The Kraken played their first regular season game on October 12, 2021 against the Vegas Golden Knights, a 4–3 loss. In their second game just two days later, the Kraken earned their first win in franchise history, defeating the Nashville Predators 4–3. The Kraken played their first home game on October 23, against the Vancouver Canucks, a 4–2 loss. The franchise recorded its first ever shutout on February 22, 2022, with Philipp Grubauer making 19 saves against the New York Islanders 3–0 at home. On March 30, the Kraken were eliminated from playoff contention after a 3–0 loss to the Golden Knights. The Kraken finished last in the Pacific Division with 60 points, the second-worst in the Western Conference ahead of the Arizona Coyotes.
2017
December 4: The Seattle City Council votes 7–1 to approve a memorandum of understanding between the city of Seattle and the Los Angeles-based Oak View Group, co-founded by Tim Leiweke,[2] for renovations of KeyArena. Renovations for the arena began in 2018 and were completed in 2021.[3] The original roof remains in place, as it is considered a local historical landmark.[4]
December 7: The NHL Board of Governors agrees to consider an expansion application from Seattle, with an expansion fee set at US$650 million.[5] The Seattle ownership group was represented by David Bonderman and Jerry Bruckheimer, who conducted a preliminary season ticket drive to gauge interest in Seattle.[6]
2018
February 13: Oak View Group files an application with the NHL for an expansion team and pays a US$10 million application fee.[7][8] At the time, the earliest a Seattle NHL expansion team could have begun playing was the 2020–21 season pending the completion of arena renovations.[7]
March 1: A ticket drive begins to gauge interests in season ticket deposits. Oak View Group reported that their initial goal of 10,000 deposits was surpassed in 12 minutes,[9] and that they received 25,000 deposits in 75 minutes.[10]
October 2: Another step towards an expansion team is taken when the NHL Executive Committee unanimously agrees to recommend the expansion bid to a vote of the Board of Governors in December.[12][13]
December 4: The NHL Board of Governors votes unanimously to approve Seattle's expansion team.[14]
2019
May 9: The team launches an interactive "fan portal" where fans could propose a name and uniform colors for the team, answer poll questions, get information about ticket pricing and seating, and view a timeline of past and future key events involving the club.[15]
July 18: The organization hires Ron Francis to serve as their general manager to initiate operations for the team.[16][17] That same day, Tod Leiweke stated that hiring Francis was "perhaps the most important hire we [the Seattle NHL team] will ever make."[18] This is because Francis would oversee all of the club's hockey operations, including things like player personnel, coaching staff, scouting, and minor league operations.[16] Francis later stated that three things he wanted to prioritize in the Kraken's roster were speed, character, and competitiveness.[19]
2020
June 25: Amazon acquires the naming rights to KeyArena, renaming it to Climate Pledge Arena as a reminder of the need to fight climate change.[20]
July 23: The franchise announces their team name—the Seattle Kraken—as well as their team colors, branding, and home jersey.[21] The event was held under the banner of "Release the Kraken", a phrase popularized by the 1981 film Clash of the Titans and the 2010 remake.[22] "Kraken" was a name that was already popular with fans prior to its official adoption. The franchise's promotional materials state that it was adopted to honor the maritime culture of Seattle, as well as in reference to the Giant Pacific octopus, the largest species of octopus in the world, which can be found in the waters of the Pacific Northwest.[23]
March 3: The Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena sign a deal with iHeartRadio for the purpose of having Sports Radio 93.3 KJR serve as the team's flagship radio station.[25]
April 30: The franchise pays the final installment of the US$650 million expansion fee, officially making the Seattle Kraken the 32nd team of the NHL.[26]
June 21: The Kraken announce that J. T. Brown will join the team's television broadcasts as a color analyst.[30]
June 24: The Kraken name Dave Hakstol to be their inaugural head coach. "Dave possesses great experience, a strong work ethic, a solid technical understanding of the game, and the remarkable ability to communicate clearly and effectively. I look forward to working with Dave as we strive to build a team our fans will be proud of," Ron Francis stated about Hakstol.[31]
June 28: The Kraken announce that the Charlotte Checkers will be their inaugural American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, sharing the team with the Florida Panthers.[32]
June 30: The Kraken partner with Seattle-based company Starbucks to announce the creation of the Kraken Community Iceplex, the team's new training facility, at the Northgate Station shopping mall.[33]
July 9: The Kraken announce their 2021–22 preseason schedule. With Climate Pledge Arena not scheduled to open until mid-October, the Kraken instead played their home preseason games at three different Western Hockey League (WHL) arenas in Washington, as part of an event the Kraken called the "3-Rink Rush".[35][36]
July 18: The protected player list for the 2021 NHL expansion draft, a list of players who the Kraken are not allowed to select during the draft, is released.[37]
Adam Larsson, Jamie Oleksiak, and Chris Driedger reportedly signed contracts with the Kraken before they were selected by the team during the 2021 NHL expansion draft.
8:07 AM: ESPN reports that the Kraken have signed Larsson to a four-year, $16-million deal, and Oleksiak to a five-year contract with an average annual value of $4.6 million.[38]
8:09 AM: CBC News reports that Larsson and goaltenderChris Driedger were going to the Kraken, mentioning Larsson's four-year, $16-million deal, as well as a three-year, $10.5-million contract for Driedger. CBC stated about how they got this news, "One person with knowledge of Larsson's deal said the defenceman has agreed to terms with Seattle on a four-year, $16-million US contract. Another person with knowledge of Driedger's deal said the goaltender has agreed to a three-year deal worth $10.5 million," and that "The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday morning because the team was not announcing any moves until the 8 PM ET."[40]
5:00 PM: The 2021 NHL expansion draft begins at Gas Works Park in front of more than 4,000 spectators and fans. The draft used the same rules as the 2017 NHL expansion draft did for the Vegas Golden Knights. The Kraken had to select or sign one player from each existing team except for Vegas.[41] Larsson, Oleksiak, and Driedger counted as the pick from their respective teams (Edmonton, Dallas, and Florida, respectively.)[42] The Kraken's selections are listed below:[43][42]
July 22: The Kraken make the first-ever trade in team history, giving expansion draft pick Tyler Pitlick to the Calgary Flames in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NHL entry draft.[44][45]
July 23: The first round of the 2021 NHL entry draft takes place. The Kraken used their second-overall pick to select Matty Beniers, a center from the University of Michigan. Beniers scored 24 points in 24 games during the previous season, and he led first-time draft-eligible NCAA players in goals, with 10.[46][47]
11:20 AM: The Kraken sign goaltender Philipp Grubauer to a six-year, $35.4 million contract.[56][53][54] Grubauer had been considered one of the top names on the market prior to the beginning of free agency.[57]
4:00 PM: The Kraken trade expansion draftee Vitek Vanecek back to the team he was selected from, the Washington Capitals, in exchange for a second-round draft pick the 2023.[53] "We took Vitek Vanecek to be part of our goalie tandem," stated Ron Francis. He also said that he "didn't expect Grubauer to get to market [instead of re-signing with the Avalanche]" and that "six different teams called on Vitek."[54]
The Kraken played their first regular season game on October 12, a 4–3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, where Ryan Donato scored the team's first goal.[58] The Kraken's first win came in their second game on October 14, when they defeated the Nashville Predators 4–3.[59] Following a 6–1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, goaltender Joey Daccord was named the starter instead of Grubauer in a 4–2 loss to the New Jersey Devils.[60] The Kraken played their first home game at Climate Pledge Arena on October 23, a 4–2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks.[61] Prior to the game, the Kraken retired jersey number 32, in recognition of the franchise being the 32nd to join the NHL and in honor of the 32,000 fans who placed deposits for tickets on the first possible day.[62] The Kraken picked up their first home win on October 26, against the Montreal Canadiens.[63] Goaltender Chris Driedger made his first start with the Kraken on November 9, in a 4–2 loss to the Golden Knights.[64]
The Kraken had several losing streaks in their season. However, on February 2, 2022, Philipp Grubauer recorded the franchise's first shutout, making 19 saves in an 3–0 victory against the New York Islanders.[65] On March 20, the Kraken's captaincy became vacant after Giordano was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs.[66] The Kraken were eliminated from playoff contention on March 30 following a 3–0 loss to the Golden Knights.[67] The Kraken finished their inaugural season in last place of the Pacific Division with a 27–49–6 record and 60 points.[68]
Source: National Hockey League[69] Rules for classification: 1) Fewer number of games played (GP, only during regular season); 2) Greater number of regulation wins (RW); 3) Greater number of wins in regulation and overtime, excluding shootout wins (ROW); 4) Greater number of total wins, including shootouts (W); 5) Greater number of points earned in head-to-head play; if teams played an uneven number of head-to-head games, the result of the first game on the home ice of the team with the extra home game is discarded; 6) Greater goal differential (GD); 7) Greater number of goals scored (GF) e – Eliminated from playoff contention; x – Clinched playoff spot; y – Clinched division
Source: National Hockey League[70] Rules for classification: 1) Fewer number of games played (GP, only during regular season); 2) Greater number of regulation wins (RW); 3) Greater number of wins in regulation and overtime, excluding shootout wins (ROW); 4) Greater number of total wins, including shootouts (W); 5) Greater number of points earned in head-to-head play; if teams played an uneven number of head-to-head games, the result of the first game on the home ice of the team with the extra home game is discarded; 6) Greater goal differential (GD); 7) Greater number of goals scored (GF) e – Eliminated from playoff contention; x – Clinched playoff spot
Preseason
The preseason schedule was announced on July 9, 2021. With Climate Pledge Arena not scheduled to open until mid-October, the Kraken instead played their home preseason games at three different WHL arenas in Washington.[71] On September 26, 2021, the Kraken beat the Vancouver Canucks 5–3, giving them their first preseason win in franchise history.[72]
More information #, Date ...
2021 preseason game log: 4–2–0 (home: 2–1–0; road: 2–1–0)
The regular season schedule was released on July 22, 2021,[79] with only about a handful of games scheduled in February as a result of NHL players participating in the 2022 Winter Olympics.[80]
More information October: 3–5–1 (home: 2–2–0; road: 1–3–1), # ...
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Kraken. Stats reflect time with the Kraken only.
‡Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Kraken only.
After their final home game on April 29, the Kraken announced the inaugural winners of their player awards for the season.[175][176]
Jared McCann won the Pete Muldoon Award for the Kraken's most valuable player, as voted on by Seattle-area media. Philipp Grubauer won the Three Stars of the Year Award for having accrued the most stars of any player using a point system for stars at home games. Yanni Gourde won the Guyle Fielder Award as the teammate who best exemplified "perseverence, hustle and dedication" as voted upon by his teammates and coaches. Gourde also won the Fan Favorite Award, determined by a fan vote.[175]
The Kraken have been involved in the following transactions during the 2021–22 season.
Key:
† Contract is entry-level. ‡ Contract initially takes effect in the 2022–23 season.