The pending arrival of Supersonics 2.0 is cause for concern among Seattle Kraken fans. It shouldn\u2019t be. Here\u2019s why: without the NBA, there wouldn\u2019t have been the opportunity to experience hometown NHL hockey.<\/p>\n
The concern is that the expansion Sonics will suck up much of the winter sports oxygen currently used to discuss the Kraken. Concern could become reality as early as the end of this year, when NBA governors are expected to approve Seattle for a new team.<\/p>\n
This city\u2019s media chatter has been that the Kraken better get good before the NBA re-arrives, or they\u2019ll be easy to ignore. The uncomfortable truth is, it hardly matters in that regard how good the hockey team is.<\/p>\n
Reality one is that media coverage is dictated by viewership and readership. Reality two is that the NBA in most U.S. cities is more popular by several magnitudes than the NHL.<\/p>\n
In a city pining for a pro hoops fix going on two decades, Seattle is preparing a big hug worthy of a long-lost love. So it\u2019s inevitable that attention paid to the Kraken will be diverted.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been a legitimate sore spot for decades for fans of the L.A. Kings, Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes. Not to mention part of the reason there\u2019s no longer an Atlanta Thrashers (now the Winnipeg Jets), or for that matter, Atlanta Flames (now the Calgary Flames).<\/p>\n
Kraken Created As Part Of NBA Return<\/p>\n
Now comes the part where I reveal why that\u2019s an acceptable trade-off.<\/p>\n
Without the quest for an NBA team, Key Arena would never have been renovated into Climate Pledge Arena. To make the Arena pencil out financially, especially as a $1.15 billion privately-funded venture, the owners needed a hockey team to fill dates. Successfully operating a major league franchise would also be a litmus test of ownership\u2019s worthiness for a basketball franchise.<\/p>\n
None of this diminishes Kraken ownership\u2019s genuine and devoted attention to their hockey team. As Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke pointed out in a recent media availability, ownership led by Samantha Holloway has always given the green light to spending to the salary cap.<\/p>\n
Why the focus on Kraken ownership? Because they\u2019re odds-on favorite to also secure the Sonics expansion franchise \u2013 which, again, was the long-term plan all along. Rather than begrudge that, Kraken fans should feel fortunate that the sequence of events brought the NHL to their city.<\/p>\n
Sonics Will Be \u2018Additive\u2019 To Kraken<\/p>\n
\u201cIf done the right way, (an NBA<\/a> team) is additive,\u201d Holloway told The Athletic. \u201cIt\u2019s been important that we\u2019ve had enough time to build the Kraken brand and get to where we want to be. There\u2019s always room to grow, but it\u2019s a great time to add basketball, and they\u2019re complementary if done correctly.<\/p>\n \u201cThis has been a great market so far,\u201d Holloway added. \u201cYou could be losing here and at the end (of the game), people are still in their seats, cheering and having a really good time. So we\u2019re doing something right and giving people a great experience that they still want to be part of.\u201d<\/p>\n Kraken captain Jordan Eberle shared with The Athletic that Holloway addresses the Kraken at the beginning of each season. \u201cEberle explained that part of what she focuses on in those talks is that their mission goes beyond scoring goals and winning games. They\u2019re also part of building a hockey culture and growing the game in a city where the sport has often been on the fringes, despite its close proximity to the Canadian border.\u201d<\/p>\n CEO Has Already Succeeded In Seattle<\/p>\n Those fringes could get fringier if the Kraken remain a league also-ran. CEO Leiweke has promised a hockey operations-wide audit<\/a> to determine how to fix a team that\u2019s missed the playoffs each of the last three years.<\/p>\n Leiweke is actually now CEO of just-created One Roof Sports & Entertainment, a parent umbrella company for the Kraken and future Sonics, among other endeavors.<\/p>\n He has a proven track record as CEO of the Tampa Bay Lightning and locally as president of the Seattle Seahawks. So it\u2019s reasonable to believe Leiweke can lead a Kraken resurgence. KIRO-AM sports radio morning host Brock Huard is confident he\u2019ll give the Kraken fix his full attention.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not going to pretend to know anything on a grand scale when it comes to hockey and its executives. But I do know Tod Leiweke really well for decades, going back to the Seahawks. Tod was not a middle of the road guy. Tod takes risks, big swings. Tod brought in Pete Carroll (as coach of the Seahawks). It was the biggest, boldest, best move that the organization ever made. Tod is willing to swing for the fences.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier Kraken:<\/p>\n \u2014 McMann Contract Talks Haven\u2019t Begun In Earnest<\/a><\/p>\n Earlier Canucks:<\/p>\n