We know where the Kraken fall in Seattle; somewhere behind the Seahawks, Mariners, and University of Washington football. Anything else?
Which makes the start to this NHL season, with the Kraken playing four games over the first six nights, of even greater importance than ever before.
The Mariners stink, they’re done, not mathematically, but there’s zero confidence in the fan base regarding the club’s overall ability. Plus they’ll be done before the Kraken start anyway.
Seahawks: Oh gee, whatayaknow, defending Super Bowl champions. That attention will simply never wane until we find out whether the local gridiron heroes go back-to-back or they don’t.
The Huskies: Well, it’s college football. Regardless of expectations and record, there’s always plenty of chatter and analysis, and of course the tradition and the pageantry. In the case of the 2026 squad, they’re considered a top-20 team getting started and a contender for a national playoff spot. Lots and lots of eyeballs.
The Kraken will need to make a big early statement to have an impact when their hockey season starts on October 1st. (The league’s first game actually takes place on September 29th)
It’s year six. There’s still the novelty effect for some. The game presentation and building atmosphere are terrific; that’ll be there. But if the losses mount, the novelty factor and the “hey, you want to catch a Kraken game” sentiment will vanish like a sea fog in the breeze.
Most casual fans have trouble getting into hockey until after the holidays anyway, and for a much less extreme price point, the hard-cores can always turn to their local Silvertips or T-Birds, especially if they want to see someone drop the mitts.
The team’s managers have put themselves in an unenviable position with the way they’ve handled the last three seasons. They’ll preach patience, but that message will only take you so far.
It might not be in the cards, or the plans for that matter, but for a handful of reasons, this Seattle NHL team needs to overachieve.
If come January 15th, UW hoops is getting more media attention than Kraken hockey, they’ll be some serious trouble emanating from the owner’s box.
Earlier Seattle:
— Big Time Kraken – NHL Talk With TV’s John Forslund
