SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MARCH 18: Matty Beniers #10 of the Seattle Kraken warms up before the game against the Buffalo Sabres at Climate Pledge Arena on March 18, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
The Seattle Kraken know there’s only one way back to the getting completely on track with long term goals and aspirations, heading into the 2024-25 season which follows a summer of change:
The Stanley Cup Playoffs, or bust.
A mantra that is easily spoken of but difficult in achievement was front and center on day one of practice at Kraken Community Iceplex, where new head coach Dan Bylsma quickly established a brand, and oversaw a roster with ambition.
A few takeaways from the opener of camp:
1. The Dan Bylsma brand will be about “compete.” This is a buzzword thrown around a ton not just in hockey, but sports in general. How the word is often dissected comes with a ton of subjectivity. The Bylsma version, if day one of training camp told us anything, is a high tempo skating team, fast while exiting the defensive zone, and embraces contact.
With physicality comes pace. Let’s not mistake this brand for a 1990’s dead puck era, clutch-and-grab operation. Matty Beniers on Thursday mentioned speed. Bylsma reiterated it. How long it will take the Kraken to become an embodiment of the idea in game action is a question to be answered starting October 8. But the plans are being laid in place, right away. Three groups, starting with the first at 9:00am, wasted little time diving into the physical, body-beating simulations along the boards. Losing teams in drills were required to skate side board to side board. Expect battle drills “all the time,” in practice, according to Bylsma.
“Last practice before every game is usually going to end in a compete, in a battle,” said Bylsma. “Set the stage for what we're going to be doing the next night and that'll happen. Now I got you're going to hold me to it, but that should be happening every practice before a game.”
2. Welcome back, lofty aspirations. The playoffs are a start. The Western Conference is projected to involve a tight squeeze of a playoff race, meaning a battle potentially, based on preseason prognostications, is on tap with teams such as the Los Angeles Kings, Utah HC, and Winnipeg Jets for a wild card spot. The Kraken meant business with their coaching change, bringing in Bylsma, to resuscitate their Stanley Cup Playoff aspirations. From health, to an abnormally high shooting percentage, to shortcomings down the stretch, last season set off the chain of reaction in place to rebound. Day one of camp on Thursday led to boldness in outlining their mission.
“The expectation absolutely is to be in playoffs,” said Beniers. “Anything below that is a disappointment for our group.”
Newcomer and center Chandler Stephenson, a proud owner of two Stanley Cup rings, stated his mission in Seattle pretty clearly.
“A cup,” said Stephenson. “That's the goal, so just trying to be myself as much as I can.”
3. Not to mention, Stephenson’s got a bold prediction on Matty Beniers. The former showed up off three productive seasons in Vegas. The latter showed up roughly ten pounds heavier, a Calder Trophy in hand, and is widely considered a cornerstone piece of the Kraken franchise for the future. You need a hype man in life like Stephenson on Thursday with Beniers’ projected future.
“He's a workhorse,” said Stephenson. “Always competing, and that's kind of how the whole teams played. They're relentless. For him, he's just grown every year. It’s a lot of skill, a lot of everything. He's kind of the whole package. He’ll be a special player and might even have, some Hall of Fame potential, if he keeps going at the pace he is.”
“It seems like he's growing every year. He's a player that I think a lot of young guys should want to replicate their game after, just how he plays. He’s a special player for sure.”
Beniers is 21 and we already have the “H” word in the conversation. It’s common sense to not get ahead of ourselves when it comes to prognostications. But Beniers is aiming for a rebound season, has drawn compliments to his approach in a 200-foot game, and has an offseason in place as the foundation for his development.
The duo is expected to complement each other with top six production at the center position, with Stephenson’s two Cups in Washington and Vegas, and Beniers’ Calder Trophy experience connected to a long runway for what’s expected to be a flourishing career.
4. The preseason opener: it’s about experimentation, instead of perfection, and the finished product.
The Kraken are a mere three days away from the preseason opener against the Calgary Flames, hours removed from the first session of training camp. Systems will be in place by October, but will require the gradual process of repetition to properly install ideal habits.
“Today was a good first step of getting breath back in and your legs back under you,” said Beniers.
“Your first day, you might not feel as good legs-wise, but every day you get better and better – so hopefully when that first preseason game comes, you’re ready to go.”
Bylsma also on Wednesday told Ian Furness on 93.3 KJR-FM that the first four games will function as a showcase for younger prospects and “bubble” players, liklier to need more seasoning in the minor leagues or with their respective amateur teams. Bylsma went further to explain the six pre-season games are split into three segments.
The first two games, starting Sunday, will function as a test for younger players, according to Bylsma, “to give a chance to show what they can do.”
The third and fourth game of pre-season, a back-to-back set on Sept. 27-28 against Vancouver and Edmonton, will offer a glimpse of what Bylsma said are “thirty to thirty-five players, closer to the group of players who will be a factor.”
The final two games, will give a greater indication of the opening day roster, “more of our tight knit group” and serve as a rehearsal for the regular season.
The ultimate goal is 23 players, though the Kraken are slammed tight against the salary cap limit as of Thursday. Who suits up on Sunday is still a matter of question. A possible hint, team “C” in camp on Thursday featured a heavy load of hopefuls - just eight of 19 players who suited up in NHL regular season games last season were assigned to Thursday’s final squad. Only four of them – Will Borgen, Brandon Tanev, Eeli Tolvanen and Yanni Gourde - were full time members of the Kraken roster last season. Three players on the squad – Eduard Sale, Ryker Evans, and Julius Miettinen – were all selected within the first two rounds of the draft. Bylsma indicated the first two games will be youth focused while veterans will split duties in between the Sunday opener vs. Calgary and next Tuesday’s road preseason contest at Vancouver.
KRAKEN TRAINING CAMP:
TEAM A
Adam Larsson, Jordan Eberle, Cale Fleury, Matty Beniers, Tye Kartye, Nikolas Brouillard, Jared McCann, Tucker Robertson, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Berkly Catton, Josh Mahura, Vince Dunn, Jani Nyman, Shane Wright, Jagger Firkus, Max Lajoie, Luke Henman, David Goyette, Lukas Dragicevic, (GOALTENDERS) Philipp Grubauer, Jack LaFontaine
TEAM B
Chandler Stephenson, John Hayden, Jaden Schwartz, Gustav Olofsson, Jamie Oleksiak, Alexis Bernier, Ville Ottavainen, Caden Price, Ben Meyers, Brandon Montour, Jacob Melanson, Andrei Loshko, Max McCormick, Ollie Josephson, Carson Rehkopf, Lleyton Roed, Andre Burakovsky, Logan Morrison, (GOALTENDERS) Joey Daccord, Niklas Kokko
TEAM C
Will Borgen, Brandon Biro, Brandon Tanev, Eeli Tolvanen, Ryan Winterton, Yanni Gourde, Ryker Evans, Julius Miettinen, Jakub Fibigr, Ian McKinnon, Clarke Caswell, Mitchell Stephens, Ty Nelson, Eduard Sale, Tyson Jugnauth, Kaden Hammell, Nathan Villeneuve, (GOALTENDERS): Victor Ostman, Ales Stezka