Kraken after 16 games
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Kraken after 16 games
Right now the team sits in last place at 4-11-1 with a five-game losing streak that is probably going to reach ten with the brutal upcoming schedule. However, this isn't a horrible team. They're not getting stomped on and they're consistently within one goal late in games. The thin line between victories and losses right now are 1) their goaltender play, which has been awful; and 2) needing another two or three guys who can score goals.
A lot of seemingly knowledgeable hockey fans went on social media after the draft saying that Ron Francis blew it and it appears they were right. Francis went WAY too cheap, passing up good players and in some cases selecting minor league fodder instead. Philadelphia Flyer fans went on social media when Dave Hakstol was hired as coach and posted that he sucks and so far it looks like he probably does.
Francis passed up sure things like Vladimir Tarasenko, Matt Duchesne, Adam Henrique, and All-Star Gabriel Landeskog. If Francis selects three or even all four of these players instead of the players he did select, this team is virtually guaranteed to be sitting in a playoff spot right now, with a decent amount of cap space, although Tarasenko might have been too expensive so maybe he shouldn't be included.
The problem with Francis having the most cap space in the league is that he's taken an attractive destination in Seattle and turned it into West Buffalo. What top free agents are going to want to play in Seattle if the team is in the cellar? Put a playoff team on the ice and you can draw a few more good players in the offseason, no problem. Now it's going to be a lot tougher.
There's still a lot of season left and a lot can happen. First and foremost, Philip Grubauer needs to stop being a tombstone every time there's no defender between he and the guy with the puck.
A lot of seemingly knowledgeable hockey fans went on social media after the draft saying that Ron Francis blew it and it appears they were right. Francis went WAY too cheap, passing up good players and in some cases selecting minor league fodder instead. Philadelphia Flyer fans went on social media when Dave Hakstol was hired as coach and posted that he sucks and so far it looks like he probably does.
Francis passed up sure things like Vladimir Tarasenko, Matt Duchesne, Adam Henrique, and All-Star Gabriel Landeskog. If Francis selects three or even all four of these players instead of the players he did select, this team is virtually guaranteed to be sitting in a playoff spot right now, with a decent amount of cap space, although Tarasenko might have been too expensive so maybe he shouldn't be included.
The problem with Francis having the most cap space in the league is that he's taken an attractive destination in Seattle and turned it into West Buffalo. What top free agents are going to want to play in Seattle if the team is in the cellar? Put a playoff team on the ice and you can draw a few more good players in the offseason, no problem. Now it's going to be a lot tougher.
There's still a lot of season left and a lot can happen. First and foremost, Philip Grubauer needs to stop being a tombstone every time there's no defender between he and the guy with the puck.
- Sibelius Hindemith
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Re: Kraken after 16 games
This team already fits right in with the Seattle Sports scene. So what is the mood and level of interest now that it is clear the suck. Is their an buzz left at all??
dt
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Re: Kraken after 16 games
I would guess that a lot of the wind has gone out of the sails. The draft pretty much gifted Francis a playoff team and instead he unnecessarily held back and killed the buzz.
Re: Kraken after 16 games
This gets back to the "Free Arena" I bet since they invested so much in it including cost over runs they limited the payroll budget. That makes more sense than Francis not wanting to draft a good team.
dt
- Sibelius Hindemith
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Re: Kraken after 16 games
More clueless and/or disinterested owners to add to the Seattle mix. Does any other city with more than one major sports team have such a worthless crop of bozos running them?
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Re: Kraken after 16 games
I don't think ownership meddled, I think this was all Francis. Supposedly he took a conservative approach with Carolina and he ended up getting fired three years ago, although the team he started to build has ended up being a pretty good one.Sibelius Hindemith wrote: ↑Fri Nov 19, 2021 5:08 pmMore clueless and/or disinterested owners to add to the Seattle mix. Does any other city with more than one major sports team have such a worthless crop of bozos running them?
The thing about him is he's not Jerry DiPoto. He wasn't a mediocre journeyman. He's a freaking legend, a champion, and he's fifth all-time in scoring. In Pittsburgh he played with all-time greats like Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr. You'd think that he'd want great players on the team, and not just what he thought Grubauer is. You'd think that he'd have jumped all over the idea of having someone like Landeskog too, but apparently they couldn't reach contract terms. Colorado extended him eight years at seven million per year, and a player like that is probably worth it. But again, Francis went cheap and here we are.
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Re: Kraken after 16 games
What’s not to say we didn’t offer more and Landeskog turned it down?DavidGee24 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 19, 2021 11:30 pmI don't think ownership meddled, I think this was all Francis. Supposedly he took a conservative approach with Carolina and he ended up getting fired three years ago, although the team he started to build has ended up being a pretty good one.Sibelius Hindemith wrote: ↑Fri Nov 19, 2021 5:08 pmMore clueless and/or disinterested owners to add to the Seattle mix. Does any other city with more than one major sports team have such a worthless crop of bozos running them?
The thing about him is he's not Jerry DiPoto. He wasn't a mediocre journeyman. He's a freaking legend, a champion, and he's fifth all-time in scoring. In Pittsburgh he played with all-time greats like Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr. You'd think that he'd want great players on the team, and not just what he thought Grubauer is. You'd think that he'd have jumped all over the idea of having someone like Landeskog too, but apparently they couldn't reach contract terms. Colorado extended him eight years at seven million per year, and a player like that is probably worth it. But again, Francis went cheap and here we are.
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Re: Kraken after 16 games
That's very possible. Even before the season Colorado was sitting pretty and it would have been hard to leave, although you wonder why they didn't already extend him.Hasslecracked wrote: ↑Sun Nov 21, 2021 11:03 pmWhat’s not to say we didn’t offer more and Landeskog turned it down?DavidGee24 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 19, 2021 11:30 pmI don't think ownership meddled, I think this was all Francis. Supposedly he took a conservative approach with Carolina and he ended up getting fired three years ago, although the team he started to build has ended up being a pretty good one.Sibelius Hindemith wrote: ↑Fri Nov 19, 2021 5:08 pmMore clueless and/or disinterested owners to add to the Seattle mix. Does any other city with more than one major sports team have such a worthless crop of bozos running them?
The thing about him is he's not Jerry DiPoto. He wasn't a mediocre journeyman. He's a freaking legend, a champion, and he's fifth all-time in scoring. In Pittsburgh he played with all-time greats like Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr. You'd think that he'd want great players on the team, and not just what he thought Grubauer is. You'd think that he'd have jumped all over the idea of having someone like Landeskog too, but apparently they couldn't reach contract terms. Colorado extended him eight years at seven million per year, and a player like that is probably worth it. But again, Francis went cheap and here we are.