Surprising Seattle Kraken Impressing NHL Fans

So, what has helped improve this new expansion team so far this 2022-23 season?

For one thing the acquisition of a talented forward by the name of Andre Burakovsky. He signed as a free agent in July and is currently the leading scorer on the upstart Kraken team.

He has nine goals, 17 assists in 25 games. That includes four power play goals, and six assists. His 13 percent shooting accuracy adds to his offensive talents. Lately he has scored two goals, four assists in his last five games.

While Burakovsky has been a key to the Kraken offense, a young prospect is also aiding in that category. Young, 20-year-old Matty Beniers has come on like a wild monster from the sea himself. He has contributed 10 goals, 11 assists in 25 games.

With numbers like that, Beniers is certainly in consideration for the Calder Trophy awarded to the most outstanding rookie in the NHL.

But, a team can't win on offense alone. Veteran goalie Martin Jones has settled in as the Kraken starting netminder and has done an excellent job. He has a respectable 12-5-2 record with a 2.97 GAA, and a .888 SV%.

The Kraken thought that Philipp Grubauer, who earns $5.9 million through the 2026-27 season would be their first choice in net. Jones who only earns $2 million has taken the starting job away from Grubauer.

Grubauer has only appeared in seven games with a 2-2-1 record. His .868 SV%, along with a poor 3.40 GAA shows why he is no longer the starter.

The Kraken are fifth in the league in offense with a 3.60 goals-per-game average. Their power play ranks 10th in the NHL.

Where they need to improve upon is their team defense which ranks 18th, allowing 3.16 goals a game.

The other area where the Kraken need some improvement is the penalty kill where they are 30th with a 68.3 percent success rate.

With young players like Beniers and Shane Wright (who scored his first NHL goal recently) the newly added team's future looks bright.

While hardly any NHL follower expected the Kraken to be as successful as the Vegas Golden Knights have been since joining the league, they well on their way to being a respectable team.

Will that mean that they can be a playoff team this season?

They are surely playing well enough, but at this point, there's still 57 games left to play.