2024–25 Seattle Kraken season explained

League:NHL
Season:2024–25
Year:2024
Team:Seattle Kraken
Division:Pacific
Conference:Western
Record:0–0–0
Homerecord:0–0–0
Roadrecord:0–0–0
Goalsfor:0
Goalsagainst:0
Generalmanager:Ron Francis
Coach:Dan Bylsma
Captain:TBD
Altcaptain:Jordan Eberle
Yanni Gourde
Adam Larsson
Jaden Schwartz
Arena:Climate Pledge Arena
Minorleague:Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL)
Kansas City Mavericks (ECHL)

The 2024–25 Seattle Kraken season is the fourth season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise. They play their home games at Climate Pledge Arena.

This is the first season of Dan Bylsma being the Kraken's head coach, as he replaced Dave Hakstol at the position on May 28, 2024.

Background

See main article: article and 2023–24 Seattle Kraken season.

On April 29, 2024, following the end of the 2023–24 season, Seattle Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol was fired.[1] The previous season, the Kraken were mediocre, scoring only 217 goals, getting eliminated from playoff contention on April 3,[2] and finishing their season with a 34–35–13 record and 81 points.[3] The Kraken organization made the decision to replace him with Coachella Valley Firebirds head coach Dan Bylsma on May 28.[4]

On June 28, the day of the first round of the 2024 NHL entry draft, the Kraken selected Berkly Catton of the Western Hockey League (WHL)'s Spokane Chiefs with their eighth overall pick.[5]

On June 30, the Kraken prepared for the upcoming free agency by re-signing players John Hayden,[6] Luke Henman,[7] Ales Stezka,[8] and Max McCormick.[9]

Off-season

July 1, the first day of the new season—and free agency—was useful for the Kraken. They made news in the morning when they signed Florida Panthers defenseman Brandon Montour to a 7-year contract, the maximum allowable during free agency. Later, they signed Vegas Golden Knights center Chandler Stephenson to a 7-year contract.[10] In the afternoon, the Kraken signed five other players from various teams.[11] The Kraken also lost six players, who had spent much of their time during the 2023–24 season with the Kraken's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Coachella Valley FirebirdsDevin Shore,[12] Connor Carrick,[13] Kole Lind,[14] Cameron Hughes,[15] Jimmy Schuldt,[16] and Chris Driedger.[17] In the evening, the Kraken released the roster for their annual development camp, scheduled to happen from July 2–5.[18]

The trend of players leaving continued on July 2, when Tomas Tatar[19] and Peetro Seppala[20] left the team. Also on July 2, the Kraken traded defenseman Brian Dumoulin to the Anaheim Ducks for a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL entry draft. The previous season, Dumoulin managed 16 points through 80 games, averaging 17:01 of ice time per game.[21]

The Kraken made history on July 3, by hiring Jessica Campbell as an assistant coach, as she became the first woman to be in a coaching position in the NHL. She had spent the previous two seasons with the Firebirds, helping them reach the Calder Cup Finals twice.[22] Bob Woods also joined the Kraken's coaching staff, ultimately teaming him and Campbell with assistant coach Dave Lowry.[23] Also that day, player Andrew Poturalski left the team.[24]

On July 4, the Kraken signed defenseman Josh Mahura to a one-year, $775,000 contract. Kraken general manager Ron Francis himself stated that "Josh is a veteran defenseman who adds depth and experience to our blue line."[25] July 5 saw the Kraken re-sign restricted free agent Eeli Tolvanen to a two-year, $6.95 million contract, as well as their 2024 first-round draft pick Berkly Catton to a three-year, entry-level contract.[26] The Kraken signed their only goaltender selection of the draft, Kim Saarinen, to a three-year, entry-level contract on July 14.[27] On July 16, the Kraken saw the departure of player Mitch Reinke.[28]

Nearly a month later, on August 20, the Kraken re-signed Matty Beniers.[29] Beniers was the franchise's first ever draft pick,[30] and he won the Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL rookie of the year with the team after the end of the 2022–23 season.[31]

Schedule and results

Preseason

The Seattle Kraken's preseason schedule was released on June 26, 2024.[32]

Regular season

The Seattle Kraken's regular season schedule was announced on July 2.[33] The schedule includes a break from February 10-21, as the NHL will hold their 4 Nations Face-Off.[34]

2024–25 regular season game log: 0–0–0 (home: 0–0–0; road: 0–0–0)
Legend:

Player statistics

Goaltenders

Regular season! Player! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Awards and honors

Records

Transactions

The Kraken have been involved in the following transactions during the 2024–25 season.

Key:

Contract is entry-level.
Contract initially takes effect in the 2025–26 season.

Free agents acquired

Date Player Former team Term Ref
7-year [36]
[37]
1-year [38]
2-year
1-year
New York Rangers
Toronto Maple Leafs
Florida Panthers 1-year [39]

Free agents lost

Date Player New team Ref
Orebro HK (SHL)
San Jose Sharks
Eisbären Berlin (DEL)

Other signings

Date Player Term Ref
2-year [40]
3-year
[41]
7-year [42]

Other players lost

Date Player Term Ref

Draft picks

See also: List of Seattle Kraken draft picks.

The 2024 NHL entry draft was held on June 28 and 29, 2024, at the Sphere in Paradise, Nevada.[43]

The Kraken's first round selection, the eighth overall pick, was center Berkly Catton, selected from the Washington-based Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Catton was placed eighth in the final NHL North American skater rankings for the draft, mainly due to his career-best 54 goals and 62 assists for 116 points in the 2023–24 season.[44] [45]

The Kraken spent their second-round 40th overall pick on Julius Miettinen of the WHL's Everett Silvertips. Prior to the draft, Miettinen had a feeling that the Kraken had interest in drafting him. Also in the second round, the Kraken selected Nathan Villeneuve 63rd overall. Villeneuve played with the Ontario Hockey League (OHL)'s Sudbury Wolves, captained by fellow Kraken prospect David Goyette. With their third-round 73rd overall pick, the Kraken selected their first defenseman of the draft Alexis Bernier, of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Bernier's father, David, was drafted into the NHL twice, and played as a forward. The Kraken used another third-round selection to select their first goaltender of the draft, Kim Saarinen, 88th overall. Saarinen's 6'4" stature as well as his ability to track the puck are some of the reasons he was selected. The Kraken used their 105th overall fourth-round slection to select Ollie Josephson, who at some point was a member of Team Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, along with Berkly Catton.

Before the fifth round, the Kraken traded their 169th overall (sixth round) and 201st overall (seventh round) picks to the Florida Panthers, in exchange for their 141st overall fifth-round pick. The Kraken ultimately used this pick to select Clarke Caswell, a childhood friend of Berkly Catton. The Kraken used their last pick, 202nd overall in the seventh round, to select Jakub Fibigr.[46]

RoundPlayerPosNationalityCollege/Junior/Club (League)
18Berkly CattonCSpokane Chiefs (WHL)
240Julius MiettinenCEverett Silvertips (WHL)
63Nathan VilleneuveCSudbury Wolves (OHL)
373Alexis BernierDBaie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL)
88Kim SaarinenGHPK (J20 Nationell)
4105Ollie JospehsonCRed Deer Rebels (WHL)
5141Clarke CaswellLWSwift Current Broncos (WHL)
7202Jakub FibigrDMississauga Steelheads (OHL)
Notes

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2024-04-29 . Hakstol fired as Kraken coach, no replacement named . 2024-08-06 . . en.
  2. Web site: Greenspan . Dan . April 3, 2024 . Moore scores hat trick, Kings defeat Kraken to gain in wild card . April 19, 2024 . NHL.com.
  3. Web site: 2023–24 Seattle Kraken season on Hockey-Reference.com . 2024-06-27 . Hockey-Reference.com . en.
  4. Web site: May 28, 2024 . Bylsma hired as coach of Kraken, replaces Hakstol . May 28, 2024 . NHL.com.
  5. Web site: 2024-06-29 . Seattle Kraken Select Berkly Catton with the Eighth Overall Pick in NHL Draft . 2024-07-09 . NHL.com . en.
  6. Web site: 2024-06-30 . Seattle Kraken Sign John Hayden to One-Year Contract . 2024-06-30 . NHL.com.
  7. Web site: 2024-06-30 . Seattle Kraken Sign Forward Luke Henman to One-Year Contract . 2024-06-30 . NHL.com.
  8. Web site: 2024-06-30 . Seattle Kraken Sign Ales Stezka to a One-Year Contract . 2024-06-30 . NHL.com.
  9. Web site: June 30, 2024 . Seattle Kraken Agree to Terms with Max McCormick on Two Year Contract . 2024-06-30 . NHL.com.
  10. Web site: 2024-07-01 . Kraken sign Montour, Stephenson to 7-year contracts . 2024-07-08 . NHL.com . en.
  11. Web site: 2024-07-01 . The #SeaKraken have agreed to terms with the following free agents: . 2024-07-08 . Seattle Kraken PR on Twitter.
  12. Web site: Minnesota Wild sign Devin Shore to one-year, two-way contract. SportsNet. 2024-07-01. 2024-07-01.
  13. Web site: Oilers sign Connor Carrick to one-year contract. NHL.com. 2024-07-01 . 2024-07-01.
  14. Web site: Stars sign Kole Lind to a one-year, two-way contract. NHL.com. 2024-07-01. 2024-07-01.
  15. Web site: Stars sign Cameron Hughes to a one-year, two-way contract. NHL.com. 2024-07-01. 2024-07-01.
  16. Web site: Sharks sign Jimmy Schuldt to Two-Way Contract. San Jose Barracuda. 2024-07-01. 2024-07-01.
  17. Web site: Florida Panthers Agree to Terms with Goaltender Chris Driedger on One-Year Contract. NHL.com. 2024-07-01. 2024-07-01.
  18. Web site: 2024-07-01 . Let’s go camping! ️ . 2024-07-23 . Seattle Kraken on Twitter.
  19. Web site: Devils Agree to Terms with Forward Tomas Tatar. NHL.com. 2024-07-02. 2024-07-02.
  20. Web site: Kiiski. Jyrki. Orebro gets more Finnish color from Peetro Seppälä. Jatkoaika.com. 2024-07-02. 2024-07-05. fi.
  21. Web site: 2024-07-02 . Dumoulin traded to Ducks by Kraken for 4th-round pick in 2026 NHL Draft . 2024-07-23 . NHL.com . en.
  22. Web site: Roarke . Shawn P. . 2024-07-03 . Campbell becomes 1st woman to coach in NHL, named Kraken assistant . 2024-07-23 . NHL.com . en.
  23. Web site: 2024-07-03 . Seattle Kraken add Bob Woods, Jessica Campbell to Coaching Staff . 2024-07-23 . NHL.com . en.
  24. Web site: San Jose Sharks sign Andrew Poturalski to two-year, two-way deal. SportsNet. 2024-07-03. 2024-07-05.
  25. Web site: 2024-07-03 . Seattle Kraken Agree to Terms with Josh Mahura on a One-Year Contract . 2024-07-23 . NHL.com . en.
  26. Web site: 2024-07-05 . Tolvanen, Catton each signs contract with Kraken . 2024-07-23 . NHL.com . en.
  27. Web site: 2024-07-14 . Seattle Kraken Sign Goaltender Kim Saarinen . 2024-07-23 . NHL.com . en.
  28. Web site: Eisbären sign Mitch Reinke . Eisbären Berlin. 2024-07-16. 2024-07-23. de.
  29. Web site: 2024-08-20 . Beniers signs 7-year, $49.98 million contract with Kraken . 2024-08-20 . . en.
  30. Web site: 2021-07-23 . Kraken use first-ever draft pick to select Matthew Beniers No. 2 overall . 2024-08-20 . Sportsnet.
  31. Web site: 2023-07-27 . Beniers of Kraken wins Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year . 2024-03-24 . National Hockey League.
  32. Web site: 2024-06-26 . Seattle Kraken Announce Pre-Season Schedule And More Ticket Options Than Ever Before . 2024-06-27 . NHL.com . en.
  33. Web site: 2024-07-02 . Release the Kraken…Schedule! . 2024-07-02 . NHL.com . en.
  34. Web site: 2024-07-02 . NHL 2024–25 schedule released, begins with Global Series in Czechia on Oct. 4 . 2024-07-02 . NHL.com . en.
  35. Web site: We’ve acquired a fourth-round pick in the 2026 #NHLDraft from the @AnaheimDucks in exchange for defenseman Brian Dumoulin.. Seattle Kraken on Twitter. 2024-07-02. 2024-07-02.
  36. Web site: Brandon Montour agrees to seven-year contract with Seattle Kraken. SportsNet. July 1, 2024. July 1, 2024.
  37. Web site: Chandler Stephenson signs seven-year deal with Kraken. SportsNet. July 1, 2024. July 1, 2024.
  38. Web site: Seattle Kraken 2024 Free Agency Live Blog. Seattle Kraken. July 1, 2024. July 1, 2024.
  39. Web site: Seattle Kraken signing Josh Mahura to one-year, $775K deal. SportsNet. July 3, 2024. July 3, 2024.
  40. Web site: 2024-07-05 . Tolvanen, Catton each sign contract with Kraken . 2024-07-05 . NHL.com . en-US.
  41. Web site: 2024-07-14 . Seattle Kraken Sign Goaltender Kim Saarinen . 2024-07-15 . NHL.com . en-US.
  42. Web site: 2024-08-20 . Seattle Kraken sign Matty Beniers to seven-year extension . 2024-08-20 . . en-US.
  43. Web site: Kimelman . Adam . 2024-06-27 . Sphere generating excitement ahead of 2024 NHL Draft . 2024-07-08 . NHL.com . en.
  44. Web site: NHL Draft Prospects Rankings . 2024-07-06 . NHL.com . en.
  45. Web site: Kepke . Cami . 2024-06-07 . 2024 NHL Draft player profile: Berkly Catton, Spokane Chiefs . 2024-07-06 . Western Hockey League . en-US.
  46. Web site: 2024-06-29 . Draft Blog: 2024 Draft Concludes In Las Vegas . 2024-07-08 . NHL.com.