YippieKaey
How you gonna do hockey like that?
Hey guys! Caps fan here but a bit interested in the Kraken. Just thought i'd ask you guys what your expectations and hopes are for the team this year, any input is welcome
Hopefully the Kraken hit the 85-90 point mark. I think the Defense outside of A Larsson holds them backI am going to be mildly aggressive and say we hit 85 points but miss the playoffs. Despite the additions to the team I do still have question marks:
- Gru has looked miles better in pre-season but can he keep that up?
- Can Schwartz stay relatively injury free? He already appears to have a injury though he was back to skating today.
- Bura has been underwhelming in pre-season. Can he produce like a legit top-6 forward on the Kraken?
- Beniers has been the man for us since the last 10 games of the 21-22 season. Can he keep up this pace for a full season?
- I don't expect much from Wright this season. I am borderline disappointed with the lack of offense he brings. I know he is only 18 and is already good enough to be a 3C but what I really want to see from him this season is develop more offensive instincts and skill.
If everything goes our way, we will be a bubble playoff team. Realistically, I expect us to be in the 85 point range and comfortably miss the playoffs.
I don't think the defense is a 'problem' but it is far from a strength. Soucy, Oleksiak, Dunn are all good top-4 D in their own right but just not high-end ones. We just don't have even 1, let alone 2 top-pairing D-man which is what will hold us back. Outside of Dunn, I am not convinced any of them can create offense.Hopefully the Kraken hit the 85-90 point mark. I think the Defense outside of A Larsson holds them back
I am not comparing the two. I don't need any convincing that Wright is going to be elite in his own zone but what I want to see some flashes of creativity and offense from him. Which is why I think anything over 30 points this season will be more than enough to get me excited.its expected wright will take some time to adjust to NHL level on skill passing and how he times his shots.
Slaf didn't quite have as big of a pre-season either for montreal.
I am not comparing the two. I don't need any convincing that Wright is going to be elite in his own zone but what I want to see some flashes of creativity and offense from him. Which is why I think anything over 30 points this season will be more than enough to get me excited.
He is the kind of player who is celebral enough and works hard enough that he could just 'figure it out' and all of a sudden become elite on both sides. As someone who started my NHL fandom with the Sharks, Pavelski is someone I greatly admire. Below-average skating and average size did not stop him from being elite on both sides of the ice.
Exactly. But where do you draw a line between disappointment and being ok for this season: 20 points, 30 points? More, less?I think Wrght's scoring will rely on his linemates and how well they're able to finish.
Overall I don't expect too many points from him cause I think he'll need to work on a couple of things(which 18 year old doesn't?) and I'd expect a different kind of output starting next season with an NHL season under his belt and a full offseason to work on certain things.
Exactly. But where do you draw a line between disappointment and being ok for this season: 20 points, 30 points? More, less?
Just looking at even strength production, 25 points would be a reasonable expectation for a rookie getting consistent minutes. Thirty can be hard to do all at evens. I expect him to be able to score on the PP immediately but it's hard to know how much time Hak will give him there.
Exactly. But where do you draw a line between disappointment and being ok for this season: 20 points, 30 points? More, less?
Last few games feel like a reality check. Guessing we will be a bubble play off team assuming we can turn around this bad streak soon.
I don't want Francis to make deadline moves trading away parts of the future to try to make the playoffs this year. In fact, I'd rather he traded away any pending UFAs if he doesn't have new deals for them in place.
Playoffs this year would be nice, but they aren't necessary.
I'm not a huge fan of a second year team trading picks for short-term help, but if that were an option, I think it is important to look at a 2-3 year plan.
This team could use upgrades in a lot of places, but they have decent depth, so moving out a player along with an asset for an upgrade may not be out of the question.
In the next two years the UFA contracts will be Soucy, Donato, Eberle, and Wennberg (leaving Donskoi out of the mix because he's out and does not seem to be in the plans)
On Defense
I don't think an upgrade is currently necessary. Any player Francis targets to upgrade what the team currently has is going to cost too many futures to acquire, and it is unlikely there are many options available midseason. Moving Soucy if he won't resign before the TDL would be smart, but I think ownership is pushing hard for a playoff appearance, and I think that moving him out weakens the team, so I expect to possible lose him in free agency and have to address the hole on LD next offseason with either a short-term trade or target a UFA replacement.
At Forward
I am looking forward to seeing what Tolvanen brings on the third line and wondering if he might not be a better option for that slot than Donato going forward. Donato scores some big goals, but his defense is somewhat lacking, and playing him on the third or fourth line is not the best fit for his skillset.
Eberle has been pretty good this season. So much better than the half-ass effort he gave most of last year. That said, he will be 34 when his contact expires, so unless he would be willing to come back on a one year contract, I think he has to be replaced. Hopefully someone from the farm is ready to make the jump to start the 24-25 season.
Wennberg does a lot of little things to help the team, but he is not a great top 6 center. If Wright is not ready, this is going to be a difficult slot to fill. Options might be trading for a more expensive but slightly better upgrade from a team with cap-issues, roll the dice with Wright and hope he doesn't flounder and hurt a season that might have playoff expectations, over-pay through the nose for a UFA upgrade, or target a cheaper make shift bandaid to kick the can down the road a year or two, (similar to what Wennberg was when Francis signed him to fill a large hole.)
Unless the players they are bringing in are guys Francis thinks he will have at least 3 years of team control over, I don't think he should make any deals. While the record is pretty good this season, I think we saw that this team is far from being a contender on the last trip - it is important for everyone to remember that they are still a second year expansion team with a lot of guys likely playing above their weight class currently. It is probably best to keep that in mind for long term moves and temper current expectations.
With Chychrun's injury history, I don't think he would be my target. Having to rely on a guy that historically misses 25% of every season puts the team in a bad spot and having to change defensive pairs a lot due to injury hurts chemistry a fair amount imo.I still think that if they're playing well in the second half that you should seriously consider making a medium term investment like a Chychrun acquisition. I think the Kraken have the age structure of a team that should be in win-now mode, and the outlook won't necessarily be better in five years by going for younger players. They don't have that much young talent and frankly a pivot towards youth could lead to a lot of lean years, building that way takes a very long time. But they'll have to prove that they're ready to win on the ice and be much better than they've been in recent games.
That is an issue, and I think we have to all hope that the draft picks develop quickly and Francis hits big on couple of his guys not named Beniers and Wright.We should also remember that they've got better depth of age 25-30 "prime" "win-now" players than perhaps any other team. It will be difficult to get better as those players age out.
On the other topic - there's a good chance that Wright can ably replace Wennberg. That's two years from now so not a huge ask. Interestingly they might play a similar off puck game with a lot of hanging back and intercepting in the neutral zone. Though obviously their instincts with the puck are polar opposites.