Kraken season preview: Arrival of StephensonMontour should rejuvenate offense

The 2024-25 NHL season starts Oct. 4. With training camps underwayNHL.com is taking a look at the three keysthe inside scoop on roster questionsand the projected lineup for each of the 32 teams. Todaythe Seattle Kraken.

Coach: Dan Bylsma (first season)

Last season: 34-35-15; sixth place in Pacific Divisionfailed to qualify for Stanley Cup Playoffs

3 KEYS

1. Change and continuity under Bylsma

Dan Bylsma was hired as coach May 28replacing Dave Hakstolthe first coach in Kraken historywho was fired April 29 after Seattle missed the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. Bylsmawho won the Stanley Cup coaching the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009is the new coach but a familiar face; he coached Coachella Valleythe Kraken's American Hockey League affiliatethe previous two seasonsand among the players he helped develop were forwards Shane WrightTye Kartye and Ryan Wintertondefenseman Ryker Evans and goalie Joey Daccord. Bylsma's task will be to convert those relationships into winning results in the NHL.

2. Scoring more goals

A big item on Bylsma's to-do list is getting more offense from a Kraken team that was 29th in the NHL in scoring last season (2.61 goals per game) after finishing tied for fourth in 2022-23 (3.52 goals per game). Seattle had two 20-goal scorers last seasonforwards Jared McCann (29) and Oliver Bjorkstrand (20). Nine reached double-digits in goals but only five scored at least 15. The July 1 additions of forward Chandler Stephensonwho signed a seven-year contract ($6.25 million average annual value)and defenseman Brandon Montourwho signed a seven-year contract ($7.14 million AAV) after winning the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers last seasonshould help generate more offense.

3. Beniers bouncing back

Getting forward Matty Beniers back on track also would help the scoring. The 21-year-old had 37 points (15 goals22 assists) in 77 games last season after he had 57 points (24 goals33 assists) in 80 games in 2022-23 and won the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year. The Kraken showed how confident they were in Beniers' ability to bounce back that they signed him to a seven-year$49.98 million contract ($7.14 million AAV) on Aug. 20. "We're looking forward to seeing Matty take the next steps as a player and watching him contribute to many more memorable moments for our franchise," Kraken general manager Ron Francis said.

ROSTER RUNDOWN

Making the cut

Will this be the season Wright sticks with the Kraken? The No. 4 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft has had a tumultuous start to his pro career. He bounced between SeattleCoachella Valley and Windsor of the Ontario Hockey League in 2022-23then last season had five points (four goalsone assist) in eight games with Seattle and 47 points (22 goals25 assists) in 59 regular-season games with Coachella Valley. He then had 13 points (four goalsnine assists) in 12 AHL playoff games to help the Firebirds reach the Calder Cup Finals for the second straight season. Having Bylsmahis AHL coachin Seattle should be a plus as he looks to earn a full-time NHL spot.

Most intriguing addition

Montour gives the Kraken additional offensive firepower from the defensealong with Vince Dunn. Montour was third among NHL defensemen last season in offensive zone time percentage (47.6 percent)according to NHL EDGE statisticsbehind Evan Bouchard of the Edmonton Oilers (49.5 percent) and Brent Burns of the Carolina Hurricanes (47.7 percent). He had two 100-plus mile per hour shot attempts last season (tied for seventh in the NHL) and he ranked in the 97th percentile of top shot speed (97.75 mph). He also brings a Stanley Cup pedigree along with Stephensonwho won the Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023 and the Washington Capitals in 2018.

Biggest potential surprise

Daccord worked his way into the conversation for the Vezina Trophy last seasonawarded to the best goalie in the NHL. Yeshe was 19-18-11 in 50 games (46 starts) last season. But he had a breakout seasonfinishing third in the NHL in save percentage (.916; minimum 50 games) behind 2024 Vezina winner Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets (.921) and runner-up Thatcher Demko of the Vancouver Canucks (.916)and his 2.46 goals-against average was fourthbehind Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers (2.37)Hellebuyck (2.39) and Demko (2.45).

Ready to contribute

Evans split last season between Seattle and Coachella Valley. He had nine points (one goalseight assists) in 36 games with the Kraken and 15 points (two goals13 assists) in 25 AHL games. He was tied for fourth among defenseman in Calder Cup Playoffs with 10 points (four goalssix assists) in 18 games. "He's a smooth skaterexcellent skater," Bylsma said. "He's developed into a hard defender. I think that's maybe a little underrated part of his game. But he's a hard defenderhe's a good defenderand he's a great offensive guy with the puck."

Fantasy sleeper

StephensonF (undrafted on average in fantasy) -- Stephenson has hit the 60-point mark in two of the past three seasonsincluding an NHL career-best 65 points (16 goals49 assists) in 81 games with the Golden Knights in 2022-23. He hit the 20-goal mark in 2021-22 and is a notable playoff performerwith 20 points (10 goals10 assists) in 22 games during Vegas' Stanley Cup championship run in 2023. Stephenson has upside playing in Seattle's top-six forward group. It's worth noting he could be positioned on a line with Andre Burakovskyhis teammate from their time with the Capitals. -- Anna Dua

PROJECTED LINEUP

Jared McCann -- Matty Beniers -- Jordan Eberle

Jaden Schwartz -- Chandler Stephenson -- Andre Burakovsky

Eeli Tolvanen -- Yanni Gourde -- Oliver Bjorkstrand

Tye Kartye -- Shane Wright -- Brandon Tanev

Vince Dunn -- Adam Larsson

Jamie Oleksiak -- Brandon Montour

Ryker Evans -- Will Borgen

Joey Daccord

Philipp Grubauer