Kraken season preview: Arrival of Stephenson, Montour should rejuvenate offense

The 2024-25 NHL season starts Oct. 4. With training camps underway, NHL.com is taking a look at the three keys, the inside scoop on roster questions, and the projected lineup for each of the 32 teams. Today, the Seattle Kraken.

Coach: Dan Bylsma (first season)

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

3 KEYS

1. Change and continuity under Bylsma

Dan Bylsma was hired as coach May 28, replacing Dave Hakstol, the first coach in Kraken history, who was fired April 29 after Seattle missed the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. Bylsma, who won the Stanley Cup coaching the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009, is the new coach but a familiar face; he coached Coachella Valley, the Kraken's American Hockey League affiliate, the previous two seasons, and among the players he helped develop were forwards Shane Wright, Tye Kartye and Ryan Winterton, defenseman 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 season, forwards 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 Stephenson, who signed a seven-year contract ($6.25 million average annual value), and defenseman Brandon Montour, who signed a seven-year contract ($7.14 million AAV) after winning the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers last season, should 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 goals, 22 assists) in 77 games last season after he had 57 points (24 goals, 33 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 Seattle, Coachella Valley and Windsor of the Ontario Hockey League in 2022-23, then last season had five points (four goals, one assist) in eight games with Seattle and 47 points (22 goals, 25 assists) in 59 regular-season games with Coachella Valley. He then had 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 12 AHL playoff games to help the Firebirds reach the Calder Cup Finals for the second straight season. Having Bylsma, his AHL coach, in 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 defense, along with Vince Dunn. Montour was third among NHL defensemen last season in offensive zone time percentage (47.6 percent), according to NHL EDGE statistics, behind 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 Stephenson, who 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 season, awarded to the best goalie in the NHL. Yes, he was 19-18-11 in 50 games (46 starts) last season. But he had a breakout season, finishing 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 fourth, behind 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 goals, eight assists) in 36 games with the Kraken and 15 points (two goals, 13 assists) in 25 AHL games. He was tied for fourth among defenseman in Calder Cup Playoffs with 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 18 games. "He's a smooth skater, excellent 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 defender, he's a good defender, and he's a great offensive guy with the puck."

Fantasy sleeper

Stephenson, F (undrafted on average in fantasy) -- Stephenson has hit the 60-point mark in two of the past three seasons, including an NHL career-best 65 points (16 goals, 49 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 performer, with 20 points (10 goals, 10 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 Burakovsky, his 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