Five big questions as Kraken open training camp | Analysis

Kraken training camp opens Thursday, just three days before their first preseason game against Calgary. Here are the five burning questions the Kraken face the next several weeks:

Will the Kraken name their second captain?

It’s a big deal in this sport, where the captain sets the tone. Mark Giordano was the Kraken’s first and only, a tenure that lasted less than a season. He was dealt at the trade deadline during the inaugural Kraken campaign.

The past two seasons, former coach Dave Hakstol seemed satisfied with his “core” leadership group, which consisted of four alternate captains — the more vocal Jordan Eberle and Yanni Gourde, plus the lead-by-example Adam Larsson and Jaden Schwartz, who took turns wearing the “A” on game days. That group guided the 2022-23 squad to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The following fall, unsurprisingly, they stuck with a winning formula and no one got a “C” sewn onto his shoulder.

Each of the four alternates is a veteran of at least 500 NHL games. Each brings a distinctly different vibe into the Seattle community, and by all accounts, the Kraken locker room. Fans are eager to see whether new coach Dan Bylsma will pick their favorite, go with an outside hire, or stay the course.

The Kraken have never had a superstar, so an argument could be made for roughly half the roster. Contract length can be telling, and in that regard, Larsson is set to be around the longest of the alternate captains, signing a four-year extension Tuesday that’s set to kick in next season. Eberle signed a two-year extension this spring.

Matty Beniers is a “young star” for the franchise, as described by general manager Ron Francis this week, and the new owner of a seven-year contract. He has the makings of a future captain, but is only 21, and coming off a rocky sophomore season. Vince Dunn is often left out of the conversation, but the Kraken are building around him as well. Jared McCann kept churning out goals, assists and special-teams contributions even as the team around him struggled. But perhaps he’s already juggling enough responsibilities.

Some have speculated that charismatic defenseman Brandon Montour or clutch center Chandler Stephenson could swoop in and assume the “C” in the first year of their own seven-year deals, though that seems to go against the team ethos.

If the Kraken name a captain, it will almost certainly be before the season starts. Five other teams are without as camps open.

Where do Stephenson and Montour slot in?

Rookie and 2022 fourth overall pick Shane Wright looked like Alex Wennberg’s heir apparent when the former Kraken second-line center was dealt at the 2024 trade deadline. But Francis didn’t add a high-scoring winger in free agency to maintain the status quo up the middle — he signed center Stephenson, who is all but assured of a top-six spot. He’s making top-six money, to be sure, at $6,250,000 per season.

Established top-line center Beniers has had Eberle on his wing for almost the entirety of his young career — will that continue? Is that still the top line? Will Wright or Gourde center the fourth line? Where will Schwartz, Andre Burakovsky, Eeli Tolvanen and Oliver Bjorkstrand wind up?

Montour is a right-shot defenseman, ideally paired with a left shot. So that narrows down his potential defensive partners to Vince Dunn, Jamie Oleksiak and Ryker Evans, should the latter make the final cut. Would Bylsma break up the longstanding partnership of Larsson and Dunn to create a defensive supergroup? Try out Montour with Oleksiak? Stick the newcomer with an NHL newbie? These are the questions.

Will the Kraken make a deal to free up cap space?

Francis confirmed he’s comfortable as it stands, but it’s hard to look at $4,286 of projected cap space and not sweat just a little.

Postmedia reported the Ottawa Senators spoke to the Kraken about a trade for Brandon Tanev, who is signed through the upcoming season with a cap hit of $3.5 million and will likely play on the fourth line by default. That was in June, so if discussions are ongoing, they’re taking their sweet time.

Fellow fan favorite Gourde also commands a high salary for a fourth-liner, if that’s where he winds up. He has a 23-team no trade clause, however. If space frees up on the lower lines, that has implications for the next question …

Which young guns make the team?

Wright and Evans, both Kraken draft picks, are solid bets for the opening-night roster. Both have played for new coach Bylsma in Coachella Valley of the American Hockey League and have drawn praise from Francis. Beniers would no longer be the only Seattle draft pick on the roster.

But, newly signed defenseman Josh Mahura is around, as is Cale Fleury, who’s been waiting in the wings for three seasons. They’ll vie for a potential spot as seventh defenseman or maybe even pressure Evans.

There’s a long list of forwards who would like to be in Wright’s position. A Ryan Winterton or Logan Morrison has a chance if the Kraken start dealing veterans for picks.

Who’s in net?

OK, this debate probably won’t be put to rest in training camp. But whether Philipp Grubauer or Joey Daccord is the Kraken’s future No. 1 will be discussed, all right.

Grubauer is making nearly $6M per season through the 2026-27 season, so the 2023 postseason hero is getting a look. Late bloomer Joey Daccord, 28, enjoyed a coming-out party last season. He keyed the most successful run of 2023-24 while Grubauer was injured and played by far the most games of his NHL career.

Daccord was Bylsma’s workhorse in Coachella Valley at one point. Will they try again at the NHL level? Will he and Grubauer share starts somewhat evenly or will one of them carry most of the load?