colorado, Oleksiak saved things by blocking a late shot headed into the Kraken net for a tying goal.
Oleksiak came two wins away from a Cup with Dallas in 2020. Larsson never really got close. Eberle was a win from making the Cup final two years ago with the New York Islanders only to lose to Gourde's team from Tampa Bay.
Yeah, the Islanders. Everybody 's darling two years ago and who surely would have won the Cup over Montreal had they beaten Gourde's team once more. But those Islanders missed the playoffs entirely last season, then got bounced in this year's opening round.
Gourde is a two-time Cup winner and has long talked about the sacrifices needed to get there. After getting a small taste of it this season, many of his Kraken teammates — especially younger ones — now know.
So, do the Kraken just throw up their hands and let fate take care of the rest? Absolutely not.
It took everything the Kraken had just to reach Game 7 of the second round. To even think of surpassing it will require even more effort and probably a little luck.
But it will also take tweaking. The Kraken will have Andre Burakovsky back to start next season, along with a pro-seasoned Shane Wright. They probably won't need any elite-level add-ons, though importing one is never a bad thing. Again, look at the Bruins. You can never have enough.
Of priority: probably a tougher, more imposing forward or two. The Kraken's biggest weakness all season and in the playoffs was an inability to consistently replicate their fast-paced, relentless style. The Dallas series wasn't lost in Game 7, but in Game 4. The Kraken laid another egg at home and were prevented from taking a 3-1 series stranglehold. Win that game and this series could have been done in five with the Kraken earning much-needed rest before the conference final.
The Avalanche can probably say the exact same thing about how the opening round went, when they missed a stranglehold of their own by losing Game 4 in overtime on Eberle's winner. Want to win a Cup? Few teams do it by playing the maximum 14 games the first two rounds.
At some point, contenders seize the moment and finish as early as possible. If the Kraken learn anything from this playoff experience, that should be it. That's the way you make your own luck in the NHL playoff crapshoot.
The good news is that plenty of new fans will be scrutinizing every move to see whether they can do it.
That's also the bad news. Just ask the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers and Bruins. The Kraken aren't at the level of those franchises yet, but a new team making inroads in a crowded sports marketplace needs fans to have expectations and be angry when they are missed. It means they care.
And if nothing else this post-season, getting fans to care about what happens next will go down as the Kraken's biggest accomplishment.