Seattle Kraken’s first opponent set standard for NHL expansion franchises
The Seattle Kraken’s inaugural season opener will feature the NHL’s newest team against the most successful expansion franchise in league history.
It might as well be the Kraken versus some very high expectations.
“We know we’re going to go into an exciting building in Vegas,” said Kraken forward Brandon Tanev, “and two expansion teams playing in one of the first games of the season. That’s a little extra excitement there for us.”
The Vegas Golden Knights set the standard for expansion teams. The Golden Knights were the first team in league history to sweep their first playoff series in their inaugural season in 2017-18 and the third to win multiple playoff series. Vegas became the third NHL team to reach the Stanley Cup Final in its first season, following the Toronto Arenas (1918) and the St. Louis Blues (1968).
Vegas lost to the Washington Capitals in the Stanley Cup Final, but its 13 postseason wins broke the record for the most wins by an expansion team in its first playoff appearance. The Golden Knights, who have reached the playoffs in all four years of their existence, were an instant success.
Seattle head coach Dave Hakstol said the Kraken will set their own course, and comparisons to Vegas or any other franchise won’t be part of it.
“I think there’s an opportunity for success,” Hakstol said, “and I think it’s important for us to achieve success as we’re growing as a team. That’s not easy. It’s not going to be an easy task. (There’s) not a comparison to anybody that’s done it before us. That’s just what our standard is going to be.”
Vegas’ immediate success was unexpected, which is possibly the biggest difference between Seattle and the Golden Knights. Because of Vegas’ run, the Kraken won’t be able to take anyone by surprise.
“No one expected them to be a first-place team, a top team,” Kraken defenseman Mark Giordano said of the Golden Knights on the NHL @TheRink podcast. “There’s not going to be that with us. Teams are going to be ready. They’re going to know how it went in Vegas. We had the exact same rules as far as expansion draft rules, so teams aren’t going to be taking us lightly by any means.”
While Seattle and Vegas did have the same expansion draft rules, NHL general managers learned from the 2017 draft. They had a better understanding of the process this time around, which meant more dealings with teams other than the expansion franchise. Since GMs had years to prepare, they didn’t have to unload as many quality players due to salary cap space.
Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was the foundation for Vegas’ success. Fleury willingly waived his no-trade and no-movement clauses in 2017, which left him exposed for the expansion draft. The Penguins also traded their second-round pick in the 2020 Entry Draft as an incentive for Vegas to select Fleury and relieve Pittsburgh of his nearly $6 million cap hit.
The Kraken also acquired a high-level goalie who could be a key factor to their success, but he arrived a little differently. Philipp Grubauer, a 2021 finalist for the Vezina Trophy as the best goaltender in the NHL, signed with Seattle as a free agent in July.
He went 30-9-1 with the Colorado Avalanche last season, leading the league with a 1.95 goals-against average. He had a stellar performance in the Kraken’s final preseason game against Vancouver, finishing with 38 saves in a 4-0 shutout. If Seattle gets anywhere close to Vegas’ initial success, Grubauer — like Fleury — will be a big reason why.
“I think we’re a fast team,” Grubauer said. “We didn’t give up that many great quality chances in the last game we played. We’re looking forward to transitioning that into the regular season.”
The Kraken will start the season with five straight road games, not returning home until the Oct. 23 opener against Vancouver. First, though, comes the first game in franchise history — a night Hakstol acknowledged will be special.
“It’s going to be a historical moment,” Hakstol said. “Along with that, however, we have a job to do. That’s where the focus shifts. We understand the situation and the scenario and embrace that then the focus switches to the execution of the job at hand of going into a tough opponent’s building for night number one.”
