Seattle, WA

Salk: 5 things Seattle Kraken accomplished in impressive Year 2

Published

2 years ago

May 16, 2023

Salk: 5 things Seattle Kraken accomplished in impressive Year 2

Did you feel it? The excitement of the Seattle Kraken playing playoff hockey? The thrill of having a successful team? The energy that a good hockey team can create? The feeling in the building when the anxiety of overtime erupts with the jubilation of the sudden-death winner?

ESPN’s Clark: How the Seattle Kraken made it this far without big stars

The Kraken provided all of those things throughout their sophomore season and probably a whole lot more. Yes, they fell in the Western Conference semifinals to a Dallas Stars team that was a better opponent over a full series. But this season was huge for their growth.

They accomplished a few big things this year.

1. The Seattle Kraken have a coach.

Head coach Dave Hakstol has a system that works if the players buy in, and he got them to do that. They played hard, they played smart, they were resilient and they found ways to maximize their talent – often beating teams with more brand-name stars. I thought Hakstol upped his game in his second season, and he managed to trust and develop some young guys in the process.

2. They have the makings of a core to build around.

Obviously, that starts with Matty Beniers ,who proved himself up to the rigors of a full NHL season and the responsibility that comes with centering a top line. He was dynamic on both ends of the ice and should come into next season with more strength, more understanding, and more stamina. But clearly newcomers Oliver Bjorkstrand, Eeli Tolvanen and Andre Burakovsky proved to be excellent signings that add to the group of veterans including Jared McCann, Jordan Eberle, Yanni Gourde, and Adam Larsson. Jaden Schwartz was much better this season (arguably their best playoff performer), and I thought Vince Dunn joined that list with some significant growth this season, as well.

3. They succeeded without giving up future resources.

The Seattle Kraken still have 10 (yes, 10!) picks in the upcoming draft, including a pair of second-rounders, and they have yet to trade from the young stockpile of players they are developing in the AHL or juniors.

4. The Seattle Kraken franchise established legitimacy.

They are a team to be taken seriously, not a fad with a clever nickname and cool gear. They showed the rest of the NHL that they are for real, and that could add to their ability to grow and improve. They beat the defending champion Colorado Avalanche in the first round, took a very solid Dallas team to seven games, and hopefully taught themselves what it means to get to the next level. As Gourde said after their final game, “We built something here this year.” That is a huge accomplishment.

5. They are a relevant part of the Seattle sports landscape.

After a disastrous first season which saw games canceled/rescheduled and very little promotion of their TV product, the Kraken generated more buzz this year, and I’m told the ratings improved. They are doing all the right things in the community – teaching young kids about the game and generating interest. My own daughter plays weekly at their Northgate complex, and they even offer to buy the first batch of equipment for any kid that wants to try it out. Learning to understand the sport should help this community engage.

That’s a pretty darn successful season! So now what? What do they do to build on it?

Well, before you can answer that, you have to try this one: Are they likely to be better next year or take a step back?

The optimist will say that they have salary cap space, draft picks, and some young players ready to contribute. The pessimist will argue that they likely outplayed their talent level this season and still have questions in net (despite Philipp Grubauer’s stellar postseason). They play in a very good division with major star power and are still missing a bonafide scorer/power play presence that can make that unit function.

Seattle Kraken general manager Ron Francis likely understands both sides of this equation, and I’d expect him to be aggressive this offseason. He resisted making any desperation trades at the deadline and instead let his team grow without sacrificing the future. They proved to be highly capable, so now he needs to give them the horses to advance even farther.

I already can’t wait for next season!

First Seattle Kraken playoff run ends with 2-1 loss to Stars in Game 7

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Seattle, WA

Former Seattle Mariners Star Alex Rodriguez to Stay on Hall of Fame Ballot For Another Year

Published

1 hour ago

January 6, 2025

Press Room

Former Seattle Mariners Star Alex Rodriguez to Stay on Hall of Fame Ballot For Another Year

Former Seattle Mariners star Alex Rodriguez is set to stay on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot for at least another year.

While it’s unlikely that A-Rod gets into the Hall of Fame this year, he has enough votes to take another run in 2026.

Thus far, according to the Baseball Hall of Fame tracker, Rodriguez has gotten 47 votes out of 104 ballots. He would need to appear on 244 more ballots to get in this year, which seems like a tall task.

It’s unknown if Rodriguez will ever get in, given his admission of performance-enhancing drug use, but he continues to hang around the conversation.

Drafted No. 1 overall in the 1993 MLB Draft, Rodriguez made his debut with the Mariners in 1994, staying through the 2000 season. He made the All-Star team four times with the Mariners and won a batting title in 1996. He also hit 42 homers and stole 46 bases in an incredible 1999 season. He helped the Mariners to the playoffs in the 1995, 1997 and 2000 seasons. The M’s got to the ALCS in that 2000 season, taking the New York Yankees to six games. He also played for the Yankees and Texas Rangers.

In addition to Rodriguez, former Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki is essentially a lock for the Hall of Fame. He’s currently on 100 percent of the ballots. Felix Hernandez is currently on 26 percent and Omar Vizquel is on 14.4 percent.

The Mariners have two true representatives in the Hall of Fame: Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez. Other players like Adrian Beltre and Randy Johnson spent significant time in Seattle but are representing other teams in Cooperstown.

You can follow the tracking here.

Continue to follow our Inside the Mariners coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following Teren Kowatsch and Brady Farkas on “X” @Teren_Kowatsch and @wdevradiobrady. You can subscribe to the “Refuse to Lose” podcast by clicking HERE.

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Seattle, WA

NFC Playoff Picture: Seahawks impact Wild Card schedule with win over Rams

Published

9 hours ago

January 6, 2025

Press Room

NFC Playoff Picture: Seahawks impact Wild Card schedule with win over Rams

While the Los Angeles Rams might have rested several of their key starters and limited the snap counts of those who did play against the Seattle Seahawks, you certainly can’t accuse them of not making a concerted effort to still win the game.

The Seahawks had to make a late red zone stand to win 30-25 in their season finale. Even if the Rams didn’t treat this game with the utmost importance in terms of playoff seeding, it did impact who they’ll play and potentially their road to the Super Bowl.

With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers winning the NFC South earlier in the day, the Rams needed to win to remain the No. 3 seed or else they’d drop to No. 4. That’s the difference between playing the Washington Commanders and the NFC North runner-up Minnesota Vikings, whom the Rams did defeat on a Thursday night back in October.

Seattle’s win has set up a Rams vs. Vikings rematch for next Monday night, while the Buccaneers will rematch the Commanders on Sunday night.

The Rams dropping to No. 4 means that unless the No. 2 seed Philadelphia Eagles and No. 3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers both lose next weekend, the Rams would have to go on the road for the NFC Divisional Round. As a No. 3 seed, the Rams would’ve only needed a Green Bay Packers win over the Eagles to snag a second home game, much in the way the Detroit Lions did last season when the Packers thrashed the No. 2 seed Dallas Cowboys.

Maybe, just maybe, the Seahawks sent the Rams to a more difficult path for a Super Bowl run… or even to get out of the opening weekend. If Minnesota sends the Rams packing, I think we’d be all happy with giving LA a tougher matchup.

While you’re here, check out the full Wild Card schedule for next week.

Saturday, Jan. 11

No. 5 Los Angeles Chargers at No. 4 Houston Texans, 1:30 PM PT on CBS, Paramount+

No. 6 Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 3 Baltimore Ravens, 5 PM PT on Prime Video

Sunday, Jan. 12

No. 7 Denver Broncos at No. 2 Buffalo Bills, 10 am PT on CBS, Paramount+

No. 7 Green Bay Packers at No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles, 1:30 PM PT on FOX

No. 6 Washington Commanders at No. 3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 5 PM PT on NBC, Peacock

Monday, Jan. 13

No.5 Minnesota Vikings at No. 4 Los Angeles Rams, 5 PM PT on ESPN/ABC

Byes: Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions

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Seattle, WA

Who the Seattle Seahawks will be playing in the 2025 regular season

Published

17 hours ago

January 5, 2025

Press Room

Who the Seattle Seahawks will be playing in the 2025 regular season

The Detroit Lions beat the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football to wrap up the NFC North and the No. 1 overall seed. It also means that the Vikings will not only be on the road as a 14-3 team playing in the Wild Card against the Los Angeles Rams next Monday night, but they’ll be returning to Lumen Field to play the Seattle Seahawks in the 2025 regular season.

Game 272 was the final piece of the puzzle for the Seahawks’ 2025 opponents list. Whichever of the Vikings or Lions finished second in the NFC North would be headed to Seattle next season. While it would’ve been cool to see the Lions finally play at Lumen Field again after three straight Seahawks-Lions meetings in Detroit, it’s not happening.

The schedule is formulaic, which means the NFC West will play the whole of the AFC and NFC South, as well as the same-placed opposition from the NFC North (home), NFC East (away), and AFC North (away). Next season will be the AFC’s turn to get an extra home game, so the Seahawks will have nine away trips.

Home

Los Angeles Rams (10-7)

Arizona Cardinals (8-9)

San Francisco 49ers (6-11)

New Orleans Saints (5-12)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7)

Indianapolis Colts (8-9)

Houston Texans (10-7)

Minnesota Vikings (14-3)

Away

Los Angeles Rams (10-7)

Arizona Cardinals (8-9)

San Francisco 49ers (6-11)

Tennessee Titans (3-14)

Jacksonville Jaguars (4-13)

Washington Commanders (12-5)

Atlanta Falcons (8-9)

Carolina Panthers (5-12)

Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)

The early returns on Michael Penix Jr and the late surge by Bryce Young could make the NFC South portion of the schedule much tougher than it looks right now. Never assume the league is so static that the teams that were good/bad now will remain the same the following season.

The NFL regular season schedule will be released at some point in May.

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