The Vegas Golden Knights warped our expectations for how an NHL expansion team should perform in its first season, having leveraged the league’s new advantageous draft rules to maximum compensatory effect. None of us figured the Kraken for a Stanley Cup finalist like the inaugural Knights were, but most felt they’d be better than the .300 points percentage team that entered into action on Wednesday night. Or, at least one with a better team save percentage than the Arizona Coyotes.
Their lack of early success has been … kind of a bummer? Which is a shame, because the first season of an expansion team should be a joyous journey of small victories, embarrassing mishaps and those promising moments that portend a brighter future. It’s like freshman year at college: a time to take chances and explore new things, knowing there’s plenty of time to eventually earn that degree while silently praying that none of that exploration ends up on social media.
Even with their success, Vegas got bizarre. They had that entire arena experience, with the neon-lit drum line, the Medieval Times (dinner and tournament!) pregame show. They had that “Golden Misfits” vibe that fueled them. Their winning and their weirdness made them cult sensations in a crowded entertainment market.
Like anything that achieves cult status, there also cult heroes. For the Knights, it was Marc-Andre Fleury: King of the Misfits, the beaming smile behind the goalie mask on billboards and someone whose play thrilled local hockey fans and helped create new ones.
Every expansion team has them. So who are those cult heroes for the Kraken after just over a month of existence?
“There are so many Brandon Tanev jerseys here, you wouldn’t believe it,” said John Barr, the Seattle fan behind Sound of Hockey.
Why has Tanev, a seven-year veteran previously with the Winnipeg Jets and the Pittsburgh Penguins, become the most popular player on the Kraken?
“There are a whole bunch of reasons, actually,” said Patrick M, a Kraken fan found on Twitter at @generationxwing. “It all starts with the ‘oh my god, I’ve seen a ghost’ photo. That’s what first endeared him.”
Tanev’s cult status started with the headshot. The one he took while playing for the Penguins, bulging his eyes widely with a concerned look on his face. His explanation at the time: “I did actually see a ghost. It was walking behind the gentleman who was taking our pictures. Kinda caught me off guard.”
When Tanev was drafted by the Kraken, he was one of the players who showed up in Seattle for the roster unveiling. The photo was shown to the crowd, to rolling laughter.
“We’re a quirky set of people up here. Anyone that looks like he’s a member of a grunge band in a mugshot is going to endear himself quickly,” Patrick M said.
Hockey cult icons need an on-ice component to their popularity. Despite having the 16th-most ice time among skaters, Tanev was the fifth-leading scorer on the Kraken through 15 games, with six goals and two assists.
“He’s a wrecking-ball player. He’s got that balance of grit and skill, and who can put the energy in the team,” Patrick M said. “As stupid as it is to say, it’s the ‘blue-collar stuff.’ You’re looking for someone to latch on to. We don’t have those high-skills guys, so the next step down is the guy who goes full-tilt.”
Tanev’s popularity on and off the ice has manifested in gear sales. In September, Tanev had one of the best-selling jerseys among all Kraken players in ecommerce, ranking right with established names like Philipp Grubauer and winger Jordan Eberle. Fanatics, the NHL’s official ecommerce partner, said Tanev has the third-highest-selling Kraken jersey since the start of the season, and one of the top 15 best-selling jerseys in the NHL.
“That’s a tough one for me to explain,” Tanev told Sportsnet during a recent broadcast. “Happy to have the jersey sales. I think the jerseys themselves are extraordinary. I think they’ve done a great job with them. I’m fortunate to be up there with some of the top players in the league. We’ll take it.”
On Breaking T, a T-shirt site that has a partnership with the NHLPA, Tanev has the most popular Seattle Kraken shirt. Not surprisingly, it’s a photo of his headshot, with the words “Release the Tanev.”
Morgan Geekie doesn’t have a shirt there yet, but the 23-year-old Seattle forward is also a contender for cult hero status, as a certified goofball. The kind of player who does an interview with Geek Wire because of his last name. (Geekie: “It’s not every day that half your name is in a worldwide technology [news site].”)
He went viral while with the Carolina Hurricanes when he inserted the phrase “you can’t out-pizza the Hut” into a post-practice interview, after some teammates bet him that he couldn’t sneak in the Pizza Hut catchphrase. When asked about it as a member of the Kraken, Geekie said, “I can show you my [Pizza Hut] gold card, [but] I don’t carry it anymore. I got a new wallet.”
He’d probably challenge Tanev for expansion cult hero status if he had more than two goals in his first 15 games with Seattle. As it stands, Tanev’s the man.
“He’s leaned into it. He’s a maniac on the ice, no bucket in warm-ups, his hair’s all wacko, gives some non-traditional interviews. And he’s playing well! So when you put that all together you have a cult hero. Especially when he also cares so much,” said Barr. “I think he appeals to new fans. Look, they don’t know who Jared McCann is, and he’s close to being the best player on the team. But Tanev has reached out to the new fans. They know he’s a character.”
That’s the essential ingredient for an expansion cult hero: that connection with the fans.
Stu Grimson felt it from his first home game with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 1993-94, against the Detroit Red Wings and their legendary enforcer, the late Bob Probert. Grimson had fought him numerous times as part of the Chicago Blackhawks‘ battles with their “Chuck Norris Division” rivals from Detroit. The Red Wings annihilated Anaheim 7-2, but the crowd came alive late in the third period when Grimson and Probert renewed acquaintances.
“They were like, ‘OK, this is cool.’ We lost the first one, but they sure as hell got good value that night,” Grimson said. “We did what we could to make the game relevant, and to become a part of the fabric of that community, right out of the gate. What was really fun in those first two years was seeing fans start to appreciate the more subtle parts of the game.”
Grimson, nicknamed “The Grim Reaper” in his playing days, was one of the cult heroes of that first Ducks team, along with players like goalie Guy Hebert and forward Terry Yake.
“We had a lot of players that were used to having elite guys on their other teams that commanded all the attention. So when the spotlight was shown on these working-class players, we were happy to dive in and do whatever the organization asked of us,” Grimson said.
Like going to Disneyland, where the Disney-owned team was placed on a float for a parade down Main Street USA: The Grim Reaper, at the happiest place on Earth, waving to toddlers.
Years later, Grimson would play his final NHL season with the Nashville Predators, who were in their fourth season of existence but were very much still trying to build a fan base. Seeking that cult hero, they made Grimson their centerpiece signing in the summer of 2001, and put him on a private jet to Nashville.
“The fact that they’re flying in a fourth-line ham-and-egger for a press conference is astonishing enough. But then they loaded me up in a Winnebago, they dressed up their director of ticket sales as the Grim Reaper, and he leads me into the press conference. And I was like, ‘Wow, this is a different market.’ They were at a stage of their history where someone like me was a featured attraction,” he said.
The Predators also put up a massive billboard of Grimson in his gear in one of the most high-traffic areas in downtown Nashville, something he said “was absolutely comical to see.”
The memorably monikered goalie was a member of two different first-season teams: drafted by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 1993-94 and signed as a free agent by the Jackets. In fact, he earned the first win for both of those franchises — a distinction he was worried could be threatened if Marc-Andre Fleury had ended up with the Kraken instead of the Chicago Blackhawks this offseason.
Heading into that inaugural season for the Blue Jackets, Tugnutt was a 33-year-old veteran coming off a notable playoff run with the Penguins. Columbus wanted him to be a front-facing talent for the team, someone who connect the franchise with new fans.
“I have to credit the Blue Jackets front office for being creative in getting us out there before the season started,” he said. “Like when I started doing commercials about running for President of the United States.”
Sorry, what?
Before he ever played a game for the Blue Jackets, Tugnutt was walking through local parks in his full goalie gear — minus the skates — giving “campaign speeches” to the citizens of Columbus.
“I was in tears laughing when the idea brought it to me,” he said. “I walked through farm fields, flipping up my mask to talk to farmers. Patted cows with my goalie equipment on, which wasn’t easy — I just kept looking at my gear getting muck and stuff on it. But it was a legitimate presidential campaign that was shown all over Columbus.”
According to The Hockey News, Tugnutt actually earned 12 votes as a write-in candidate in the 2000 presidential election.
The Blue Jackets had a good run in their first season, remaining in the playoff race until the last month. That success came at an advantageous time for the franchise, because Ohio State’s football team — which otherwise sucks up every last bit of media and fan attention — was in the midst of a three-season valley in between first-place finishes in the Big 10.
That’s been one of the challenges for the Kraken this season: Getting attention while the Seattle Seahawks are still playing meaningful games.
“I don’t think it’s fully in the sports lexicon here yet. The Seahawks still dominate in the media here, and frankly there’s not a lot of people that know about hockey here,” said Barr. “So you have die-hard fans that are chomping at the bit for more, and a new fan base that’s not getting a lot from the media outlets here.”
That’s why expansion team cult heroes like Tanev and Geekie are important. Their connection to the fans isn’t tied to wins or losses. It’s about effort, charisma, being a part of the community. And perhaps above all, it’s about that glorious weirdness that makes the first season of a franchise’s existence so endearing.
“There’s not as much pressure on an expansion team. You can kind of relax. There’s a honeymoon. You get one or two years, and then they expect you to start winning,” said Tugnutt, who said he loved his time on the expansion teams. “It kept me in the league longer. And I thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, I think you asked most people on expansion teams, they’d tell you they loved it. I hope the Seattle Kraken are having a great time.”
He also has some advice for the players who are in the position now that he was in back in 2000-01:
“I’d tell the Kraken to enjoy it. You’re building relationships with each other and building relationships in the community. You guys are the pioneers in leading this team into the NHL.”
What an absolute insult to the only true No. 1 in Golden Knights history — goalie Dylan Ferguson — to have his jersey number repurposed for a crummy commercial.
Three players I’m a little worried about
1. Kirill Kaprizov, F, Minnesota Wild. Kirill The Thrill has been anything but this season. He has 11 points in 15 games, but only three of those were goals — and he’s generated a paltry 6.1% shooting percentage after shooting 17.2% in his rookie of the year campaign last season. Maybe that carousel of centers has something to do with it.
2. Jeff Petry, D, Montreal Canadiens. As NHL Watcher notes, “Jeff Petry has not scored in 43 straight games dating back to last year’s regular season and playoffs. Has one goal in his last 66 games.” He has two points in 18 games this season as well. The Montreal Gazette writes: “Petry is not having a good year and that could be because he is playing through injuries, and he is being asked to play a larger role in the absence of Shea Weber and his partner from last season, Joel Edmundson.”
3. Philipp Grubauer, G, Seattle Kraken. With his loss to the Blackhawks on Wednesday, the Kraken’s prized free agent has now lost four straight games and has given up three or more goals in each one. He has a minus-12.1 goals saved above average, and has cost his team over two wins thus far. If Seattle’s going to make a move up the standings, it needs a version of Philipp Grubauer it’s currently not seeing.
Winners and Losers of the Week
Winner: Travis Green
With all the ire in Vancouver targeted at GM Jim Benning and the owner who’s enabled him during this disastrous season, coach Travis Green continues to skate by without shouldering his share of the criticism. That’s not to say that roster construction doesn’t play a huge role in their demise, as three out of every four transactions from Benning are somewhat inexplicable to a neutral observer. But tactically, this team can’t create off the rush, and Green has had a points percentage over .500 only once in five seasons.
I still think total regime change is the answer in Vancouver, but there’s a case to be made that seeing what a new coach does with this roster — Bruce Boudreau, anybody? — should precede the general manager being dismissed. A flimsy case, but a case nonetheless.
Loser: Canucks’ penalty kill
Any hopes of the Canucks rallying this season will be subverted by a penalty kill that’s last in the NHL, at 60.3%. They’ve given up at least one power-play goal in 10 straight games. They gave up two or more power-play goals in eight of those 10 games. Absolutely atrocious.
Los Angeles Kings and Vegas Golden Knights: You will ride eternal, shiny and chrome! Seriously, these lids are sweet, and more teams should have versions of them.
Loser: Headaches
The Ottawa Senators had to postpone three games because of a COVID-19 outbreak on their team. Players and coaches are still missing time because of positive tests.
All systems remain “go” for the NHL to attend the 2022 Beijing Games. The only possible reason the players wouldn’t go would be the COVID-19 situation over there, or because the league has too many games to make up over here. We’re far from either scenario at the moment, but the Ottawa situation is a reminder that we’re not in the clear yet.
The Blackhawks forward tallied a Gordie Howe hat trick on Wednesday night, with his fourth career fight and first bout since Nov. 2019. “A superstar in the making,” Patrick Kane said after the win against the Kraken, before correcting himself: “Already a superstar.”
Congrats to the Utica Comets, the minor league affiliate of the New Jersey Devils, who tied an AHL record for longest winning streak to start a season with their 11th straight win, tying the mark set by the 1984-85 Rochester Americans.
The Islanders are finally making their debut at the spiffy UBS Arena on Saturday, and their fans aren’t even going to recognize them. Who is this team with the .462 points percentage after 13 road games? This Lou Lamoriello roster that’s 30th in team offense? This Barry Trotz team that’s 17th in team defense? The hype locally for the opening of the new barn is a bit muted because of it.
Why he could win: Olson is a late replacement for Acuna as the home team’s representative at this year’s Derby. Apart from being the Braves’ first baseman, however, Olson also was born in Atlanta and grew up a Braves fan, giving him some extra motivation. The left-handed slugger led the majors in home runs in 2023 — his 54 round-trippers that season also set a franchise record — and he remains among the best in the game when it comes to exit velo and hard-hit rate.
Why he might not: The home-field advantage can also be a detriment if a player gets too hyped up in the first round. See Julio Rodriguez in Seattle in 2023, when he had a monster first round, with 41 home runs, but then tired out in the second round.
2025 home runs: 36 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: It’s the season of Cal! The Mariners’ catcher is having one of the greatest slugging first halves in MLB history, as he’s been crushing mistakes all season . His easy raw power might be tailor-made for the Derby — he ranks in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity and delivers the ball, on average, at the optimal home run launch angle of 23 degrees. His calm demeanor might also be perfect for the contest as he won’t get too amped up.
Why he might not: He’s a catcher — and one who has carried a heavy workload, playing in all but one game this season. This contest is as much about stamina as anything, and whether Raleigh can carry his power through three rounds would be a concern. No catcher has ever won the Derby, with only Ivan Rodriguez back in 2005 even reaching the finals.
2025 home runs: 24 | Longest: 451 feet
Why he could win: He’s big, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s awesome, he might or might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is the perfect opportunity for Wood to show his talent on the national stage, and he wouldn’t be the first young player to star in the Derby. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate, so he can still muscle the ball out in BP even if he slightly mishits it. His long arms might be viewed as a detriment, but remember the similarly tall Aaron Judge won in 2017.
Why he might not: His natural swing isn’t a pure uppercut — he has a pretty low average launch angle of just 6.2 degrees — so we’ll see how that plays in a rapid-fire session. In real games, his power is primarily to the opposite field, but in a Home Run Derby you can get more cheapies pulling the ball down the line.
2025 home runs: 20 | Longest: 479 feet
Why he could win: Buxton’s raw power remains as impressive as nearly any hitter in the game. He crushed a 479-foot home run earlier this season and has four others of at least 425 feet. Indeed, his “no doubter” percentage — home runs that would be out of all 30 parks based on distance — is 75%, the highest in the majors among players with more than a dozen home runs. His bat speed ranks in the 89th percentile. In other words, two tools that could translate to a BP lightning show.
Why he might not: Buxton is 31 and the Home Run Derby feels a little more like a younger man’s competition. Teoscar Hernandez did win last year at age 31, but before that, the last winner older than 29 was David Ortiz in 2010, and that was under much different rules than are used now.
2025 home runs: 16 | Longest: 463 feet
Why he could win: If you drew up a short list of players everyone wants to see in the Home Run Derby, Cruz would be near the top. He has the hardest-hit ball of the 2025 season, and the hardest ever tracked by Statcast, a 432-foot missile of a home run with an exit velocity of 122.9 mph. He also crushed a 463-foot home run in Anaheim that soared way beyond the trees in center field. With his elite bat speed — 100th percentile — Cruz has the ability to awe the crowd with a potentially all-time performance.
Why he might not: Like all first-time contestants, can he stay within himself and not get too caught up in the moment? He has a long swing, which will result in some huge blasts, but might not be the most efficient for a contest like this one, where the more swings a hitter can get in before the clock expires, the better.
2025 home runs: 23 | Longest: 425 feet
Why he could win: Although Caminero was one of the most hyped prospects entering 2024, everyone kind of forgot about him heading into this season since he didn’t immediately rip apart the majors as a rookie. In his first full season, however, he has showed off his big-time raw power — giving him a chance to become just the third player to reach 40 home runs in his age-21 season. He has perhaps the quickest bat in the majors, ranking in the 100th percentile in bat speed, and his top exit velocity ranks in the top 15. That could translate to a barrage of home runs.
Why he might not: In game action, Caminero does hit the ball on the ground quite often — in fact, he’s on pace to break Jim Rice’s record for double plays grounded into in a season. If he gets out of rhythm, that could lead to a lot of low line drives during the Derby instead of fly balls that clear the fences.
2025 home runs: 19 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: The Athletics slugger has been one of the top power hitters in the majors for three seasons now and is on his way to a third straight 30-homer season. Rooker has plus bat speed and raw power, but his biggest strength is an optimal average launch angle (19 degrees in 2024, 15 degrees this season) that translates to home runs in game action. That natural swing could be picture perfect for the Home Run Derby. He also wasn’t shy about saying he wanted to participate — and maybe that bodes well for his chances.
Why he might not: Rooker might not have quite the same raw power as some of the other competitors, as he has just one home run longer than 425 feet in 2025. But that’s a little nitpicky, as 11 of his home runs have still gone 400-plus feet. He competed in the college home run derby in Omaha while at Mississippi State in 2016 and finished fourth.
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 442 feet
Why he could win: Chisholm might not be the most obvious name to participate, given his career high of 24 home runs, but he has belted 17 already in 2025 in his first 61 games after missing some time with an injury. He ranks among the MLB leaders in a couple of home run-related categories, ranking in the 96th percentile in expected slugging percentage and 98th percentile in barrel rate. His raw power might not match that of the other participants, but he’s a dead-pull hitter who has increased his launch angle this season, which might translate well to the Derby, even if he won’t be the guy hitting the longest home runs.
Why he might not: Most of the guys who have won this have been big, powerful sluggers. Chisholm is listed at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, and you have to go back to Miguel Tejada in 2004 to find the last player under 6 foot to win.
CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Reds right fielder Jake Fraley was activated from the 10-day injured list on Saturday.
He had injured his right shoulder while trying to make a diving catch June 23 against the New York Yankees.
An MRI revealed a partially torn labrum that will eventually require surgery. Fraley received a cortisone shot and will try to play through it for the rest of the season.