Kraken Summer Spending Spree Will Pay Off

The Nashville Predators were the biggest spenders this offseason. That goes without saying considering all the moves they made. However, it goes unnoticed how active the Seattle Kraken, one of the other busy teams, were this summer.

The Kraken added a lot of talent in free agency, signing forward Chandler Stephenson plus defensemen Brandon Montour and Josh Mahura. They aren’t the team to beat in the Pacific Division but these moves set them up for a big season ahead, something this young franchise has yet to experience.

Kraken Now Have Strength up the Middle

The big move was signing Stephenson, a 30-year-old center who played five seasons with the Vegas Golden Knights before joining the Kraken. He’s a great two-way player, with 89 goals and 181 assists in his career with some great defensive play up the middle as well. 

Stephenson gives the Kraken a top-six center but also gives them depth. Now, they have Yanni Gourde, Matthew Beniers, and Stephenson for their top three lines. 

Since the franchise’s inaugural season in 2021-22, they lacked the scoring to compete. With Stephenson, the offense will no longer be a weak link. Even better, the offense also gets a boost from the point thanks to their other big addition this offseason.

Brandon Montour Helps Kraken Across the Board

Montour was remarkable for the Florida Panthers. He was not only great on the defensive end of the ice, with 11 defensive point shares in four seasons with the team, but he also stepped up on the offensive end of the ice. He scored 37 goals and 110 assists while adding 11 points in the 2024 playoff run to help the Panthers win the Stanley Cup.  

The defensive unit is the Kraken's strength (they allowed only 2.83 goals per game last season). Vince Dunn, Jamie Oleksiak, and Adam Larsson led the top two pairings with exceptional play in their end. Montour rounds out the unit and also gives the Kraken another scoring presence at the point to pair along with Dunn.

If there was anything the Kraken could have done this offseason to upgrade the offense, the Montour signing was it. He’s an improvement across the board but with the offense struggling, he will open things up at the point.

Mahura as a Depth Signing

While a minor deal, signing Josh Mahura goes a long way. He’s a depth defenseman who rounds out the unit and gives the Kraken three reliable pairings. With the defense leading the way, this Kraken have one unit they can lean on to win games this season.

The Kraken Still Have Room to Upgrade

The Kraken still don’t have the star power to compete in their division. Think about the Edmonton Oilers and the Vancouver Canucks, the two best teams from the division last season, they have no shortage of elite talent. 

Goaltending is also a question mark. Joey Daccord and Philipp Grubauer have shown flashes but have failed to prove they can be a reliable tandem for a full season. This duo can make or break the Kraken season.  

The good news is that the Kraken have the ability to address both needs at the trade deadline. If they are contending, which the offseason moves set them up to do, then they can make a splash and add a star to put them over the top.