Seattle Kraken 2025-26 NHL Season Preview | The Steve Dangle Podcast

Are Seattle are the Kraken underrated or are they overrated? It’s difficult to know. Last year they finished with 76 points. The odds makers don’t give them a great shot this year. 78 1.5 78 12 points over under. And you look at something I I want to point you to a stat. Seattle Kraken had a 18 goal differential. The Ducks who were ahead of them had a – 42. The Conucks had a negative 17. The Flames who had 96 points had a negative 13. So, are the Seattle Kraken bad or did they just have one bad goalie that sunk them? They mean, no. Like, listen, I I talked a lot about Grubau. Uh, the the greatest sin the Seattle Kraken continue to commit year in and year out isn’t their backup goalie, although it’s up there. It it’s that they continue to be one of the teams of all time. The Seattle Kraken, they’re a group of guys. No team has ever been a team like the Seattle Kraken. What are the Krakens supposed to be? They’re one of the teams. Now, are you over or under? 78 and a half points. By the way, under is a 195. So, better odds on under. I’m going to go over actually. Okay. Yeah. Like they’re not bad. They are not bad. Right. And and when I say they’re one of the teams of all time, like I like point at the roster and and you know who’s a bad player, who’s a player you don’t like? Who’s like I I think they’re deep. Um they got young guys who are probably going to get better. Shane Wright needs to really announce himself uh this year. Matty Bener’s uh getting back to the hype would would be great. Joey Decord obviously has to repeat what he did. Um, but the top end talent’s just not there. Jesse, where do you have them? Over, under, 78 and a half. I have them over. Sorry, I have them under. Actually, I’m going to go under because like I look at the roster and last year I didn’t think it was that great and I was right about that, finishing seventh in the division. And then you look at the moves they made to augment the lineup and the additions they made the summer even before and how those didn’t work out, like acquiring Mour and all that. And then this July 1, they go out and they do Lingren and they do Matt Murray. And it’s there’s no real additions to kind of push them forward for me. It must be though that Grubau is not going to play on the team. They just didn’t want to draw. They expect what they had last year just to perform better. Okay. So, if I wasn’t too high on them last year and they’re coming back with a very similar roster, I don’t think I can be high on them again is how I’m looking at this team. So, I’m going to say under. I want to talk about the the morale of showing up and playing in front of and skating your bag off and blocking shots for like just taking a like who’s got the hardest shot in the league right now. Char retired. like you’re you’re stepping in front of vulcanized rubber and your skin hurts and your muscles hurt and your bones hurt for a 875 goalie. Well, that’s why I think Lingren and and Matt Murray are going to make sure Grubau doesn’t make the roster. Like they didn’t buy him out, which means they would rather just not have that cap penalty. 817 and1 with an 875 to to me like he’s Lingren doesn’t play goal though, right? Oh. Oh, sorry. Yeah. Ryan Lingren. Ryan Lingren, the the New York Rangers defenseman. Yes. I was I thought you were talking about his defensive contribution to the roster. No, no, that’s just me being dumb. Hi. He’s he’s one of the biggest uh wild cards in the league because like you have an exceptional starter and a nonoption. Well, Matt Murray could be an option though. Oh boy. I mean the bar is so low. That’s what I’m saying. Like how how do you not improve on that? And Matt Murray’s got a real opportunity here to go, hey man, I he’s Matt Murray even 30. Like if he is, he’s just barely. Yeah. Like Stanley Cup 31. He’s two-time Stanley Cup winner. They It’s like Joey Decord gave them 27 wins in 57 games. 2723 and five. Mhm. A 9006 save percentage, which I know dropped over the course of the year. I that’s part of the reason they plummeted too is they sort of came and went as as he did. So, like they are still a flawed team, but they they got eight wins from Grubower. They got 17 points in the standings from Grubower, and they got a grand total of no points from any other goalie. Um, and they had three other guys play games. Yeah. Um, Alyssesa, Nicholas Koko, Victor Ostman. Um, Jesus, you need more points from guys who aren’t Joey Dord. I have a question for uh for the Kraken, and it’s not the players, it’s the management, and it’s specifically Ron Francis. After they did their thing at the expansion draft, I thought they hadn’t done a great job. I thought they hadn’t I thought they set their prices too high in order for protection. So, they didn’t they weren’t able to get many of those protection orders done the way Vegas could, right? Where you you fire off a draft pick in order, hey, please don’t select this player. Right. Right. Um, they didn’t get enough character, I think, and they signed ridiculous deals. I’m looking specifically at the Jamie Alexi deal, which mercifully expires this year. And not that he’s a bad player, and at 4.6 million in a rising cap, it’s not so bad. I mean, but yeah, but I my real question for Ron Francis is how many more head coaches do you get? Uh because I was about to say I don’t think they have a bad contract on the roster just because of how high the numbers are. Yeah. No, I’m talking about the coaches. Dave Hacksaw was there. Uh he had a bad time in Philly. He came to Toronto and that was a bad season, but it wasn’t his fault. And then he went to Seattle and in season two they got to the second round which was great and then fell off a cliff. The Dan BMA experiment in Seattle was bad. And you know, Dan Dan Bsma was, you know, he coached Sydney Crosby. Like he’s not these nuts. But this guy, it was very clear Crosby’s played for a couple a couple guys, cats. Uh it was very clear that the game was no longer where Dan Bilesma was, if that makes any sense, the NHL level and I and the things that I heard from Seattle were similar to what we heard about Greg Cronin in Anaheim. Just a guy out of touch with where today’s player is. Lane Lambert, who I completely mis uh misunderstood before he came to Toronto, came in, did an incredible job with the the PK, an incredible job with defensive systems in Toronto. We will miss him. However, Lane Lambert as a head coach. Yes. After Barry Trotz, who is also defensively minded in New York, did not do well. Lane Lambert is like I’m one of his biggest defenders, one of his biggest proponents, but being an assistant coach is very different from being a head coach. His career assistant coach resume is nuts. So so good. The the goals against is always good. The PK is always so good. Uh uh their success in the playoffs is generally very good. Um as a head coach, I don’t know. But if he’s the kind of head coach uh that he was as an assistant coach, like if he gets the Kraken to play the style that I know he wants to, they’re kind of a match made in heaven. I think they made an upgrade here. Like I think Bossma to Lambertton is an upgrade and we’re going to see them play a better style of hockey this season. Yeah. Yeah. And Adam, you asked about how many coaches Ron Francis gets. The answer’s two cuz uh he doesn’t he’s not the GM anymore. They brought in Jason Bodil and they promoted Ron Francis to president. Right. And that’s my point is that I don’t know how he’s going to be he I don’t even know how he survives as president if this season doesn’t go well. I just I can’t see it. I think getting a promotion uh was it four months ago guarantees that he’s probably going to I feel like he was upstairs. But I love the term kicked upstairs. Kick me upstairs. Someone I will can I have millions of dollars kick me upstairs. Okay. Now up front and and on defense there’s talent. Vince Dunn was a great get. Brandon Montour was the bell of the ball on, you know, free agency day a couple of years ago. There’s some scoring there. There’s some size there with Larson and Alexiaak. Ryan Lingren’s looking for a bounce back four-year deal. But I still feel like that’s pretty good for a 27year-old at 4.5 million bucks. I don’t think he’s nearly as bad as he was as a Ranger. Um, if the season goes sideways though, guys like Jaden Schwarz and Jordan Eberly, also Mason Marchman who’s brand new, and Ellie Tolvin, uh, are all UFAs. So there’s guys that they can move, but they’re all they’re also good. Yeah. Your future though is Shane Wright and Matty Beneers, and that’s who’s got to do it for you. And Jerry McCain had a bit of an off year, too. Yeah. So Matty Baneer’s kind of, you know, 43 points in 82 games. Yeah. Not great. Not great. Not for the seven point whatever, right? Making. Uh what do we what do we need? What do we need? If you’re Seattle, what’s a success? Like what does this look like to you? I mean, successful’s got to be making the playoffs. So, you think that’s got to be the goal? Their organizational goal in my eyes, and I think how they look at it, is to make the playoffs. Like, they’re they’re looking at themselves as we need to get back to the playoffs, and last year was a complete disappointment, and we won’t be that again. And I think there’s an ethos there to win now. They’re not trying to be shitty. I don’t know if they’re bad enough to be shitty, right? They’re I mean, they’re in a bit of a no man’s land. They were shitty last year. Same roster. Mason Marchman. Listen, I I think he’s great, but I don’t know that he’s going to be Does he pull them out away from How much does he pull them out of 76 points? I think he makes them a little more interesting for God’s sake. Well, he has a personality. Yeah, he’s got a personality. He’s kind of an Yeah, he’s going to be an to the other team. Mhm. Uh I’ll be curious to know how his teammates like that he drags them into the fight. Okay. And if you’re wondering about how they view it, Jason Ball said when he was named general manager that we have to become a perennial playoff team first and then find our way to me it’s going to come from two fronts. The young players pushing into our organization want to be part of things and then he goes on to talk about the team. But they view themselves as we need to get to the playoffs and I think they’re trying to do that. But I think this season they’ll fall short. And Adam, I assume you’re going to ask. I have them in seventh in the division. I also have them in seventh. Uh, remembering too that Jason Broll’s last job as a GM was of the Buffalo Sabres. Yes, Steve. Uh, Buffalo Sabres are an asterisk because everyone who goes there, uh, has a bad time. So, do they suck or does the organization suck? Um, I’m going to put them sixth. Mhm. Because for some reason, I’m higher on them than most people. and the grub hour factor. I mean, there’s no situation where he’s that bad again because either he gets better or or he doesn’t get the more likely one is they go enough of this and they find a way to get rid of him. Okay. All right. All right. So, where do you have them? Sixth. Okay. I have them in seventh and Jesse has them in seventh. Your Seattle Kraken Outlook. I bet there’s a bunch of people in Seattle going, “We’ll show you.

Steve Dangle, Adam Wylde, and Jesse Blake preview the upcoming season for the Seattle Kraken and predict where they will finish in the Pacific Division.

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19 comments

  3. i’ve been suing the variation of “one of the teams of all time” in many situations. i used it last night to tell someone i was annoyed with to “have a day”

  6. As a die-hard Kraken fan: I see them in a good position to pivot early this season. Could they make the playoffs? Eh, maybe, but I don't think Botterill himself is dead set on playoff hockey this year.

    If they're WELL out of a playoff spot come December, terrific. They have a whole bunch of pending UFA's they can sell, then play Grubauer a whole bunch of games and tank for McKenna. But the worst thing they could be is middling-bad like they have been the last 2 seasons.

  10. You guys don't get it. The plan is to give Grubauer 30-35 starts and finish last, so they can draft 1st overall. Then buy him out or dump him.
    And if someone accuses them of throwing, they can just say "Ah we were confident he could bounce back lol."

    (My thoughts and prayers to the German fans who will show up in Pragelato or where ever the hockey games for the Olympics will be played.)

  11. What are they? That's the question for the Kraken, they don't really have an identity. That should be the mission statement this year, they need to figure out who and what they are because they aren't a bad team but they just don't know what they are.

  12. Kraken fan here. I think it's unlikely they make the playoffs, but I also think they should finish above 80 points. Catton has a decent chance of sticking around all season. Wright looked really, really good in the 2nd half of last season and could take a big step offensively if he can perform like that most of this season. Even if Murray gives ~.895 goaltending that would still be an improvement over Grubauer and get them more standings points.

  13. You mentioned the records of other teams with similar goal differentials and then there’s the Grubauer factor. Like you said it can’t be as bad as last year otherwise you’re playing Matt instead. If Seattle got NHL .500 goaltending from the backup last year they would’ve been an 85 point team. I do think they got marginally better. My expectation for Seattle is to be in the upper 80’s for points and maybe if things click they can be in the low 90’s. That’s not going to get you to the playoffs, but I think it keeps things close between Calgary, Anaheim and Seattle. So I can see them in 5th-7th in the division and I think the difference between 5th and 7th will be less than 5 points

  14. Kraken fan here. I think it's unlikely they make the playoffs, but I also think they should finish above 80 points. Catton has a decent chance of sticking around all season. Wright looked really, really good in the 2nd half of last season and could take a big step offensively if he can perform like that most of this season. Even if Murray gives ~.895 goaltending that would still be an improvement over Grubauer and get them more standings points.

  15. There's also the scenario no one's really talking about, which is Daccord having an off year after several amazing seasons in a row. In that case the Kraken are probably in pole position for first overall because there's zero goaltending depth in Seattle and they don't have a good enough forward group to score their way out of the problem.

    On the flip side, let's say Joey is great again, backup goaltending improves to league average, the young forwards take another step, and the entire roster stays healthy. None of that is too unlikely. In that scenario you could see Seattle improve to 85 or 90 points, maybe even a little more. Then you're just a geriatric LA collapse, a Dustin Wolf mean regression, and the common Vancouver crashout away from a wildcard spot.

    I can see a whole spectrum of things happening, from literal bottom of the league to a playoff berth. This is a hard team to predict just based on the roster and the rest of the division. I haven't even gotten to the new coach.

  18. It's a team of middle-six forwards, and 2/3 pair d-men. They could surprise by just grinding away with all four lines and all three pairs, or the "lack" of superstars (unless Beniers and Wright really take over) can tank them. Will be interesting to watch for sure!

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