The Seattle Kraken Have Been the Biggest Surprise in the NHL This Season but Can they Sustain It?
The Seattle Kraken have been one of the NHL’s surprise teams so far this season. Erica L. Ayala of Locked on Kraken is here to talk about how they’ve done it and what they need to do to sustain it. We’ve got that and a lot more on today’s Locked On NHL podcast. [Music] You’re Locked on NHL, your daily podcast on the National Hockey League, part of the Locked on Podcast Network. your team every day. Gil Martin here. Welcome everybody to the Monday edition of the Locked On NHL podcast. We are part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. I want to thank everyone who makes Locked on NHL your first listen every day. Don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts so you never miss an episode. Today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Download the FanDuel app now by visiting fanduel.com and win $300 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins. It is my pleasure to welcome back to the show a familiar face and voice to the Locked On NHL channel, Erica L. Ayala of Locked on Kraken. And uh Erica, you got to be happy with the way this team has started this season. Oh, 100% Gil, you know, we talked about this new head coach coming in, third head coach in five seasons didn’t really bode well for the confidence of being that quote unquote perennial playoff team that the brass, you know, the ownership and front office keep talking about, but early returns, uh, as we’ll get into here, Gil, are that, uh, someone that you and your organization knows well is maybe, uh, getting and pressing the right buttons is how I’ll say it. he’s maybe pressing the right buttons early on um to really give a spark to this team and and build some structure and discipline um in this Seattle Kraken franchise. Well, you know, he does uh come from the Barry Trotz school. He was an assistant under Trotz. What buttons is he pushing so far? You know, I it I’ve said this a bunch on the Locked on Kraken show, but you know, I was in Seattle for training camp. I really prioritized trying to be there the first handful of days. And I’m really grateful that I did that because the very first day of official practices, what we saw Lane Lambert do is run drills. You see that a lot, highintensity drills. There was an expectation that the players came in with a certain fitness level. Um, but what I found interesting and I have never seen since going to Kraken training camp is that he stopped drills. Now, these are not complicated drills, you know, they they are pretty standard drills that I’ve seen around hockey rinks at all levels that I’ve covered. But the fact that he was stopping to really talk through and show the team what he wanted, that impressed me. And I think it explains why the defensive structure uh the the the power play in particular, but special teams overall being more structured, being more um sharp and direct. That is the demand. And it started from that first day at Camp Gill. It was indicative to me that Lane Lambert is not the kind of coach that’s going to sweep things under the rug. He’ll give people time to grow. Of course, you need to do that. And he’s also going to help you meet the expectation by showing you and talking you through it. And for me, that focus on discipline, yes, but also again meeting the players where they’re at, making sure there’s a open communication and understanding that has been missing from the Seattle Kraken team in the first four seasons. Well, you talked about the improvements behind the bench. How about the players who have been the key contributors to this surprising start? You know, and what is maybe not surprising to Kraken fans is that it is still the usual suspects right now. Jared McCann and Jordan E or excuse me, right now Jordan Eberly and Jaden Schwarz. Uh two of the three Jays, as I like to say, Triple J for Jaden Jared and uh Jordan. But uh McCann is out of the lineup and we usually can rely on him. But we’re seeing Jordan Everly, our captain. Uh, and a and Jaden Schwarz play the style, especially with Schwarzy. We’re seeing him play the style that Lane Lambert wants. He wants netfront presence. You don’t have to convince Jaden of that. He’s always played that way with the Kraken. It’s a netfront presence. It’s a a grittiness. It’s um, you know, again, being able to make the right reads. And right now, we’re seeing the veteran players really step up. I think other players uh that we see doing a really great job. Mattie Beneers is on that top line setting up Eberly really well. We’ve also seen Berkeley Ken a surprise to me. That’s probably the biggest surprise. Now it’s a small sample size just four NHL games but he’s already got two assists and Ely has had a brace or two goals in the last two games. And um again, Ken is able to really work well. Um his creativity and even when things aren’t connecting necessarily, you see that his his um awareness, his IQ is super sharp and he’s starting to get comfortable with trying what’s in his head and and he’s able to execute on the reads that he’s making in real time. And so, um it’s definitely again, you can’t go wrong with our our leading point scorers. both again Eberly and Jaden Schwarz with eight points, but it’s also the contributions that you’re getting from Beneers at center. Um Chandler Stevenson has been solid um offensively as a centerman, especially in the faceoff dot. Um and Berkeley Ken again a surprise this season and he’s been getting some time with players like McCann out of the lineup. Talk to me about the goalending and and what that’s meant to this team success coming in. There were a lot of questions um because we saw that Philip Grubower was sent down to the AHL, our Coachella Valley Firebirds last season, but in the off season, the Seattle Kraken did not um you know, buy him out. And it was something it’s something honestly that the the fan base has been wondering and speculating about really for the better part of the last two seasons. It just hasn’t seemed to work out with Philip Grubower, but he is on the roster. He’s expected, of course, to compete in the Olympics for team Germany. Um, but he’s not the only goalender. Joey Dord is still the number one guy um for the Seattle Kraken. Um, but then they also have Matt Murray. So, they brought in a veteran guy. And I like how the organization is talking about carrying three goalenders. Some of it is just to get rest. And that’s a big point of emphasis that I’ve been talking about for years on the locked on Kraken show. Whether it’s Joey Decord, Philip Grubau when he was our starting goalender, um Martin Jones in that amazing season too, we work our our goalenders hard because we don’t often have defensive discipline and we’ve even seen lapses this season, but when you have three goalenders, you can give one goalender a practice off so he’s not going up against his own guys. Um, and you keep everyone on their toes. Joey Dora has already been pulled from a game not performing the way he wanted. He didn’t complete that game. I believe it was against Philadelphia. got pulled in that third period. So I again there’s an expectation and also um clear communication and a short leash in certain areas and goalending happens to be one of them. I think Joey Dordy had a little bit of a lapse again after that Philly game and even before we talked about on the podcast ah he looked maybe a little uncomfortable or maybe just not as focused as we wanted him to be. He was coming off of a very emotional um ceremony ASU retiring his jersey. It was right around that time where I I think you saw some of the fatigue. Um but he’s been super sharp. Got a shut out the other night against Winnipeg um and was able to get the win um against Edmonton and and been pretty solid in net. Joey Decord. Pretty good competition there. So yeah, absolutely. All right, talk to me about this. There are skeptics out there who are going to say this team is hot, but they’re not going to do it over the long haul. What are the keys to maintaining this early start? Well, first I’d say that the skeptics I mean the Kraken historically in our very short history uh you know we haven’t proven skeptics wrong. We just haven’t. And so you know I’ve said this on the show just because we have the best start uh you know we had um five games where we were able to earn a point. Um and just because that was our best start doesn’t mean it’s great. there was there’s still a lot that this team needs to focus on. So, I will just say that I I try not to be Polyiana on the on the locked on Kraken podcast. And when you look at the wins against Winnipeg, when you look at the win even earlier in the season against Vegas, which is a team we know we’re going to have to beat in in the division, you look at the most recent game against Edmonton, a team that has struggled, but we know what they are on the back end of the season. So, glad we caught them early. This is a team that is their best when they lean into their defensive identity. Now, what that looks like is, you know, still really looking good. I believe now with the win, the most recent win, we’re almost, what is it, 5-0? Um, when we play um and and we’re able to score first in games. Uh we have not uh you know, let up a lead in the first period in quite some time. And that’s what this Kraken team is going to want to do. Their identity is defensive. Their identity is to attack first because they’re going to lean into their defense knowing that they are not going to be a high-scoring team. And in the past, it has felt like there is a disconnect, excuse me, between that lunch pale bluecollar style that we were hearing from the coach and then the execution of that style on the ice. Whether it was Dave Haxel who really leaned into that lunch pale but there just was never enough offensive creativity or you look at what Dan Bilesma wanted to do where he really wanted to attack and use speed but there was a lack of structure when it came to especially things like special teams. Lane Lambert is kind of grabbing the best of what has worked for the Kraken in years past and he has the skill set to again execute on those things. the netfront presence, um being able to be much more creative as a coaching staff when developing the power play, uh which has looked very good. Guys are really selling out the body. Vince Dunn with a huge block to secure the 3-2 win the other night against Edmonton. And it’s Berkeley Ken uh blocking shots and things of that nature. Now, you don’t want to go overboard, of course, on the block shots category, but another thing is that we’re seeing the Kraken lay down hits Gil. Now, I’ve always wanted more sandpaper on this team. We don’t have a big enforcer guy. I mean, yes, the NHL is kind of going away from that style regardless, but even if it was an enforcer style NHL, there are no enforcers and we never really have had one. Uh, you know, maybe Carson Susy, right? That it was probably our closest one um at times there. But we have to play a disciplined game. We’re not going to win the finesse games. We’re not going to win the bully ball, as I sometimes say, or the overly physical games. So, we have to meet in the middle. And usually that is hard work. It’s defense. It’s truly playing as a team. And I think they’re doing a much better job, not perfect, but a much better job than we’ve seen in the past of protecting their net minders and not having them have to be the best player on the ice every night to even have a chance to win. They’re doing it as a team with their defense and then guys are able to step up to get them the win like we saw Tai Cartier do the other night. All right, Erica, why don’t you tell our viewers and our listeners where they could find the podcast and where they could find you on social media. Well, as always, Gil, thank you for having me. And just like every other show on the Locked on Podcast Network, you can start by looking for us on YouTube or your audio player of choice. And you can also find us on social media, most active on Tik Tok. Uh, but we do have some help on the social media front. So, you can find us on Instagram and I think we’re reviving the the Twitter up again, Gil. Um, and that will all be at Locked on Kraken. All right, Erica. Thanks so much. Thank you, Gil. Today’s episode is brought to you by Game Time. Hockey season is officially here, and nothing beats being in the arena for those opening games. But let’s be real, getting tickets can be a total headache. Between waiting in cues, surprise fees, and prices that jump right before checkout, it’s easy to get frustrated when all you want to do is cheer on your team. That’s where Game Time comes in. The app that gives fans the advantage. It’s your ultimate life hack for scoring amazing NHL tickets fast, easy, and stressfree. I love that what you see is what you pay. There are no hidden fees at checkout. Plus, I could see exactly what my view from my seat looks like before I get the tickets with their inapp seat view feature. And you can even find NHL tickets for under $25. So take the guesswork out of buying NHL tickets with Game Time. Download the Game Time app, create an account, and use code locked on NHL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. That’s code L O C K D O NHL for $20 off. Swipe, tap, ticket, go. Game time.
The Seattle Kraken have been one of the biggest surprise teams in the NHL this season under new head coach Lane Lambert.
Erica L. Ayala of Locked On Kraken joins us to discuss the team’s surprising start, how they’ve done it and what it will take for Jordan Eberla and company to sustain it.
All this and more on today’s Locked On NHL Podcast with Gil Martin.
Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!
GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNHLfor $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.
MonarchTake control of your finances with Monarch. Use code LOCKEDONNHL at https://monarch.com/lockedonnhl for 50% off your first year.
FanDuelDownload the FanDuel app now by visiting FanDuel.com and win $300 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins.
FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)
Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LONHL?sid=YouTube
Locked On NHL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Prospects & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNHL
Follow Locked On NHL on Social
Twitter https://bit.ly/3hXyu5w
Facebook https://bit.ly/3BubZNc
#NHL #Hockey #seattlekraken