Kraken defeat Canucks, surpass ’21-22 win total
Oliver Bjorkstrand‘s two goals did more than just pace the Seattle Kraken in a commanding 6-1 victory Wednesday against the Vancouver Canucks at Climate Pledge Arena.
The Kraken’s first-ever win against the Canucks also came with the significance they surpassed their entire win total from last season. A year ago, the Kraken’s troublesome maiden voyage led to them finishing 27-49-6 with questions about how long it would take for them to get better.
But now? They are 28-14-5, are in the discussion for the Pacific Division crown, could possibly contend for the best record in the Western Conference and per Moneypuck, they have a 95.4% chance of reaching the playoffs.
“It’s a different team that’s definitely figured some things out this season,” Bjorkstrand said. “We’re on to some good stuff. Consistency is a huge thing and I think throughout the season for the most part, I think we’ve been pretty consistent.”
Although, not everything went as planned. Star rookie center Matty Beniers hit his head on the ice after he was hit from the side by Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers. Beniers played 9:52 in ice time and did not play in the third period.
Kraken coach Dave Hakstol was asked about Beniers’ status and responded by only saying he was not available for the third period.
Naturally, the Kraken’s turnaround from cellar-dwellers to a potential playoff team has created questions around how they have found success.
Turns out? There are quite a few reasons.
Some of it comes from what Kraken general manager Ron Francis and the front office did in the offseason. They switched goaltending coaches and hired Steve Briere from the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Kraken also hired former Winnipeg Jets interim coach Dave Lowry, who was also an assistant with three NHL teams, to Hakstol’s staff.
They signed forward Andre Burakovsky, goaltender Martin Jones and defenseman Justin Schultz in free agency. They also traded some of the assets they acquired at last year’s trade deadline to get Bjorkstrand.
Burakovsky and Bjorkstrand strengthened their top-six winger group. Jones gave them a goaltender who was initially set to fill in for an injured Chris Driedger, who had offseason surgery for a torn ACL. Jones then took on a greater workload when Philipp Grubauer suffered an in-season injury. Schultz gave them a top-four right-handed puck-moving option to have another experienced figure on the blueline.
Beniers, the No. 2 pick from the 2021 NHL draft, continued tapping into his promise, building on his nine points in 10 games last season to representing the Kraken this year at the NHL All-Star Game next week. Defensemen Will Borgen and Vince Dunn, along with forwards such as Morgan Geekie and Daniel Sprong, are all examples of players who were around last season that have earned greater roles within the team.
And even the in-season moves have been fruitful, such as picking up forward Eeli Tolvanen on waivers and seeing him notch eight points in 13 games. Tolvanen, who scored against the Canucks, was one of 10 Kraken players who recorded a point on Wednesday.
Now combine those details with a veteran core featuring Yanni Gourde, Jordan Eberle, Adam Larsson, Jared McCann and Jaden Schwartz, among others.
It results in a team that came into Wednesday with 17 players who have more than 10 points, 13 players who have more than 20 points, an attack-minded approach that is fourth in goals per game coupled with a defensive structure that’s allowed the fourth-fewest shots per game.
“I think the lineup that we put out every night is a little bit different than last year,” said Dunn, whose two points against the Canucks gives him a career-high 36 on the season. “It’s given me a lot of opportunity to create chances for myself. … I think [it’s] just the whole team doing well. You put the team first, and individual success comes from that.”
Furthermore, Beniers continues to be among the favorites to win the Calder Trophy for the NHL’s Rookie of the Year by leading his peers in goals and points. Meanwhile, Hakstol’s efforts have allowed him to build a case to be considered for the Jack Adams Award which goes to the NHL’s Coach of the Year.
There is also more to the Kraken than strong statistics, potential individual accolades, being the first team in NHL history to win a seven-game road trip and surpass last season’s win total with 35 games left in the regular season.
Their latest win also means they are sitting atop the Pacific. Seattle is level with the Vegas Golden Knights on points. But the Kraken have a higher points percentage [.649] than the Golden Knights [.622] while also having two games in hand.
“Last year was not fun, right? But you gotta go through those hard times in order to work and build and there’s a lot of guys in this room that went through that and stayed with it and are finding a little bit of success right now,” Hakstol said. “For us, it’s about the two points tonight. Now, we get a day of rest and we got two left [before the All-Star Break]. Hey, it’s a hell of a lot of fun winning along the way. That’s where the fun comes in. But tonight was a hard-working group.”
The 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby is fast approaching — and the field is set.
Braves hometown hero Ronald Acuna Jr. became the first player to commit to the event, which will be held at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 14 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN). He was followed by MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals, Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins, Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Brent Rooker of the Athletics and Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees.
On Friday, however, Acuna was replaced by teammate Matt Olson.
With all the entrants announced, let’s break down their chances at taking home this year’s Derby prize.
Full All-Star Game coverage: How to watch, schedule, rosters, more
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 434 feet
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.
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